STG2 MATTHEW G. AXELSON

On June 28, 2005, SEAL Team 10 was assigned to kill or capture Ahmad Shah, a high ranking Taliban leader in the Hindu-Kush mountains. The SEAL team was composed of Michael P. Murphy, Marcus Luttrell, Danny Dietz and Axelson. Luttrell and Axelson were the team's snipers while Dietz and Murphy were the spotters.
In the Hindu-Kush mountains, three goat herders stumbled upon one of the SEALs hiding face down against a log. The SEAL team captured the goat herders and voted to determine what to do with them. The team decided to let them go rather than execute them. Soon after, the herders alerted dozens of nearby insurgents, who then surrounded and attacked the SEAL team. The SEALs engaged in a fire fight against a force of about 150 Taliban fighters, led by the man they were sent to kill.
During the fire fight, Axelson was shot in the chest but continued to fight alongside Luttrell until a blast from a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) separated them. Along with injuries sustained from the blast, Axelson died of bullet wounds to the chest and head. When US Navy personnel arrived to retrieve his body for burial, they found that it was a few hundred yards away from the RPG blast location. Axelson was reported by Luttrell to have had three magazines remaining when the blast took place, however, when his body was found, he had only one magazine remaining, which indicates that Axelson continued to fight even after the blast.
Along with Axelson, Murphy and Dietz also died during the fight. Luttrell managed to survive his injuries and acute hardships with help from local Pashtun villagers.

STG2 (SEAL) Matthew Gene Axelson was born June 25, 1976, and was raised in Cupertino, California. He attended California State University-Chico, where he earned a degree in Political Science. Matt entered United States Navy Basic Training in December 2000. In April 2005, Matt deployed with his Special Reconnaissance element to Afghanistan to support Naval Special Warfare Squadron 10 and the Naval Special Warfare community's prosecution of the Global War on Terror. He was part of a four-man SEAL reconnaissance team tasked with tracking a high-ranking terrorist leader when they were ambushed by Taliban forces. Although outnumbered, Matt and the rest of the team "continued to fight the enemy with undiminished zeal, covering the extraction of the rest of their team while they stayed and fought. Putting the safety of their teammates ahead of their own, they displayed extraordinary heroism in combat."

During his service Matt was awarded the Navy Cross Medal, Purple Heart Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, and many other awards. Matt is survived by his wife, Cindy; his father, Cordell; his mother, Donna; his brother, Jeff; and a host of family, friends and teammates