JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – He was a man who set goals for his military career, and without question, not only met but surpassed each and every one. Thirty-year-old Matthew McClintock, a Green Beret, died January 5, 2016, in Afghanistan when he and his fellow soldiers were advising their Afghan counterparts and were locked in a fierce battle against Taliban fighters.
Matthew's father, Sonny McClintock, is a Navy Veteran, who is now an instructor at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. He wants to share the legacy of his son because he says the more we all know about our service men and women killed in action, the harder it will be for any of them to be forgotten.
"It's tough when it's your only son," said Sonny.
Sonny's heart breaks as he gently flips through what are now priceless photos of his boy. But he smiles as he sees Matthew smiling in photograph after photograph.
"I want to look at these pictures, it's all so hard to do," he said.
WATCH: Part 2 of Joy Purdy's report |
Joy Purdy's full interview with Sonny McClintock
By sharing the memories he has of Matthew, the rest of us get to know the man behind the Army uniform, the man -- who even as a bright-eyed child full of adventure -- knew what he wanted to be.
"He was always with the Jedi Knight thing, Ninja Turtles and so forth, and all that, so he was always you know, thought he was a great warrior," Sonny shared.
Matthew loved everything Star Wars. He grew up around planes because his father, grandfather, even his great grandfather were all military men in the Navy. The family was overjoyed when Matthew, at the age of 20, called to announce that he too, was joining the military, but would be a hero with another branch.
"He just goes, 'I just wanted to call and let you know I joined the Army,' and I was like, I was like a little ticked off a little bit you know, about the tradition, but after I calmed down I started talking to him," Sonny recalled with a smile on his face.
Matthew told his dad he had a plan, and every goal he made, he met. He did become the great warrior he knew he wanted to be, and he ultimately died protecting people from evil, as a Green Beret with a stellar reputation.
Full of emotion Sonny said, "I was very proud. I was really proud when he graduated from Green Beret."
Another proud moment was when Matthew got married. His wife Allie is also a big Star Wars fan. The couple announced Allie's pregnancy alongside famed creator of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee. Their son, Declan, arrived. He has a hand-made Star Wars X-Wing Fighter bassinet.
After leaving active duty, Matthew later joined the Florida National Guard in Ocala. He was at close-by Camp Blanding, which was wonderful for his retired Navy dad. Sonny remembers dinner dates with his son on many Saturday nights.
But Matthew's stint in Florida was short. His friends in the service convinced Matthew to head to Washington State, where he would join the National Guard there, assigned to A Co. 1/19th Special Forces Group.
In November, 2015, Matthew was sent to Marja, Afghanistan, a well-known trouble spot where there were frequent fire fights between the Taliban and Afghan forces. This last mission, which was his third combat tour, concerned both father and son. Just two months later, on January 5, 2016, Sonny saw TV reports of an intense gun battle in Marja.
"When I got the news report about the fire fight in Marja, one Special Operator was killed, I was like, I knew he was in that area, but I was fearful earlier in the day and then that fear came to fruition that night," Sonny said.
He and his wife Rumi were just sitting down to dinner that night. He could see the Green Berets' dressed uniforms outside when they knocked on the couple's door.
"I just kept telling her, 'This is not good, this is not good, this is not good.' And she says, 'What do you want me to do?' And I said, 'You have to open the door.' So they came in and like I said after that, I don't remember a much. It was the toughest moment in my life," Sonny explained.
Matthew was the first American combat casualty in Afghanistan this year. A comrade, who tried to rescue Matthew and held him as he took his last breaths, described to Sonny just last week, his son's final minutes.
"The day that he got killed during the fire fight, he was the one that said we have to go out there and make a new landing zone for the helicopter to evacuate the wounded to a teammate. The teammate said if we go out there, we're going to face a lot of fire from the enemy, my son says, 'I don't give a damn, this is what we do.'"
That comrade would accompany Matthew final journey home to the United States.
Sonny wants the world to know Matthew's story, his commitment to his family and his country, and his final moments of valor.
"I just want them to know he was brave. It takes a special man to do that. I was fortunate enough to have him as a son. That's what I want people to know," Sonny added. "My pride is endless."
There have been conflicting reports with some critics saying there was a delay in efforts to rescue Matthew and the others. Sonny says he'll wait to read the Army's official report, before passing judgment.
In the meantime, as Sonny shares those precious pictures he has of his son and grandson, it upsets him to know that Matthew will never got the chance to do one thing.
"It's one of the thing that hurts. He won't have the opportunity to be a father," Sonny said. He’s a spitting image of his dad. If you take Matthew's 3-month picture and Declan’s 3-month picture and you put them side by side, you didn’t know, you’d think they might even be twins."
But Sonny will keep those memories he has of Matthew alive and will share them later with Declan, who is now 3-months-old. Sonny will make sure Declan knows his father ultimately died as the great warrior he dreamed of being as a child. One of Sonny's favorite stories will be how - even amid turmoil - Declan's dad found time to dream and escape what was happening in the Middle East by thinking of ways he and his comrades could somehow see the newest Star Wars movie.
"The Green Berets are going to find a way," laughed Sonny. "He did get to see the movie, he was resourceful."
It was recently announced that Matthew was promoted to sergeant first class, just before leaving active duty. That formal promotion will happen in the near future during a special ceremony. Sonny knows how wonderful and strong his son was, but says he's met Matthew's current and past teammates from the Green Berets, and they knew it too.
"The best acknowledgement that I know or heard of so far, is that, or compliment is that, if they got to pick their own Green Beret teams, Matthew would be first. So that speaks volumes," he said.
Matthew spent nearly 10 years in the military and received many awards for his achievements that include:
- Army Commendation Medal (4)
- Army Achievement Medal
- Army Good Conduct Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Afghanistan Campaign Medal
- Iraq Campaign Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development (2)
- Army Service Ribbon
- Overseas Ribbon
- Combat Infantry Badge
- Parachutist Badge
- Special Forces Tab
There is a GoFundMe account in memory of Matthew that will be active until Sunday.