“Sonny” Martin, Jr. Career Army Officer, World War II 1995 OH
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Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center Transcript of an Oral History Interview with Orville W. “Sonny” Martin, Jr. Career Army Officer, World War II 1995 OH 624 1 OH 624 Martin, Orville W., (1923-1999). Oral History Interview, 1995. User Copy: 9 sound cassettes (ca. 489 min.); analog, 1 7/8 ips, mono. Master Copy: 4 sound cassettes (ca. 489 min.); analog, 1 7/8 ips, mono. Transcript: 0.1 linear ft. (1 folder). Abstract: Orville W. “Sonny” Martin Jr., an Oshkosh, Wisconsin native, describes his experiences growing up in a military family; serving in the 3 rd Platoon, A Company, 59 th Armored Infantry Battalion, 13 th Armored Division during World War II; training the 4th Field Artillery Battalion and the 35 th Quartermaster Pack Company during the Korean War; serving in Taiwan in 1959; and working at the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. Martin describes the service of his father, a Neenah (Wisconsin) native, during World War I and his parents’ wedding at Camp Stotsenburg (Clark Air Force Base) in the Philippines. Martin touches upon his military ancestry including a great-great-uncle, “General” Warren Healy, who was a drummer boy during the Civil War and became Paymaster General of New York during the Spanish-American War. Martin grew up an “Army brat” on various bases, including: West Point (New York), Fort Ethan Allen (Vermont), Fort Sill (Oklahoma), Schofield Barracks (Hawaii), Fort Hoyle (Maryland), Baton Rouge (Louisiana), and Fort Leavenworth (Kansas). He discusses at length his schooling and social interactions among children of officers and enlisted men. Martin details family life on the base which he calls a “very moral society.” Martin tells stories of corporal punishment and officers disciplining others’ children, a practice that faded in the 1960s. He recalls special occasions like officer parties and Boat Day, when troop ships arrived in Hawaii. Martin comments on ethnic diversity in the Army and relates positive experiences with Russian and Polish immigrants who sparked his interest in boating and international relations. Martin describes several interactions with African-American soldiers and orderlies at Fort Leavenworth (Kansas) before integration; he also recalls witnessing impressive practice maneuvers by African-American regiments. Martin attended three years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the ROTC before joining the Reserves in 1943. Martin discusses students’ views of the war. The Young Communist League protested vocally on campus, but after Germany declared war, they changed overnight and supported the war effort. Martin, who joined the Reserves the summer of his junior year, details his OCS and Armor School training from August to December 1943. In 1944, he was assigned to the 13 th Armored Division as a 2 nd lieutenant at Camp Bowie (Texas) where he trained troops for the D-Day Invasion. Martin describes encounters with Generals George C. Marshall and George S. Patton. During World War II, Martin’s father was the Division Artillery Commander of the 7 th Armored Division and fought in North Africa and the Battle of the Bulge (Belgium). With pride, Martin relates that his father praised the 13 th Armored Division troops Martin had trained. Martin addresses the military nature of his relationship with his father. In 1945, Martin was deployed to Britain, then France and Germany. He mentions encountering the Women’s Royal Navy Service and a female officer who piloted his ship 2 across the English Channel. Martin saw action in the Ruhr Pocket (Germany) where some Nazis held out. He tells of receiving a Bronze Star when a group of German infantrymen surrendered voluntarily to him. Martin describes positive relations with French, Belgian, and Dutch civilians, remarking that his unit used half-track vehicles to till fields in Normandy. He discusses at length the differences between American and German technologies, including: tanks, artillery, and communications systems. He points out that the German army still used horses to transport much of their artillery. Martin reveals in detail American soldiers’ views of the German, Japanese, and Soviet armies, many of which were negative. He discusses matters of daily life, such as: quality of uniforms and gear; types of rations; and management of gas and munitions. Martin calls the African-American soldiers of the Red Ball Express heroes for supplying the front lines with crucial ammunition and gasoline during the Battle of the Bulge. Martin also addresses hygiene, stating he required his men to shave, take care of their feet, and wear long-johns. Martin mentions public health warnings about sexually transmitted diseases and that condoms were issued to all soldiers. He volunteered as a Troop Information Education Program Officer, disseminating information and leading discussions on educational topics. This included some vilification of the enemy, which Martin criticizes as “indoctrination…that was probably overdone.” During the occupation of Germany, Martin remarks that soldiers quickly learned Germans were not all bad people; however, he describes American soldiers as wary, partly because fraternizing with civilians was forbidden. Martin was present for the liberation of a few German prisoner of war camps. He characterizes the liberated Dutch, Belgians, and Jews as grateful and “peaceful.” However, he portrays Eastern European POWs as rowdy and troublesome. Martin touches upon visiting Dachau after its liberation. His division held a dance for some of the nurses ministering to former Dachau prisoners at the chateau they were occupying nearby. Martin implies Army secrecy about the Dachau concentration camp, saying his orders were to go to Munich. Martin discusses at length being billeted in a German chateau owned by Count Von Toerring-Jettenbach, where his unit discovered negatives and photographs by Heinrich Hoffmann (Hitler’s personal photographer). The Army appropriated this material for the National Archives. Martin explains that Hoffmann’s relatives disputed the ownership of these photographs in a Federal Court in the 1990s, and he was called as a key witness. Martin expresses feeling relieved on V-J Day. He is thoughtful about the consequences of the atomic bombing of Japan and admits Americans were not given full information at that time. Martin does not feel the atomic bomb saved him personally from dying in a prolonged battle, even though he was scheduled for redeployment in Japan. From 1946 to 1949, Martin served with the Constabulary force during the occupation of Germany. During the Korean War, Martin was promoted to Captain and trained the 4 th Field Artillery Battalion and the 35 th Quartermaster Pack Company at Fort Carson (Colorado). Martin was the last mounted officer to serve in an Armored Division in the Army. Martin explains pack animals were supposed to be useful in the Korean mountains, but there was no natural feed for the mules and horses there, so the pack company was never deployed. Martin feels the South Koreans had a skilled army and could have beaten the North Koreans on their own, but he believed in a nuclear threat at the time . Beginning in Korea, Martin feels NCOs became less effective leaders; they were given more responsibilities but had less experience than the older, savvy sergeants of World War II. According to Martin, poor leadership continued to be 3 problematic in Vietnam. Martin discusses the Cold War, America’s military preparedness for a Soviet attack, and disputes within the Army over the severity of the threat. His views on the Soviet Union were influenced by seeing Soviet allies during World War II brutalizing their own POWs who had just been liberated from German camps. During the occupation of Germany, Martin says the Army was worried about the Soviet “bear sitting across this [border] with unknown intentions.” Martin thoroughly describes his experiences serving in Taipei (Taiwan) in 1959. He mentions the prevalence of spies sent by the Republic of China to listen in on the U.S. Army, their ally against the Communists. During 1960s, Martin worked at the Pentagon in the Office of Reserve Components. Martin criticizes the rotation and deferment policies during the Vietnam War, which he says caused feelings of resentment and discrimination. Martin feels the Army should have sent Reservists and the National Guard to Vietnam before draftees. He speaks positively about the “intellectual revolution” that occurred within the Army in 1974 when the “moral pollution” among soldiers and NCOs gave way to a new group of talented young officers with “integrity [and] ethics.” Martin is also critical of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara (who he worked with at the Pentagon) for burying reports about the Vietnam War and having “no respect for the truth.” After the Pentagon, Martin became the Editor in Chief of Armor Magazine for four years as part of an assignment in the Army’s Public Affairs department. At Armor Magazine , he worked with General Edward “Shy” Meyer who he praises highly. After retiring, Martin became the administrative director of the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison and expanded their administrative department. He mentions participating in various veterans groups including: American Legion, 13 th Armored Division Association, U.S. Constabulary Association, Association of the U.S. Army, and Coast Guard Auxiliary. Martin was one of the founders of the U.S. Commission on Military History and served as president of the Council on America’s Military Past. Biographical Sketch: Orville W. “Sonny” Martin, Jr. (1923-1999) was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. His father, a Neenah, Wisconsin native and World War I veteran, met his mother while serving in the Philippines. Martin was raised as an “Army brat” and went on to be a career military man, retiring with the rank of Colonel. He attended the University of Wisconsin in the ROTC for three years before serving in the 13 th Armored Division during World War II.