FORCE BASE ON SATURDAY, WHEN THEIR REMAINS ARE BROUGHT HOME. AND TONIGHT, WE’RE LEARNING MORE ABOUT CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER THREE ROBERT MARTIN AND HIS TIES TO THE SACRAMENTO AREA. KCRA 3’S CORTEZ SPOKE WITH HIS FRIENDS AND HIS FAMILY ABOUT HOW THEY ARE REMEMBERING HIM. HE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR YOU, AND FAMILY AND FRIENDS MEANT THE MOST TO HIM FOR THE FRIENDS WHO KNEW HIM BEST. ROBERT MARTIN WAS THE KIND OF FRIEND YOU COULD COUNT ON IN LIFE. THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THAT FRIENDSHIP, YOU KNOW, ALL THE WAY INTO OUR 50S, IS A TESTAMENT TO THAT. ON SUNDAY, THE PENTAGON ANNOUNCING SIX SERVICE MEMBERS WERE KILLED IN AN IRANIAN STRIKE ON A COMMAND CENTER IN KUWAIT. A PART OF THOSE 654 YEAR OLD CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER THREE ROBERT MARTIN FROM SACRAMENTO, KCRA 3 MARZEN, GRADUATED FROM ELK GROVE HIGH SCHOOL IN 1989 BEFORE PURSUING AN OVER 30 YEAR CAREER IN THE ARMY, WITH STOPS IN IOWA, VIRGINIA AND EVEN MANNHEIM, GERMANY. I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HE WAS DEPLOYED. I KNOW HE HAD TOLD ME THAT HE’S DEPLOYED MANY TIMES AND SO I, I WAS UNAWARE. FAMILY, IN A HEARTFELT PUBLIC POST DESCRIBING MARTIN AS BOTH A HERO AT HOME AND IN UNIFORM, A MAN WHOSE LOVE FOR FAMILY MATCHED HIS DEDICATION TO SERVICE. FLAGS ORDERED AT HALF STAFF AT THE STATE CAPITOL TO HONOR MARTIN. WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN YOU FIRST HEARD? MY HEART BROKE. IT JUST SANK. AND YOU KNOW, THE THAT THAT WAS TUESDAY MORNING. MARK MADSEN WAS CHILDHOOD FRIENDS OF MARTIN AND SAYS HIS LEGACY WILL LIVE ON. AND WHEN WAS THAT TAKEN? 2020 1ST OCTOBER OF 21. DID YOU EVER THINK FIVE YEARS LATER, THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FEW TIMES? NO. YOU NEVER. YOU NEVER KNOW. TOMORROW’S NOT PROMISED. SO YOU GOT TO TELL. YOU TELL PEOPLE YOU LOVE HIM WHENEVER YOU CAN. ESPECIALLY THE. THE PEOPLE THAT ARE CLOSE TO YOU IN SACRAMENTO. DENSON CORTEZ KCRA THREE NEWS. FAMILY MEMBE
Family and friends remember Sacramento soldier killed in Iran strike
‘My Hero’: Family and friends remember soldier Robert Marzan killed in Kuwait attack
Updated: 8:56 PM PST Mar 5, 2026
Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert Marzan, 54, a Sacramento native and Elk Grove High School graduate, was one of six U.S. Army Reservists killed during Iran’s initial retaliation against U.S. forces at a command center in Kuwait.Marzan’s passing has left an indelible mark on family, friends, and the Sacramento community, where he was raised and spent his formative years.“He would do anything for you, and family and friends meant the most to him,” said Mark Madsen, a childhood friend of Marzan’s. “He was an amazing husband, father, brother, nephew, uncle and friend. You always knew he cared deeply about the people in his life.”With the Marzan family’s permission, Madsen shared memories with KCRA of growing up with Marzan and two other close friends in south Sacramento, forming a bond they described as inseparable. “His brother messaged me yesterday, saying that he has his own memories of us, which were just hanging out at his house with the four of us — and he just goes, ‘Those are the memories that I’m going to have of Robert. And you guys. It was just the four of you guys hanging out all the time,'” Madsen shared.Summers were spent at Paradise Beach, wake-boarding and enjoying the simple joys of youth. Even after attending different high schools, their friendship endured well into adulthood. Madsen shared that Marzan enlisted in the Army early in his twenties, beginning a career that would span more than 30 years and include deployments in Mannheim, Germany. He ultimately rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Three and specialized in IT, earning the respect of colleagues and family alike.Marzan’s family and friends say he lived life fully, balancing his military service with a deep devotion to his family. His childhood friends recalled that even after decades apart, he maintained the same genuine personality and unwavering loyalty he had as a teenager.“Robert loved Sacramento,” Madsen said. “South Sacramento, where he was from, Elk Grove High — should be proud of him.”The Elk Grove Unified School District told KCRA in a statement about Marzan:”Elk Grove Unified School District along with Elk Grove High School are heartbroken to learn of the death of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, class of 1989. We are proud that he was part of our community and grateful for his service and sacrifice. We send our condolences to his family, loved ones, and fellow service members during this incredibly difficult time. Robert will always be remembered by the Elk Grove High School Community.”Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered California flags to be lowered to half-staff in Marzan’s honor, calling him a “courageous Californian whose service to our nation was marked by honor and distinction.”Marzan’s passing is being mourned across the country, but especially in the Sacramento community he called home, where his legacy of service, friendship, and family devotion will be remembered for years to come.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Chief Warrant Officer Three Robert Marzan, 54, a Sacramento native and Elk Grove High School graduate, was one of six U.S. Army Reservists killed during Iran’s initial retaliation against U.S. forces at a command center in Kuwait.
Marzan’s passing has left an indelible mark on family, friends, and the Sacramento community, where he was raised and spent his formative years.
“He would do anything for you, and family and friends meant the most to him,” said Mark Madsen, a childhood friend of Marzan’s. “He was an amazing husband, father, brother, nephew, uncle and friend. You always knew he cared deeply about the people in his life.”
With the Marzan family’s permission, Madsen shared memories with KCRA of growing up with Marzan and two other close friends in south Sacramento, forming a bond they described as inseparable.
“His brother messaged me yesterday, saying that he has his own memories of us, which were just hanging out at his house with the four of us — and he just goes, ‘Those are the memories that I’m going to have of Robert. And you guys. It was just the four of you guys hanging out all the time,'” Madsen shared.
Summers were spent at Paradise Beach, wake-boarding and enjoying the simple joys of youth. Even after attending different high schools, their friendship endured well into adulthood.
Madsen shared that Marzan enlisted in the Army early in his twenties, beginning a career that would span more than 30 years and include deployments in Mannheim, Germany. He ultimately rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer Three and specialized in IT, earning the respect of colleagues and family alike.
Marzan’s family and friends say he lived life fully, balancing his military service with a deep devotion to his family. His childhood friends recalled that even after decades apart, he maintained the same genuine personality and unwavering loyalty he had as a teenager.
“Robert loved Sacramento,” Madsen said. “South Sacramento, where he was from, Elk Grove High — [they] should be proud of him.”
The Elk Grove Unified School District told KCRA in a statement about Marzan:
“Elk Grove Unified School District along with Elk Grove High School are heartbroken to learn of the death of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert Marzan, class of 1989. We are proud that he was part of our community and grateful for his service and sacrifice. We send our condolences to his family, loved ones, and fellow service members during this incredibly difficult time. Robert will always be remembered by the Elk Grove High School Community.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered California flags to be lowered to half-staff in Marzan’s honor, calling him a “courageous Californian whose service to our nation was marked by honor and distinction.”
Marzan’s passing is being mourned across the country, but especially in the Sacramento community he called home, where his legacy of service, friendship, and family devotion will be remembered for years to come.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel