Staff Sgt Vernon William Martin
Born: March 20, 1984 in Brooklyn, New York
Died: October 3, 2009 in Kamdesh, Afghanistan
Staff Sgt. Vernon W. Martin, of Savannah, Georgia is the son of Connie Brown and George William Martin. He attended St. Mark’s Lutheran School in Brooklyn, New York and graduated in 2002 from Johnson High School. It was during those years that he enjoyed playing basketball at St. Pious Community Center and also when he met his future wife. After graduating, Vernon became a Juvenile Correction Officer at the Chatham County Youth Detention Center. It was there that he decided Youth Development would become a main focus in his future. In the meantime, he joined the Army in August of 2004 and married his high school sweetheart and the couple have three children. He loved to read science fiction, loved being with his children and hoped someday to give back to his community by working in a youth development program preparing kids for adulthood. His awards and decorations include, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal – 2, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/ Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal w/ Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal, Army Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon – 2, NATO Medal, Combat Action Badge, Driver Mechanic Badge. He is survived his wife, Brittany, two daughters and one son, his parents, a sister, Vanessa and a brother, Joseph. Vernon died at age 25 in Kamdesh, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his contingency outpost with small arms, rocket-propelled grenade and indirect fires. Also killed in the battle were, Sgt. Justin T. Gallegos, Sgt. Joshua M. Hardt, Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk, Sgt. Michael P. Scusa, Spc. Christopher T. Griffin, Spc. Stephan L. Mace and Pfc. Kevin C. Thomson.
Army
3rd Squadron
61st Cavalry Regiment
4th Brigade Combat Team
4th Infantry Division
Fort Carson, Colorado
Burial is at Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia – Greenwich Section
The Staff Sgt Vernon William Martin by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
To Sgt Martin’s family, God be with you in your great loss.
My condolences and prayers go to the family and friends of SSG Martin. I will always remember his contagious laughter and his ability to lead by example. He will be missed by all those that have served with him.
~ Former Bulldog 6.
Our condolences and prayers go out to the family of SSG Martin. We will always remember his laughter, upbeat spirit and willingness to help others.
Bulldog 7 and the rest of the Bulldog Family(2006-2008)