PFC Matthew Wilson Did Not Plan To Re-Enlist So He Could Be Home

PFC Matthew Wilson did not plan to re-enlist so he could be home
By Chad Livengood | News-Leader.com

After bouncing around in foster homes across southwest Missouri during the latter half of childhood, Pfc. Matthew W. Wilson wanted to be a family man.

He got married last August and in December, his new bride, Ashlynn, gave birth to a boy, Matthew Gunnar.

In January, the 19-year-old ammunition handler was deployed to Afghan-istan. He did not plan to re-enlist once he returned home, so he could be with his family full time, said his wife's relatives.

"When he formed a family with Ashlynn, that was the core of his existence," said Trish Gore, an aunt of Ashlynn's who lives in New Mexico.

But Wilson did not live to see his first Father's Day. He died Monday from wounds suffered from a roadside bomb explosion. Read more.