On Dec. 21, 2025, 2nd Lt. Kimo Martinez stood at attention as his father, retired Air Force Col. Kato Martinez, administered the oath of office that would commission him into the U.S. Space Force (USSF). The moment, captured on the USSF news site, was the culmination of a journey that has been marked by loss, resilience, and the strength of both family and community.
Martinez, who graduated from The University of Texas at Austin earlier that month with a degree in aerospace engineering, was the only cadet from Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (AFROTC) Detachment 825 to commission in December.
“Lt. Martinez exemplifies the resilience, character and dedication we strive to cultivate in every cadet,” said U.S. Space Force Capt. David F. Ulman, operations flight commander of UT’s AFROTC program. “His journey, overcoming personal adversity and committing himself to service, reflects the heart of AFROTC: leadership, perseverance and purpose.”
Finding Strength in Community
While growing up, Martinez lived where his father was deployed — in Hawaii, Guam, California and the Netherlands.
On March 22, 2016, while his family was checking in at the Brussels Airport for a spring break trip to Disney World, an improvised explosive device exploded just 6 feet away.
Martinez, then in middle school, and his family were medevaced to Galveston, Texas. His mother did not survive.
“My mom’s faith really helped pull us through,” Martinez said.
After they were released from the hospital, the family eventually settled in San Antonio for rehabilitation and recovery. The military community that supported his family, across continents and years, rallied around them once again, helping them rebuild their lives in Texas.
It was in San Antonio, at John Jay Science and Engineering Academy High School, that Martinez found the structure he needed. His father enrolled him in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC), despite his initial resistance.
My dad said, 'Just try it for one semester'
That semester changed everything.
Under the mentorship of retired Air Force Senior Master Sgt. James Henry, who would later give Martinez his first salute as a commissioned officer, he discovered leadership and purpose. At John Jay — a Title I school where many students struggled with food insecurity — Martinez learned to connect with people from different walks of life, a skill that would serve him throughout his military career.
“Being a commander there gave me perspective on a lot of people’s lives,” Martinez said. “That really helped my leadership style and understanding how to be personable with people from different lifestyles.”
Another mentor, a UT Austin aerospace engineering graduate who had gone through AFROTC, showed Martinez what was possible. “He took me under his wing, and I followed him to UT Austin,” Martinez said. With a full ROTC scholarship in hand, Martinez arrived on campus ready to serve.
Creating Connections on Campus
At UT’s AFROTC Detachment 825, Martinez met more people who would become part of his chosen family.
The detachment is currently composed of 92 cadets from UT and other Austin-area universities and colleges and has earned recognition previously as the No. 1 midsize detachment in the nation, a distinction Martinez attributes to the dedication of its members.
Cadets in the program attend physical training at 6 a.m. twice weekly, complete leadership labs, and take Air Force science courses, among other responsibilities, adding approximately 15 hours of commitment each week on top of their regular studies.
As an upperclassman in the Professional Officer Course, Martinez’s responsibilities expanded to include mentoring 12 to 20 younger cadets, grading papers, and helping develop curriculum. “It’s basically being a TA without the credit,” he joked, noting the additional 20 hours per week. “But it is truly a cadet-run program.”
Beyond ROTC, Martinez built community through an unexpected hobby inherited from his mother: barbering. After Martinez’s mother died, his father picked up the task of cutting his hair before teaching Martinez to do it himself. In his apartment, Martinez set up a barber chair where he served more than 40 clients, including 20 recurring customers.
“It’s kind of like that therapist-barber client confidentiality that never leaves the room,” Martinez explained. “I’ve had a lot of guys be able to talk with me about their life. It’s another mentorship aspect.”
An Unexpected Path to Space
When he joined AFROTC, Martinez originally planned to become a pilot like many of his “pilot uncles” in the military family network.
Then his sister, who worked for USSF as a civilian, encouraged him to consider the newest branch of the armed forces. “She was like, ‘It’s going to be the future. You could help transform this new branch of the military,'” Martinez said.
He applied for a supplemental USSF board during his junior year, a rare opportunity to be considered for a USSF officer career after the standard board deadline had passed. Out of hundreds of supplemental board applicants in the Southwest region, he was one of only two selected, and one of just 12 selected nationally.
According to Ulman, interest in the Space Force has been growing at UT.
“UT is one of the few universities with a dedicated USSF officer position in its AFROTC program, a role I currently fill,” Ulman said. “This has helped spark cadet interest by providing firsthand insight into life as a Guardian.”
Honoring Heritage, Embracing the Future
As Martinez prepares for his next chapter in a new city, he keeps his community, family and cultural traditions close. One of the most visible symbols of this is the hand-carved Hawaiian fishhook, or makau, that Martinez carries.
Of all the places they’ve lived, Hawaii is the place that feels like home.
“Being a military family, you don’t really have a place called home. You’re there for three years and then you move,” said Martinez. “For us, home is where our mom was the happiest. If you pull up all the photos that we have, my mom was always smiling and laughing, but where my mom looks at peace is Hawaii. She loved the sun, she loved the beach, and she was absolutely at home in Hawaii.”
In 2016, shortly after the Brussels attack, the Martinez family was walking through a flea market at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, when they came across a hand-carving stand. Martinez’s father recognized something familiar. Years earlier, at a different location, his wife had purchased a hand-carved necklace from a family business. Through an inexplicable connection, the man at the flea market happened to be the brother of the man who carved his wife’s necklace.
“There was this weird connection between my dad and the guy. They recognized each other, but they’ve never met,” Martinez said. “Something just drew them towards each other.”
That man, Uncle Chami, became part of their extended family. In Hawaiian culture, receiving a hand-carved hook marks an important life transition. Martinez chose his first hook in high school, drawn to it before knowing its meaning. On his hook, the fishhook represents the warrior, the whale tail symbolizes perseverance, and the infinity symbol represents the eternal connections formed when paths cross.
“For some reason, that really stuck with me,” Martinez said. “As you cross paths with people, you always have that connection. You’ll have that infinite connection with people as you cross paths.”
That philosophy mirrors what his father calls “the village” — the military family network that supported them after the attack, the mentors who guided him, the ROTC community that shaped him.
I wanted to go into the military, so I can provide my future family that same sort of community.
Last fall, Martinez’s life transformed in rapid succession. Within 30 days, he got married to Stephanie, a childhood friend who knew his mom; graduated from UT; and received his commission. He marked these milestones with a second hand-carved hook, acknowledging the new chapter beginning.
Martinez and his wife are now settling into life near Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado, where he has begun training before receiving his permanent assignment.
The couple downsized from their Austin apartments, carefully selecting what to bring to this new chapter. Among the treasures that made the move is his mom’s Minolta 35 mm film camera, which he used to capture sunrise photos at Enchanted Rock on a New Year’s trip before leaving Texas, and woodworking tools — another passion his mom cultivated.
“My mom was a huge woodworker. She’d make huge wood carvings,” he said. Between the photography, the barbering he learned when she used to cut his hair, and the woodworking he hopes to pursue, Martinez is carrying forward her creative spirit.
As Martinez begins his USSF career, he embodies the fullness of his heritage — his mother’s creativity, his father’s commitment to service, and the knowledge and varying experiences passed down to him through his military family.
His commissioning was both a full-circle moment and the start of something new in which Martinez can carry forward the infinite connections that have guided his journey, while charting a new course for himself too.
