Arnold Martinez and Kay Martinez
Recorded
May 9, 2025
36:02 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
mba000500
Description
Arnold “Marty” Martinez (86) sits down with his daughter, Kay Martinez (61), to reflect on his upbringing and the profound influence his mother had on his life. He recalls joining the Air Force and being deployed around the world—including to Germany—where he met his soulmate, Hildegard. That serendipitous encounter blossomed into a lifelong love story and the foundation of a global family.Subject Log / Time Code
Kay Martinez (KM) asks Arnold Martinez (AM) about the beginning of his military career. AM recalls receiving his mother’s permission to enlist and remembers failing the sight test to become a pilot.
AM reflects on joining the military as a way to distance himself from religion and to strengthen his psyche.
AM shares memories of learning Morse code and taking German courses, including a humorous incident when his military buddies tricked him into asking for condoms in Germany. He also recalls meeting KM’s mother and the moment that made him decide she was the one he would marry.
AM remembers spending his premarital honeymoon in Costa Brava, Spain, and getting robbed in Nice, France.
AM recalls the birth of KM in Omaha, Nebraska, as well as a cross-country trip with his wife from New York to Utah, sharing her impressions of the American landscape.
AM reflects on his military career. He humorously mentions missing out on earning a Purple Heart.
KM asks AM if he ever felt that his experience in the Vietnam War was surreal. AM talks about picking up tennis in Germany and reminisces about the highlight of his tennis career.
KM asks how AM wants to be remembered and how his life turned out differently than he had expected.
AM offers a piece of advice for future generations.
Participants
- Arnold Martinez
- Kay Martinez