Army Spc. Micheal B. Matlock Jr.

Died February 20, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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21, of Glen Burnie, Md.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Feb. 20 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device on Feb. 19. Also killed were Sgt. Conrad Alvarez and Cpl. Albert Bitton.

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3 Campbell soldiers killed in IED attack

The (Clarksville) Leaf-Chronicle

Three 101st Airborne Division soldiers died Wednesday of wounds suffered when their vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday.

Killed were Sgt. Conrad Alvarez, 22, of Big Spring, Texas; Cpl. Albert Bitton, 20, of Chicago; and Spc. Micheal B. Matlock Jr., 21, of Glen Burnie, Md.

All three were with 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, according to a news release from Fort Campbell.

Alvarez was an infantryman assigned to A Company. He entered the Army in March 2005 and arrived at Fort Campbell in August 2005, according to the news release.

He is survived by his wife, Maria, of Oak Grove, Ky.; daughters, Celeste and Alyssa, of Sweetwater, Texas; father, Arthur; and mother, Belinda Alcala, of Big Spring, Texas.

Alvarez’s awards and decorations include Army Commendation Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Combat Infantry Badge; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

Bitton was a medic assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company. He entered the Army in November 2005 and arrived at Fort Campbell in June 2006, according to the news release.

He is survived by his wife, Melissa Handelman, of Buffalo Grove, Ill.; and parents, Elie and Sylvia, of Chicago.

Bitton’s awards and decorations include National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

Matlock was an infantryman assigned to A Company. He entered the Army in August 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in December 2006, according to the news release.

He is survived by his wife, Breon, and son, Byron, of Severna Park, Md.; father, Micheal Matlock Sr., of Vansboro, N.C.; and mother, Sheena Douglas, of Glen Burnie, Md.

Matlock’s awards and decorations include National Defense Service Medal; Iraqi Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

A memorial service will be held in Iraq. Fort Campbell holds a monthly Eagle Remembrance Ceremony on the second Wednesday of each month.

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Soldier killed in Iraq was ‘growing up’

The Associated Press

Spc. Micheal B. Matlock’s death cut short a life moving in the right direction, his mother said.

Sheena Douglas said Matlock, who was fond of bowling and dancing, had gone through “a few little rough spots” and worked in some minimum-wage jobs but showed increasing seriousness.

“He was changing, he was growing up, he was becoming a good man like I wanted to see him,” Douglas said.

Matlock, Jr., 21, of Glen Burnie, Md., was killed Feb. 20 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky.

At his funeral, Matlock’s sister, Tiffany Matlock, read a poem she had written to her brother, reminiscing about their shared jokes and late-night talks over “Whoppers and Cokes,” and freestyle rapping over homemade beats.

He is survived by his wife, Breon, and son, Byron, 1.

Cheryl Timmons, an aunt, read a letter that Breon wrote to her husband after his death. After their first date, his wife wrote, “From then on it was us.”

“You said, ‘If we love each other we can make it work.’ ... I remember the look on your face when I told you would be a father.

Your eyes brightened up.”