San Jaun Island, WA

 Martin V. Stewart was born in Pennsylvania Sept. 20, 1923. All his young life he was interested in airplanes and knew his dream was to be a pilot. World War II started during his senior year in high school and he began the search for his dream as soon as he graduated in 1942.

 He applied for and was accepted to the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet program and reported for his beginning flight training in December 1942. He graduated from that program in December 1943 as a pilot and a 2nd lieutenant of the Army Air Corps. The Army Air Corps later became the U.S. Air Force.

 June and Marty had been high school sweethearts and were married during his cadet days in July 1943 at Bonham, Texas.

 Marty began training, right after graduation, in B-24s, which were heavy four-engine bomber planes of the 8th Air Force. He was part of a 10-man crew as co-pilot. They completed training and left for their combat tour of duty in May 1944, flying out of England.

 Thirty combat missions were completed, including participating in D-Day missions over Normandy, France. Some of Marty’s close friends and aviation buddies were killed during his tour of duty. His plane and crew had many close calls.

 During his tour, he was promoted to 1st lieutenant and received numerous citations and awards. Included was the highest award the Air Force can give, the Distinguished Flying Cross. He also received the Air Force Air Medal — not once but six times.

 In late September 1943, Marty completed his 30 combat missions and was scheduled to deport to the States. By that time, Gen. Patton was advancing so rapidly with his ground troops across Europe, especially through France, that ground supply could not keep up with him to provide supplies and gas as were needed.

 Ten B-24 bombers were stripped of all their equipment and made into flying box cars to haul the gas and supplies. Marty was pulled from his spot to deport back to the States and was assigned as a pilot in that aircraft.

 These were dangerous flights — flying one or two missions daily across the English Channel in an unarmed large bomber plane fully loaded with cans of gas. When they landed in France or Belgium, the residents of the area would form lines unloading the gas cans.

 Marty flew those missions for three months and in December finally deported back to Pennsylvania to be with June and their six-month old son, who was born shortly after he had been sent overseas. From there, he was a flight instructor in the Air Force, stationed in Alabama, for several years.

 Marty elected to be discharged from the military in 1946 and began a short career in civilian life as an employment manager at a large mill in Pennsylvania. He continued in the active Air Force Reserve and was able to continue his love of flying with monthly flights.

 In 1950, the Korean War began and his reserve unit was called to active duty. Once again, Marty was back in the military, flying four-engine planes to and from Europe and the Far East.

 In 1951, he was deployed to Korea and was assigned to a M.A.S.H.-like flying unit called the Kyushu Gypsies. They flew two-engine C-47s following the front line of combat troops. They usually had to land on roads, beaches or fields as there were few airfields available. Their mission was to transport injured and dead troops and to help keep ground troops supplied.

 During this tour, Marty was promoted to captain and made the decision to continue in the military for his career. After a year separation from his family, now consisting of June and two sons, he returned to the States and began an interesting career involving a variety of assignments and duties.

 For several years, he was assigned to the Turbo Test Squadron as a test pilot testing the then new turbo prop plane engines. The next assignment was in the 1370th Photo Mapping Wing where his duty was to train pilots in the new four-engine C-130 planes assigned to that outfit. The mission of that wing was to re-map the world, as most maps and charts were not correct.

 During that tour, he served in Georgia and in Ethiopia, Greece, Colombia and Peru. The family had now grown to include two more children, a son and daughter.

 In 1968, Marty was assigned to Military Air Transport Headquarters in Illinois and from there he departed once again to a combat tour in Vietnam.

 Following that tour, he was assigned to Taiwan and the Philippines and his family joined him there. They returned to the States in 1973 and Marty completed his military career at McClellan Air Force Base in California as a lieutenant colonel.

 June and Marty discovered the San Juan Islands in 1988 and made plans to build their home here. They moved to the islands in 1990. Marty now had his own plane and frequently used it to fly those in need for medical or other emergencies to the mainland as a community service.

 He also flew the various pastors of Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church to mainland hospitals to visit parishioners who were hospitalized. They liked to call his plane “POB Airlines” for Presbyterians On Board.

 When his eldest son found out his father was diagnosed with cancer, he said, “Dad will deal with this with courage, just like he has done everything in his entire life."

 This proved to be a true statement. Marty endured two long years of chemotherapy treatments with an optimistic attitude and strong will. He continued to fly in his Cessna plane with his good friend Frank Brame as safety pilot, up until two months before his death.

 Many times he was weak and uncomfortable but his love of flying made it worthwhile. He had indeed succeeded in fulfilling the dream from his young life of being a pilot and having a flying career.

 At his death at home on Christmas morning, his four children and wife of 62 years were at his bedside. He is survived by his wife, June; his sons Martin, Dennis and Mitchell; and daughter, Cynthia.

 There are four grandchildren, Marshall, Aspen, Samantha and Kthan; and two great-grandchildren, Randon and Shane. He is also survived by two sisters and brother: Estelle DeVries, Shirley Minnier and Thomas Stewart.

 His love of family, flying and his church were evident to all who knew him. He was one of the members of the so-called Greatest Generation and he lived up to that name in many ways. He will be missed by his family and many friends who loved him and had a great deal of respect for him as a person, his service to his church and community and his life.

 Graveside service will be held Jan. 8, 1 p.m., at San Juan Valley Cemetery. A Celebration of Life Service will follow at Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church.

 If desired, memorials may be sent in Marty’s name to the San Juan Animal Shelter or the Presbyterian Church.

— The Martin Stewart family

© Copyright 2005 San Juan Journal