A salute to Jon Martin: a true hero

A salute to Jon Martin: a true hero

By Kevin Travis, Sports Editor




Too often in sports, an athlete can be labeled a “hero” for making a game-winning shot, hitting a game-winning home run or scoring a game-winning touchdown.

They aren’t heroes. Far from it.

And I’ve always tried to steer clear of that misnomer.

This sports column, however, is about a hero. A true American hero.

This column is about Staff Sgt. Jon Martin. Yes, Jon was an athlete. But he was so much more.

Jon was a soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice while doing what he believed in most — fighting for his country.

While serving his country in Iraq, Jon was hit by a roadside bomb on Nov. 9. Just as he did for his country, Jon fought valiantly for his life.

However, Jon died on Thanksgiving Day, leaving behind his wife, Becki, and children Alaina, 8; Allie, 5; and Trenton, 10 months.

When a mutual friend passed the news on to me, a flood of emotions swept over me. There were feelings of anger, bitterness, sadness and pride. Pride because of what Jon was doing with his life.

Pride for simply knowing what kind of man Jon turned out to be.

As I mentioned in an earlier column, Jon was one of the first athletes I covered when I broke into the sports writing business over 15 years ago.

Jon, a 1993 graduate of Bellevue High School (Bellevue, Ohio), was a member of the Bellevue Redmen cross country and track teams. I’ll always remember his stride, his deep voice and his quick smile.

As I thought about Jon, I went through some old newspaper clippings to see what I could read about him from his days with the Redmen. Simply seeing his name brought me a smile.

There were other names and faces in photos I easily recognized while leafing through the papers -- Amber Bollinger, Brad Bollinger, Randy Bollinger, Jessica Chumley, Janisha Chumley, Justin Walters, Danny Paul, Johnny Bollinger, Billy McClain, Cathy Slosser, Cassie Arp, Kristy Baptista, Meredith Hartley, Eddie Baptista, Paul Ayers, Erica Caranfa, Josh Didion, Shawn “Sunshine” Ray, Kevin Hay, Laura Ray, Sarah Ray, Ryan Falknor, Dave Falknor, Ben Falknor, Jeff Polley, Pete Lepley, Brad Snyder, Ben Fox, Chad Kuhns, Russ Kuhns.

Each name brought a different smile to my face.

I don’t remember what kind of numbers they put up, but I fondly remember each of these kids. I remember being proud of them for their accomplishments, and I’m proud of them for the adults they have become.

The same holds true for the kids I’m privileged to cover today. I won’t remember how many yards they ran for or how many touchdowns they scored.

But I will remember these kids and smile.

Just as I did with Staff Sgt. Jon Martin.

An athlete. A Redmen. A husband. A father. A friend.

A true American hero.

Kevin Travis is the sports editor of the Washington Daily News. You may reach him at 940-4217, or by e-mail at Kevin@wdnweb.com.