‘I had to change at 55’: Daniel Martin is humbled by Veteran of the Year award

"My name's Daniel Martin. I'm 65 years old, 5-foot-9, 214 pounds, blue eyes, left-handed. Four sons, three grandchildren. U.S. Army 1977 to 1980."

That is the straightforward way Daniel Martin starts talking to other veterans - something he's regularly called to do. Many of them, like Martin, have had difficulties since leaving active duty.

"It's a simple way to begin," Martin said. "Straightforward, so they can relate to me."

It's been a banner year for this modest man, who was named the 2025 Veteran of the Year at UCLA in November. He accepted the award at the university's annual Veterans Day reception November 6. Two days later, he was recognized before 53,000 fans at the Rose Bowl.

"There were so many people that day, telling me, 'Good job, thank you for your service, way to go,'" he said. "I was humbled, and at the same time I had a true sense of self-worth that was gratifying."

With an easygoing demeanor and a love for music and motorcycles, it's a satisfying time for a man whose early military service directed much of his life.

The son of a single mother raised in the San Fernando Valley, Martin assimilated into the communities of his youth, which he described as rough. But if there were cultural barriers, he wanted to leap over them, and the ability to reach across divides served him well after he signed up for the Army at 17. He was looking for a direction and a way to help his mother financially. It was a time when, by his own estimation, he was "on the verge of trouble."

After basic training in Kentucky, he advanced to individual training at Fort Lee, Virginia. By the time he was 19, Martin was a supply sergeant with the 545th Military Police Company.

Martin likes to be known as a peacetime soldier, as his military service of the late 1970s did not include overseas deployment or combat. He served three years before marrying a fellow service member and starting a family.

"I served honorably, proudly, proudly to this day. To this day at work, my boots are spit shined like glass," Martin said.

Though he found work and solace in carpentry, Martin's ensuing decades included stressors that led to family strife, divorces and incarceration.

"When you're in the military, you don't have a choice," Martin said. "They say it, you do it. So when you get out, suddenly, you have choices beyond any scope you ever thought of."

By 2017, Martin was well into his 50s and in need of housing. His son dropped him off at a Veterans Administration center. Martin soon enrolled in UCLA Extension's Veterans Success Academy, a partnership between UCLA Extension, the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and UCLA Veterans Initiatives and Partnerships. The course offers relationship strategies key to employment.

"One of the biggest skills I needed was listening, as opposed to speaking first or thinking I always had the answer," Martin said. "After that class, I began to show much more restraint. I didn't always have to be the first one to speak. That has paid me dividends. I haven't had to apologize as much to people as I used to."

After completing Success Academy in 2019, Martin restarted his career through Compensated Work Therapy, a VA bridge employment program that offers stipends and other benefits. He parlayed that gig into a job as a carpenter with the VA, a job he still holds.

"I sort of made them hire me," Martin said. "I made myself essential. But really all I did was help."

Martin has been called back to Success Academy regularly, where he serves as a guest speaker.

"Having Daniel be a part of our Success Academy program from the beginning has truly been wonderful," said Tony DeFrancesco, executive director and chief liaison of UCLA Veterans Initiatives and Partnerships. "He has spoken to a number of cohorts since his graduation to encourage them to take to heart everything the class teaches them. He is an invaluable asset to our veteran community at UCLA."

"When I'm being asked to speak there, I feel like I'm a Bruin," Martin said. "I feel like I'm part of UCLA."

When he's not speaking to other veterans, Martin's life is filled with the things he loves most: carpentry, his sons and grandchildren and volunteering.

"The beauty of it is that we do it for veterans who a lot of them are at risk, veterans who are on the verge of trying to get it right, much like I was," Martin said. "I tell them, 'You have to display an attitude that shows you want to change your life.' I know it's possible, because I had to change at 55."