Michael's Story

There is an old question that people sometimes ask, and it goes like this: Who cares for the caregiver?

Michael Martin is that person. But wouldn't that make him a careGIVER, too? Short answer...yes. Cause that's exactly who he is.

A First Sergeant for a portion of his career, Michael is one of those unique individuals that carries himself quietly and privately, not really much of an outgoing people person, but when a Warrior around him needs him, he is all action. That action is driven out of a genuine love for people...no questions asked.

When EveryWarrior.org started back in 2015, he was the first First Sergeant that Trey met. Not only did he help orient Trey to the military culture, he also helped him understand what the life of a first sergeant looks like and how the mission of the organization lined up well with the purpose of the first sergeant council. From there, a friendship was born that spans the years to this day.

But when Michael's time at Barksdale came to an end, he found himself and his wife and kids stationed overseas, which is never where you want to be living when you get the phone call that your little brother had been found, and he was no longer alive.

The picture accompanying this story is one taken as Michael's brother's casket made it's way to his final resting place. Surrounded by friends and family, he now had to be the one to let people take care of him. Navigating the next few days, weeks, and even years since the moments that unfolded in their hometown on the eastern edge of Florida, Michael and his family have experienced what it looks like to be on both sides of crisis...growing from both angles.

Today, as he continues to serve, this brief snapshot of his life stands as a source of hope to others around him that are facing anything from the gripping pain of unexpected loss to the sometimes mentally exhausting care for others that many freely give. His life, his story, is evidence that those who give care also need care, and those who need care can find it right there in the people around them.