Today my walk was dedicated in honor of:
Air Force Veteran Derek Martin, Age 32 of Lincoln, CA.
Died Mar 17, 2020
He is a graduate of Wellington High School, class of 2005.
He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2006. Upon graduating from Basic Military Training at Lackland AFB, Texas, he was assigned to MacDill AFB, Florida as part of the 6th Security Forces Squadron. His marksmanship was so impressive that he received an invitation to go to sniper school, to which he declined to stay with his family.
Derek loved his job and was quick to volunteer for deployments. He proudly served in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, deploying to both Iraq and Afghanistan multiple times. Derek took pride in his job and was able to gather vital intelligence of adversary movement while still helping the local populace. In fact, his efforts even touched the hearts of the band Metallica to where they provided him with items to donate to these children.
Derek was happiest being with his military brothers and sisters. He was a decorated war veteran and recipient of the prestigious Purple Heart. Derek married in September 14, 2011, who was also on active duty.
Derek moved from Clearwater Beach to Lakeland, Fla., separated from the military in 2012, and went to Professional Golfers Career College in Orlando, Fla., specializing in an associate’s degree in pro golf management, a dream he had long aspired to accomplish. Derek graduated top of his class in 2013, holding the course record with a 59, and has qualified for numerous tournaments.
Due to Derek’s love for the military and helping others, Derek partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project and spent a great deal of time talking about his military experiences with local veterans, hoping that sharing his stories would help others. Derek always believed there were others that needed help more than himself. In conjunction with one of his Air Force brothers, who like Derek suffered from PTSD, he co-founded the nonprofit, Rimpact Foundation, in 2014. Rimpact stood for “Reaper Impact”, partly named after the namesake of the Security Force moniker, the Reaper. He always believed sports, especially golf, was a way to ease the pain people felt, especially those with PTSD and TBI ailments.
Rimpact’s mission was to bring wounded warriors together around the game of golf, and Derek was key in acquiring donations for equipment, rounds of golf, and lessons. Derek got such joy volunteering his time to teach golf lessons outside of the organization and work, as well as being a regular volunteer at his children’s elementary school.
We had a great 9.95 Mile walk this morning. We started out in the country and got to see a little bit of the sunrise then we stopped to see the buffalo but they were to far away to get a good photo. We then walked up town to the War Memorial Park and then headed back home. I want to thank everyone who honked, waved, and saluted in helping us honor this hero. We had 217 honks this morning. It was amazing.
Air Force Veteran Derek Martin will not be forgotten !
NOTE: I want to thank French’s Boots for flying our beautiful colors !
