Matthew Axelson (1976-2005) was a U.S. Navy SEAL sniper who was part of the SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team-1 (SDVT-1) and participated in the 2005 operation in Afghanistan. Operation Red Wings. In June 2005, Axelson lost the ability to fight. For his life during Operation Red Wings, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart, the U.S. Navy’s second-highest decoration.
Wiki/Biography
Matthew Gene Axelson was born on Friday, June 25, 1976, in Cupertino, California, USA (age 29 at the time of death). His zodiac sign is Cancer.
Childhood photo of Matthew Axelson (right) and his brother Jeff
After attending high school in Monta Vista, California, Axelson attended San Diego State University for one year. Thereafter, he attended California State University, Chico, where he majored in political science. Inspired by a friend who was a former Navy SEAL, Matthew decided to join the U.S. Navy.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′11″
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Hair color: dark brown
Eye color: blue
family
Matthew Axelson was born in a Christian family in the United States.
Parents and siblings
His father’s name is Cordell Axelson and his mother’s name is Donna Axelson.
Photos of Donna and Cordell Axelson
He had an older brother named Jeffrey Axelson (aka Jeff), who founded Axelson Tactical in Matthew’s memory.
Photos by Jeff Axelson
wife and children
His wife’s name is Cindy Augie Axelson. He married her on December 27, 2003. She serves as program director for the SEAL Family Foundation and chairs the Matthew Axelson Foundation. Cindy said of her marriage to Matthew,
He proposed and we got married two days after Christmas (2003) because that was the only time the Navy could guarantee he would be anywhere. “
Cindy holds a portrait of her and Matthew taken at their wedding
Relationships/Affairs
Matthew began dating Cindy while studying at San Diego State University.
Matthew Axelson with Cindy
Profession
training phase
Matthew joined the United States Navy Boot Camp in December 2000 at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Illinois. After completing military training in boot camp, he enlisted in the Army and joined STG “A” School in Chicago, Illinois, where he received specialized training as a sonar technician – Surface. Thereafter, he enrolled in Class 237 and received Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) and became a U.S. Navy SEAL. He later reported to the U.S. Army Airborne School (also known as Jump School) at Fort Moore, Georgia, where he received basic parachute (military paratrooper) training.
Photo of Axelson during SEAL training
He then underwent 26 weeks of SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) and SEAL Delivery Vehicle training. He has since earned the Navy Special Warfare Badge, also known as the SEAL Trident Badge. Afterwards, he went to SEAL Sniper School in Indiana, where he received sharpshooter training.
Photo taken by Axelson during a sniper training course
U.S. Navy SEALs
Deployed in Hawaii
After completing rigorous Special Forces training, Axelson was deployed to Hawaii and joined SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 (SDVT-1) in December 2002.
Deployed in Afghanistan
In April 2005, Axelson deployed to Afghanistan as part of SDVT-1. Their mission is to assist NATO forces in the fight against global terrorism.
Matthew Axelson with his friends while deployed in Afghanistan
Operation Red Wings
On June 28, 2005, a four-man SEAL team consisting of Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy, Petty Officer 2nd Class Danny Dietz, Petty Officer 2nd Class Matthew Axelson and Petty Officer 2nd Class Marku Composed of S. A. Luttrell, deployed to the mountainous Kunar province of Afghanistan, tasked with gathering intelligence and killing/capturing senior Taliban leader Ahmed Shah, who is reportedly hiding in Kunar, Afghanistan Er Province, Afghanistan.
Photos of Ahmed Shah
Matthew Axelson with his team
However, their mission is affected when they are discovered by a group of local shepherds. According to Marcus Luttrell’s book “Lone Survivor: Eyewitness Accounts of Operation Red Wings and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10,” the team faced a critical decision: Yes Kill the herders and continue the mission, or free them and abort the mission. They chose the latter and released the herdsmen. However, as soon as the herdsmen released the herdsmen, they notified the Taliban of the presence of the SEALs and were ambushed by the Taliban army soon after. By the end of the firefight, Murphy, Dietz and Axelson were killed. Marcus Luttrell survived but was seriously injured. Marcus’ claim that the shepherds briefed the Taliban was refuted by Mohammad Gulab Khan, a resident of Saralban village in Kunar province who rescued the wounded Luttrell from the Taliban. According to Gulab, the sound of the helicopter’s rotors that dropped the four-man SEAL team on the mountain alerted enemy fighters in the mountain. Speaking about this in an interview, Gulab said:
Gulab claimed that, like many others in the area, the militants heard the sound of helicopters landing Americans on the mountain. The next morning, they began searching for the SEALs’ distinctive footprints. When the militants finally found them, the Americans were considering what to do with the Shepherds. The insurgents retreated. After Marcus Luttrell and his company rescued the natives, the gunners waited for the right moment to strike. “
Collage of U.S. Armed Forces soldiers killed during Operation Red Wings
For his actions during Operation Red Wings, Axelson was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart.
military ornaments
- Navy Cross (Posthumous) (September 13, 2006)
Matthew Axelson’s Navy Cross
- Purple Heart (Posthumous)
- Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
- National Defense Service Medal
- Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 1 Service Star
- Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
- Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
- Navy and Marine Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
- Navy Expert Rifleman Medal
- Navy Expert Pistol Marksmanship Medal
Honor and Legacy
- On November 11, 2007, a life-size bronze statue of Dietz, with his rifle resting on one knee in a “defensive kneeling” posture, was erected in Cupertino, California. The statue also bears his Navy Cross.
A bronze statue erected after the death of Matthew Axelson
- The Pacific Lighthouse complex at Naval Base San Diego was renamed the Axelson Building on November 3, 2015. A display box has also been set up in the building’s lobby to house some of Axelson’s belongings as tributes.
- On November 13, 2015, San Diego State University inscribed his name on the school’s war memorial and recognized him as an alumnus.
- In October 2019, the Senate introduced a bill to change the name of the post office in Cupertino, California, to the “Sergeant 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson Post Office Building.” The bill was passed on September 14, 2020, and the building was renamed.
- To honor his memory, Axelson Tactical, owned by Matthew’s brother, launched a limited-edition rifle in 2016 similar to the rifle Axelson carried during Operation Red Wings. The company later partnered with Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell’s Never Give Up Ammo team to give away the rifle and a thousand rounds of ammunition to raise funds to aid the Special Operations Wounded Warrior Charity.
Photo of a Matthew rifle replica made by Axelson Tactical
- After his death, his family established the Matthew Axelson Foundation in California to assist distressed and disabled veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
- The rifle and combat gear he wore during Operation Red Wings were put on display at a museum in his hometown after his death.
Photo of Matthew’s combat equipment in the museum
die
Matthew Axelson was killed in action on June 28, 2005, during Operation Red Wings in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. According to sources, Axelson was seriously injured while engaging in enemy fire during Operation Red Wings. He had multiple gunshot wounds to his chest and other parts of his body. He was killed when a bullet hit him in the head. On June 10, 2005, the U.S. Navy SEALs discovered Axelson’s body during a combat and search-and-rescue operation in Kunar Province.
At Matthew’s funeral, a US Navy SEAL officer presents Cindy with a folded American flag
He was buried with full military honors on June 28, 2005, at Glen Oaks Memorial Park in Chico, California.
Photo of Matthew Axelson’s grave at Glen Oaks Memorial Park
car collection
He owns a 1969 Chevrolet Corvette.
Matthew Axelson poses with his 1969 Chevrolet Corvette
Facts/Trivia
- His friends and family affectionately called him Matt, McGee and Ax.
- His names also include Matthew “Axe” Axelson and Matt “Axe” Axelson.
- Matthew likes to play football. He joined the school’s swimming team when he was 5 years old. He also played golf in high school and represented the school in many competitions.
- Matthew is passionate about his hobby of reading. History is his favorite subject.
- Actor Ben Foster plays Matthew Axelson in the 2013 Hollywood film “Lone Survivor.”
Ben Foster plays Matthew Axelson in the movie “Lone Survivor”
- According to his father, Matthew planned to rebuild his father’s old Triumph TR6 after returning from Afghanistan. To this end, he also sent a construction manual to his father as a gift.
- In 2014, his brother Jeffrey Axelson published “Brothers’ Search for American Warriors.” This book is based on Matt’s life.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education