lest we forget

MARTINEZ, MANUAL GODINE

Rank / Branch:

  • SPECIALIST FOURTH CLASS, U.S. ARMY

Date Of Birth:

  • 1948-03-10

Country Of Loss:

  • SOUTH VIETNAM

Status:

  • NON-HOSTILE AIR CRASH

Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground:​

  • UH-1H HUEY

Other:

  • MARRIED

Unit:

  • 101ST AIRBOURNE DIVISION

Date Of Loss:

  • 1969-10-23

Loss Coordinates:

  • QUANG TRI

Catagory:

  • BODY RETURNED

Awards & Decorations:

  • SEE BIO

VETERAN HAGI0GRAPHY

  • MARTINEZ, MANUAL GODINE, SPECIALTIST FOURTH CLASS, U.S. ARMY, COLORADO CITY, MITCHELL, TEXAS

AWARDS AND DECORATIONS

  • COMBART INFANTRYMAN'S BADGE, BRONZE STAR MEDAL, ARMY COMMENDATION'S MEDAL, NATIONAL DEFENSE SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM SERVICE MEDAL, VIETNAM CROSS OF GALLANTRY WITH PALM, VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL

BIOGRAPHY

  • Manual was born in Roby, Fisher. County, Texas to the marriage of Teraza Godina and Santano j. Martinez, he was the youngest of eight children. The family was living in North Mitchell County, Texas. They moved into Colorado City when he was 2 years old and attended Colorado City Schools. He was married. He was drafted into the Army in November 1968.
  • He completed basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas and AIT in infantry at Fort Ord, California. He departed for Vietnam on April 11, 1969. He was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment (Currahee), 101st Airborne Division.
  • On October 23, 1969, A Company was being inserted into a landing zone on a combat assault. The insertion was by UH-1H Huey Helicopters provided by B Company, 158th Aviation Bn of the 101st Airborne. The lead helicopter, of six, tail number 68-16274 had inserted a total of two previous groups of troops on the ground and departed and had returned. On the third insertion into the same LZ, the helicopter landed, and the troops exited to a distance of about 30 feet from the aircraft. The LZ was small and had several large tree stumps, some of which were three feet high. The aircraft commander brought the helicopter up to a stabilized hoover and made a takeoff check. The gunner and crew chief gave the "Clear Left" and "Clear Right". According to the gunner, a stump was located approximately at a 60-degree angle to the helicopter. The aircraft was required to make a maximum performance take off to avoid the obstacles directly to his front. When the aircraft lifted up to a hover, it apparently drifted to the right and with the skid sliding under the stump without actually touching it. There was no indication on the controls that would indicate that the aircraft was caught or leaning against an object. Upon applying power, the right skid immediately contacted the stump and the aircraft rolled to the right side. The crew got out of the aircraft with only injuries to the gunner. The aircraft settled to the west side of the LZ in the area of several ground troops. The main blades killed six and injured four troops that were on the edge of the LZ. Among the dead was Specialist Martinez.
  • Specialist Martinez was buried with full military honors in Colorado City, Texas. He was survived by his parents of Colorado City, his sister, Elicia and his brothers Santiago, Peter, Amelio, Nicolas, Albarado and Elpidio. His mother passed away in 1989 and his father 1990. His oldest two brothers, Santiago passed in 2007 and Elpidio in 2013, all buried in Colorado City.
  • FORT ORD-1969
  • COLORADO CITY CEMETERY