Derek Martin

Derek Scott Martin was born July 16, 1987, in Wellington and graduated from WHS in 2005. He was on the high school golf team and worked at the golf course. Derek knew from a young age that he wanted to join the military; he was part of the post-9/11 generation.

He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 2006. Upon graduating from Basic Military Training at Lackland AFB, Texas, he was assigned to MacDill AFB, Fla. as part of the 6th Security Forces Squadron. His marksmanship was so impressive that he was invited to sniper school. SrA Martin proudly served in two deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and one deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Derek was a decorated war veteran.

While serving the mission just outside of Kandahar, Afghanistan (September 2008), Derek’s unit, Quick Reaction Force-attached with Afghan Forces-responded when several suicide bombers and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) went off. Derek’s vehicle, a 1151 HMMWV, was hit with a secondary IED, killing the gunner and injuring everyone inside. Derek consequently encountered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as well as a daily visual of shrapnel embedded in his arm. He was not one to worry his family or be braggadocious, and he didn’t share with his family until 2014 when he received the prestigious Purple Heart.

Derek separated from the military in 2012 with an honorable discharge. He then attended Professional Golfers Career College in Orlando, Florida, specializing in an associate’s degree in pro golf management, a dream he had long aspired to accomplish. Derek graduated amongst the top of his class in 2013, holds the course record with a 59, and qualified for numerous tournaments.

Over the years, Derek worked as an assistant golf professional at golf courses in Florida and California. Due to Derek’s love for the military and helping others, he partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project, where he dedicated a significant amount of time talking about his military experiences with local veterans. He hoped that sharing his stories would help others to feel validated and less alone. Derek always believed others needed help more than himself. In conjunction with one of his Air Force brothers, who, like Derek, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), co-founded the nonprofit Rimpact Foundation in 2014. Rimpact stood for “Reaper Impact,” partly named after the namesake of the Security Forces moniker, the Reaper. He always believed sports, especially being passionate about golf, were a way to ease the pain people felt, particularly those with PTSD and TBI ailments. Rimpact’s mission was to honor, raise awareness, and give back to our combat-injured veterans by bringing them together around the game of golf. Derek was key in acquiring donations for equipment, rounds of golf, and volunteering his time to teach golf lessons.

Derek was also involved with Titleist as a “Player Testing Panel/Staff Member.” Additionally, he was in his final semester of school; he would have graduated in the spring of 2020 with his bachelor’s degree in business administration. Derek had a distinctive laugh that trickled to others, and he enjoyed the simple things in life. He regularly volunteered at his children’s elementary school and as a coach for his son’s athletic teams, let his daughter paint his fingernails, enjoyed nature, running, playing basketball, riding tricycles with kids in his eul-de-sac, and enjoyed grilling for his neighbors. Friday’s tradition was family movie night, usually Disney-themed. Derek proudly spoke of his love for the band Metallica and was a devoted Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Derek accomplished more in his short time in this world than most people do in their lifetime while silently battling PTSD, anxiety, survivor’s guilt, and a TBI. Sadly and tragically, he lost his battle to the war within himself in March 2020 at the age of 32.