Tulsa World: Tribute is paid to a soldier from Edmond killed in Iraq

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Tribute is paid to a soldier from Edmond killed in Iraq

Army Pfc. David Jeffery Martin

By AP Wire Service
Published: 11/9/2005 6:12 AM
Last Modified: 5/26/2008 2:29 PM

Army Pfc. David Jeffery Martin died from a roadside bomb near Baghdad.

EDMOND (AP) -- Friends and family of an Oklahoma soldier killed in Iraq packed a church Tuesday to honor his life and his sacrifice.

Displayed in the lobby of the New Covenant United Methodist Church was a yellow kayak that belonged to Army Pfc. David Jeffery Martin, 21, who was remembered as an avid outdoorsman and a selfless patriot who died doing what he loved.

Martin and three other members of the 101st Airborne Division were killed Oct. 31 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Humvee while they were on patrol south of Baghdad.

The son of Edmond residents Rick and Janet Martin, David Martin was a 2002 graduate of Edmond North High School.

As music played inside the sanctuary, photographs of David Martin flashed on two giant screens that loomed above his flag-draped coffin.

Many of the photos depicted a grinning David Martin flashing a thumbs-up sign and wearing a Detroit Tigers baseball hat.

"He'll never be able to squeeze my head and tell me it's a gigantic melon like he used to," joked younger brother Daniel Martin, his voice cracking with emotion. "My heart will never heal right again. That's all right -- I wouldn't want it to."

David Martin's three brothers each delivered a brief speech, remembering their sibling as a prankster who loved being a soldier and serving his country.

Neil Martin said his brother was born on the perfect day -- April Fool's Day -- because he was a joker who loved to pull pranks.

The Rev. Adrian Cole recalled how David Martin once dressed up for Halloween as "Adam," wearing only a fig leaf.

"I don't know how much candy he got that year," Cole said.

"Even in death, Dave was selfless," Neil Martin said, noting that in his will his brother left all of his belongings to his mother, except for a laptop computer that he left to a fellow soldier in Iraq who didn't have one.

Neil Martin said he and his brothers frequently discussed getting identical tattoos but could never decide on an image that would be worthy of permanently etching on their bodies.

David Martin's death, he said, helped them decide.

Neil, Andrew and Daniel Martin each had an image of a set of dog tags, hanging from a cross, with the date of his birth and death and words that read, "My brother, my hero."

By AP Wire Service

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