Doc Orestes Martinez was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to the US at the age of 14. In 2004, he enlisted in the military, where he honed his clinical skills as an emergency medic. His deployment to Iraq from 2008 to 2009 saw him serving as a support convoy corpsman, providing much-needed relief to medics in need. As the Marines lacked dedicated medics, he filled this role as part of the Navy's support system.