Gary Wayne Martini (September 21, 1948 – April 21, 1967) was born in Lexington, Virginia, to William and Anna Lee Martini. When he was three, the family moved first to Williamsburg and then to Frankford (both in Greenbrier County), where Gary attended grade school and participated in intramural sports. About 1960, they moved to Charleston, and he attended Stonewall Jackson High School until his family relocated again, to Portland, Oregon, before his senior year.

In March 1966, during the Vietnam War, Martini enlisted in the Marine Corps and was trained at the Battalion Infantry Training School at Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, for one month before being transferred to Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in July 1966. He was assigned as a rifleman to Company F, 2^nd Battalion, 1^st Marines, 1^st Marine Division (Rein) FMF.

On April 21, 1967, during Operation Union, Company F was fighting near Binh Son when they ran into a large, well-prepared enemy force. The Marines in Pfc. Martini’s platoon charged across an open rice field and got within about 20 meters of the enemy trenches. Suddenly, they were hit with grenades, rifle fire, machine guns, and mortars.

The attack killed 14 Marines and wounded 18 others. The rest of the platoon was trapped behind a small dirt wall in the rice field.

Despite the extreme danger, Pfc. Martini crawled over the wall into an open area just 15 meters from the enemy. While bullets and explosions surrounded him, he threw grenades and destroyed several enemy positions. Then he crawled back to his platoon, which had reached the safety of a trench.

From there, he saw several wounded Marines still lying in the open field. He knew another Marine had already been killed trying to help them. Still, Pfc. Martini ran through heavy enemy fire and dragged one wounded Marine back to safety. During this rescue, he was seriously wounded.

Despite his injury, he went back out into the open to save another wounded Marine lying only 20 meters from the enemy trenches. As he reached his fellow Marine, he was mortally wounded. Even so, he began dragging the injured man back toward safety.

When other Marines tried to come help him, he told them to stay under cover so they would not be hurt. With one final effort, he moved the wounded Marine close enough for others to pull him to safety. Then Pfc. Martini collapsed from his wounds.

On October 22, 1968, Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius presented Martini’s Medal of Honor to his family in Washington, D.C. He is buried in Rosewood Cemetery in Lewisburg.

A bridge on Interstate-64 at Lewisburg is named in his honor.