MONTE VISTA — The 10th year 5K Run/Walk and Veterans Golf Tournament will be held at the Monte Vista Golf Course Saturday, May 25 for the 5K and Sunday, May 26 for the golf tournament, to benefit the Sgt. Glen E. Martinez Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund awards  $1,000 scholarships to a senior boy and senior girl of Monte Vista High School.

Sgt. Martinez was in the United States Marine Corps, when he and three other Marines were killed in action May 2, 2008 while on a combat mission as the Humvee  they were riding in hit a roadside bomb in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq.

The 5k Run/Walk will begin at 7 a.m. at the Monte Vista Golf Course and includes breakfast, t-shirt and ribbons for eight different age groups.   Cost is $20 pre-registration or $25 on event day. Deadline for mail-in registration is May 23 and can be sent to P.O. Box 181 , Monte Vista, 81144 or register online at www.glenmartinezmemorialscholarship.org.  To register or for more info, call Ron or Carol at 850-3758 or 849-1830.

The Veterans Golf Tournament will begin at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start at the Monte Vista Golf Course on Sunday.  It will be an 18 hole, four-man team scramble, and cost $160 per team, limited to 18 teams. $40 for singles (they will be grouped up). 

The cost includes  golf carts (limited to 15 carts) , team entry fee, tee prize, complementary range ball  and a gift certificate (for all four winners ) then lunch after golf.  To sign up or for more info call Ingrid or Mark at the Monte Vista Pro shop at 852-4906.

Martinez knew the value of education and the Value of physical fitness.

Growing up in Monte Vista, he participated in nearly every sport available including football, wrestling and baseball.  He played in the band and was an excellent student. He was quarterback for the Pirate Football team for three years and competed four years on the State Wrestling Team and played baseball all four years.  He chose to play baseball for Ottawa University in Ottawa, Kan. on an academic and baseball scholarship where he earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in mathematics.

Martinez subsequently earned a surveying degree from Westwood College and was going to work on his Masters Degree in hydro-engineering at CU Boulder, when he made his decision to join the Marine Corps.  Living in Boulder, he explained, “he got tired of hearing people cutting down his country,” so he decided to do something positive.  Martinez could have gone directly into officer candidate school, but chose to start at the bottom like all the other recruits.  Should he go on to command, Martinez said, he wanted to have hands on experience rather than classroom philosophy.  “I want those I command to know that I have been where they are” he said in an interview just after basic training Martinez was ready for whatever came.