Page 5 - Desert Lightning News, Nellis-Creech AFB Edition, Sept. 7 2018

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ChApElS, from Page 4 _________
Matthew said. “My wife and I went to church that Sunday and have never been the same since.”
This marked the very beginning of Matthew’s transformation and growth to who he would become in the follow- ing years.
During those years, Matthew de- ployed multiple times, becoming an air- craft commander and an instructor pilot at Fort Rucker, Ala. As time went on, Matthew continued to grow in his faith and began dedicating himself to it. As he felt his life changing with God’s word, he quit bad habits such as drinking, smok- ing and using profanity, finding ways to improve himself and his fellow service members.
As Matthew came up for his next rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3 in 2003, he needed to fulfill the bachelor’s degree requirement. Hungry for knowledge and understanding, he chose biblical studies as his major. With degree in hand, an- other opportunity presented itself.
“One day someone in church sug- gested I should teach the youth about the Bible since I was an instructor in the military,” Matthew said. “Next thing I knew I was preaching in front of people for the next few years.”
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silly idea to not complete his active duty career, but to be a military chaplain he still had another 13 seminary classes to finish before he could apply. This was a daunting task considering the size and scope of his pastoral responsibilities at his church. He couldn’t just take off the time to finish his degree.
To alleviate his conflict over the situa- tion, Matthew consulted the elders of the church for guidance. With their support, he buckled down and made the time to finish his coursework, oftentimes at the expense of his sleep.
Once he met the requirements and submitted the application, it was to the Air Force and not the Army.
“I still get the question all the time of why I chose the Air Force,” he said. “To me it was a no-brainer ... because of my love for aviation and background in serving with and counseling Airmen in Afghanistan, I knew I wanted to con- tinue my service as an Airman.”
Shortly after, in August of 2015, he was accepted.
“I was so excited when I got the news that I had been accepted into the Air Force Chaplain Corps,” he said. “I couldn’t have been more humbled and grateful.”
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In 2005, his active duty contract came to an end and he transitioned into the Army Reserve. After a couple of National Guard and Reserve opportunities didn’t pan out, he made the decision to go back to Fort Rucker as a contract instructor pilot.
A few years later, during a career fair, an opportunity arose by way of a military contractor offering Matthew a job to fly Russian Mi-17 helicopters in Afghani- stan. This path would provide the chance for Matthew to do his part in the Middle Eastern conflict.
This was also the time when Matthew began using his benefits to start going to seminary school online to pursue a future as a pastor.
Two years after working at the posi- tion, Matthew received a call from parent company Northrop Grumman, which offered him the job of chief pilot.
“At this point I was still taking semi- nary classes, serving in the Army Reserve and now as the chief pilot for Northrop Grumman,” he said. “Three weeks into the contract they offered me the Deputy Program Manager position.”
Part of the mentioned contract was providing aviation maintenance and logistics for the Air Force’s 438th Air Expeditionary Wing. The other part was flying counter narcotic-terrorism
operations with coalition special forces and DEA teams while training Afghans. During this time, Matthew led and par- ticipated in dozens of combat missions across the entire country, usually flying below 50 feet, and carried some of the most elite operators in the world.
“In 2012 I turned down offers to run programs in Washington, D.C., decided to get out of the aviation business and go into full-time pastoral work,” Matthew said. “We moved to Chicago for a pas- toral residency at Harvest Bible Chapel where I served as the executive assistant.”
After learning the ins and outs of counseling, mentoring and guiding he was planted near Granger, Ind., as a full- time pastor. During the next three years, he grew as a pastor while also serving as an Army Reserve pilot.
Coming up on retirement eligibility, he had an important decision to make.
“I was planning on retiring from the Army Reserve,” he said. “Even though my wife and I had always considered military chaplaincy, I never felt ready until those three years in Indiana. I knew I had a decision to make. I was still a re- servist with the Army and it was difficult because I was gone a lot. This is when I realized I only needed six more years for an active duty retirement.”
Matthew also said it seemed like a
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