
Martin T. Green
Tomb Relief
Tomb Dates
Dec 1954 - Sep 1955Society Membership
MemberObituary
Martin T. "Marty" Green, 80, of Medford, New Jersey, entered into eternal rest on May 26, 2012. He was a Veteran of the United States Army, having served as a Guard of Honor at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and in the Korean War. He was a graduate of Valley Forge Military Academy and Rutgers University, where he was a varsity football player. He was the owner-operator of several restaurant and clubs, including; Perkins Restaurant & Bakery locations, Green Valley Farms Resturants, Chicago Prime Steak House, Chicago Resturant at the Pennsauken Country Club, The Main Street Pub, M Street Night Club, and the Mansion on Main Street. He was a black-belt in Tae Kwon Do Karate, and an instructor at Silver Karate in Medford. He was an instrumental figure in youth hockey organizations including the Philadelphia Little Flyers and the Coliseum Gladiators. He loved sports, music, and the arts. He was a loving father and husband and is remembered for his abundant joy, creativity and intelligence. Always idealistic, he enjoyed his family and friends and spent countless hours sailing boats and training for running races. A self-taught wine connoisseur and fine dining chef, he designed, managed and facilitated hundreds of elegant weddings and elaborate large-scale affairs. His influence on Southern New Jersey dining is evident by the hundreds of hospitality industry professionals and entrepreneurs who started their careers learning from him. A true teacher, after retiring from the hospitality industry he spent his latter years as a Karate instructor where he was fondly remembered for teaching classes, breaking wood with his bare hands and doing one hundred straight push-ups. Nothing was more important to him than his love for Karen and his four children who he spent telling every day for the last year how much he loved them. He taught them and everyone he encountered how to face a debilitating disease with humility and dignity. He was survived by his beloved partner Karen Lovallo; children Lora Briggs (Robert), Mark Green (Karen), William Green (Angela), and Michael Green (Paula); grandchildren Kara, Zachary, Benjamin, Paige, William, Richard, Robert, Hannah and Anna; and great-grandson Presley. A Celebration of Life was held on May 30, 2012 at St. Andrew the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, Gibbsboro, New Jersey. Interment with Military Honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Columbarium Section #7-E Niche 43.Outside Tributes
TributeMemories & Condolences
I love this story so much it reminds me of my dad so much and I also miss him so much he is still on the battle field. I really hope he comes back alive
Marty and I started our tour as Tomb Guards at the same time and on the same relief. Prior to Marty being selected, he was told he had to lose some weight. That he did and then some. He was one of the most dedicated Tomb Guards I have known. It was through his suggestion that we started a dialogue about having a badge designed and approved for exclusive use by Tomb Guards. He and I had political connections and through them we were able to get funds allocated to have the memorial building painted and repaired so as to reflect a positive image to the visitors to the site. That was in 1954-55.
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Did you know?
How many Sentinels have been female?
There have been over 680 tomb guards awarded the badge since 1958 when we started counting. There are hundreds more from the year 1926 when the Army started guarding the Tomb. The 3rd US Infantry (The Old Guard) is the unit that has been given the duty of guarding the Tomb. It was given this sacred duty in 1948. The Old Guard was -- and still is -- considered a combat unit. As an Infantry unit, females were not permitted in the ranks for many years. It wasn't until 1994 that females were permitted to volunteer to become a Sentinel when the 289th Military Police Company was attached to the Old Guard. The MP branch is a combat support unit and includes females.
In 1996, SGT Heather Johnsen became the first female to earn the Tomb Guard Identification Badge. She volunteered for duty in June 1995 and earned her badge in 1996. However, SGT Johnson was not the only female Sentinel. Since then, there have been a total of five female Sentinels awarded the Tomb Guard Identification Badge:
SGT Danyell Wilson earned
her badge in 1997
SSG Tonya Bell received hers in 1998
SGT Ruth
Hanks earned her badge in June 2015
SFC Chelsea Porterfield earned her badge in 2021
Several other units have since been attached to the Old Guard -- food
service, transportation, medics, etc. -- so now females have an ever
greater opportunity to become a Sentinel. Females must meet the same
requirements as the male soldiers to be eligible to volunteer at the
Tomb. the only difference is that females have a minimum height of 5'8"
-- which is the same standard to be a member of the Old Guard.