Robert Martin, a Tuskegee airman shot down during World War II, died July 26 at age 99 of pneumonia, his daughter Gabrielle Martin confirmed.
Martin grew up in Iowa with his father, a foot doctor, and was fascinated by airplanes from a young age.
Martin always said he flew “63 and a half” missions before being shot down by anti-aircraft fire in 1945 over German-occupied territory that later became Yugoslavia, according to The Washington Post.
His co-pilot was killed during the mission, but Martin was able to escape.
“I said, ‘I’m not going to fry, I’m going to get out of here,’” he later related.
“Fox,” as Martin was known, ended up with Josip Broz Tito’s anti-fascist contingent, which helped him get back to Allied territory about five weeks after parachuting from his downed plane, the Post reported.
The Tuskegee airman joined the Army Air Forces after completing a civilian pilot-training program and his college degree at Iowa State University in 1944. He departed for Italy after training as a lieutenant and was discharged after the war as a captain, the Post reported.
After discharge, Martin became an electrical engineer for the city of Chicago for more than 40 years until his retirement in 1988.
He received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, and seven Air Medals, and got a Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 in a ceremony that honored the Tuskegee Airmen.
Martin died at a senior living center in Olympia Fields, Illinois, and is survived by his wife of 68 years, Odette, and four children, the Post reported.
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