Cpl Matthew Wyatt deployed to Iraq with Sierra Battery, 5th Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment. They were assigned to the Iraqi-Jordanian border crossing.
On December 3, 2004, Matthew was conducting position improvements with three other Marines when a suicide bomber driving a water truck filled with approximately 600 lbs of explosives ran the Entry Control Point on their base. He was far enough away from the vehicle to protect himself, but instead chose to attack. He immediately grabbed his service rifle and with complete disregard for his own safety, closed on the vehicle and simultaneously engaged it with his weapon, killing the driver. As the vehicle coasted to a stop and off course from its desired objective inside the perimeter of the base, the vehicle detonated, mortally wounding Matthew and another Marine, Cpl Binh Le.
Their selfless acts stopped the enemy attack before it could reach a position to inflict catastrophic damage to the base compound and to their 50-60 fellow Marines. Matt and Binh were the only two casualties from that unit during their seven month deployment. The fact that all the other Marines were able to return home to their families would be all he needed to know.
