Lawrence Martin was born on May 15, 1919 in Ambridge, PA to Joseph and Irma (Chinchilla) Martin. Lawrence was a first-generation American, as his elders hailed from Slovakia. After High School and employment in local steel mills within the outskirts of Pittsburgh, Lawrence was drafted on May 16, 1941. Enlisting as a Private, Martin was apart of the 29th Infantry Division. He was stationed in Fort Meade, MD and Camp Blanding, FL. Due to his competence in the Infantry, Martin quickly promoted to Staff Sergeant before being shipped to England for the impending invasion. On June 6, 1944, SSG Martin took part in the D-Day invasion as a Platoon Sergeant in D Company, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division. He was possibly KIA or POW on June 16, 1944 during the push into Normandy. He was killed by artillery fire, after leading his men to victory. Martin had two sisters and several brothers that also fought in WWII. He had no wife or children. He was awarded the Purple Heart and WWII Victory Medal, and is buried in Normandy, France. As of June 2024, he is pending posthumous awarding of the CIB and Bronze Star for his action on D-Day.