Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Wednesday Hero

Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson
United States Navy
29 years old from Cupertino, California

Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew G. Axelson was part of a four-man unit that was attacked June 28, 2005 in a wooded, mountainous area of Kunar province, which is along the Pakistani border. The commandos were on a reconnaissance mission when they were ambushed and called for help, said Lt. Taylor Clark, public affairs officer for Naval Special Forces Command. He was a member of the SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team One, based in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which trains with submersible vehicles. The Monta Vista High School graduate had earned a degree in political science at Chico State University and joined the Navy in 2000. He was awarded military honors, including the Silver Star and the Purple Heart.

Ray Garland, a neighbor who watched him grow up in their Cupertino neighborhood, said Axelson had been "a delightful, fun-loving young boy who loved riding his bike and going on skateboard ramps on our cul-de-sac."

Axelson grew into a young man who "had a very calm, unflappable personality ... who had the ability to defuse tension wherever he found it," Garland said. "He just had a very easy, comfortable, enjoyable way about him."


These brave men and women have given their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.

If you have a loved who has served or is currently serving in the armed forces, and would like for me to profile them as a Wednesday Hero, I would be proud to. Just email me with some info and a photo.
We Have Every Right To Dream Heroic Dreams.
Those Who Say That We're In A Time When There Are No Heroes, They Just Don't Know Where To Look

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