Richard, Matthew Thomas
Male
Verified Corporal Matthew Thomas Richard, 21, of Acadia, Louisiana, was a U.S. Marine with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. He died in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on June 9, 2011, during Operation Enduring Freedom.
Their Story
Matthew Thomas Richard was born in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. He joined the United States Marine Corps and was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, part of the 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The unit deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
In 2011, Richard's battalion operated in Helmand province, a southern agricultural region that was a focal point of the war and a Taliban stronghold. The U.S. troop surge, which peaked the previous year, had begun to draw down, but intense combat operations continued.
On June 9, 2011, Corporal Richard was killed during a hostile engagement in Helmand. The Department of Defense announced his death four days later. No further operational details of the incident were publicly released.
His death occurred in the tenth year of the Afghanistan war. More than 1,500 U.S. service members died in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2012, the conflict's deadliest period.
Richard was 21 years old. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal. His awards include the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.
He is memorialized at home in Louisiana and on the Afghanistan War Memorial at Camp Lejeune. Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led combat mission in Afghanistan, formally concluded in December 2014.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan, concluded in December 2014 after 13 years. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
