A death howl goes out to our warrior, First Sergeant K'nI'pin'a'bu Rustadzh (Matthew Rose), as he enters Sto-Vo-Kor (February 25, 2004). He was our First Sergeant and Intelligence Officer. He served on board the ICV Heghnach, USS Inferno, and 740th MSG.
In RL, he was a First Sergeant in the US Air Force Reserve and Employee at the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging in Pittsburgh, PA. He has served during Operation Iraqi Freedom and with the 101st Airborne. He was killed in a skiing accident at Seven Springs, PA. He has been my friend for almost 9 years. He will be missed. Because of his 101st Airborne training, he was an expert skier, expert scuba diver, and expert sky diver. He also loved cigars and he would love discussing them with anyone who liked them too.
In his early years, he was known as "Army" because he was always wearing camoflage clothes. He always lived life in the fast lane. He was always known as a joiner. In later life, he belonged to the Loyal Order of Moose, Fraternal Order of Eagles, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Masonic Lodge. He never let his friends look sad or sick. If he saw that you were sad or sick, he would always do something to make you feel better.
If he was your friend, he would always keep in touch with you by letter, email, or telephone. He always knew you by a specific nickname or moniker that he thought up for you. His name for me was "Commander".
In the newspaper article, "Tragic accident claims life of Airman Squadron pauses, reflects on the man" , 1st Lt. Timothy Joyce, 911th Operations Group Executive Officer, writes:
"The first words to describe Master Sergeant Matthew Rose are dependable, respectful and daring. He first embodied these attributes as a member of the 101st Army Airborne at Ft. Bragg, N.C. and later as an Army Reservist stationed in New Castle, PA.
In 1994, Sergeant Rose joined the 911th Airlift Wing as an airfield manager and first sergeant assigned to the 911th Operations Support Flight. During his tenure, he deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan, April 2002, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as part of the 455th Air Expeditionary Group. His contribution had a direct impact on strike and airlift missions during day, night and bloackout operations.
Outside of his military experiences, he worked for both the Allegheny County Department of Aging and the Allegheny County Department of Aviation. Away from work, Master Sgt. Rose enjoyed taking road trips to State College for Penn State football games and attending NASCAR races.
He always kept the camaraderie of service close as a member of the American Legion and the VFW. No matter who he would talk to, he always addressed everyone as sir, ma'am, or friend. His outlook on life always made those around him feel at ease, he had the unique ability to take the worst situation and make it bright and even humorous.
Tragically, Master Sgt. Matthew Rose passed away February 25, 2004, after a skiing accident at Seven Springs. His daring side always kept him going through life without a dull moment. Anyone who met him will undoubtedly miss him."
K'moghjIH
(Larry D. French, Sr.)
Links to Articles about Matt
Pittsburgh Tribune Review article
WTAE News Article
Moose Charities Memorial letter