Arthur Roland Martel was born on September 13, 1921 in Biddeford, Maine, son of Henry and Imelda Martel. He resided in York County, Maine prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on September 11, 1942 in Portland, Maine. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the manufacture of boots and shoes and also as Married. Arthur served as a Corporal, 654th Tank Destroyer Battalion, U.S. Army during World War II.

On May 23, 1945, he was a passenger on Flight C-46D (4-77507) which was taking 41 American soldiers that were ill, injured, or repatriated prisoners of war to hospitals in the Paris, France area and was then eventually going to take them all back to the United States. This flight occurred after Germany's surrender on May 7, 1945. However this C-46, for unknown reasons, developed a fire in one of it's two engines and crashed near the village of Taillefontaine, near Paris. All men aboard were killed in the crash. CPL Martel died at the age of 23 and is now buried in the Epinal American Cemetery, Dinozé, France.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov