Matthew Fenton
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Matthew John Fenton | |
|---|---|
| January 17, 1982[1]— | |
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| Place of birth | Little Ferry, New Jersey |
| Place of death | National Naval Medical Center Bethesda, Maryland |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 2000[2]—2006 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 1st Battalion 25th Marines deployed with: I Marine Expeditionary Force |
| Battles/wars | Operation Iraqi Freedom |
| Awards |  Purple Heart Achievement Medal Good Conduct Medal National Defense Svc. Iraq Campaign Medal GWOT Expeditionary Medal Sea Service Deployment |
Sergeant Matthew John Fenton (January 17, 1982[1]—May 05, 2006) was a member of the United States Marine Corps who died of wounds (DOW) sustained while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar province, Iraq.[3]
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[edit] Military service
Serving in the Marines as a Supply Administration and Operations Clerk in his home unit, the Inspector and Instructor Staff for the Marine Forces Reserve, Sergeant Fenton insistently partook in infantry training despite serving in an administrative position. The Marine-prepared biography released after his death noted that Sgt. Fenton "was a Marine committed to serving his unit."[1]
[edit] Final mission
On April 26th, 2006, Sergeant Fenton was the Humvee gunner protecting a Marine convoy on the outskirts of Fallujah when his vehicle was attacked by a suicide car bomber. Taking shrapnel to his face and head, his frontal lobe was destroyed and thusly removed by the military surgeons in Baghdad. While there was no damage to his brain stem nor everything below, Fenton was braindead. On the 5th of May, Fenton's parents made the decision to remove him from life-support and he died three-and-a-half hours later.[4]
[edit] Remembrance
On May 12th, 2006, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine ordered that all state and United States flags be flown at half-staff in honor of Sergeant Fenton.[5]
As part of an ongoing program begun in 2006, on March 8, 2007 Tennessee congressman Steve Cohen read Sergeant Fenton's name into the Congressional Record.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Bio Pertaining to Sergeant Matthew J. Fenton (English) (PDF) pp. 1-2. United States Marine Corps (2006-05-25). Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ Cpl. Reimers, Brian (2006-05-14). Marines pause to remember fellow warrior (English). Marine Corps News. United States Marine Corps. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ DoD Identifies Marine Casualty (English). United States Department of Defense (2006-05-09). Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ Fenton, John (2006-09-05). Recounting a fallen Marine's last days (English). Opinion Columns. North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
- ^ Associated Press. "Flags to fly at half-staff for Marine" (fee required), The Record, North Jersey Media Group, 2006-05-13. Retrieved on March 24, 2007. (in English)
- ^ CONGRESSMAN COHEN HONORS AMERICA'S FALLEN WITH READING OF NAMES (English). Floor Statements/Speeches. United States House of Representatives (2007-03-08). Retrieved on March 24, 2007.
