Ray Martinez  
April 5, 1918 - December 3, 2003 

By Norma & Kaley Kiermayr

Ray Martinez was born on April 5, 1918, in Tempe, Arizona.  He used to say he was born on the 50 yard line of the ASU Stadium where "Mexican Town" was more or less located. 

As a young boy, he watched the Tempe Beach Pool being built only to find out upon its completion that he and his friends, being Mexican Americans, weren't allowed to swim there.  Undaunted, they'd sneak in some late night swims.

 He started grammar school in Tempe, but in the 1920s the family moved to Phoenix and he attended Monroe Elementary School where he met his future wife. He was an outstanding student and earned a medal for academic achievement at graduation. 

In order to help support his nine brothers and sisters, he was forced to drop out of Phoenix Union High School and worked delivering newspapers. 

During this time he met Barry and Bob Goldwater, which would result in a lifelong political relationship between Goldwater and the Chicano community.  At the time the term Chicano was used instead of Hispanic.

During one of his deliveries, he was hit from behind by a car and fell on the curb, shattering his elbow.  A plate was inserted to hold his arm together.  He used it remarkably well.  He later taught boxing and coached a girls’ softball team for the City of Phoenix Recreation program.  

​He and his future wife saw each other often at dances and social events.  They eloped and married at the Phoenix Court House on February 23, 1938.  They celebrated by splurging on a lunch at Sing Hi's.  Afterward, they broke the news to the bride's parents and were promptly thrown out by the bride’s father.  They lived with Ray's parents, Martina and Francisco Martinez.  Francisco was an interpreter for the county.  Their first child, Norma, was born on November 29, 1938. 

After Pearl Harbor, he tried to join the armed forces in WWII by going to different recruiters each month, but he was repeatedly disqualified because of his elbow injury.  Eventually the Navy consented to give him a test, which he passed.  

​After basic training, the Navy trained him as a radio-man and he served on the USS Makassar Straits, an aircraft carrier. 

​His brother, Phillip, was a Seebee (a member of one of the United States Navy construction battalions) in Hawaii.  When Ray's ship pulled into Hawaii for repairs, they were able to spend time together.

​During an attack on his ship, Ray sustained a severe back injury.  He was thrown to the ground as he carried a shell to load the cannon at his battle station.  The permanent injury left one shoulder two inches lower that then other shoulder.  His entire service was spent on the aircraft carrier.  He was evacuated to San Diego and remained there until the war ended. 

Back at home, it didn't take long for him and all the other Chicano veterans of WWII to band together.  He often said that when they returned, they realized the need to advocate for the Chicano community and overcome the inequality that existed at the time. 

​After the local American Legion Posts discouraged membership by Chicanos, they established American Legion Post 41 for Mexican-American veterans.  
​Many Post 41 veterans practically lived there during construction.  

Most Chicano veterans volunteered at the Post after their regular work day and on weekends.  Ray's daughter, Norma, remembered her mother would have food packed and ready when Ray got home from work.  "We would eat our dinner together with other families at Grant Park.  That was our playground and social life for some time," Norma said, “families knew each other and children grew up together in Grant Park. 
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When he got back from the war, the City of Phoenix gave him a job as a bus driver.  He also drove the trolley that ran from 16th Street to the Capital Building.  Norma remembers, “The route went by my grandmother’s house on 14th street and Washington several times a day and he sometimes gave my cousin and me a ride to 16th street and back.  The family still lived with my mother's parents because there was no housing.  We moved to the Duppavilla Housing Project in 1948. We lived at 1815 E. Roosevelt. My brother, Gilbert, was born on August 18, 1948."
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Ray had a community focused employment history.  Before WWII, he was employed by the City of Phoenix as a sanitation driver, a pretty high position for a young Chicano man.  After the war the City of Phoenix employed him as a city bus driver.  Following that, he became a juvenile probation officer.  

​Under Governor Garvey he was appointed to the State Civil Defense Commander which was, at that time, the highest post ever held by a Chicano with the State of Arizona.  After Governor Garvey’s term in office, he did, for a time, work for Dick Searles and sold real estate but returned to civil service working with kids as a counselor at a federal facility in Posten, Arizona.  Finally, he then transferred to Phoenix Indian School as a counselor, retiring early after injuring his back trying to break up a fight. 

For Ray and other dedicated Chicano veterans, Post 41 and the American Legion became and remained a lifelong passion.  He was a gifted speaker, and his family spent many a Fourth of July in small Arizona towns where he had been invited to speak.

"Dad was always politically engaged," said Norma. "He was most proud of his work with Senator MacFarland and Governor Garvey.”  Ray continued to work for the Democratic Party as a Precinct Committee man during elections. On several occasions, he lobbied in Washington D.C. for veterans on behalf of the American Legion.  From 1950 to 1951, he became the Arizona State American Legion Commander and later became the American Legion's National Chairman for the Committee on Children and Families.  He retained that post for the Arizona American Legion for several years until he retired.  

​A patriot, he received many honors and was especially proud to be among the first group of veterans honored by the Arizona Veteran's Hall of Fame.

Ray's historical papers and photos are on permanent loan with the Chicano Collection at Arizona State University.  "We are very proud of all of his achievements," Norma said, "He is to this day remembered and revered by his grandchildren." 

In this 5 Part Interview by Carlos Jurado, Ray chronicles growing up in Phoenix and the legacy of Post 41 in overcoming discrimination