NEW YORK — Veteran Resource & Referral Specialist and All Veterans Council of Tom Green County chairman, Luis Martinez III, a Purple Heart recipient from West Texas was recently honored as one of the nation’s 2023 Purple Heart Patriot Project selections.
The former U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant represented fellow Purple Heart heroes as Texas’ representative at the multi-day tribute to America’s combat wounded.
The Purple Heart Patriot Project is a program of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission. The all-expenses-paid trip included visits to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, historic Washington’s headquarters, a special tour of the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor and other unique tributes.
“Luis and his fellow Patriot Project honorees represent the best of the best our country has to offer,” Richie Lay, Purple Heart recipient and chairman of the National Purple Heart Honor Mission, said in a release from the group. “America’s Purple Heart veterans have given so much to defend freedom and that sacrifice must always be remembered. These brave men and women are true American heroes. We were privileged to be able to provide this unique salute to service for our Purple Heart heroes.”
“Our Purple Heart recipients have made enormous sacrifices for America, and this was our opportunity to say ‘thank you’ on behalf of a grateful nation. For some, it was the homecoming they never had. We received hundreds of nominations from across the country and we were pleased to honor Luis for his courage and service, both during combat operations and in the years since returning home,”sCol. Russ Vernon (NYARNG Ret.), National Purple Heart Honor Mission executive director, said.
This year’s honorees included men and women Purple Heart recipients from World War II, the Vietnam War, operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and other conflicts, representing all branches of the service and ranging from 37 to 100-years-old. The event took place Sept. 18-22 in New York.
Asked what he would want others to know about his service, Martinez said, “It meant everything to me. It started as a way to take care of my family and then it turned into fighting alongside my brothers and sisters, ensuring we all came home.”
Martinez enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in November 1996, serving for nearly 16 years as a member of the 820th Red Horse Squadron and the 99th Civil Engineering Squadron, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In February 2009, while deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, Martinez was wounded when the vehicle he was traveling in struck an IED.
Along with the Purple Heart with two oak leaf clusters, Martinez was awarded numerous medals and commendations during his service, including the Army Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and more.
Since leaving the service, Martinez works as a social worker and a Veteran Resource and Referral Specialist for the Texas Veteran Leadership Program. He is involved in numerous veterans’ organization, including the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 237, American Legion Post 572, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1815, the Texas Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart (MOPH) and more.
The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located just north of West Point, New York, near the site where General George Washington created the Badge of Military Merit in 1782, during the Revolutionary War. The badge, a purple cloth cut in the shape of a heart, was the forerunner of today’s Purple Heart medal. In addition to creation of the museum, the National Purple Heart Honor Mission was instrumental in the creation of the Purple Heart Forever stamp now issued by the US Postal Service and the organization was the driving force behind the nation’s first official Purple Heart Commemorative Coin series, which was issued by the United States Mint in 2022.
For more information about the National Purple Heart Honor Mission or donate to support the Purple Heart Patriot Project, visit PurpleHeartMission.org.
