Support for the Flaglers
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It seems like our community is constantly being rocked by tragedy. Unfortunately, this loss hit a lot closer to home for a lot of us, especially those of us in the Talon II world - we lost Martin P. Flagler. Marty was so many different things to so many people: he was a wonderful husband to his wife, loving father to his daughter, outstanding mentor to his airmen, and an unforgettable friend to all. To properly capture Marty's personality and pay homage to who he was, here are some things a few of us wanted people to remember about him:
"Marty was funny, smart, caring, an overall goof ball. There wasn’t a thing that he wouldn’t do for you. He would give his shirt off his back for you if you needed it. He loved collecting certain items. He loved playing with remote control planes and helicopters. He loved tinkering with anything that he could get his hands on. He loved being a crew chief on C-130’s. He loved to craft beer but most importantly he loved to drink it. Marty was an amazing friend and mentor of mine and to others. One thing is for sure: I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for Marty. You will be missed but never forgotten."
"He was always smiling. It was always a blast working with him cause he was such a goofball. It was honestly hard to not laugh around him. That is just an easy way to describe him. I remember when he got into craft brewing and a bunch of the AMU went over to try it out. We all tried it and it was terrible haha. But obviously we didn't act like that. This whole time, he hadn't tried it yet and when he finally did he spit it out, said it was terrible and then laughed at all of us for drinking and not saying a thing. The way he was is what makes this so difficult."
"So, I always called Marty PMF, because he HATED being called Paul, and at first he wasn't fond of PMF but then he grew to like it because he knew I was saying it endearingly. He was always more cautious than the rest of us, more humble than the rest of us, and so much nicer than any of us. I feel like the 5 or 6 years we were there together he was always saying "Connolly, do you think that is acceptable to say?" and then, despite his best attempts he would find himself laughing at the stuff we would say or do and you could always see this look of bewilderment on his face... almost like he was wondering if he has become as corrupt as the rest of us. His dry sense of humor was awesome and he really never got as much credit as he deserved. He was more concerned with building relationships at work than the work itself most of the time, and that is not a dig at him at all. That is something that I didn't understand until a bit later. Honestly, I don't know that I spoke to him once since I PCS'd to Germany and he PCS'd to Witchita Falls... I do remember always asking my young guys if they had PMF as their instructor just to hear the stories."
"Marty would go out of his way to help anyone. One year I was about to deploy, so I sent the family back home just before Thanksgiving. He knew I was going to be alone and invited me over for Thanksgiving with his family. He was always looking out for people whether it was at work or outside of work."
"He was the best of all of us. We gave him shit becuz that’s what we do. But I loved every moment with him. Till this day we still say 'what the flagler' and there is no better way to describe my brothers life. He was such a good person. I loved every minute that I was around him. You will never be forgotten. Rest easy brother."
If you can, please donate towards the wife and child he leaves behind and help ease their financial burden in their time of grief. They're in for a tough road ahead and any support would mean the world to them.
"Marty was funny, smart, caring, an overall goof ball. There wasn’t a thing that he wouldn’t do for you. He would give his shirt off his back for you if you needed it. He loved collecting certain items. He loved playing with remote control planes and helicopters. He loved tinkering with anything that he could get his hands on. He loved being a crew chief on C-130’s. He loved to craft beer but most importantly he loved to drink it. Marty was an amazing friend and mentor of mine and to others. One thing is for sure: I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it wasn’t for Marty. You will be missed but never forgotten."
"He was always smiling. It was always a blast working with him cause he was such a goofball. It was honestly hard to not laugh around him. That is just an easy way to describe him. I remember when he got into craft brewing and a bunch of the AMU went over to try it out. We all tried it and it was terrible haha. But obviously we didn't act like that. This whole time, he hadn't tried it yet and when he finally did he spit it out, said it was terrible and then laughed at all of us for drinking and not saying a thing. The way he was is what makes this so difficult."
"So, I always called Marty PMF, because he HATED being called Paul, and at first he wasn't fond of PMF but then he grew to like it because he knew I was saying it endearingly. He was always more cautious than the rest of us, more humble than the rest of us, and so much nicer than any of us. I feel like the 5 or 6 years we were there together he was always saying "Connolly, do you think that is acceptable to say?" and then, despite his best attempts he would find himself laughing at the stuff we would say or do and you could always see this look of bewilderment on his face... almost like he was wondering if he has become as corrupt as the rest of us. His dry sense of humor was awesome and he really never got as much credit as he deserved. He was more concerned with building relationships at work than the work itself most of the time, and that is not a dig at him at all. That is something that I didn't understand until a bit later. Honestly, I don't know that I spoke to him once since I PCS'd to Germany and he PCS'd to Witchita Falls... I do remember always asking my young guys if they had PMF as their instructor just to hear the stories."
"Marty would go out of his way to help anyone. One year I was about to deploy, so I sent the family back home just before Thanksgiving. He knew I was going to be alone and invited me over for Thanksgiving with his family. He was always looking out for people whether it was at work or outside of work."
"He was the best of all of us. We gave him shit becuz that’s what we do. But I loved every moment with him. Till this day we still say 'what the flagler' and there is no better way to describe my brothers life. He was such a good person. I loved every minute that I was around him. You will never be forgotten. Rest easy brother."
If you can, please donate towards the wife and child he leaves behind and help ease their financial burden in their time of grief. They're in for a tough road ahead and any support would mean the world to them.
Organizer and beneficiary
Kelsy Lubenstein
Organizer
Pittsburgh, PA
Candace Flagler
Beneficiary