Valor Friday

U.S. Army Master Sgt. Matthew O. Williams poses for his official portrait in the Army portrait studio at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va., Oct., 31, 2019. Williams was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions while serving as a weapons sergeant with the Special Forces Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Special Operations Task Force-33, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan on April 6, 2008 (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kevin Roy)

I spent all day yesterday doing various doctor appointments for myself and kids, so I didn’t get to sit down and write like I usually like to do. Therefore, this week’s VF will be copied cribbed benchmarked from the US Army itself. If we talked about Command Sergeant Major Matthew Williams when he got the Medal of Honor from President Trump in October 2019, I can’t find it. Which is definitely not something we usually don’t miss. Apologies to Command Sergeant Major Williams for the oversight.

From the US Army;

Master Sgt. Matthew Williams, a 3rd Special Forces Group operations sergeant, graduated from Angelo State University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. Driven to serve, Williams enlisted into the Army under the 18X Special Forces enlistment program in September 2005.

After completing Infantry One Station Unit Training, Williams attended Basic Airborne Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He then went through the Special Forces assessment and selection process in 2006 and was accepted into the program. In 2007, Williams graduated as a weapons sergeant from the Special Forces Qualification Course and was assigned to Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne).

Throughout his career, Williams deployed multiple times in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Juniper Shield serving in numerous positions, including weapons sergeant, Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd SFG (A); senior weapons sergeant, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd SFG (A); senior weapons sergeant, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd SFG (A); senior instructor/writer Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Warfare Training Group; senior weapons sergeant, Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd SFG (A); and operations sergeant, Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd SFG (A).

Master Leader Course; Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape; Special Forces Qualification Course; the Defense Language Institute’s French Course; Special Forces Advanced Urban Combat Course; Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance Target Exploitation Course; Basic instructor Training and Small Group Instructor Training.

Williams’ awards and decorations include the Medal of Honor, Bronze Star Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal with Bronze Clasp and four Loops, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three Bronze Service Stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with Numeral “4,” Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon with Numeral “3,” Valorous Unit Award, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, and Special Forces Tab.

Williams resides in North Carolina with his wife and son.

Click through to the source for details on how Williams earned the nation’s highest honor for his participation in the Battle of Shok Valley in 2008. Staff Sergeant Ronald Shurer was also awarded the Medal of Honor for his role in the same battle. Shurer survived the battle as well, but he tragically died at just 41 years old due to lung cancer about a year and a half after getting presented with the medal. Williams remains on active duty

Category: Army, Medal of Honor, Terror War, Valor, We Remember