Vernon Martin was born to his parents Roy and Dorothy Martin on September 26, 1926 in Niles, Michigan. He had7 brothers and sisters. His father, Roy, died in August, 1939, and his mother never re-married. She died August 14, 1989. Accompanying paperwork shows that Vernon was wounded April 11, 1945, with mortar fragment wounds to the left side of his forehead and was out of action for 5 days. Vernon was later killed on Okinawa by a shell fragment to the chest on May 15, 1945. He was initially buried in Plot B, Row 5, Grave 110 in the Sixth Marine Division Cemetery #1 in Okinawa and was later interred in Nile, Michigan.
Vernon enlisted in the Navy in Indianapolis, Indiana on September 24, 1943 at age 17. He was only 18 when he was killed in action. Vernon went to training at Great Lakes, then to medical training in Bethesda and Camp Lejune between January and September, 1944. At that time, his rank was Hospital Apprentice Second Class. On May 29, 1944, he was transferred to the 29th Marines, in Camp Lejune. He got his HA1c rating on September 14, 1944, then his Phm3c rating on January 1, 1945, having sailed to the Pacific in August, 1944.
Phm3c Martin's group includes his officially engraved posthumous type 2 solid brooch Purple Heart with a small US Mint Type 1 purple heart box. This is not the correct box, but it came that way, so we will keep it that way. Also included is internet research.
