Shawn Martin, a former Elsmere volunteer fireman and eight-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, was killed Wednesday, June 27, in Iraq by a roadside bomb.
The Delmar native, who most recently was living in San Clemente, Calif., with his wife had been in Iraq just five weeks when he was killed. The 1995 Bethlehem high school graduate was one of 12 U.S. troops killed in Iraq in a 48-hour period.
Martin was a sergeant in the Marines and a Marine explosive ordinance specialist for the 13th Marine Expeditionary unit. His job was to defuse improvised explosive devices or roadside bombs.
According to family spokesman Terry Hannigan, Martin was in the process of defusing a roadside bomb when a second bomb exploded, killing him.
Hannigan said Martin had been interested in the military since childhood. He was skilled at Tae Kwon Do and grew up around the Elsmere Fire Department where his father and grandfather were both volunteers. Martin served as a volunteer with the department from 1995-2000.
He was the poster child for the Marines. He would do things the hard way, Hannigan said. `Not saying that the other branches are lesser, but it’s understood that the Marine Corps is the toughest branch and that was the attraction to Shawn.`
Martin was characterized as someone who was destined to serve others and a natural leader.
`Some people want to go to Wall Street and make money; other people, fortunately, like Shawn have a great calling to serve us in a vocation for the greater good,` Hannigan said.
Due to the nature of Martin’s job with the Marines, he was scheduled for a short tour in Iraq and was supposed to return home in August. Hannigan said he had already reenlisted and was planning to return to combat.
`This isn’t a guy that was looking for himself; he actually found himself,` Hannigan said. `He was a Marine and he was good at what he did.`
Flags at the Elsmere Fire Department and outside Bethlehem Town Hall were flown at half-staff in honor of Martin.
`From the town’s standpoint, this is another tragic loss of an American life in Iraq,` said Supervisor Jack Cunningham.
In a written statement, the Martin family expressed the devastation of the loss and thanked their community for supporting them during their difficult time.
`It is impossible to describe the depth of our pain or the full measure of our loss. However, the outpouring of love and kind gestures we have received has been overwhelming. We have never before experienced the magnitude of the bond that makes this community so special,` they wrote.
Martin is the third Bethlehem native who has been killed in Iraq. Timothy Moshier, 25, was killed in April 2006 when he was shot down piloting an Apache Helicopter in southwest Baghdad. Sgt. Thomas Robbins, a 1994 Bethlehem High School graduate, was killed in Iraq in 2004 near Mosul when a mortar exploded.
More than 3,500 soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the war began, and up to 70 died in June alone. Martin is survived by his wife, Marianne Thomes, his parents, Paul and Dawn Martin, and a sister, Nicolle, who reside in Delmar.
Calling hours are scheduled for Wednesday, June 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar. The funeral is scheduled for Thursday, June 28, at 10 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle. Arrangements are from the Keenan Funeral Home in Albany.
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