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First Name
Michael
Middle Name
R.
Last Name
Martini
Birthdate
Hometown
Los Angeles, California
Rank
Lieutenant Colonel
Service Branch
Air Force
Date Captured
Date Repatriated
Pre Capture Image
PreCapture Description
Michael Martini was commissioned a Second Lieutenant through the Air Force ROTC program on June 22, 1970, and went on active duty beginning July 18, 1970. Lieutenant Martini graduated from Undergraduate Navigator Training and was awarded his Navigator Wings at Mather AFB, California, in April 1971, and then completed Navigator Bombardier training and B-52 Stratofortress Combat Crew Training before serving with the 744th Bomb Squadron at Beale AFB, California, from April 1972 until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam and was taken as a Prisoner of War while on Temporary Duty to Southeast Asia on December 20, 1972.
Post Release Image
Post Release Description
Lieutenant Martini was released during Operation Homecoming on March 29, 1973. He was briefly hospitalized to recover from his injuries and then served as an Instructor Navigator with the 450th Flying Training Squadron of the 323rd Flying Training Wing at Mather AFB, California, from August 1973 to August 1976, followed by service as a Royal Air Force Exchange Officer where he served as an Instructor in the Flight Trials Training Section in the Royal Air Force College in Cranwell, England, from September 1976 to January 1980. Major Martini's next assignment was as an Instructor Radar Navigator with the 644th Bomb Squadron of the 410th Bomb Wing at K.I. Sawyer AFB, Michigan, from January 1980 to September 1982, followed by service as a Systems Project Officer at Offutt AFB, Nebraska, from September 1982 until his retirement from the Air Force on October 1, 1993.
Honors, Citations, and Commendations
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Bronze Star
- Prisoner of War Medal
Passed away before release
Post Release