Soldier Honored: Matthew D. Lynch

USMC First Lieutenant Matthew D. Lynch, 25, of Jericho, New York, was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force based out of Camp Pendleton in California and served during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. On October 31, 2004, 1stLt Lynch was killed by enemy action in the Anbar province of Iraq.

Being a Marine was not only 1stLt Lynch’s desire, it was his destiny, as he sought to follow in the footsteps of his father and older brother. He graduated high school in 1997, having broken many swimming records and excelled as a catcher for the school baseball team.  A 2001 graduate from Duke University, 1^st Lt Lynch immediately enrolled with the Marine Corps and attended Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment based out of Camp Pendleton, California and was serving his third tour of duty with his unit in Iraq when he was fatally wounded.

Remembered by his friends back in Jericho, New York as a loyal friend and trusted leader, the 25-year-old was a fierce competitor on the playing field but friendly everywhere else. Retired Maine Captain Mike Scotti, who served with Lynch, says of Lynch’s desire to accompany his unit back to Iraq for the third time, “Lynch had a lot of friends over there and he would have felt guilty not being with them. You may think you are out, but the war never leaves you.”