Family matters to lieutenant of Hispanic origin

  • Published
  • By Ken Wright
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  1st Lt. Joshua Martinez learned the value of hard work very young in life. Born and raised in Taos, New Mexico, a small, tight-knit town long known for "pure skiing" and multicultural arts. Martinez had his share of fun, but his parents wanted him to understand that his blessings were the product of generations of toil and sacrifices. The soil on which they lived and worked was also the home of the Taos Pueblo people for more than a thousand years before them, as well as Spanish descendants like his great-great grandfather. If it were not for their efforts, his life could have been much worse.

"My grandpa had a farm, so my father and his nine brothers and sisters were primarily the labor force. They grew up working, helping with the animals and the crops. The family raised beans, corn and raised about two or three thousand sheep," Martinez said.

Like many people of their generation, his father's family grew up in conditions considered austere by today's standards.

"My father let me know how good I had it compared to his childhood. They had to pump well water, then bring it in to warm for bath water for everyone. That's just the way they had to do it. So he brought me up on the values of family and hard work. That you should pull your own weight and help the family first. It was expected that you would earn the nice lifestyle we had, instead of just expecting to be given things," Martinez recalled.

Also a town known for leisure, Taos doesn't seem like a place where many young people would venture from to seek the harsh sacrifices of the military, but Martinez was not the kind of kid to back away from a challenge. Following a business trip to Colorado Springs, his mother mentioned how impressed she was by the Air Force Academy.

"She loved the Academy and what it represents, so she kept throwing it out there to me. But the main thing was that she set it up as a challenge to me. I'm kind of competitive, so when she said how prestigious it is, and how difficult it is to get accepted, it really got my interest. I thought, 'I think I can take this on and show her I can get into this school,'" Martinez said.

With the strategic nudging of his mother, Martinez secured an acceptance letter from the academy and prepared to do everything he could to make his family proud.

"Once I got accepted, my dad was probably one of the most proud fathers I can imagine, just because he knew how hard it was," Martinez said. "It meant a lot to him just to see us go to college, get a full scholarship, see the transformation, and see that I was serving in the Armed Forces, as well."

Martinez is among only three of his 32 cousins who have gone to and completed college. One of the reasons, he says, is because of the way he was brought up, to never give up, and to challenge himself.

"Growing up in that competitive environment helped me at the academy because there are so many smart kids, so you could either get intimidated or step up and try to match what they were doing. Academically it was challenging, I was an engineering major, but they make you expand into many areas that are beyond your core focus. You constantly have seven classes for the first two years, plus military training," he said.

Today, the young officer is looking forward to his new challenges as 60th Civil Engineering Squadron energy program manager. After recently finishing a tour at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, as well as a six-month deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, he's looking forward to finding his niche at Travis and contributing to our community.

With a telling gleam in his eyes, he said one of his biggest upcoming challenges will be that of a father.

"My wife, Thanya, and I are expecting a baby in March. I'm real excited. I've always wanted to be a father," he said.

When asked what he wants to pass on to the next generation of the Martinez family, his answer comes without hesitation.

"Faith is a big one, and also family. I will let my kid know I love them and I'll support them no matter what. We want to build structure and the support of love of family so that they always know they have someone encouraging them, building them up and letting them know they can achieve whatever they want. That was a big thing with my mom and dad. There was never a doubt as to what we could achieve. They knew we would be successful and that was built into us. I started believing it, and I'd say so far I'm doing pretty well."