The Good Life – July-August 2020

LOCAL HERO | ERIC MARTS
Original publish date:
July-August 2013
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY: BOBBIE MARTS
www.yumpu.com/user/
thegoodlife
Where
is he now?
Retired Army Master
Sergeant Eric Marts has
lived a lot of life since
his story was published
in July-August 2013.
Through Home for
Our Troops, Marts and
his wife were gifted a
beautiful, mortgagefree
smart home. The
increased space and incredible technology
have proven life-changing for Marts.
Marts and Corporal Deacon were invited
to the 2014 State of the Union Address
followed by several more trips to the White
House to advocate on behalf of veterans.
Marts strives to show that despite being
hurt, he (and other veterans) can accomplish
challenging endeavors. As such, he’s kayaked
the Yellowstone River, downhill skied, and
completed elements of the Mountain Phase of
training for U.S. Army Rangers which includes
repelling down waterfalls and tackling a sheer,
granite-faced mountain (Mt. Yonah).
Furthermore, Marts and his wife have
established the Sergeant’s Time Foundation
to host retreats in Park Rapids, MN where they
envision veterans and non-veterans gathering
to help one another through difficult times.
Corporal Deacon has since passed away
though he left an imprint on individuals on
Capitol Hill and beyond. Marts is excited to be
working with Meadow, his new seeing-eye
dog.
ERIC MARTS
A Hero of the Heartland
WRITTEN BY: DANETTE NICOLOFF
PHOTOS BY: URBAN TOAD MEDIA
Persevering to Help Others
“On your feet … at ease.” This is how retired Army Master
Sergeant Eric Marts opens his radio show every Saturday
morning on 970 WDAY AM. During the hour-long program called
“Heroes of the Heartland,” Marts features area service men and
women so they can tell their stories. He wants people to know
what soldiers overcome and conquer when they serve. He said
most who serve, “Are busy telling other people that they are
heroes, but won’t accept the title themselves.” That’s especially
true for Marts himself.
His Story
Marts spent 20 years in the Army, 16 of which were spent active
duty. He was a Gulf War veteran and went back again with the
34th Infantry Division when the United States invaded Iraq after
9-11. In May of 2006 his unit was near Fallujah, Iraq when he
and his men encountered a roadside bomb. Although he was
several yards away, the explosion was so powerful it knocked
him on his back. He got up, shook it off, and went back to work.
6 / THE GOOD LIFE