DENVER - Gabriel Martinez has a tough time with the word hero. As a Marine, he figured it was just part of the job. Being wounded was not a big deal to him.
Yet, if the standing ovation Martinez received on the floor of the Colorado House of Representatives is any indication, there are a lot of people who will readily say he needs to get over his modesty.
"Today, we have a hero among us," Rep. Libby Szabo (R-Arvada) said. "His name is Corporal Gabriel Martinez."
The applause that followed was hardly obligatory.
On Thursday, Szabo invited Martinez, his wife and his family to the floor of the House so the Marine could be honored by the state.
The Faith Christian Academy grad was back in Colorado for the Easter weekend, and Szabo didn't want the days to pass without some sort of formal recognition from the state.
It was back in November 2010 when Martinez was wounded in an IED attack inside Afghanistan.
"I saw the flash, heard the boom; my ears were ringing. A million things go through your mind at that point," Martinez said. "'Am I going to die?' I'm down in this hole, totally conscious. My leg is on my chest; my other leg is off to the side. At that point I had a spiritual one-on-one with God. He asked me if I wanted to live. My immediate answer was: 'Yes.'"
"The worst news I ever got was that my son had lost his legs," his mother Kay Martinez said. "The best news I ever got was that my son was still alive."
Martinez's right leg was amputated above the knee. His left leg was amputated below the knee. Months of rehab at places like Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland on a pair of prosthetic legs have him now convinced that running is in his immediate future.
"I'm doing excellent. I couldn't ask for more," Martinez said. "I'm still alive. I got that second chance. So I'm making the most of it."
In May, Martinez will be back at Camp Pendleton to welcome back his fellow Marines who will be just returning from their deployment in Afghanistan.
"We don't have super powers," Martinez said. "We just do our God-given abilities to serve our country."
(KUSA-TV © 2011 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)