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Not every son gets a chance to live his father's legacy. For
Senior Airman Christopher Martinez, 8th Expeditionary Air Mobility
Squadron crew chief, each day served in the U.S. Air Force is an
opportunity to honor his father's, Tech. Sgt. Gilbert Martinez,
memory.
Martinez, along with his two brothers, didn't find
out about their father's death until the day after his passing when
their mother and grandparents gathered them in their living room to
deliver the tragic news in February 2013.
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September 7, 2016 - U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Gilbert Martinez, left, and Senior Airman Christopher
Martinez, right. (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Senior Airman
Janelle Patino)
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“I couldn't believe it so I left the room to be alone
while my brothers stayed in the living room with my
grandparents,” he recalled. “I tried calling my father in
disbelief of the situation.”
With the tragic news
taking over his mind and body, all Martinez could think of
were memories spent with his father, to include them talking
about Martinez joining the military to follow his father's
footsteps. Being the oldest child, he felt it was his
responsibility to honor and set a good example for his two
younger brothers.
“I already had
the idea of joining the Air Force before my dad left us, but
his death pushed me to go into the service sooner than I was
expecting,” he said. “I did it to honor his name and
continue his legacy after he had dedicated his life helping
others for 18 years.”
Martinez was able to go through
basic military training a few months after his father's
passing with the help of a family friend, a retired chief
master sergeant, who was inspired by Martinez's ambition to
continue the family's military legacy.
“My dad was a
crew chief during his first enlistment for six years, so I
decided to follow his lead to get to where he was,” Martinez
shared. “With an unfortunate event in my life, I found a way
to make it a positive and honor his name and what he has
done for our family and our country.”
His military
career has been a learning process that has taught him many
lessons, giving him an understanding of what his father
experienced while he was in the Air Force.
“My dad
was a big part of why I decided to join and work as a crew
chief since he would always talk about what he learned
through the labor of doing what he did,” he added. “I now
understand why he had a challenging time based on the amount
of hours he worked, which led to not having enough time for
us, his family.”
Even though Martinez had an idea of
what military life was like through being a military child,
joining the Air Force and experiencing it first-hand made
him feel closer to his father and the responsibilities he
had as a non-commissioned officer.
“I have more of an
open mind when listening to the wisdom my peers offer. I
have a lot more respect for NCOs because I saw what it was
like when my dad was in,” he said. “I understand that people
above me are there to help improve the Airman tier and
cultivate their troops into becoming better Airmen and
individuals.”
Martinez feels indebted to his father
as he reflects on his father balancing a career and family
as he now goes through it himself with his wife as they
establish a family.
“The one thing I picked up from
my dad is family values. He cross-trained after six years
not because he didn't like his job, but because he wanted to
spend more time with his family,” he added. “Even though he
and my mom divorced when I was a kid, he remained close to
us and was supportive of anything that we wanted to do with
our future.”
All the years spent as a military child
and now serving his country himself made Martinez see and
realize why his father wanted him to join.
“Since
joining the military, it has made me realize some things
that I wouldn't have dealt with if I were in the civilian
world,” he said. “Me working on C-17 Globemaster IIIs as a
crew chief and knowing what we support, I don't just get to
say ‘it's just another day at work,' because what we do here
daily helps not just me, but our troops downrange and our
country.”
In addition, this deployment is closer to
Martinez's heart not only because it is his first
deployment, but because the aircraft he launches helps
someone important to him.
“My wife's mom, a master
sergeant in the Air Force, is stationed where we launch our
C-17s,” he added. “It makes me really happy to know that
what I do is supporting someone that's not only a part of my
military family, but also my immediate family.”
According to Martinez, he would not be as focused on strong
family values, discipline and respect for those he serves
next to if it were not for his father.
“From the
days in BMT up to now on my first deployment, as I put my
uniform on I'm representing my country on one side and my
family name and legacy on the other, which I am honored to
do,” Martinez said.
If given a chance to talk to his
father one more time, all that comes to Martinez's mind is
thanking him for what he has done for their immediate and
military family.
“If I ever see him again, I would
thank him for the time he took to serve, and I hope that
what I do today is similar to what he did,” he added. “I
hope that what I'm doing is the same level of help and
professionalism he provided other people when he was here.”
By U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Janelle Patino
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2016
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