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Matt Thompson's late mother, Susan, collected more than 100 boxes of supplies for him to distribute to Iraqi children during his first tour.
During his first tour in Iraq in 2003, Matt Thompson (left) trained police officers. Thompson was a first lieutenant at the time.
Matt Thompson visits with Pam Chenault, one of his mom's Matt Thompson (right) greets his friend Eddie Lewis at his welcome-home party. The two were roommates at VMI. |
By CATHY DYSON
CAPT. MATT THOMPSON is both a man of faith and a soldier trained to carry out deadly duties.
In some ways, the different parts work in harmony.
The Stafford County native's strong beliefs have helped him survive four combat tours in four years. He spent a total of 18 months in Iraq and 10 months in Afghanistan, rooting out terrorists in caves and dark alleys.
Before that, his principles guided him through some rough days at Virginia Military Institute. In 2002, Thompson was regimental commander--the top student at the military academy in Lexington--and he had to iron out issues between fellow cadets and administrators.
His faith also helped him deal with the 2004 death of his mother, who Thompson said was the strongest woman he ever knew.
But the same convictions that define the 26-year-old off the battlefield don't have any place in guerrilla warfare.
That's why, the Army Ranger says, he separates himself when he goes on a mission, the way a person tears a ticket in two.
He quotes from the military novel "Gates of Fire," about an epic battle in ancient Greece. Author Steven Pressfield describes the way a warrior leaves behind the caring, compassionate part of himself. He sees his opponent not as a fellow human like himself but as the enemy and nothing more.
When his duty is done, he puts the two sides together again.
And that's about as much as the captain can say.
During his last three tours, he was assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion from Fort Lewis, Wash. The 700 soldiers in the elite unit are handpicked and available for action, anywhere in the world, within 18 hours. Their missions are classified.
Thompson stands out, even in that group, said Capt. Wade Bovard, company commander.
"Matt is simply the best officer in my company of hand-selected officers from across the Army," Bovard wrote in Thompson's evaluation report in September 2005. "Matt's support of the company was second to none, and he personally ensured that all required supplies and equipment were in position to support an amazing 155 missions in 90 days."
Thompson recently returned to the East Coast for a few days and was the guest of honor at a party last week in Fairfax County. It was at the home of Joseph and Elizabeth Sgarlata, the parents of his girlfriend, Adrianna.
During an interview, Thompson talked about some of his past experiences, as well as his future.
He's going back to VMI to serve in a new capacity: He'll share his combat experience with young cadets headed for the battlefield.
"It's good to reflect from time to time about your life," said Thompson, who's noticeably leaner after four tours in the desert. "I've been close to certain death, I've had to kill, I've lost friends and family.
"It's been an incredible challenge, opportunity and blessing, all wrapped up in one."
There is one thing the blue-eyed captain wants to make clear, and he politely asks that this message be included.
He says many good things have happened in Iraq since the 2003 invasion--of which he was a part--but they haven't been covered by the national media.
All he sees when he comes home are news reports of insurgent attacks and anti-American demonstrations in Iraq.
"We have made tremendous progress, and the people know we're there to protect and defend them," he said. "This nonsense about them wanting the Americans to leave it's just that, nonsense. We bring the message of hope."
Thompson and other combat veterans have stated during interviews with The Free Lance-Star that they believe the cause is worth the fight.
Many of their fellow countrymen don't agree. Only 35 percent of Americans approve of the way the president has handled the war, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos survey released this month.
Thompson has a different take, because he's seen training camps where suicide bombers and snipers learn their trade. He believes the global war against terror is as important now as in the days after Sept. 11.
One image he saw in a training camp still haunts him. A poster showed a brick building, in the shape of a man, marked with American flags. Two planes were flying into it.
"A lot of us cried when we saw that," he said.
If the United States left the Middle East before eliminating the threat of terror, Thompson believes, America would lose credibility and terrorists would attack here again.
"There's no doubt in my military mind," he said.
Thompson shared those thoughts at the party Saturday, just as he does whenever he's home, said Scott Roberts, pastor of Evergreen Church in Spotsylvania County.
Roberts first knew the Thompsons when they lived in Stafford and Roberts was the youth pastor at Ferry Farm Baptist Church. The mother, Susan Thompson, was a single parent who worked three jobs to support her family. Her dream was for her two sons--Matt and Joshua--to graduate from VMI.
When she was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer, doctors told her she'd live two years at most. She held on for eight years.
Susan Thompson died in October 2004, five months after Joshua finished at VMI.
Both her sons were deployed when she died. Matt Thompson had called his mother regularly and asked if she wanted him to come home.
"She'd always say: 'You need to be over there, protecting your men. If something happens to me, I want you to stay there until you're done and then come home,'" Thompson said.
Moments like those strengthen a person, Roberts said.
So has Thompson's time in battle, he added.
"If anything, his faith has gotten stronger," the pastor said. "His resolve to help defeat terrorism and help secure the safety of our country and others around the world is even stronger, having been there and met the people."
There's a picture in Evergreen Church of Thompson handing out pencils to Iraqi children. Thompson's mother collected more than 100 boxes of supplies, which he distributed on his first tour, when his activities weren't classified.
Thompson will talk about some of his experiences when he speaks in Roberts' church on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend.
"We'll give him a hero's welcome and welcome him with open arms," Roberts said.
Those at VMI may do the same on June 1.
Thompson kept in touch with the school's chaplain, Col. James Park, after graduation in 2002.
After Thompson's fourth tour, he shared the parts of his evaluation reports that aren't classified with the chaplain.
Park wondered if they could be used as training aids for the cadets, and showed them to Col. Robert Suthard Jr., the ROTC commander at VMI.
Suthard had just been informed of a new staff position at the institute: VMI was looking for a young captain with combat experience. Most staff positions are for officers who have completed their active-duty careers, but this time the Army wanted someone fresh from the field, Park said.
The commander and the chaplain agreed that Thompson would be the perfect fit.
"Within the space of two or three days, they had approval and had the orders cut," Park said. "It's unprecedented that the Army would work that quickly."
Thompson has to finish up a few duties in Washington state before he returns to the East Coast.
One goal is to climb Mount Rainier a second time. Ten thousand people try it every year, but only half make it to the 14,410-foot summit.
Thompson wants to see the panoramic vista one more time.
"It was bred into me from the time I was a child," he said. "The view's always better looking down from the top."
To reach CATHY DYSON:
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com
