Matt enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2003, shortly after news broke that the United States was invading Iraq, in response to the events that took place on Sept 11, 2001. Matt spent ten years on active duty, served with three different units; which took him on two deployments to Iraq, one to Afghanistan, and one to Peru.
Matt’s first deployment to Iraq with 1st Bn 7Th Marines was mostly uneventful, but the second deployment would not be the same. The second deployment started much like the first, but midway through the enemy ramped up rocket and mortar attacks, as well as IED emplacements. Matt’s unit was thirty days from returning home, when on a “routine” patrol, his squad was struck with a daisy chain IED. The blast killed his point man, LCpl Jeremy Z Long, and left Matt with a facial laceration and puncture wounds on his arms and legs. Given the option of returning home or finishing the deployment with his guys, Matt chose to finish out the deployment.
Upon returning home, Matt spoke to his wife Audrie about the possibility of re-enlisting. Her response was, “I’ll support whatever you decide to do.” Matt re-enlisted, with the condition that the take a non-deployable billet for a while, and in 2007 Matt got orders to 24th Marine Regiment in Belton, MO as the HQ Company Training NCO. He spent eighteen months with the command, and it was exactly what he needed to recover and recharge. He spent eighteen months making sure the reservists were up to date on training and got to enjoy his only non-combat deployment, which was to Peru where he and his unit worked with various countries from all over South America.
Upon the completion of his tour with 24th Marines, Matt got orders to 1st Bn 5th Marines at Camp Pendleton, CA. He was assigned as Squad Leader for 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, Alpha Company. He had almost ten months of much needed training with his squad before they deployed to Sangin, Afghanistan in March of 2011. At the time Sangin, was the most dangerous place in Afghanistan. The IED threat was constant, so much so the company took it’s first casualty on the very first patrol, and it didn’t slow down from there. One afternoon, after taking the platoon’s motorized assets to be serviced, Matt’s squad was tasked with an overnight patrol to attempt to intercept the emplacement of IED’s in the town’s center. Matt’s squad was less than 800m outside the wire in an alley, when Matt stepped on an IED which resulted in the amputation of both legs, one above the knee, one below the knee. His other knee was dislocated, his hip was fractured, and one femur broken. By the grace of God, he was the only one injured. Matt spent two years in recovery, with too many surgeries to list.
After medically retiring from the Marine Corps, Matt took a year off just to relax and get his mind right. At exactly one year after his retirement, he filed for an LLC and started his first business, Admiral’s Pennant, at the same time, through his prosthetic journey he was introduced to the people at Peeples Orthotics and Prosthetics and started a career as the Director of Patient Relations where Matt helps mentor patients as well as recruit new patients who may not be happy with their current setups. Matt, in addition to his company and his job, also volunteered with Wounded Warrior Outdoors, which he is now Executive Director. WWO provides therapeutic outdoor adventures to combat veterans from OIF and OEF.
Matt and his wife Audrie have been married for nineteen years. They met in high school and began dating after graduation. Matt disregarded his drill instructors’ “orders” and he and Audrie were married on his ten day leave after boot camp. She has been with him through both injuries and has never wavered. They have two Daughters. Lily (17) and Clara (14). Lily is a phenomenal figure skater and most recently qualified for nationals in Boston, MA. Clara is a great soccer player and plays for FC Wichita a local club team. Both girls share in Matt and Audrie’s stubbornness, competitiveness, and aggressiveness, which is sometimes good, other times not so much, but they are two wonderful girls and Matt and Audrie are super proud of them. The girls attend the same school Matt and Audrie attended, and Audrie now works there as well as the Kitchen Manager for the high school. Most of their free time is spent getting kids to practice or attending games or competitions. When they’re not doing that, Matt and Audrie enjoy their time at home or the occasional going out to eat.
