By Heather Schaefer

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Daily News Staff

Stephen G. Martin, Rhinelander police officer and Army Reservist, lost his life as a result of injuries sustained in Iraq, but his family and fellow police officers say he was not defeated by the terrorist insurgents who fatally injured him.

Martin, said his friend and fellow police officer Sgt. James Thorpe, was a fan of Ernest Hemingway and a famous quotation from "The Old Man and the Sea."

"A man can be destroyed but not defeated," recited Thorpe, "Steve was not defeated."

Thorpe added that, if he could, Martin would likely tell all of his friends at the police department and in the community to stand firm despite their grief.

"He would say, 'be strong my brother'."

Martin's son Seth, 21, said his father was aware of the possibility he might not come home from Iraq and was at peace if that were to be his fate.

"Before he left my father told me he was fully prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice," said Seth Martin. "My family sees him as a hero right now. He was prepared to be a hero but he didn't want a big fuss made. So we would like you to think of him as a hero but don't make a big fuss."

In honor of his father, Seth has constructed a flag pole in the front yard of the Martin home in Newbold. "My father always wanted to have a flag pole wherever he lived. This will be a lasting tribute," he said.

Martin's wife, Kathy, says initially she didn't want her husband to go to Iraq but would never hold him back from something he wanted to do.

"He died doing what he loved to do. With a gun in his hand, fighting for his country," she said.

Kathy Martin said Steve wanted to do something to help his country after the September 11 attacks.

"He was itching to do something (after 9-11)," she said, "This was something he just had to do."

Martin said her husband's main duty in Iraq was to train the Iraqi police officers.

"He really enjoyed it," she said. "He always told me he was having a good time."

Rhinelander Police Chief Glenn Parmeter said Martin was anxious to assist Iraq in its "quest for true freedom."

"He loved the military and was a true patriot," said Parmeter. "He died doing exactly what he loved to do, help people."

Martin and fellow Wisconsin soldier Charles Kiser, 37, were fatally injured trying to protect others when a car bomb went off near Mosul on June 24. Martin, a staff sergeant with a military police detachment, succumbed to severe head and abdominal injuries July 1 at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C.

Kathy Martin says she's not surprised her husband put the safety of others before his own in Iraq. It was part of his mentality both as a police officer and as a man, she said.

"That was Steve. He always wanted to be right where the action is. He always wanted to do something when people were hurt," she said.

Martin's wife said she had hoped she would have many more years with her husband, enjoying their children and a quiet life in the Northwoods. She said the two were brought together because their children competed on sports teams together at Pine Lake School.

She described him as a devoted father who also took a special interest in protecting children as a police officer.

"He was very thoughtful and loving, he cared about everyone and he loved kids. He was a great Daddy and I am very proud of him," she said.

On behalf of the entire Martin family, Kathy Martin also extended a thank you to the police department and the community for the outpouring of support during this difficult time.

"It's been tough but I have a lot of family with me and we're sticking together," she said.

In time Martin said she will probably continue a unique ritual she shared with her husband, enjoying a diet coke and a cigar out in the front yard.

"I'd like to do that again but it's going to take some time," she said, her voice little more than a whisper. "I know he'll always be with me in spirit."

Steve Martin will be laid to rest today following a memorial service at Rhinelander High School. Visitation begins at 11 a.m. with the service to follow at 3 p.m.

Martin, who will receive a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, a Meritorious Service Medal, an Army Commendation Medal and an Army Achievement Medal, will be buried in Forest Home Cemetery.

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