BLAISE 'N' A TRAIL

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.

2 Timothy 4:7

BLAISE ON!

BLAISE ‘N’ A TRAIL to DAYTONA 2007
Honoring CPT Matthew Mattingly

Matt was born 9 July 1976 in Columbus, OH, to Denny and Randi Mattingly.  He completed a B.S. in chemistry through ROTC at Xavier University in Cincinnati and was commissioned in 1998.  After flight school at Ft Rucker in 1999 he was assigned the 0H-58D Kiowa Warrior.  His first assignment was at Ft Hood, TX then with the 25th ID at Wheeler Army Airfield, HI.  In 2002 Matt deployed to Bosnia.  Following assignment to 4th ID at Ft. Hood, he served his first tour in support of OIF as an Assistant S3.  In 2004 Matt moved on to the 82nd ABN at Ft. Bragg, NC where he was a Regimental Aviation Officer and deployed as direct assistant to the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade Commander for JTF Katrina.  CPT “Matt” assumed command of Alpha Troop, 1/17 CAV Dec 2005 and deployed to Iraq in July 2006 with Taskforce Horsemen.

Matt sacrificed his life in service to his country September 13, 2006 while flying a combat mission over Mosul, Iraq.

A Buckeyes fan all the way, Matt often said he picked the OH-58D simply because of the “OH.”  You almost never spotted him with anything but a smile on his face, or without a fatty of Kodiak in his lip for that matter. A great day for him would involve flying or football with something on the grill and time with people he cared about.   Matt loved practical jokes, making people laugh and just feel good about themselves.  He loved God, his family, his country, and his soldiers--although he did often joke that his three favorite things were his dog, his truck and his fiancée.  He was the first one to lend a hand to help a friend or a stranger.  In a world of cynics, Matt was always the one with a positive outlook and faith in others.  He set goals and made them happen, fiercely loved what was important to him, led by example, and inspired those around him.  Matt was the stuff of which brave, noble soldiers and men of honor are made.  The loss felt by those who knew and loved him is too great for words.

Matt is survived by his fiancée Alicia Burke; father and step-mother Denny Mattingly and Barb Byerly; mother Randi Mattingly; his sister and her husband, Michelle and Zack Houser; his sister Kethryn Mattingly; and much loved lab, Wally.  He is missed dearly by his extended family, the boys from back home who are more like brothers, his Army friends around the world, and his soldiers and families of Alpha Troop. 

Ride hard, Roughneck 6!

Click On Picture To Enlarge
	CPT MATT MATTINGLY	MATT WITH HIS FIANCE ALICIA
	DAYTONA - 2007	OH-58D KIOWA WARRIOR HELICOPTER (U.S. Dept. of Defense)

"POST RIDE STORY" COMING SOON