Remembering CTM3 Matthew J. O’Bryant, KIA Southwest Asia

Matthew J. O’Bryant was born on the 10th of May 1986 and raised in Theodore, Alabama, near the port city of Mobile. He attended the local high school where he joined the Junior ROTC and worked a variety of part-time jobs to help save money for college. After graduation he began to build a life for himself and his high school sweetheart, Bridget. He would subsequently enroll in the Art Institute of Atlanta, and he and Bridget would eventually be married in July of 2006.

In March of 2007, he enlisted in the Navy to learn new skills and pay off his student loans. In doing so, Matthew joined his brother and two cousins serving in the largest of America’s Sea Service. After bootcamp and initial technical training, he was assigned to Navy Information Operations Command Maryland at Fort Meade, Maryland. From the time he enlisted until the moment that he made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country, Petty Officer O’Bryant was a proud and dedicated member of the United States Navy. CAPT Richard Bodziak, NIOC Maryland’s Commanding Officer noted that “He was exactly the kind of Sailor we want in the Navy.”