RM 5, us NAVY, Guadalupe Martinez
Born: December 10, 1922, Picuris Pueblo, NM, USA
Died: DECEMBER 13, 1944, PACIFIC OCEAN
Burial Site: Picuris Pueblo, NM, USA
According to his service records, RM 5, Martinez enlisted in the US Navy on 30 June 1942. While serving in WWII, RM 5, Martinez was killed in a Japanese Kamikaze attack on the USS Nashville, during the liberation of the Philippines. RM 5 Martinez was survived by his parents, Mrs. and Mr. Augustine Martinez, Picuris Pueblo, New Mexico. In a history journal by Robert Shafer, “The Kamikaze Strike,” we have an account of the attack on the USS Nashville. Shafer recounts how the USS Nashville was one of the ships escorting an invasion convoy to the Philippine Island of Mindoro. 1 Around 1500 am on December 13th, the USS Nashville was a few miles off Siquijor Island when a Zek with a 63-kg bomb struck the port side battery. Remarkably, the ship did not sink. In the end, 133 sailors were killed and 190 were wounded. RM5 Martinez was one of the casualties.3
Images & Documents
Guadalupe Martinez in uniform. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155954113/guadalupe-martinez#view-photo=136033252. Uploaded by Jimmy Weber, Feb. 24, 2026
The Albuquerque Tribune, Sat, Oct 17, 1942 ·Page 7
Guadalupe Jose Martinez New Mexico, U.S., World War II Records, 1941-1945. New Mexico Commission of Public Records, State Records Center and Archives; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Subsubseries: WWII Service Records (Biographical Questionnaires for New Mexicans Serving in the Armed Forces); Box Number: 13622; Box Title: Service Records Li to Pa-Pad
The Santa Fe New Mexican, Sat, Apr 24, 1943 ·Page 2
Guadalupe Martinez gravestone. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155954113/guadalupe-martinez#view-photo=181791024. Shirley H on 10 Feb 2019
Notes:
1. Naval History, Homepage, list of Navy battle casualties, WW II
2. Shafer, Robert, “The Kamikaze Strike,” Naval History Magazine, Volume 22, Number 2, April 2008.
3. Ancestry.com, US World War II Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940 -1947.
Prepared by Xavier Vidal Medina, Ph.D. UTA
Features Image:
Guadalupe Martinez in uniform. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155954113/guadalupe-martinez#view-photo=136033252. Uploaded by Jimmy Weber, Feb. 24, 2026