Hero Card 111
Photo: U.S. Army, used with family permission

Hometown: Brookfield, WI
Branch: U.S. Army 
Unit: Company A, 3nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) “Green Beret”
Military Honors: Bronze Star, Bronze Star with Valor, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: August 23, 2016 - KIA in Lashkar Gah, Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Age: 28
Conflict: War in Afghanistan, 2001-2021

Matt Thompson grew up in Brookfield, Wisconsin, where he attended Brookfield Central High School. He was a musician—playing trombone in jazz ensembles—and competed in football and pole vault before graduating in 2006. He studied at Marquette University in Milwaukee for two years, demonstrating leadership as a Resident Assistant at O’Donnell Hall.

Thompson moved to Irvine, California to attend Concordia University and complete his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theological Studies. There he met his wife, Rachel. While at Concordia, Thompson traveled to the slums of Nairobi, Kenya to help establish a non-profit organization for homeless boys.

Enlisting in the Army in March 2011, Thompson received Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. According to the Green Beret Foundation, Thompson immediately attended Airborne School at Fort Benning, then attended the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course in October 2011 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

He was selected and graduated as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant in June of 2014, becoming one of the Army’s elite “Green Berets.” In August of that year Thompson was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

SSG Thompson was deployed twice in the U.S. Global War on Terror, first to Iraq in December 2014 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, where he trained and advised Iraqi Security Forces. In June of 2016, Thompson was deployed to Afghanistan with Operation Freedom’s Sentinel to train Afghan soldiers.

In August of 2016, the city of Lashkar Gah—the capital of Helmand province in southern Afghanistan—had seen growing violence with resurgent Taliban forces reclaiming large swaths of territory that had previously been secured by U.S. forces. The district was on the verge of being overrun.

On Sunday, August 21, Thompson spoke with his wife Rachel by phone, telling her that he loved her and that he knew he was about to go on a dangerous mission. Two days later, on August 23, SSG Thompson was part of a foot patrol that was clearing IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) in Lashkar Gah when a roadside bomb detonated—killing six Afghan soldiers, wounding an American soldier, and taking the life of SSG Thompson. He was 28 years old. Thompson and his wife Rachel had been married for five years.

For his courage and sacrifice, SSG Matthew V. Thompson was awarded a Bronze Star, a second Bronze Star with Valor, and a Purple Heart.

Lt. Col. Kevin M. Trujillo, commander of Special Operations Task Force in Afghanistan, said of SSG Thompson “He was an exceptional Green Beret, a cherished teammate, and devoted husband. His service in Afghanistan and Iraq speak to his level of dedication, courage, and commitment to something greater than himself.”

At Matt’s memorial service, his father Mark recalled that Matt had lived life by two mottos: “Live for the greater good of God,” and the Green Berets’ motto of “free the oppressed.”

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