Sergeant First Class Matthew Charles Lewellen was born on January 15, 1989, at Grim Smith Hospital in Kirksville, Missouri, to high school sweethearts Chuck and Cindy Lewellen. He graduated from Kirksville High School in 2007, where he was prom king and a standout athlete on the Tigers football and track teams. His parents said he had wanted to be a soldier since the third grade.
Matt attended Truman State University and was enrolled at the University of Kansas when he decided to follow his dream. He joined the Army in February 2010, trained as an infantryman, attended Airborne School and graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course on November 1, 2012. His military education also includes SERE, the Special Forces Sniper Course and the Basic and Advanced Leader Courses. He was assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, serving with ODA 5315, Company A, 3rd Battalion and ODA 5436, Company C, 4th Battalion.
Matt deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 and returned in time to surprise his younger sister, Danielle, at her college Senior Day at Truman State. In the first half of 2015 he deployed to Jordan, and he came home to serve as best man at his brother Andrew’s wedding that July. He lived in Nashville with the love of his life, Renee Laque, and their dog Charlie. Matt was known for his sense of humor and for his ability to inspire others to reach any goal in front of them.
In October 2016 Matt returned to Jordan, where Special Forces teams were training partner forces. On November 4, 2016, as he and two fellow Green Berets, Staff Sergeants Kevin McEnroe and James Moriarty, were entering the gate of a Jordanian air base at al-Jafr, a Jordanian guard opened fire on their vehicles. All three soldiers were killed. Matt was 27. He was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class and awarded the Purple Heart and a second Bronze Star Medal. His other decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Special Forces Tab.
Matt came home to Kirksville, where services were held at Kirksville Primary School and he was buried with full military honors at the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville. “Matt was a born leader, a true American,” his parents said. “He was doing what he loved to do.” He was a man of faith and action. He is survived by his parents, his sister Danielle, his brother Andrew and Andrew’s wife Meredith, Renee Laque and his grandparents. His family established the SFC Matthew Charles Lewellen Foundation to carry his legacy forward.
On November 4, 2016, SFC Lewellen and two other Special Forces soldiers came under fire by a Jordanian Guard at the gate of a Jordanian Military base in Jafr, Jordan.
Memorial Valor Foundation
Sources
- Travis-Noe Funeral Home: Obituary for Sergeant First Class Matthew Charles Lewellen
- U.S. Army (USASOC): 5th Special Forces Group casualties identified (Nov. 7, 2016)
- Department of Defense: DoD identifies Army casualties
- ARSOF History: Sergeant First Class Matthew C. Lewellen
- SFC Matthew Charles Lewellen Foundation
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Matt Lewellen bio
