World War II Honoree

Martin Postic, Sr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Pennsylvania

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

JOINED THE ARMY IN 1939. STATIONED AT FORT JACKSON, AT COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA ON DECEMBER 7, 1941, THE DAY THE JAPANESE ATTACKED PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII. SAILED OVERSEAS ACROSS THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON ONE OF THE FIRST TROOP SHIPS TO LEAVE AFTER WAR WAS DECLARED. LANDED IN NORTH AFRICA AND THEN TRAVELED ON TO INDIA. SERVED AS A MEDICAL TECHNICIAN IN THE ASIATIC-PACIFIC THEATER IN THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER OF OPERATIONS. ASSIGNED TO U.S. ARMY FORCES IN CHINA AND BURMA FOR MOST OF THE WAR UNDER THE COMMAND OF GENERAL ‘VINEGAR JOE’ STILWELL. PARTICIPATED IN A 2-MONTH CAMPAIGN TO HOLD OPEN THE BURMA ROAD BETWEEN INDIA AND CHINA AND TO FRUSTRATE THE JAPANESE CONQUEST OF BURMA. FLEW OVER ‘THE HUMP,’ THE AIRLIFT ROUTE OVER THE HIMALAYAS FROM INDIA TO CHINA, 3 TIMES; WAS ONE OF THE ‘YANGTZE RIVER RATS’; MET GENERAL CHIANG KAI-SHEK, THE LEADER OF WARTIME NON-COMMUNIST CHINA. RODE A MOTORCYCLE ACROSS A ROPE BRIDGE IN BURMA, EARNING THE NICKNAME ‘FEARLESS POSTIC’. AWARDED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN DEFENSE MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. RETURNED ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ARRIVED IN CALIFORNIA IN 1944 AND THUS COMPLETED HIS ‘TRIP AROUND THE WORLD’. HONORABLY DISCHARGED WITH THE RANK OF SERGEANT IN 1945 AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.