​Matthew White, Sergeant US Army

​US Army Sergeant Matthew White was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio on September 23, 1988. Matthew was highly active in athletics for as long as he can remember, he loved playing basketball and football. He graduated from Gahanna Lincoln High School in June 2007, and immediately enlisted in the United States Army. After completing Infantry One Station Unit Training and Airborne school at Fort Benning, GA, Sgt. White was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division – Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

While serving with the 82nd Airborne, Matthew deployed twice to Southern Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. On May 8, 2010, while on a dismounted foot patrol with his squad in one of the most volatile areas in Southern Afghanistan, he was struck by an improvised explosive device (IED). Immediately following the blast, he was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. where his leg right leg was amputated below the knee. While recovery at Walter Reed, Matthew focused a lot of his time and energy on running and playing basketball, “I set an ambitious goal to run the Chicago marathon a year after my injury, and I’ll be damned if I don’t do so.” In 2011, he completed his first marathon and has since completed six marathons including the Chicago, Boston and New York City marathons.

In 2016, Matthew graduated from The Catholic University of America with a Bachelor’s degree. He currently works for a veterans’ non-profit organization in Washington, D.C., and believes it is very important and one of his duties to advocate and give back to his fellow veterans.

Matthew lives in northern Virginia with his two dogs Nike and Toffee. One of Matthew biggest helpers through his recovery has been his two dogs and his love for motorcycles. Now, he devotes most, if not all of his time towards his two “princesses” and motorcycles. During Matthew’s free time, you will either find him wrenching on one of motorcycles in his garage or volunteering with local animal shelters and rescues.