| Spc Matthew A. Murchison United States Army KIA 04 August 2007 |
| Tributes Memorial Page Established by- Heidi Perry-Hipp In Honor Of Spc. Matthew M. Murchison Matthew Michael Murchison, 21, son of Michael Murchison of Independence, Mo., and. Deborah Shanahan of Kansas City, Mo., was killed in action on Aug. 4, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq. Matthew was born in Hutchinson, Kan., on October 11,1985. Matt's family lived in the Hutchinson area until 1990, when they moved to the Stanley, Kan., area. Matt attended schools in the Blue Valley School District until 1995 when Matt's family moved to the Olathe, Kan., where he continued his schooling. Matt attended Indian Creek Elementary School, Pioneer Trail Middle School and graduated from Olathe East High School in 2004. At Pioneer Trail and Olathe East Matt was active in football, wrestling and mischief. Matt's ambition all through high school was to join the military and to eventually become a policeman. Matt was always loyal to his friends and would do anything he had to do in their time of need. In September 2005, Matt enlisted in the U.S. Army. Matt went through basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and was then stationed in Hanau, Germany, from March 2006 until November 2006. In November 2006, Matt was deployed to Iraq as a military policeman in the 127th MP Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade. In April 2007 Matt came home on R&R and was able to see many of his friends and relatives. Matt's maternal grandmother (Jane Perry) was dying of cancer in Florida and Matt was able to visit her for the last time. Jane Perry died June 6, 2007. She was so very proud of her grandson, Matthew, and felt like she was letting him down by not being able to live until he returned from Iraq. Little did we know she was clearing a place in heaven for him with God. Matt was killed at 2248-hrs Baghdad time on Aug. 4, 2007 by an IED explosion. Two of Matt's best friends were with him and were injured. The family feels comfort to know that Matt was doing what he wanted and was with friends. We are also concerned for his injured friends and hope God helps them to find peace and recover from their wounds. Matt will receive the following honors posthumously: the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and was promoted to the rank of Specialist. Matthew is preceded in death by his grandparents, Robert Murchison, Gordon Schanck and Jane Perry. Other than his parents, Matt is survived by his loving sister, Melissa of Overland Park, Kan. Matt's paternal grandparents are Mr. and Mrs Rayburn Wikle of Sabetha, Kan. His maternal grandparents are Ralph Perry of Leesburg, Fla., and Audrey Schanck of Kansas City, Mo. Matt is survived by several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12, and the funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 13, at D.W. Newcomer's Sons, Johnson County Chapel, 11200 Metcalf, Overland Park, Kan. 66210. A full military burial will immediately follow at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery in Leavenworth, Kan. Honorary pallbearers are Jason Linder, Kenneth Ogalvie, Spc. Jason Strickland, Spc. Joseph Moors, Sgt. Eric Wilkerson, and David Bellis. The family asks that donations be made in SPC Matthew Murchison's name to www.fisherhouse.org A memorial Web site has been made by Matt's sister Melissa in Matthew's honor. Please view and leave stories and memories that you may have of Matthew at www.matthew-murchison.memory-of.com. Sept 12, 2008 Kaley Silva I went to high school with Matt. He was a super goofy guy always making friends and I laugh. He was always kind to me. November 23, 2007 Michael Murchison Family pays tribute to hero’s life Specialist Matthew Murchison makes ultimate sacrifice in Iraq Patty Locher News Editor The Sabetha Herald Matthew Michael Murchison, who was born in Hutchinson on Oct. 11, 1985, always wanted to be a police officer, says his dad, Mike Murchison, a Sabetha High School alumnus. “When Matt was about five years old and I was a sheriff’s officer in Hutchinson,” Mike said, “he said, ‘Dad, when you die, can I have your badge?’” While a student at Pioneer Trail Middle School and Olathe East High School, Matt was “active in football, wrestling and mischief.” During his high school years, Mike said, Matt had an interest in joining the armed services and an ambition of becoming a policeman. Following high school graduation in 2004, Matt had several jobs, but nothing that really appealed to him, Mike said. In August 2005, Matt decided to join the Army. When he told his dad, he asked Mike not to get mad. “We’ve completely supported him,” Mike said. Matt enlisted in September 2005 and went through basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Following training, in March 2006 he was assigned as a military policeman with the 127th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, in Hanau, Germany. In November 2006 Matt was deployed to Iraq with his unit. At 10:48 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007, Baghdad time, he was killed in action by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Baghdad, Iraq. Matt, the son of Michael Murchison of Independence, Mo., and Deborah Shanahan of Kansas City, Mo., was 21 years old. Two of his best friends were also injured in the explosion, and Matt’s family remains concerned for those friends and hopes God helps them to find peace and recover from their wounds. The family appreciates the time they had with Matt during his too-brief life and are comforted to know that Matt was doing what he wanted to do with his life. He was always loyal to his friends, family members said, and would do anything for them in their time of need. According to his unit friends in Hanau, Germany, he always went out of his way to help people see the lighter side of life. Matt’s former platoon mate, Sgt. Kenneth Gibson, who was wounded in action in January, said Matt was a comedian and self-professed redneck and “could take the most stressful situation and turn it into a comedy.” During a memorial service held in Matt’s memory in Germany, a tribute about him was read on behalf of Sgt. Richard Havens, who couldn’t attend the service. Matt was Havens’ gunner. Havens said Matt had come a long way since his arrival in Hanau in early 2006, when he was “a little unsure of himself.” While teaching Matt about soldiering, Havens said, Matt unknowingly taught Havens “about being a better friend and a better leader.” Following Matt’s death, his mother, Debbie, sent the following poem, author unidentified, to Matt’s dad Mike. At the age of 14, Mike had lost his own dad, Robert Murchison. Debbie told Mike, “The poem says it all.” As a son I lost a father, As a father, I lost a son If the choice was mine, I'd rather Had not lost either one. I do not know where I come from Or where I am to go True, this fate is less than some And more than some can know. My father, my son – you both I miss But we shall meet someday In the kingdom where angels kiss To chase the clouds away. Matt’s sister and only sibling, Melissa Murchison of Overland Park, has created a memorial website in Matt’s honor. In a letter to Matt on the website, Melissa wrote, “The thought of even reading this at your funeral is still something that I cannot fathom. I’ve come to peace with the fact that you’re gone, but I still don’t want to think it’s real. “I couldn’t wait for the day that we could pick you up at the airport after so many months at war. I never could’ve imagined that we would have to pick you up this way. Now it’s your turn to pick us up and carry us through this time. The only thing that keeps me going through these days is to know that your arms are wrapped around me, helping me along the way.” Acknowledging that Matt was fulfilling his life’s dream, Melissa continued, “My mind is constantly consumed with thoughts of what you felt, what kind of soldier you were, and how happy you were. As much as we all worried about you joining the Army, we still let you do it, ’cause it was what you’ve wanted since you were a little boy. “You wanted to be like Dad, and you chose the Army to help you along the way. I know it was what you loved and I know how proud you were of what you were doing. “Please know that your own pride doesn’t even equal a fraction of the pride we all feel for you.... You always did say you were a hero. Well, Matt, you sure are a hero, and not only to me, but to so many other people.” Expressing her faith in God and her belief in eternal life, Melissa wrote, “I can’t be sad anymore because I know you’re in eternal happiness now. You feel no pain, and that thought alone helps me get up every morning. I know you’ve given me the strength to handle this and help mom and dad through. “Just please remember to continue to give me this strength and watch over us all. You died doing your job, risking your life for a country full of people, many of who will never be grateful. “Just know that there are so many more who are grateful, not only for your sacrifice but just for having you in their lives. I love you more than I will ever love anyone, Matt, and the emptiness in my heart will remain forever.” In their comments on the website, many family members, unit members, friends, parents of service members who were killed in action, and strangers echoed Melissa’s sentiments of love, pride and heroism. Lee Cliborne, a soldier who served in Iraq with Matt, wrote, “...it was an honor to walk in the shadow of the valley of death with Matt, one of the bravest soldiers I’ve ever known.... He was a very family oriented guy, which is an outstanding quality to have in a friend. So, Matt, my fellow brother in arms, I will meet up with you again, my friend.” Tami Nelson, a Gold Star Mother, wrote, “...I lost my son on Christmas Day last year and I just try to keep remembering how much Andrew wanted to be a soldier and how he died doing what he wanted to do. It sounds like Matthew did too. Keep the memories of your son alive and he will always be right there with you.” Many offered prayers, spiritual uplifting, and positive memories that remind readers that Matt had a sense of humor and a big heart. “Everything has a reason,” said his dad Mike. “I just hope I can make a difference in the world like you did,” Mike commented to Matt on the website. “You affected everyone who ever met you.” While in Kansas City to speak at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention last Wednesday, President George W. Bush had a private meeting with Matt’s parents, Mike and Debbie, and his sister, Melissa, along with other Gold Star Families. “This really overwhelmed us when we got a call from the White House requesting a meeting,” Mike said. “Quite an honor. I can hear Matt saying, ‘See, I told you I was the family Hero!’” “There were 10 families involved,” Mike said. “We were divided into groups of three to four families. We got to talk to President Bush for about 30 minutes. No politics involved, just about our loved ones that we have lost. “We laughed and cried (he did too) and just told him about our loved ones. I was really impressed by his concern for us and our loss. I think we all came away with a different perspective about him. “I gave him a prayer card with Matt’s picture on one side and the Soldier’s Prayer on the other. All the time we were talking about Matt, he was looking at the picture with damp eyes.... Quite a moving meeting.” Matt posthumously received several military awards, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal, and was promoted to the rank of specialist. Mr. and Mrs. Rayburn Wikle of Sabetha are Matt’s paternal grandparents. Funeral services were held in Overland Park, with burial at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery. Patriot Guard Riders were present to show their support of and provide a shield for the family. In addition to the service held for SPC Murchison at his home base in Germany, a memorial service was held at his deployment base in Iraq. Readers are invited to view Melissa Murchison’s website and leave appropriate comments, tributes, condolences and memories at www.matthew-murchison.memory-of.com. The family requests that any memorial donations be made in SPC Matthew Murchison’s name to the Fisher House™ Foundation, at www.fisherhouse.org. The Fisher House™ program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America's military and families in their time of need. Meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, the program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service. Members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and often must travel great distances for specialized medical care, and Fisher House™ Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times – during hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease or injury. More information about the Fisher House™ Foundation is available on the above website. |
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