Benigno Andres Martinez, Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana in August 1919. His father was a native of Spain. He attended Loyola University Pharmacy School. Because of his enrollment, he had been deferred from the Army. He graduated on 22 May 1942 and took his state board examinations the following day. He enlisted prior to graduation as an aviation cadet. He was not called up until October. Consequently, he reentered college to attend mathematics and bookkeeping school. He had an emergency appendix operation on 13 September. When he subsequently took the physical examinations, he was not accepted due to his low weight and the corset he wore as a result of his operation the preceding month. His other skill related examinations went very well, and he was approached by an officer who inquired if Martinez would like to be a member of the meteorological staff. Martinez felt his math capabilities were not sufficient because he had never taken calculus. Nevertheless, Martinez signed up for the assignment.

Benigno Martinez entered the Army but did very little initially. Ultimately, he was assigned to Randolph Field where he served as a clerk. When Christmas [Annotator's Note: in 1942] came, he only had two months in the Army and was still afforded a furlough to return home. When he returned after New Year, he was reassigned to Lake Charles, Louisiana. He was immediately promoted to a T5 [Annotator's Note: Technician 5th Grade, a corporal with special skills] even though the job called for a staff sergeant. Martinez remained in Lake Charles from January to June [Annotator's Note: 1943]. At that stage, he had bypassed basic training. In fact, he never did have formal basic training. Since his duties were relatively light, Martinez took the opportunity to attend as many classes and lectures as he could. The courses included chemical warfare. A surprise chemical attack caught the base commander unprepared. When Martinez washed out the officer's irritated eyes, he seemed to make some brownie points with the commander. Soon afterward, the medical detachment commander asked Martinez if he would like to attend OCS [Annotator's Note: officer candidate school]. Martinez agreed to do so. When brought before the preliminary review board, the colonel who had been helped by Martinez was in charge. Martinez passed the board's questions without significant problems. During the process, he learned that he had the highest testing average of anyone coming out of Lake Charles destined for OCS. While at OCS, he had difficulty since he had never gone through basic training. He pushed himself hard to overcome that deficiency and managed to do so. His course load of 21 subjects were all satisfactorily completed. His actual field training was very limited. He had to have help from some of his fellow students during field operations. The camp in Texas was very hot but Martinez finished the tough field work. He received his commission on 1 September [Annotator's Note: 1 September 1943]. He chose to be assigned to a replacement pool at a New Orleans hospital. He was there for four months. Martinez was assigned to detached duty at Camp Plauche [Annotator's Note: also known as Camp Harahan] which was near the Mississippi River bridge [Annotator's Note: the Huey P. Long Bridge near New Orleans]. He was to teach hospital administration even though he had no experience in that field. He studied hard to overcome the lack of initial knowledge. He was afforded a gasoline ration that enabled him to stay at home each night and report to Camp Plauche the next day. He attended an Assistant Battalion Surgeon School at Camp Barkley in Texas. It was very cold at that time. The losses of medical officers in the infantry had been significant at that point. Martinez and others were being training for the pending D-Day invasion of Western Europe. On 28 June [Annotator's Note: 28 June 1944], Martinez was assigned to the regimental surgeon for the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division. The outfit had been pulled back after the capture of Rome.

Benigno Martinez arrived in Italy [Annotator's Note: on 28 June 1944] and, within ten days, he was in combat with his regiment [Annotator's Note: Martinez was a meber of 2nd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division]. Although his training was very limited, he immediately went into combat and witnessed heavy casualties. Two of the company medics had been killed and the aid station was full of wounded. The doctors worked intensely to help the injured. When the battalion moved out, the surgeon left with them. Martinez remained tending the wounded. Some of the injuries were very severe. Martinez had medics but no instructions on what to do. When ordered to the regimental aid station, he did not know how to get there. He followed the communication wire to find his way to headquarters. Martinez learned how to treat the wounded on the job. He was a skinny young lieutenant but the veterans were good to him while he learned. The regiment moved on the Gothic Line in the Apennines Mountains. The objective was Castel del Rio. The mountains were rough without any level places to go. Casualties were heavy attacking Monte Cappello. It took 36 hours to take the mountain. Martinez were in the rear aid station. He brought supplies to the forward aid station. He was in charge of evacuation of both aid stations. Both locations were close to the front. A sniper near Martinez's aid station picked off American litter bearers. When German prisoners were used as litter bearers, the sniper picked them off. [Annotator's Note: Martinez laughs.] The sniper was finally silenced. When the fight for the Monte started, some Americans fled saying they were surrounded and everyone should retreat. The chaplain said that there was no retreating if the outfit was surrounded. Martinez thought highly of his medical officer. The officer persevered no matter how fatigued he might be. After the mountain top was taken, some wounded Americans were saved by a medic who retrieved them. Plasma was a wonderful treatment for the wounded. The injured soldiers showed immediate improvement when administered the plasma. It saved thousands of lives. The Carlisle bandage was also excellent with its compression capability which stopped bleeding. The British 8th Army relieved the 88th Infantry Division at Monte Cappello.

Benigno Martinez and his regiment [Annotator's Note: Martinez was a medical officer in 2nd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] continued to fight from mountain to mountain through northern Italy. The battalion commander was wounded during this time. His body was hit in several locations. No smoking was permitted in the aid station by the captain in charge. The commander was a colonel and asked for a cigarette. Martinez could not refuse him and gave him one. The smoke was emitted from holes the officer had in his throat. Pressing on, the regiment achieved its objectives but had to ultimately stop because troop strength was decimated. The regiment was held up at Vedriano. After the medical officer was wounded and then evacuated, Martinez managed the medics for two days until a replacement arrived. The regiment was pulled back from the front until the April and May [Annotator's Note: 1945] offensive when there was a breakthrough of the Gothic Line. The regiment reached the Panaro and Po Rivers. The Germans lacked the ability to set up defenses at that point. The Americans transported their equipment through the mountain using mules. At night time, the animals could not be kept quiet. After the Po River, the regiment reached Verona. The infantry was transported by tanks at that stage. Casualties had diminished at that point. Evacuations of wounded were few. Stragglers were basically from the heavy weapons company due to the weight of their equipment. The medical unit attempted to help them but many could not keep up. The fire fight at Verona erupted but the town was taken by the American troops of the 2nd Battalion. They were also the first troops into Rome. The 10th Mountain Division arrived at Verona the day after it was secured. The 10th was surprised to see it occupied by Americans. As the regiment advanced parallel to the Alps, resistance remained light. When the outfit turned into the mountains, the enemy return fire picked up. Two days before the planned major assault, word came down that the war was over [Annotator's Note: VE-Day, the day Germany surrendered, was 8 May 1945]. Skirmishes continued until the 6th when Italy was secured. Rome had eluded destruction when the Americans liberated it. Martinez was not there for the big celebration by the freed Italians. It sounded like a good time. The replacement officer for the wounded battalion surgeon seemed removed from interest in the outfit. He played his saxophone by himself. As the regiment advanced prior to VE-Day, the officer was replaced by a fresh new lieutenant who began asking Martinez questions. Martinez barely had more experience that the new officer asking him questions. [Annotator's Note: Martinez laughs.]

Benigno Martinez and his outfit [Annotator's Note: 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] rounded up prisoners of war around Lake Garda immediately after the cessation of hostilities in Europe. As the sanitation officer for his regiment, he had to inspect all the different companies. He was treated royally by the cooks with food fit for the officers. He enjoyed commanding German officers to perform latrine duty. [Annotator's Note: Martinez laughs.] He collected pistols but did not bring them home. He adhered to the restriction preventing weapons from being brought back to the United States. He returned to Fort Dix and then was discharged at Camp Shelby. He enlisted in the Reserves and was promoted to captain. He was married and had four children. When asked if he wanted active duty, he refused but stayed in the Reserves until 1953. He was not called up for the Korean War. Martinez practiced pharmacy the rest of his career.

While in the service, Benigno Martinez carried no weapons. It was not permitted. A medic did take over a machine gun position after the gunners were wounded. The medic turned back a German attack but was not given a commendation because the Geneva Convention prohibited medical personnel from using weapons. The man was never the same after the incident at Monte Capello. He returned from the front with an injured ankle. Subsequently, he would stand before a court martial. Martinez attended in the inquiry. The man did not receive a dishonorable discharge. Prior to Martinez rotating back to the United States, he served with the 890th Clearing Company [Annotator's Note: 890th Medical Clearing Company]. He and a sergeant were the only individuals available to ship out the records for the company. Martinez also served with the 55th Station Hospital as an administrative officer. He was responsible for closing the hospital outside Bologna. The removal of American equipment became controversial with the local authorities. Martinez found a unique way to resolve the issue. He convoyed the equipment to Foggia, Italy in bad weather. It made the trip very lengthy. Martinez worked multiple jobs there that he knew nothing about. He had the PX [Annotator's Note: post exchange]. He had so much supplies that he eventually gave much of it away and still covered his costs. He next located to Pisa. He became very tired of moving about and having jobs he knew little about. Martinez utilized local personnel for supplemental work until there was a prohibition to do so. One of the best of the workers had to be let go as a result of the order. The Italian ended up successfully obtaining local work. Martinez thought highly of him and was glad he was doing well. The Italian and the medics worked very well together.

Benigno Martinez managed to keep on the right side of his commanding officers. He worked so closely with the enlisted men that he felt he was part of their team. Teamwork has been a common theme in Martinez's life. He and the medics enjoyed playing softball during his time in Italy. The team they formed was good. One of the best players was wounded at Monte Capello. The man's professional pitching career back in the United States was over at that point. Martinez's battalion commander [Annotator's Note: US Army Colonel Tillman Boyd] and medical officer who were both wounded rotated back to the United States on the same hospital ship. They had each other for companionship during the voyage. The injured medical officer lost his ability to perform surgery as a result of his wound. He did maintain a general practice. Martinez and the former medical officer enjoyed seeing each other and the men they served with after the war. Martinez was a board member of the 88th Infantry Division reunion group. Hurricane Katrina caused him to cancel a reunion plan while he evacuated. He lost his board position as a result. The 88th Division served occupation duty in north Italy. The division is active in Iraq and Afghanistan. The division served as far back as World War 1.

Benigno Martinez's wounded battalion commander, Colonel Tillman Boyd, was well respected. He received the Silver Star. Martinez enjoyed a close relationship with him. It has been a good afterlife for Martinez. Martinez never fired any weapon except a .50 caliber heavy machine gun and a carbine. Martinez did not like when the officers came to him suffering with VD [Annotator's Note: venereal disease]. There were 32 medics and three aid men with each of the four companies - Company E, F, G, and H. There were 12 litter bearers. The 32 enlisted men had two officers and a chaplain. The chaplain went into combat with the men. When a sniper fired on Martinez's aid station, he was trying to kill personnel attempting to evacuate. There were no armed troops at the aid station for defense. The sniper eventually was silenced. The enemy shooter had mistakenly even shot German prisoners. Martinez experienced intermittent shelling when he was called back to battalion headquarters. None were wounded. Martinez was not wounded during the war. The aid station medics ran into little small arms fire. They mostly were fired upon by artillery and mortars. The worse shelling was at a little town called Lajàtico. The aid station was in a building that had to withstand fragments from a building exploding across the street. Men were being wounded by the shrapnel. There were a number of casualties before and after taking the town. It was taken by a beautiful maneuver resulting in few casualties. As the troops advanced, the medical support was told to follow. The medical team ended up in a cemetery and thought they would be captured. They were behind the lines. Approaching troops turned out to be Americans. Liaisons usually helped coordinate the medical team but there was none on this occasion.

Benigno Martinez's point of embarkation was through New York. He returned to the United States aboard the aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CV-15) with thousands of troops. There had been a storm prior to them passing the Statue of Liberty. It was quite a feeling. Martinez felt the German military was good. The terrain in Italy was difficult to fight across. Attacks had to be made through ridge lines. The Germans were able to hold their positions with few troops. They were very capable in that defensive mode. Artillery helped keep them off guard. During some of the combat, a few of Martinez's medics actually led the British troops into positions formerly held by the regiment [Annotator's Note: 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division]. It bothered the Americans when the British insisted on having their tea. The British 8th Army let down the Americans by always trailing in the rear. The 351st Infantry was always considered the spearhead regiment. They would collect artillery from the front, left, and right. Martinez only saw one USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organization] show. Battalion headquarters [Annotator's Note: 2nd Battalion, 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Infantry Division] had a special lunch with a Hollywood star. The star was a complainer and the men did not care for him. The German POWs [Annotator's Note: prisoner of war] were mostly well behaved. While treating wounded Germans, a disturbed GI took his rifle and killed two of the captured enemy. Martinez felt he should have been court martialed, but the offender was not normal at the time. His brother had been killed in France and he reacted in the harsh way. Martinez hopes to promote the 88th Infantry Division at the D-Day Museum. [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana was originally founded as The National D-Day Museum in June 2000.]