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Philip J. Martini

    
Friday, April 14 2006 @ 08:41 PM EDT
Contributed by: River97
Views: 1,464
Individuals USwww.chicagotribune.com -- Joining the Marines took Lance Cpl. Philip J. Martini halfway around the world from his Lansing home, his father said.

But as he helped tsunami victims, fought insurgents in Iraq, scoured the desert for weapons caches and reached out to civilians in the war-torn country, it became obvious how far that journey had really taken him.

"It was the best decision he had ever made in his life," Philip S. Martini said. "We saw a transformation."

Philip J. Martini, 24, of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, Bravo Company, was killed by small-arms fire Saturday near Fallujah, his father said. Martini and his squad were trying to bail out a command post that reportedly was overrun by enemy troops, his father said. It was Martini's second tour in Iraq.

Martini graduated in 2000 from Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing, where he played football and baseball. He was a "wild guy" who was popular and loved to have a good time, his father said. He had three brothers--James, 30, Anthony, 26, and Joseph, 13--and called his mother, Laura, one of his heroes, his father said.


The metamorphosis from a competitive high-school athlete to battle-tested squad leader began when Martini and two high-school buddies signed up for the service in 2003. The hard-core Bears fan--who had a team belt buckle so big it made him look "like a Texan"--quickly grew to love the camaraderie of the Marines, his father said.

"He found another home and a brotherhood in the Marines that we can't even explain," he said. "They were as much a part of his family as we were."

His military test scores were extremely high, his father said, but Martini wanted to be an infantryman. He wanted to make a difference.

Martini was first sent to Iraq in December 2004, but was rerouted with other units to assist humanitarian efforts in the areas hit hardest by the Indian Ocean tsunami that month. Even though he knew how important his work there was, he "was real concerned about not relieving his buddies in Iraq," his father said.

When he finally arrived there, he worked to root out hidden weapons depots with other Marines, seeing only sporadic combat. On his second tour--stationed in Fallujah--that changed dramatically, his father said.

But as he and his unit traded fire with a stealthy enemy almost daily, Martini made it a point to pay close attention to the civilians who lived around them. He had spoken especially fondly of an Iraqi girl he had befriended and even discussed adopting her with his girlfriend, his father said.

Perhaps the most dramatic announcement, though, came in recent weeks, when the man who had never before expressed strong desire for a career told his family that he wanted to become a social worker after he left the Marines.

"We had a son who went from somebody who really wasn't sure he knew where he was going ... to a fine, outstanding, proud individual," his father said.
 
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Philip J. Martini
Authored by: anonymous on Friday, April 14 2006 @ 09:28 PM EDT
Phillip,
I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.

Semper Fi Devil Dog!
Philip J. Martini
Authored by: anonymous on Sunday, April 16 2006 @ 10:41 PM EDT
Philip thank you; for your service to our country. You have not given your life in vain! An you are a military brother to our son, as hew felt of you. Neither of you knew one another. Today, you are together! An that is a comfort to us; as you had been a comfort not to worryabout our son in Iraq. For I knew our military protect one another. Our family heeart and prays are with you Philip and your loving family. Philip has touched the hearts of so many. Always be supportive toward one another. You all loved Philip, he knew that: just as he loved you all dearly! reflect on the many precious fond memories you all shared with Philip. You will realize he is with you in your heart. Healing is a slow process. We lost our son US Army Sgt. Gregory L. Wahl KIA in Balad, Iraq 05-03-04. Please checkout www.fallenheroesmemorial.com many many organizations to help you family. Click to links! Philip you are in my heart this weekend in Crawford, Texas!
Philip J. Martini
Authored by: anonymous on Wednesday, April 19 2006 @ 02:42 PM EDT
To the family of LCpl Philip Martini I wish to extend my deepest sympathy to you in your time of grief. i am the mother of two of his brother Marines. My one son returned from Iraq last April . It hurts all of us when one of our beloved Marines is lost. I can only express my thanks for the service your son provided to his country. I know you are fiercly proud of him as a son and as a Marine. He is one of America's finest. We will all carry him in our hearts. Our praryers go out for those he left behind. He is guarding heavens gates until we see him again. God be with your family in this time. Semper Fidelis.

Janice Strand , Oak Forest, IL
mother of Sgt Matthew Smith and LCpl Ryan Smith
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