Bourgeois, Matthew Joseph

Hospital Corpsman First Class Matthew Joseph Bourgeois was a member of the United States Navy SEALs, assigned to the Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU) based in Dam Neck, Virginia. The 35-year-old from Tallahassee, Florida, was a highly trained combat medic, a role central to special operations teams.

Bourgeois died on March 28, 2002, at a training site near Kandahar, Afghanistan. According to U.S. military reports, he was fatally wounded when an anti-personnel landmine detonated during a live-fire exercise. He was providing medical support for the training evolution at the time of the incident.

His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign launched in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By March 2002, major combat operations had largely dislodged the Taliban from power, but insurgent forces remained active. U.S. and allied special operations units were heavily engaged in counterterrorism missions and training exercises across Afghanistan.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced his death on March 30, 2002. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart. Bourgeois was survived by his wife and other family members.

Bourgeois is memorialized on the Navy SEAL Memorial at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. His name is also inscribed on the CIA's Memorial Wall, reportedly due to his work with the agency's paramilitary units.

Hospital Corpsman First Class Matthew Bourgeois was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

← Return to the full memorial | Add a memorial record