Jim Martin
Ballplayers Wounded in Combat
| Date and Place of Birth: | August 25, 1920 Rockingham County, NC |
| Date and Place of Death: | June 30, 2008 Greensboro, NC |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Second Base |
| Rank: | Major |
| Military Unit: | 421st Bomb Squadron, 504th Bomb Group US Army Air Force |
| Area Served: | Pacific Theater of Operations |
James P. Martin, the son of Walter and Loula Martin, was born on August 25, 1920, in Rockingham County, North Carolina. In 1942, aged 21, he was signed by the Oshkosh Giants of the Class D Wisconsin State League, and played 65 games at second base, batting .279. That same year he was admitted to the Junior College division of Oak Ridge Military Institute. On April 17, 1943, he entered military service with the Army Air Force, and served as a bomber/navigator in the Pacific. Second-Lieutenant Martin was stationed at North Field on the island of Tinian, with the 421st Bomb Squadron, 504th Bomb Group of the 20th Air Force. On May 29, 1945, Martin was part of Captain Marcus Worde’s crew aboard the Boeing B-29 Superfortress “Sitting Pretty” that was shot down over Yokohama, Japan. It was their 17th mission and all crew members parachuted to safety and were held at Ofuna Prison Camp in Tokyo for the remainder of the war.
He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart, and
returned to the United States in late 1945. Martin didn't return to
baseball, but attended Sacramento State University. In 1951, he served
his country again, flying 55 missions in the Korean Conflict. Martin
remained in the Air Force with Strategic Air Command and attained the
rank of major before retiring in 1963.
In 1964, Martin began a career teaching and coaching at Martinsville
High School, in Martinsville, Virginia. He led the Martinsville High
Bulldogs baseball team to a second-place state victory, and retired in
1983.
Jim Martin passed away on June 30, 2008, in Greensboro, North Carolina.
He was 87 years old and is buried at Roselawn Memorial Gardens in
Reidsville, North Carolina.
Date Added January 20, 2018
Can you add more information to this biography and help make it the best online resource for this player? Contact us by email
Read Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice Through The Years - an online year-by-year account of military related deaths of ballplayers
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is associated with Baseball Almanac
Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice is proud to be sponsored by
