In 2002, the United States Secretary of the Navy conferred the Legion of Merit Award upon Martin for his pivotal role in the five-month investigation of the 2001 anthrax attacks as well as his role as the on-site infectious disease physician on Capitol Hill during the attacks and the treatment of the staff of Senator Tom Daschle in the aftermath of the attacks.. Having served as the principal investigator for the anthrax vaccination protocol set up by the Centers for Disease Control following the attacks, he is also the lead author of a study of the clinical and immunologic responses to anthrax exposure.