December 13, 2005
The Honorable Elizabeth Dole
U.S. Senator from North Carolina
310 New Bern Highway, Suite 122
Raleigh, North Carolina 27601
Attention: Paula Noble
Dear: Ms. Noble:
I spoke with our son tonight. He informs us he has had little time to organize his thoughts for the serious document he is preparing for you. We understand it will be many pages long, so you can fully appreciate what he has gone through.
He told me he will be calling you to advise you why the letter has not been faxed to date, and that he will try to get it to you before the week’s end, if his duty allows. I told him it was important he speaks with you to ensure you of his intent to clear himself of the current charges against him, the words he read from his psychologist sounding very confusing and not representing our son.
You cannot know how this has upset my wife and I along with what Matthew has gone through these last 12 months. Our family’s best friend, one who is in his early 60s and was in our home all the time since Matthew was in elementary school, is just furious over what is being said about what he calls his “bro.”
As I said in our original letter, we had no idea of the pressure Matthew was under psychologically, his always speaking well of the Marines. He told me a few days ago he had not wanted to taint the corps because of a few that had used their higher rank and uniform as a bully pulpit. We have met those kinds of people throughout our lives, picking on others in an attempt to try to hide they own lack of self-confidence.
We just can’t understand why a few misguided Marines were allowed to treat our son for so long with such little respect, as he, too, had made it through Parris Island together with his comrades. That journey is chosen by few Americas to travel on for obvious reasons, one our son didn’t have to endure but wanted to serve in the toughest service possible. I had suggested he try the Air Force or the Army, knowing he was so small and had some special classes in high school, but he said, “No, I want to be a Marine.”
And we cannot understand why Matthew, with a grandfather buried at Arlington National Cemetery for his efforts in the Navy to drive Marines onto the beaches of Okinawa in 1944, is being treated so badly. Matthew even had a great grandfather who served in Marines circa WWI.
Before retiring, I was a national manager for a Fortune 100 company. We used to have a term for a department head that didn’t make it his business to know what was going on around him. The lack of attention was symbolized by demoralized employees, disorganized team leaders, and missed opportunities for success. The term was “The fish always stinks from the head.”
We have great respect for the Marines and will continue to do so, understanding that every barrel has a few spoiled apples.
My son reported to me tonight that the battalion he had been separated from returns from training on December 21, 2005. Since he had been separated from his comrades in training to make ready for his potential removal from the service, we would hope he would not be allowed to be around the same few men who had found the time to harass him earlier and physically put their hands on him. Now they will be even more motivated to harass Matthew, now that he has been set aside like some kind of defective individual to be cast out with the garbage.
On top of this, our son agreed we were not to send him anything for Christmas since his personal property has not being respected in past instances.
Please add this letter to our son’s file that is forwarded to Washington.
Best regards,