A TRUE CALLING
BY SHANNON ROBINSON
The Story of Fr. John Martin - USMC – E5 Sergeant
He may be a priest in the pastoral town of Pilot Point, Texas, but at one point, Father John Martin was a boy with a military family ready to enlist in the US Marines.
John was exposed early to military life. His father was in the Navy for 25 ½ years, and John was raised in the military culture with a deep respect for the service. He remembers his friend in 3rd grade had a brother-in-law who was in the Marines. Tall, strong, and the image of patriotism and manhood, he was a figure that John looked up to and the reason he decided to enlist in the Marines.
After high school, John worked for a year at a construction company repairing bulldozers; he joined the Marines at 18. He told the recruiter he either wanted to “blow shit up” or “train dogs to kill people.” The recruiter signed him up for mechanic school with the promise the could easily transfer to another position later in his service. “That definitely wasn’t true” John laughed.
He trained as a mechanic and primarily worked on C-130s, F-4s, and CH-46s. Inspections or repairs, John’s work ran the gambit. He remembers the high tension and anxiety in the hangar when the Inspector General would arrive. Uniforms? Perfect. Barracks? Spotless. Military history? On lock-down.
John worked in hangars in California, South Carolina, and Okinawa. He says he was lucky enough to always be near a beach throughout his service. He could have discharged after Japan, but he decided to spend a year in North Carolina, just to get a feeling for what was happening stateside before leaving the military.
John was discharged after nine years of service. He had a rocky transition into civilian life and entertained the idea of becoming a highway patrol officer, but he was a walk-on at Bell Helicopters, which was an irresistible offer.
JOHN MARTIN - USMC
John said that his call to the priesthood popped up several times throughout his youth. In fact, he knew he wanted to be a priest since he was a young boy. He saw Pope John XXIII on television and revered how that position was such a celebration of God. However, “the thought left me just as quickly as it came,” he said, and John went on with his life. But the thought continued to persist.
It wasn’t until he was in Okinawa that John was baptized a Catholic. He confided in a priest that he was considering the seminary, and the priest quickly dismissed him saying that he was too old. However, after working at Bell Helicopters for 21 years, he determined his call for the priesthood and entered into seminary in 2010.
The military gave John structure and discipline, and he enjoyed the many different people you meet and the brotherhood between servicemen. He also said the military “taught him to live light,” which is something that has served him well throughout his life, traveling as both a Marine and a priest.
When comparing the military and the priesthood, he said that both callings “formate” you. One requires seven years of study and devotion, the other he says “beats you into submission.” You can guess which description applies to which career.
Formation style aside, both vocations require a devotion of your life for what you believe. Father John Martin is a Catholic and a patriot, truly willing to defend God and country with his life.