(La Porte, IN) - 50 years after leaving the military, a La Porte man received a well-deserved promotion this weekend. 91-year-old Charles Martin was the Grand Celebration Marshal in Friday’s 79th annual La Porte Fourth of July parade.
Born in Wanatah, Martin spent 22 years with the U.S. Army, retiring in 1975 as a Master Sergeant. This year the Army celebrates 250 years, and Martin has been around for over a third of it.
While in the military, Martin had enough experiences to fill multiple lifetimes. Starting in Japan, he went on to serve tours of duty in Ethiopia, France, and Vietnam, plus a temporary duty in South Wales. He served two life-changing tours in Korea, where he arranged for the adoption of a little girl.
Martin returned to La Porte and raised two daughters with Mary, his wife of 39 years. He worked at Howmet until retiring in 1995.
Martin has remained active with veterans’ groups, serving the VFW Post 1130, Post 83 American Legion Honor Guard, AMVETS (Secretary), Vietnam Veterans (Secretary), and American Legion Post 403 (Service Officer). He is also a Life Member of the Disabled American Veterans and the VFW, and belongs to the 40 & 8 (an honor society of military veterans).
Four of Martin’s five brothers also served in the Army. Martin said that, after retiring from the armed forces, he and his brothers started an American Legion Color Guard in La Porte and marched in almost every parade until just a few years ago.
On Friday morning, smartly decked out in his Army Service Uniform, Martin looked the part, ready to lead a battalion of over 100 parade entries. Sitting behind the wheel of a vintage Willys Army Jeep, he expressed his humility and surprise at being named Grand Marshal.
“I’m surprised that they should choose me,” Martin said, “when you got colonels—I know a colonel, my neighbor, he could have been [picked]—or captains, sergeant majors, even privates who do lots of things. But they chose me, and I’m very happy about it.”
General Douglas MacArthur famously claimed that old soldiers just fade away. There seems to be no fading away for Martin, who still has the strong handshake and crisp salute of a Master Sergeant. For decades Martin has honored his country with his service. On the 4th of July, fittingly, La Porte honored him.
