Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 42, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 27, 2007 Page: 1 of 39
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Volume 125 Number 42
The Dominant News and Advertising Source in Polk County
UPS 437-340 Price: 50 cents
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Livingston soldier recalls Iraq combat experiences
By VALERIE REDDELL
Special Sections Editor
M'
"att Martin believes
he survived two
tours of duty in Iraq
because God knew
that Matt’s grandmother would
never leave him alone until he was
home.
The 28-year-old Livingston
veteran is still undergoing outpatient
treatment for injuries he suffered in
Iraq.
He works cattle now for Corky
Cochran full-time, and he has one
specific plan for the future.
"I want to wake up in Liv ingston
every morning," Martin said. "The
rest of it will take care of itself."
All the men in the Martin family
have joined the military whenever
the United States goes to war,
according to Matt’s mother Becky
Martin. His father has traced their
service all the way back to the
American Revolution.
Matt added that his nephew —
who was born while Matt was in
Iraq — will never serve.
"Whenever Trey sees the flag, he
says. “There’s Matt’s flag because
the first few times he saw I was
coming or going to Iraq.”
Martin earned several
commendations and decorations
for his service in Iraq, including the
Bronze Star.
He believes the military needs
to be in Itaq, but he’s frustrated
with the political elements of this
conflict.
“Many great men have died,”
Matt said. “We lost 22 people in my
unit. Everybody dies, but not every
dies for a reason.”
But the combat in the Persian Gulf
is quite different from the earlier
conflicts Matt's ancestors fought in.
The experience is still a little too
fresh to talk about, but Matt and his
mother shared some details about
year from the day Matt’s parents
took him to the airport to return to
Iraq for his second tour.
Matt spent five years, three
months and 10 days with the 2nd
Cavalry' and 7/10 Cavalry Scouts.
During his deployment, Martin
said he got more mail than
everybody else in his unit. Most of
his buddies were from the northern
United States or California, and the
packages, letters and e-mail he got
from Polk County neighbors didn’t
escape their notice.
“All those gifts reminded me I
MATT MARTIN
... served two tours of
duty in Iraq
was loved, appreciated and cared for
by a great group of Americans, my
family and friends," Martin said.
The greatest Americans he know s
are Dennis and Pam Moore, Martin
said.
Stuart Moore, Dennis and Pain’s
son, was killed by an IED blast near
Baghdad on Dec. 22. 2003.
Their strength and faith is just
incredible, Martin said.
His strong faith carried him
through numerous difficult day s, he
said.
During one mission, Martin said
he and his unit had pushed into a
cemetery and were encountering
strong resistance. They hadn’t slept
or ate in days and when a lull in the
action finally came, Martin took his
helmet off.
His commander immediately told
him to put it back on, but he also
notice Matt was praying.
"He said throw in a good word
for me,” Martin said. "I told him I
always do."
When we first got to Iraq, some
members of Martin’s team said they
were atheists. But after a while,
Martin said many of this fellow
soldiers found religion.
Martin's description of a typical
day in Iraq probably won’t make
a visitor’s guide for the Baghdad
Chamber of Commerce.
“It was 156 degrees when we took
the Jordanian embassy," Martin
said.
Soldiers endured that heat while
in full battle gear, w hich includes 50
pounds of flak vest, Kev lar helmet.
MATT’S FLAG — Former Sgt. Matt Martin and his crew pose for a photo
w i th a flagthey fie woverthe Jordanian Embassy. At right: Martinearned many
commendations for his service, but he’s not ready to formally display them.
gas mask, weapons and other
equipment.
Arriv ing in Babylon was an eerie
feeling. Martin said.
"I was in a place that my teachers
always talked about in Vacation
Bible School and I was standing
there — holding a machine gun,"
Martin said.
Martin said the best sleep he got
while in Iraq came during a highly
classified mission.
His crew was awakened at 3 a.m.
and gave them a destination. The
commander said they would get the
mission details when they arrived.
The convoy went to an empty air
strip before dawn and were puzzled
about what they were supposed
to do. Then a couple of Apache
helicopters flew over and a plane
1 n rvdA/I | --------------
* TO I * VIVA. I,
“ They unloaded a huge crate of
American money and told us if the
money didn't make it to where we
were going, we didn’t need to show
up either."
A CIA officer sent Becky Martin
a picture of Matt asleep on top of
the crate of money and wrote her a
•wonderful letter, she said.
The cultural differences between
Iraqis and Americans cause many of
the new challenges of this war.
Iraqi people don’t place much
value on human life and they don’t
like Americans, Martin said. They
are ruled by money and fear.
In Martin’s first tour, he was struck
by a bullet fragment in the leg.
"It fell like I was slung by
something," Martin said.
In early April 2004 Muqtada al-
Sadr holed up in the main mosque in
Kufa, according to military sources
at globalsecurity.org.
"Hundreds of his militiamen took
ov er.Kufa, driv ing out Iraqi security
forces as part of the uprising
orchestrated by al-Sadr. During
the standoff gunmen armed with
Kalashnikovs and rocket propelled
grenades routinely patrolled the
rooftop of the Kufa Mosque.
Hundreds of al-Sadr's militiamen
controlled Kufa, holding its police
station and the main mosque,"
military officials said.
“My squad got closer to the
mosque than any other Americans,"
Martin said.
al-Sadr began with a militia of
18,000 men, Martin said. When we
got through with them he had 800
men when he surrendered.
Missions in Iraq took Martin to
Baghdad, Basra, Divvaniyah, An-
Najif, Al-Kufa, Taji. Sadr City,
Ealujah and Al-Kut.
"I was in Fallujah before it was
cool,” Martin said.
Near al-Kut Martin said his unit
was faced with driv ing the long way
around town, or crossing a small
bridge to reach their destination,
but officials said the bridge couldn't
stand up to traffic from heavy
armored v ehicles.
“We had a light-skinned humvee
and my buddy Jaren Stoner of
Archibald, Ohio was the first truck
across the bridge," Martin said.
"Those insurgents had some training
because they hit the first and last
trucks in the convoy and we were
stuck on the bridge. All we could do
was get out and fight.”
“Another time they had been
whipping our butts for about four
hours and I asked Stoner what time
it was. He told me it was about I
a.m. and I thought, ‘My mother
always says nothing good happens
after midnight’," Martin said.
In September 2006, Martin called
his brother to wish him a happy
birthday when an Iraqi man let him
use his cell phone.
Thirty minutes later a blast from
an IED blew Martin into a sewage
canal.
"When I say something tastes like
s***, I mean it," Martin said.
Shrapnel struck him in the head
and injured his eye, mouth and ear.
Matt's father Greg Martin
answered the phone when the
captain called to tell them about
Matt's injury.
Greg Martin, a Vietnam veteran
himself, crumpled to the floor when
he heard the news..
"It’s different being a parent,”
Greg Martin said. "There were
times when I was gone 13 months s
on a submarine and I never worried
about my parents. I was crushed
w hen he left for Iraq."
Matt was flown to I andstuhl
Regional Medical Center in
southwestern Germany where he
remained for two weeks.
He was than transferred to Walter
Reed hospital — but quickly adds
that the area of the facility he saw
w as nice.
While Martin Brooks Army
Medical Center, his mother said she
was struck by the young soldiers she
met there.
“I saw some severely damaged
young people, but they weren’t
griping.”
Their dedication is still apparent
in how hard they work toward
recovery.
"I am truly blessed that the injuries
I received will not keep me from
any future plans,” Martin said in a
thank-you letter he and his mother
share with concerned friends.
"The volunteer Army is smarter
and sharper," Greg Martin said.
"When I was in, nobody I knew had
been to college. A lot of the people
that served with Matt had been to
college. They felt they owed their
country so they enlisted "
T»
1 ■
■%
\
County unemployment rates drop .6 percent
LIVINGSTON - Polk County's
unemployment rate fell by 0.6 per-
cent between March and April, ac-
cording to latest figures released by
the Texas Workforce Commission
(TWC). The statewide unemploy-
ment rate also fell, from 4.2 percent
to April’s 3.9 percent.
Polk County’s April unemploy-
ment rate was 5.3 percent, down
from 5.9 percent in March. In April
of 2006, the rate was 6.2 percent.
The most recent rate reflects 903
persons unemployed out of an es-
timated labor force of 16,891 work-
ers. The previous month's rate was
based on 1,005 persons without jobs
out of an estimated labor force of
16,921.
Polk County has the sixth high-
est unemployment rate among the
12 counties that comprise the Deep
East Texas Council of Governments
(DETCOG) region. DETCOG in-
cludes Angelina, Houston, Jasper,
Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sa-
bine, San Augustine, San Jacinto.
Shelby, Trinity and Tyler counties.
Unemployment in the DETCOG
counties averages 4,6 percent,
down from 5.0 percent the previous
month.
Nacogdoches County continues
to have the lowest unemployment
rate among the DETCOG counties
at 3.7 percent. Shelby County has
the second lowest rate, 3.9 percent.
Sabine County has the highest rate,
8.6 percent, followed by Newton
County with 6/1 percent.
Seasonally adjusted nonagricul-
tural employment in Texas grew by
23,500 jobs in April for a total of
240,800 jobs in the past year. The
state’s annual job growth rate rose
slightly in April to 2.4 percent from
last month’s 2,3 percent. The April
seasonally adjusted unemployment
rate dropped to 4.2 percent, down
from 4.3 percent in March and 5.0
percent a year ago.
The Midland Metropolitan Statis-
tical Area (MSA) experienced the
lowest unemployment rate in the
state at 2.7 percent (not seasonally
adjusted). The Odessa MSA was
second at 3.0 percent, followed by
the Lubbock MSA at 3.1 percent.
“Our sustained job gains and fall-
ing unemployment rate exemplify
the underlying strength of the Texas
economy,” said Texas Workforce
Commission (TWC) Chair Diane
Rath. “The Texas unemployment
rate dropped to 4.2 percent, well be-
low the national unemployment rate
of 4.5 percent.”
Professional & Business Services
gainedjobs for the ninth consecutive
month, adding 11,700 jobs in April.
The industry has gained 61,100
jobs in the past year. The Leisure
& Hospitality sector followed with
an increase of 5,000 jobs in April,
for a year-over-year gain Of 39.400
positions.
"Texas employers continue to
create jobs at a tremendous pace,
benefiting our regional economies
and communities," said TWC Com-
missioner Represent,ig Employers
Ron Lehman. expansion in
10 of II indus *. . we're seeing
significant annual job growth rates
such as 5.0 percent for Business &
Professional Services, and 10.0 per-
cent for Mining.”
Trade, Transportation & Utili-
ties added 3.600 jobs in April, with
26,300 jobs created since last year.
Education & Health Services in-
creased by 2?500 jobs in April for a
total of 24,700 since April 2006.
"It’s always a great sign when the
ranks of the unemployed are declin-
ing and more Texans are back to
work,” said TWC Commissioner
Representing Labor Ronny Congle-
ton. “It's rewarding to know that in
the past four weeks we've added
more than 23,000 jobs."
Below are April unemployment
rates for the DE TCOG counties and
the percentage of change from the
previous month:
Angelina..............4.0% (-0.3%)
Houston...............5.8% (-0.4%,)
Jasper...................5.4%, (-0.1%,)
Nacogdoches.......3.7%, (-0.4%)
New ton................6.1% (-0.3%)
POLK..................5.3% (-0.6%)
Sabine.................8.6%> (+0.2%)
San Augustine......5.2% (-0.6%,)
San Jacinto...........4.4% (-0.5%)
Shelby..................3.9% (-0.5%)
Trinity...;..............4.9% (-0.5%)
Tyler........................5.4% (-0.1)
Offices close
for Memorial
Day Monday
LIVINGSTON — Area hanks,
post offices and all governmental
offices will be closed Monday in
observance of Memorial Day.
There will be no curbside trash
Collection service for Livingston
residents on Monday. The regular
collection schedule w ill resume on
Tuesday.
The Polk County Enterprise of-
fice Will also he closed Monday,
CAP & GOWN TIME - Goodrich High School Valedic-
torian Angel Machttca gets some help with fitting his hat
from his friend llth-grader Jessica Scopa. Goodrich and
Livingston seniors kicked off graduation with ceremonies
Friday night.
I
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White, Barbara. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 125, No. 42, Ed. 1 Sunday, May 27, 2007, newspaper, May 27, 2007; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth788295/m1/1/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.