Sgt. 1st Class Matthew S. Sluss-Tiller was born on Feb. 14, 1974, in Ashland, Ky. He graduated from Lawrence County High School in 1993.
He died of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device in the Lower Dir District of Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, Feb. 3, while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
He enlisted in the United States Army Reserves as a heavy construction mechanic in 1991 and served at the 261st Ordnance Company located at Cross Lanes, West Va. In 1993, he enlisted in the U. S. Army as a signal specialist and served at Fort Bragg N.C., Kitzengin, Germany, and Kuwait.
He was assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., in April 2009 and has served as a civil affairs noncommissioned officer in Civil Military Operations Cell and most recently as team sergeant of Civil Affairs Team 622.
During his career, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Joint Guardian, Kosovo.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He was also awarded the Senior Parachutist’s Badge, Gold Recruiter’s Badge, and German Jump wings.
Sgt 1st Class Sluss-Tiller is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne Course, U.S. Army Jumpmaster Course and Master Jumpmaster Course, Air Movement Operations Course, Military Transition Team Course, Civil Affairs Qualification Course, and the Advanced and Basic Noncommissioned Officer courses.
He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and daughter Hannah of Sanford, N.C.
I just saw the names of the guys who died in Pakistan a little bit ago.
I met Matt when I was a student going through the Jumpmaster Course at the 82nd ABN Advanced Airborne School, he was a Black Hat there. He gave 100% to the job, and was a professional in every sense of the world. He and I spent time talking about recruiting duty, because he was on orders to go and I had been there. When he was still in his BN in the 82nd, he was the primary jumpmaster for a chalk when a minor legend in the 82nd was born- the jumper who never went to Airborne School.
What happened is a kid got assigned to the 82nd, and made it through 82nd Replacement without anyone realizing he didn't have parachutist wings. The kid got assigned to his BN, and got manifested for the very next jump to get his cherry jump out of the way. The kid got assigned to Matt's chalk, and Matt conducted prejump per SOP. The jumpers went down to Green Ramp at Pope, rigged up, and got on the C-130. Up they go, come over the DZ, and Matt puts all the jumpers out without issue. The kid makes the jump without any problems, lands safely, rolls up his chute and gathers his equipment and double times over to the link up point. The Brigade Command Sergeant Major is out there, doing the CSM thing. The CSM sees the kid and asks him "How was your jump, Airborne?", and the kid replies, "Great, Sergeant Major! That's the first jump I ever did, and it was awesome!" The CSM thought that odd, and asked him about Airborne School. The kid replies that he had never been to Airborne School, and that was in fact his very first jump.
Oops. The CSM congratulated the kid on his first jump, and got ahold of the rest of the Chain of Command. Some major asschewing/minor bloodshed and an investigation follows, to determine how this happened. As the primary jumpmaster, Matt got questioned during the investigation, but a PJ isn't expected to verify whether jumpers on the manifest are actually airborne qualified. He got kudos, because his prejump instruction was the ONLY airborne training the kid had prior to that first jump, and the kid followed instructions to the T.
The kid went to Airborne School two weeks later, with a jump already on his jump log.
Matt will be missed by all that knew him. He fought the good fight, for all of us.
Mike
He died of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device in the Lower Dir District of Pakistan’s Northwest Frontier Province, Feb. 3, while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
He enlisted in the United States Army Reserves as a heavy construction mechanic in 1991 and served at the 261st Ordnance Company located at Cross Lanes, West Va. In 1993, he enlisted in the U. S. Army as a signal specialist and served at Fort Bragg N.C., Kitzengin, Germany, and Kuwait.
He was assigned to the 96th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, N.C., in April 2009 and has served as a civil affairs noncommissioned officer in Civil Military Operations Cell and most recently as team sergeant of Civil Affairs Team 622.
During his career, he deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Joint Guardian, Kosovo.
His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq Campaign Medals, and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. He was also awarded the Senior Parachutist’s Badge, Gold Recruiter’s Badge, and German Jump wings.
Sgt 1st Class Sluss-Tiller is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne Course, U.S. Army Jumpmaster Course and Master Jumpmaster Course, Air Movement Operations Course, Military Transition Team Course, Civil Affairs Qualification Course, and the Advanced and Basic Noncommissioned Officer courses.
He is survived by his wife, Melissa, and daughter Hannah of Sanford, N.C.
I just saw the names of the guys who died in Pakistan a little bit ago.
I met Matt when I was a student going through the Jumpmaster Course at the 82nd ABN Advanced Airborne School, he was a Black Hat there. He gave 100% to the job, and was a professional in every sense of the world. He and I spent time talking about recruiting duty, because he was on orders to go and I had been there. When he was still in his BN in the 82nd, he was the primary jumpmaster for a chalk when a minor legend in the 82nd was born- the jumper who never went to Airborne School.
What happened is a kid got assigned to the 82nd, and made it through 82nd Replacement without anyone realizing he didn't have parachutist wings. The kid got assigned to his BN, and got manifested for the very next jump to get his cherry jump out of the way. The kid got assigned to Matt's chalk, and Matt conducted prejump per SOP. The jumpers went down to Green Ramp at Pope, rigged up, and got on the C-130. Up they go, come over the DZ, and Matt puts all the jumpers out without issue. The kid makes the jump without any problems, lands safely, rolls up his chute and gathers his equipment and double times over to the link up point. The Brigade Command Sergeant Major is out there, doing the CSM thing. The CSM sees the kid and asks him "How was your jump, Airborne?", and the kid replies, "Great, Sergeant Major! That's the first jump I ever did, and it was awesome!" The CSM thought that odd, and asked him about Airborne School. The kid replies that he had never been to Airborne School, and that was in fact his very first jump.
Oops. The CSM congratulated the kid on his first jump, and got ahold of the rest of the Chain of Command. Some major asschewing/minor bloodshed and an investigation follows, to determine how this happened. As the primary jumpmaster, Matt got questioned during the investigation, but a PJ isn't expected to verify whether jumpers on the manifest are actually airborne qualified. He got kudos, because his prejump instruction was the ONLY airborne training the kid had prior to that first jump, and the kid followed instructions to the T.
The kid went to Airborne School two weeks later, with a jump already on his jump log.
Matt will be missed by all that knew him. He fought the good fight, for all of us.
Mike
