Rank: Specialist 4
Unit: Headquarters & Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment
MOS: 11D – Armor Reconnaissance Specialist
Awards: Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device, Purple Heart Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Badges: Combat Infantryman Badge
Unit awards: Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Palm device
Enlisted by: Selected Service
Date of birth: 23-Mar-1948
Hometown: Tuckasegee, North Carolina
Marital status: Never Married
Campaign: Vietnam Conflict
Entered service: 13-Nov-1967
Start of tour: 18-Apr-1968
Incident date: 20-Nov-1968
Date of casualty: 20-Nov-1968
Age at death: 20
Cause of death: Hostile, died. Artillery/Mortar/Rocket. Artillery, rocket, or mortar.
James Michael Martin died from wound received while at a night defensive position when area came under hostile mortar attack. / (Individual was transported to 93rd Evacuation Hospital, Long Binh.)
Two Blackhorse troopers died in this incident:
SP4 Robert Lloyd Detrick
SP4 James Michael Martin
Location of fatality: Binh Duong, South Vietnam
Place of interment: Tuckasegee Baptist Church Cemetery, Tuckasegee, North Carolina, USA
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BRONZE STAR MEDAL
WITH VALOR DEVICE
POSTHUMOUS
SPECIALIST FOUR JAMES MICHAEL MARTIN
20 NOVEMBER 1968
HEADQUARTERS AND HEADQUARTERS TROOP, 1st SQUADRON
11TH ARMORED CAVALRY REGIMENT
Specialist Four Martin distinguished himself by heroism in connection with military operations against a hostile force on 20 November 1968 while serving as a driver with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, in the Republic of Vietnam. On this date in the vicinity of Binh My, Headquarters Troop was deployed in a night defensive position in an open field, when suddenly it came under an intense barrage of enemy small arms, automatic weapons, mortar and antitank rocket fire from two companies of the North Vietnamese Army who were concealed in the dense jungle terrain outside the friendly perimeter. At the instant the attack began, Specialist Martin, completely disregarding his own safety, left the relative safety of his compartment and manned one of the M60 machine guns on his vehicle. Completely exposed to the concentrated and highly accurate enemy fire, Specialist Martin delivered highly accurate suppressive fire upon the communist forces until he was severely wounded. Although suffering intense pain, Specialist Martin continued to maintain his fire, moving from one gun to another on his vehicle in order to place maximum fire on the enemy, until he was mortally wounded. Specialist Four Martin’s courage and heroic actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States Army.
Headquarters, II Field Force Vietnam General Orders No. 1878 (10 December 1968)