Oscar Otto Martin was born in Watseka, Illinois in June 1924. He was the oldest of three siblings. His only brother served in the Navy during World War 2. His father was a farmer, so during the Great Depression it was very difficult for him to make a living. His father purchased a truck and started trucking for farmers. This allowed Martin's family to have three meals a day. Martin was 17 years old on 7 December 1941. He was on a bus with his high school football team, returning home after going to see the Chicago Bears play the Chicago Cardinals, when he heard that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor. He had no clue about Pearl Harbor or how it would impact his future. He graduated from high school in 1942 then was drafted into the Army in April 1943. He was sent to Camp Grant, Illinois for his basic training as a medic. He lived in a tent city. His bed was a sack filled with hay on a cot. Since he was being trained as a medic, he did not learn how to use firearms. He was then sent to Camp Pickett, Virginia and assigned to the 28th Infantry Division as a combat medic. He would be responsible for helping injured in the combat zone.

Oscar Otto Martin remembered that on his first day in combat, they were scheduled to attack at two in the afternoon, but the Germans attacked five minutes before them. [Annotator's Note: Martin served in the Army as a combat medic in the Medical Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division.] People were all over the place. Martin walked around a corner and ran into some Germans, but turned around and ran away. They didn't follow him. Martin explained how the injured were transferred from the combat zone. The combat medic would give aid on the field, then the wounded soldier would be sent to an aid station. From there, if the injury was serious, he would be picked up by the collecting company who would bring them to the clearing company that would evacuate them to a hospital. Martin recalled that the 28th Infantry Division was preparing for D-Day [Annotator's Note: the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944] but was put in reserve. His Division was stationed at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts prior to being shipped to Wales, United Kingdom in October 1943. While in Wales, they lived in a town and spent time in the pubs. He was transferred to England in May 1944. Martin remembers that it felt like it rained everyday and he wore his raincoat all the time.

On the night of 5 June 1944, Oscar Otto Martin went into town to celebrate his birthday with friends. On his way back to camp, he heard planes flying all around but he did not think anything of it and went to bed. The next morning, he found out that the invasion of Normandy [Annotator's Note: Normandy, France] had commenced and his division, the 28th Infantry Division [Annotator's Note: Martin was a combat medic in the Medical Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division], was put in reserve and chosen not to participate. Martin recalled the local populations of the different countries were good and never gave them any problems, even the German civilians. [Annotator's Note: The tape cuts at 0:32:58.000.] Martin crossed the English Channel a month after D-Day. [Annotator's Note: The Allied invasion of Normandy began on 6 June 1944. Martin and the 28th Infantry Division landed in Normandy on 22 July 1944.] Martin's division arrived in Normandy on Omaha Beach. He saw bodies surfacing in the waters, along with tanks and trucks still on fire. The first town they reach was Saint-Lô, which was all rubble. Martin recalled the Battle of Hürtgen Forest. It was during the winter and they did not have the proper clothing. He remarked that a lot of men died during this fight. Martin, with the 28th Infantry Division, took part in the parade through Paris.

Oscar Otto Martin took part in the fighting on the Siegfried Line [Annotator's Note: a line of fortifications constructed by Germany in the 1930s] with the 28th Infantry Division as a combat medic, which he stated was terrible. [Annotator's Note: Martin was a combat medic in the Medical Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division.] He recalled that a patrol was sent out in advance, and they reported that no Germans were there. After a while, the Americans advanced to the Line but the Germans had moved in and were ready for them. The Americans started to bury the pill boxes with their tanks, but at night the Germans would dig until they found them. Then the Americans began to blow them up. Martin did not have any disdain for the Germans. He would treat injured Germans. Martin remembered when his division took part in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, the fighting was well established. He recalled a time when they were trying to get over a hill, but the German were able to pick off all their tanks. Although combat was bad, he felt like the Germans would not intentionally hurt him because he was a medic. He recalled going to fill canteens from a spring with a lieutenant. The Germans shot at the lieutenant but left Martin alone since he was clearly marked with the medic badge. The weather was the biggest obstacle. He always wore two pairs of underwear and an overcoat. [Annotator's Note: There is a tape change at 0:54:33.000.] Also, the Americans would always attack in the morning and then by the afternoon, the Germans would drive them back. This went on for a long time. Martin recalled aerial bombing and see people flying when the bombs blew up.

Oscar Otto Martin, being a combat medic, moved around in different companies of the 28th Infantry Division [Annotator's Note: Martin was a combat medic in the Medical Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division]. He started out in the 2nd Platoon of Company L, then moved to Company M, then to the machine gun group, and finally to the mortars. He was a very social person and befriended many people throughout the war. After the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, his division was pulled off the line to rest. They were sent to the Ardennes and were kept in villas. They brought in new troops and trained them up. Martin talked about a guy who went AWOL [Annotator's Notes: absent without leave] and was a little crazy at times. Before his division was sent to fight in the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], they were given a great Christmas dinner. During the Battle of the Bulge, Martin and another medic took turns at the aid station and at the front line. He did not realize how bad combat was until he was told to come out and help retrieve the wounded. He recalled one morning, riding in an ambulance and he ran into a German tank. The soldier was doing maintenance work on it. Martin just buzzed right by him in the ambulance.

Oscar Otto Martin remembered that during the Battle of the Bulge [Annotator's Note: Battle of the Bulge or Ardennes Counter Offensive, 16 December 1944 to 25 January 1945], his group had to retreat back towards Head Quarters. [Annotator's Note: Martin was a combat medic in the Medical Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division.] As they were loading up into jeeps, Martin and another combat medic saw two wounded guys and jumped out of the jeep to assist them. By the time they were done, the jeep had left them, so they had to catch up with it. They ended up swimming across a river to avoid the Germans. They found a surgeon they knew, who gave them new uniforms and Martin and the other medic joined up with an engineer outfit. As they headed out, they somehow got ahead of everyone and ended up having to ask some French people where they could find Americans. They found the 4th Armored Division who thought Martin was a German dressed in an American uniform and interrogated him until they were convinced he was an American. Martin finally met up with his division. Martin recalled seeing General Patton [Annotator's Note: US Army Lieutenant General George S. Patton, Jr.] when he was in New Chateau, France [Annotator's Note: Neufchâteau, France]. The aid station was set up off the main road, and Patton came by to check on things. During Christmas of 1944, Martin remembered being bombed. By January 1945, Martin and his division were still in France liberating cities. At this point, his division was disorganized as a result of the fighting in the Bulge. Near the end of the war in Europe, they cleaned out pockets of German troops and captured them. They also helped the Prisoners of War. Martin recalled how he was injured during the Battle of the Hürtgen Forest, Germany.

Oscar Otto Martin was in a nice town, living in a mayor's house on VE-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945]. He recalled that they were given liquor rations so he went out with friends and got drunk. The captain had locked the front door of the house, so when Martin returned, he had to crawl in through a window. After the surrender of Germany, Martin and his unit [Annotator's Note: Martin was a combat medic in the Medical Detachment, 3rd Battalion, 110th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division] were given an area to occupy. In the meantime, Martin gave physicals to troops and prepared for the invasion of Japan. He was sent to Camp Lucky Strike near La Havre, France and then back to the United States for a 30 day leave on an LST [Annotator's Note: Landing Ship, Tank]. Martin remembered that it took 19 days to cross the Atlantic. They ate chicken and hamburgers the whole time. America dropped the atomic bombs on Japan during his leave, so he was reassigned to Vaughan Hospital in Elmhurst, Illinois for the duration of his service. Martin stated that he did not know much about the atomic bombs, but he was glad he did not have to go to Japan. He worked at the hospital for six months. Martin was discharged at Vaughan Hospital in October 1945 as a Staff Sergeant. After the war, he took a few months off and then got a job in construction.

Oscar Otto Martin thought that all of World War 2 was a memorable experience. He made many friendships throughout his service and he was well liked. The most difficult part of being a medic was during combat and shells were falling everywhere, he would be running around fields to each foxhole as people would yell "medic!" Also, it was difficult to see men break down. One of the best things about being a medic was that he did not have to do guard duty. World War 2 is more meaningful to him now. When he returned from war, he became a man.