Martin joined the U.S. Navy in 1940 and served as a Grumman F6F Hellcat pilot in the Pacific Theater of the war after pilot training in Dallas, Texas, in mid-1944. He was shot down in 1945 and was held as a prisoner of war until Japan's surrender.
Frequently erroneously reported as the brother of actor Strother Martin. The
two are not related.
Upon his death, he was cremated and his ashes scattered at sea.
On October 21, 2018, he was honored with a Sketch of the Day caricature on the website Star Portraits by a United States based artist known as Odoxesky.