Veteran for Life:
Mark Matthews

U.S. Army
2004-2011
Public Affairs Specialist/Journalist

In 2011, I was assigned to the Exchange HQ and was welcomed with open arms. It was a much different assignment than any that had come before, but no less rewarding. Continuing to serve has been and remains part of who I am.

I enlisted in the Army in 2004. I attended basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., and advanced individual training at Fort Meade, Md. My military occupational specialty was a public affairs specialist/journalist. My first duty station was at Fort Drum, N.Y. My wife and I arrived there in October 2004—and within four months I was headed to Iraq for my first deployment. In February 2005, I arrived at Camp Anaconda, Iraq. There, we spent the year traveling the country and telling the stories of Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and Marines. I deployed again in 2007 to Baghdad, where I was tasked with covering and telling the story of the assault on Sadr City. I was awarded a Combat Action Badge and a Meritorious Service Medal. My third and final deployment was in 2010 to Kuwait to support the Third Army. There, we told the Army’s withdraw and reset story as the last units were exiting theater.

In 2011, I was assigned to the Exchange HQ and was welcomed with open arms. It was a much different assignment than any that had come before, but no less rewarding. Continuing to serve has been and remains part of who I am.