Matthew O. Williams (born October 3, 1981) is a

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in the ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. He received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

from President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

on October 30, 2019, for his actions on April 6, 2008, as a member of Operational Detachment Alpha 3336, Special Operations Task Force 11, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan in the

Battle of Shok Valley The Battle of Shok Valley, also known as Operation Commando Wrath, was a joint U.S.-Afghan raid designed to kill or capture Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin (HIG) in the Shok Valley of Nuristan Province of Afghanistan ...

Early life

Williams was born October 3, 1981, and spent most of his childhood in the small town of Boerne, Texas. He initially wanted to be a detective or work for the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

when he grew up, so he obtained a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at

Angelo State University Angelo State University is a public university in San Angelo, Texas. It was founded in 1928 as San Angelo College. It gained university status and awarded its first baccalaureate degrees in 1967 and graduate degrees in 1969, the same year it too ...

in San Angelo, Texas. After

9/11 The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

, Williams started rethinking how he could serve his country. He researched Special Forces programs and, in September 2005, joined the

Military career

In 2007, two years after he had joined the army, Williams became a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant (18B) with the 3rd Special Forces Group. Williams' first deployment was to Afghanistan and, on April 6, 2008, his unit was tasked to capture or kill high-value targets in the Shok Valley. The operation led to the events for which Williams was awarded the

. Williams, Lieutenant Colonel William D. Swenson, Sergeant Major

Thomas Payne Thomas Payne (c. 1718 – 1799) was an important bookseller and publisher in 18th-century London. Life Payne was born in Brackley, Northamptonshire. From 1750 he ran a shop at Mews Gate in Castle Street near Leicester Fields (the site is now ...

and Master Sergeant

Earl Plumlee Earl D. Plumlee (born April 6, 1980) is a Master Sergeant in the United States Army. He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions in Afghanistan that took place on 28 August 2013. His Silver Star was upgraded to the Medal of Honor, and present ...

are the only Medal of Honor recipients still on active duty. Williams was promoted to

during a ceremony at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within Cum ...

, North Carolina, on February 28, 2020.

Awards and decorations

Medal of Honor citation

Personal life

Williams lives in North Carolina, with his wife Kate and son Nolan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Matthew O. 1981 births Angelo State University alumni Living people Members of the United States Army Special Forces Recipients of the Meritorious Service Medal (United States) United States Army Medal of Honor recipients War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) recipients of the Medal of Honor United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) United States Army soldiers