101st Airborne Division sends 500 troops to funeral for D-Day ‘legend’
By Zamone Perez
Sep 22, 01:37 PM
More than 500 active duty soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division attended funeral services on Tuesday for former paratrooper Jim “Pee Wee” Martin, who died Sept. 11. He was 101 years old.
Martin, of Sugarcreek Township, Ohio, was one of the first paratroopers to jump on D-Day during World War II. According to a local obituary in the Dayton Daily News, he parachuted behind Utah Beach, near Saint-Come-du-Mont, at 12:30 a.m., which would make him one of the first soldiers to begin the D-Day invasion.
In response to news of Martin’s death, the 101st Airborne released a statement, saying that the number of soldiers that attended the services “displays the profound effect Martin had on the military and our nation.”
At the age of 101 Martin passed away peacefully in his home on Sept. 11, 2022. He was one of the last remaining Airborne "Toccoa Originals" of 1942. (Staff Sgt. Michael Eaddy/Army)
“We are deeply saddened to hear of Jim ‘Pee Wee’ Martin’s passing,” a 101st Airborne spokesperson said in a statement. “He is a true legend in the 101st and will live on forever. This division was founded on the sacrifice, valor, audacity, and grit of Soldiers like Martin.”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2022/09/22/101st-airborne-division-sends-500-troops-to-funeral-for-d-day-legend/
