Army Pfc Martinek was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. He died September 11 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds sustained in Paktika province, Afghanistan, September 4 when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised-explosive device followed by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. Matthew was born in Sycamore, Illinois, resided in DeKalb and was formerly of Bartlett and Genoa, and worked at Bartlett Hills Golf Course before joining the Army. He was a member of the Bartlett High School football team and also a graduate of Bartlett High School. Matthew came from a family of soldiers. One grandfather was a World War II veteran and the other fought in the Korean War. An uncle fought in Operation Desert Storm, and his two older brothers served tours in Iraq. Matthew was continuing the family tradition when he died. He was a paratrooper and had been fighting in Afghanistan since February.
Army Pfc Martinek was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. He died September 11 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, of wounds sustained in Paktika province, Afghanistan, September 4 when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised-explosive device followed by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. Matthew was born in Sycamore, Illinois, resided in DeKalb and was formerly of Bartlett and Genoa, and worked at Bartlett Hills Golf Course before joining the Army. He was a member of the Bartlett High School football team and also a graduate of Bartlett High School. Matthew came from a family of soldiers. One grandfather was a World War II veteran and the other fought in the Korean War. An uncle fought in Operation Desert Storm, and his two older brothers served tours in Iraq. Matthew was continuing the family tradition when he died. He was a paratrooper and had been fighting in Afghanistan since February.
