Martin “Marty” William Flesh died on January 16, aged 86.
Flesh was born in August of 1923 in New York City. He moved to Havana, Cuba when he was ten years old. He left Cuba in 1942 to become a cadet at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut and graduated with a degree of Bachelor of Science. Flesh was commissioned with the rank of Ensign. He entered flight training after four years of sea duty on a Coast Guard troop transport, a buoy tender, a rescue cutter and ocean station vessel in the Atlantic. He earned his Naval Aviator wings in the summer of 1950 and completed helicopter training in 1956.
A Coast Guard rescue flyer for 23 years as pilot and instructor in seaplanes, landplanes and helicopters, Flesh was the commanding officer at aviation rescue units in Bermuda, New Orleans, St. Petersburg (Florida), and Guam, having also served in San Francisco, Miami; Argentia, Newfoundland on International Ice Patrol, Midway Island and Honolulu. His final two years of service with rank of Captain were in Miami as chief of operations and chief of staff with search and rescue responsibility for U.S. maritime activities in South Carolina, Georgia and the Caribbean Sea.
His knowledge of aviation search and rescue and his fluency in Spanish were sought by the International Civil Aviation Organization, an arm of the United Nations, as a consultant in Mexico, Central America. Colombia and Chile, and eventually in Saudi Arabia for two years with the Kingdom of Civil Aviation.
Flesh’s military awards include many campaign ribbons, two Coast Guard Commendation Medals and the Meritorious Service Medal, having seen service during World War II, the Korean conflict, the Cuban missile crisis, Vietnam and the Cold War. His memorable achievements include the seaplane and helicopter rescues of mariners, fishermen and pleasure boaters from the perils of the sea and hurricanes.
On his travels and ports of call, Flesh was accompanied by his wife, Anya, a former member of the American Ballet Theatre Corps de Ballet and principal dancer with the Agnes de Mille touring company.
The Fleshes moved to Miami, Florida, and then to Bradenton from Jeddah. They moved to Lakeside in 1997 and settled in Chapala the next year. Both were active in the Lakeside Little Theatre, Marty occasionally on stage, but mostly as a “gofer.” He was active in tennis, duplicate bridge, cribbage and he enjoyed poker “with the boys.” He was a member of the Lake Chapala Society, the Navy League and American Legion Post 7.
Flesh’s wife of 37 years preceded him in death in January 2008. Survivors include daughter Carol Flesh of Asheville, North Carolina; sons Gerald Flesh of Aurora, Illinois and Martin Flesh of Miami, Florida; stepdaughters Heidi Wilson of Tulsa, Oklahoma and Sylva Kelegian of Los Angeles, California; and stepson Peter Kelegian of New York City. Flesh had six grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Internment is planned at the Sarasota National Cemetery, Florida.
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