George Martin is a traveler. And then some. He and his wife, Mardy, live in Pelican Rapids, Minn., where, despite being 90-plus years old, he's a busy guy, sorting out his mementos from World War II.
But one day he took the time to write to his friend Morrie Rasmussen, Fargo, about his travels. Morrie relayed his letter to Neighbors.
George writes that his desire to travel began when he was a teenager "reading, hearing and dreaming about those far away places with the strange sounding names.
"Then came World War II and the Korean War, when I took my first trips abroad," George goes on.
But that was seeing the world the hard way. He was with the Fighting 69th Infantry, which fought through France and Germany during World War II, eventually linking up with the Russians at Torgau, Germany.
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Those were rugged times. However, George says, "I think it was during those 10 years (in the military) that I became obsessed with traveling. As Kipling wrote, 'Something hidden - go and find it; go and look behind the ranges - something lost behind the ranges - lost and waiting for you. Go.' "
And he went. Boy, did he. The man has been on seven continents.
He once went on an international scavenger hunt that became, he writes, "a wild and crazy race around the world, across three oceans, four continents, 12 countries, every day finding dozens of unique objects, places and people."
George is a member of the Travelers Century Club, for which membership is limited to those who have visited 100 or more countries. He qualifies; he's been in 110.
Yes, George has been around. Literally. He's circled the world three times.
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