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Richard
A. Mathern was born on May
30th, 1969 in Billings, Montana. He has four brothers and one sister. His
family was transferred to Kansas,
and he graduated from Shawnee Mission North High school on May 19th, 1987.
In his childhood, he was an average student who enjoyed playing soccer and
golf.
Richard
had always known he would join the military, and thought that everyone should
serve their country in any way they can. He enlisted in June of 1986. He was
seventeen years old when he enlisted. Before he decided to join, he had no
training at all. He waited one year and then went to Marine Corps boot camp
in San Diego, California in
1987, the day after he graduated from high school. He trained to become a
machine gunner. After basic training, he went to advanced infantry schools
and various training programs. Every school had a new and more difficult
challenge for him to meet. He moved to California
when he joined the Marine Corps.
He
flew to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on a military cargo plane for the
Desert Storm/ Desert Shield war in August of 1990. His tour lasted from August 10th, 1990 to
March 17th,
1991. The weather in Riyadh
was very hot with intense sand storms. In March of 2003 he went to Iraq
for Operation Iraqi Freedom on the USS
Tarawa. It was winter, and the weather was very cold and windy. He
was a sniper platoon sergeant. When the marines returned home, all of their
wives put together a huge homecoming for them. The highest rank he has ever
received is First Sergeant, the rank he currently has. He belongs to the USMC
service branch. He has served on the
front lines both times he has fought. He enjoys visiting the foreign
countries and meeting the friendly people that live there who want to live
freely. An interesting place he has visited was in southern Iraq
where it is said Abraham was born. He has detained several hundred POWs.
It is exhausting and hard work for him. Richard has made many friends during
his experience, and lost some as well. The most difficult thing for him was
making sure all of his marines returned home safely to their families. One of
the funniest things for him was having to go for
weeks without showers. One of the famous people he had an opportunity to meet
was President George Bush Senior.
Richard
met his wife, Terry, after Operation Desert Storm. They married eighteen
months later on February
6th, 1993. He has a daughter named Alejandra who is eleven, and a son named Robert who is
nine. He still enjoys playing soccer, golf, camping, and spending time with
his family. Richard is still a member of the USMC
and can be called on any time he is needed. The most exciting part of coming
home is seeing his family. He is happy with his accomplishments and proud to
serve his country.
Map
of Iraq
and Saudi Arabia
where Richard was stationed
Richard
on the left
Richard
on the right
Richard
with his equipment
Richard
on the right
Richard
in the center
Oil
fire
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