Captain Martin was the pilot of a B-26B Invader bomber with the 13th Bomber Squadron, 3rd Bomber Wing. On 5 May 1951, while attacking Wonsan, North Korea, the aircraft struck an obstacle damaging a propeller and later crashed into the sea. His remains were not recovered.

Martin was awarded the Air Medal with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.