Clarence A. Martin

Clarence Ames Martin (September 13, 1896 – December 11, 1986) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Army with the rank of major general. A veteran of World War I, he distinguished himself as a company commander in France and held various staff and field assignments during the interwar period.

Following a tour of staff assignments at the beginning of World War II, Martin assumed command of the 128th Infantry Regiment in late 1942. He distinguished himself during the Battle of Buna–Gona and received the Distinguished Service Cross, the second highest military decoration of the United States for bravery in combat. Martin subsequently rose to general officer's rank and after service as the assistant division commander of the 32nd Infantry Division before he assumed command of the 31st Infantry Division, which he led during the liberation of the Philippines in 1945.

Early career Clarence Ames Martin was born on September 13, 1896, in Belle Haven, Virginia as the son of farmer James P. Martin and Elizabeth S. Turlington. Following the high school, he entered the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia and during his studies, he was active in baseball, football and track. Martin graduated as 11th in a class of 59 with Bachelor of Science degree in Civil engineering in May 1917, shortly after the United States' entry into World War I and was appointed a captain in the National Army.

Martin and Rogers were ordered to inspect Warren Force, a task force made up of Australian and American forces, and they had to travel on foot due to weather conditions and the dense jungle. Once they had arrived on the frontline, they found units of the force in defensive positions with little actual fighting ongoing. The two men returned to the divisional headquarters at Dobodura late at night and were highly critical of Warren Force'''s performance. Eichelberger subsequently decorated Martin with the Silver Star for bravery in action for conducting a hazardous mission with the intention of gathering important information.

The 32nd Division moved back to New Guinea in mid-October 1943 and continued their amphibious training at Milne Bay and Goodenough Island until January 1944, when it received orders to deploy in the mainland of New Guinea. Its goal was to take part in the landing at Saidor, a village on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. The division was selected by General MacArthur and Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, commanding general of the Sixth Army and its primary objective was the capture of the airstrip at Saidor which will allow construction of an airbase to assist Allied air forces to conduct operations against Japanese bases at Wewak and Hollandia. A secondary objective was to cut off the 6,000 Imperial Japanese troops retreating from Sio in the face of the Australian advance from Finschhafen. Martin took part in the planning of the assault and was selected by Gill to lead a Michaelmas task force'', which was built around the 126th Infantry Regimental Combat Team with Colonel Joseph S. Bradley in command.

Due to difficult terrain and weather conditions, the supplying of Martin's was slow and he had a force of roughly 1,500 men to cover a frontage originally designed for two to three times that number. When Japanese launched their attack during the night of July 10, 1944, Martin led the withdrawal of his task force following some planned delaying actions and Japanese forces were able to break through the first line of defence. General Krueger refused to believe that Martin's retreat from the Driniumor River had been necessary and did not agree with Martin's estimate of the seriousness of the situation.

The 31st Division was composed chiefly of Southerners from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi and saw only limited action against Japanese arriving to the South-West Pacific Area in late April 1944. It was stationed on Morotai following the main landing and seized Mapia, on November 15–17, and waded ashore on the Asia Islands, November 19–20, only to find the Japanese had already evacuated. Martin supervised the division's training for the upcoming liberation of the Philippines and successfully conducted base operations both in Sansapor and Morotai.

Retirement

Upon his arrival to San Francisco, California on December 19, 1945, the 31st Division was assembled at Camp Stoneman near Pittsburg, California and was inactivated under Martin's supervision two days later. Martin was subsequently transferred to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he replaced Brigadier general Duncan G. Richart as Commanding general. He was responsible for the demobilization of troops returning from overseas until the end of May that year, when he was ordered home to Columbia, South Carolina, pending retirement.

Martin retired on July 31, 1947, after 30 years of commissioned service and settled in Greenville, South Carolina together with his wife Susan Thomiza Johnson. They had two children, a daughter Elizabeth and a son, Clarence Jr., who was killed in action in November 1950 while serving as Major on the headquarters of X Corps in Korea. Major general Clarence A. Martin died at his home in Greenville on December 11, 1986, aged 90 and was buried at Woodlawn Memorial Park there.