Martínez, Al

Al Martínez is a writer and newspaper columnist. He was born July 29, 1929 in Oakland, California. He joined the Marines in 1950 and served in Korea until 1952. While in the Marines he became a war correspondent and upon discharge became a writer for the Richmond Independent in California. He then worked at the Oakland Tribune as a columnist, feature writer and military writer from 1955-1971. In 1972 he moved with his family to Southern California, taking a job at the Los Angeles Times. Martínez wrote for the Times until 2009, first as a reporter, then becoming a full-time feature columnist in 1984. He also wrote several screenplays for films and television series, as well as essays in various magazines, and 10 books. He and his wife Joanne have three children, Cindy, Linda, and Allen (Marty).