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June 18, 2025
Bandera native serves with U.S. Navy during multi-national exercise in the Baltic Sea
By Rick Burke
U.S. Navy Office of Community Outreach
Bandera native Kevin Martinez, U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class, is assigned to Naval Construction Battalion (NCB) 14, currently participating in the multi-national Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2025 in northeastern Europe, which runs through June 20.
After graduating from Bandera High School in 2005, Martinez graduated from Full Sail University in Orlando, Fla., with a Master of Fine Arts in Film. He joined the U.S. Navy 16 years ago, and now serves as a builder.
“All of the men in my family are prior service,” Martinez said. “I wanted to be a mechanic, but my family couldn’t afford it. I realized that college was quite expensive, and that serving was a good option for me to pursue my education and eventually attend college.”
Since joining the Navy, Martinez has learned many skills that help them succeed.
“Working on a ranch before coming into the Navy instilled a strong work ethic in me,” Martinez said. “Right now, my proudest accomplishment is making the rank of petty officer first class. I had passed but not advanced for 12 cycles. It took me leaving my last battalion, where I was given the right opportunities, to be meritoriously advanced to first class.”
BALTOPS 25 is the premier maritime-focused annual military exercise in the Baltic region and provides a unique opportunity to strengthen warfighting readiness and combat credibility critical to deterrence and preserving safety and security in the Baltic Sea. BALTOPS sharpens U.S. maritime readiness and offers opportunities to train and test emerging capabilities that will enhance our ability to protect the homeland and integrate with our allies for the collective defense of Europe.
Participating nations include Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“Serving in the Navy is a way for me to give back. There’s a sense of pride in being a part of something bigger. Not everyone has the opportunity to travel the world, and I’m thankful to give back to my country and others,” Martinez said. “I want to thank my immediate family and my sisters, Bethany and Alena. I just became an uncle in April.”
After graduating from Bandera High School in 2005, Martinez graduated from Full Sail University in Orlando, Fla., with a Master of Fine Arts in Film. He joined the U.S. Navy 16 years ago, and now serves as a builder.
“All of the men in my family are prior service,” Martinez said. “I wanted to be a mechanic, but my family couldn’t afford it. I realized that college was quite expensive, and that serving was a good option for me to pursue my education and eventually attend college.”
Since joining the Navy, Martinez has learned many skills that help them succeed.
“Working on a ranch before coming into the Navy instilled a strong work ethic in me,” Martinez said. “Right now, my proudest accomplishment is making the rank of petty officer first class. I had passed but not advanced for 12 cycles. It took me leaving my last battalion, where I was given the right opportunities, to be meritoriously advanced to first class.”
BALTOPS 25 is the premier maritime-focused annual military exercise in the Baltic region and provides a unique opportunity to strengthen warfighting readiness and combat credibility critical to deterrence and preserving safety and security in the Baltic Sea. BALTOPS sharpens U.S. maritime readiness and offers opportunities to train and test emerging capabilities that will enhance our ability to protect the homeland and integrate with our allies for the collective defense of Europe.
Participating nations include Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
“Serving in the Navy is a way for me to give back. There’s a sense of pride in being a part of something bigger. Not everyone has the opportunity to travel the world, and I’m thankful to give back to my country and others,” Martinez said. “I want to thank my immediate family and my sisters, Bethany and Alena. I just became an uncle in April.”