Bob Martin enlisted in the Army in 1963, did four tours in Vietnam, earned a Silver Star, three Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with “V”; survived combat operations with the 1st Cavalry Division in 1965, a stint walking point with a recon platoon in the 101st Airborne Division, a period advising with Special Forces, and another carrying out search-and-destroy missions with the 173rd Airborne. After the war, he stayed in the Army and retired in 1983.