My Why: Benjamin Martin

Benjamin Martin, was born in Uvalde, TX in the summer of ’72. Due to family being military he spent most of his childhood stationed with his parents across the USA and his summers at the Shields Ranch in Campwood, TX where his PaPa was the ranch manager. MR Martin can trace his family’s military history back to every conflict and war since the original colonies were founded.

In 1990, MR Martin joined the US Army at the age of 17, following in his Father’s and Grandfather’s footsteps. He served in various locations in Europe and the USA for 12+ years and held 4 different MOS’s in Artillery, Logistics, Personell, and Armament.

During his 12+ years in the US Army he gained experience and applied knowledge in various aspects of leadership in Organizational, Direct Support, and General Support Maintenance Operations, to include: Production, Maintenance, Logistics, and Construction, Recruiting, H/R, HSE, Training & Mentorship, Work Load Analysis, QA/QC, Accountability, Procurement, and Physical Security.

At the end of his military service, MR Martin worked in residential and commercial construction, remodeling, and restoration. Building manufactured homes and later residential restoration of homes and commercial buildings that had been damaged due to natural disasters, and finally to building new homes the foundation to the finished product.

In 2005, MR Martin, after several years applying after 9/11, was hired to go to Iraq as a DoD Contractor where he provided Direct/General Support Maintenance to the military. Thus, started his career as a contractor with both DoD and DoS in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. His jobs ranged from Maintenance, Logistics, Weapons/Tactical Training, Justice Support, Narcotics Interdiction, and Base Security Defense Systems.

In 2021, MR Martin returned home from the Middle East suffering from C-PTSD from both his time in the US Army and as a DoD/DoS Contractor. He spent the next 2 years in treatment with the VA and outside VA mental health professionals, working to cope with his interior demons and traumas. Learning how to adjust to the norms of being in; what is considered, normal society again.

My Why

I have served, my family has served, and we have all suffered and struggled with our traumas and losses. Some of us turned to dependency of some type or another or just completely shut down into our own world. Mine was alcohol and shut down. I wish Warriors Heart had been around then for them and I had been able to come myself had Workers Comp allowed. This is my way of still serving my brother and sisters in arms, as I have always done in some capacity, as it is ingrained in my blood to do. I feel there struggles and know their pain. IGY6