Why I Serve | Army 1st Lt. Joey Martin

“My grandfather was on his deathbed,” remembers Army 1st Lt. Adam ‘Joey’ Martin. “We had a really good goodbye. He told me, ‘Don’t have any regrets when you sit in my spot.’ Contextually going back, I thought about what I regretted and one of them wasn’t serving. And by the end of the year, I was in basic training.”

Martin, who serves as an operation security officer with the Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division, looked up to his grandfather who served in the Air Force.

Martin enjoys hobbies that align with his military service like hunting, fishing, camping, and working out at the gym. Martin and his brother came up with a workout routine that works out well for him. This includes a push day, pull day, full body functional day, and finally, he adds in isometric and eccentric workouts with cardio sprinkled in.

“My brother is a doctor, and he specializes in rehabilitative medicine and working typically with trauma people, [traumatic brain injuries], or people with [amputations]. Sports medicine is a huge part of that field,” said Martin. “I worked with him to develop a plan to help build and sustain those anchor points that helped me stay limber as I age. And try to stave off arthritis as much as possible and then build as much muscle as I can.”

Not only has Martin been honing his athletic skills to stay healthy and prevent arthritis but also to participate in marathons.

“I’m a little bit of an adrenaline junkie, which was part of the draw from the military for me. I love hitting the gym. That’s a great stress reliever for me,” said Martin. “I did ultra marathon running. Ultramarathon runs are any distance greater than a marathon. So, the new typical entry-level race is 50k, or 30.1 miles, and the typical long run is 100 miles. But I was able to conquer 100 miles once in just about 24 hours.”

Martin’s whole world revolves around his family, and they are what pushes him forward every day.

 “I have a wife and two daughters, [aged] 10 and 8. They’re my rock and the center of my world because that’s what I’ve built with them for years,” said Martin. “My wife and I have been married for 15 years and have been together for 18 years.”

By Spc. Tyler Becker
Minnesota National Guard