Matthew T. Grimm

Matthew T. Grimm was a friend, a brother, a son, and a hero. He joined the U.S. Army in 2004 right after graduating from Lincoln High School, in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. He was sent to Iraq in October of 2006, where he served for a little over a year.

Matthew was riding in a convoy with his best friend when shrapnel (debris or metal fragments from an explosive) hit him in the shoulder and also in the leg. His best friend died, but luckily trucks had come to help and Grimm survived. He called his parents and discussed how lucky he was to not have been killed along with his best friend.

A week later, the news had come. Matthew T. Grimm and four other comrades were killed on January 15th, by a roadside bomb. This thankful soldier was no longer thankful.

Matthew was very active person. "He was always ready to take on a new challenge," said his cousin Bryan Reffner. Grimm worked with his cousin during his last few months of high school at Reffner Motor Sports in Stevens Point.

When Matthew was still in high school, he was very active in football and wrestling. He enjoyed running and weight lifting. His parents mentioned once that he encouraged the soldiers around him to stay fit and active.

Matthew had planned out a lot of his life after high school. He knew he wanted to join the U.S. Army like his older brother. He had also wanted to go to college, becoming either a physical therapist, sports trainer, or a coach.

Planning out your life and knowing what you want, doesn't guarantee that it'll happen. This soldier fighting for the lives of so many others has lost his. Matthew T. Grimm will be a hero, greatly missed by those he was fighting to protect. This will be a tragedy remembered forever.

Written by: Melissa L. Wehrman
Marshfield Senior High

Matthew Grimm enlisted in the army his senior year at Lincoln High School in 2004. His parents, Eldon and Jean Grimm, said, "He talked quite a bit about entering the military after his older brother joined the National Guard." He talked about what he was going to do and was very excited when he was getting his things together for boot camp.

Matthew Grimm said that he felt lucky after his convoy was attacked. He was hit with shrapnel in the shoulder, arm and leg. His best friend was killed in the attack, but luckily another U.S. platoon came to the other's rescue. He called his parents while he was recovering and told them he felt pretty darn lucky that the trucks came to help them. If they had not, more would have been captured or killed.

Just four weeks later, Matthew and four comrades were killed in a roadside bomb.

His parents said that Matthew was a very good child; he was very considerate of adults and respected his friends. He and his brother Andrew were the best of friends. He was a very involved student at Lincoln High School; he was in football, wrestling, baseball, stunt team, and power lifting. "He was never in any trouble, a good conscientious student."

In Matthew's spare time he worked at the Stars and Stripes Restaurant and at his cousin, Bryan Reffner's race shop. He also enjoyed playing video games and watching movies. When his belongings were sent home there were over a couple hundred DVDs. He was a very good cook; his mother said that he would sometimes come home from school with new recipes for her to try. She said that he would eat just about anything he was given; his favorite though was a chicken noodle recipe he had brought home form school.

After he graduated from Lincoln High School he joined his cousin's Stevens Point racing team. He spent most of his time there making sure that there high performance stock cars were ready to race. Mathew was going to go to college to become a physical therapist, sports trainer, or a coach after he finished his first in the army.

When they heard that Matthew died his parents said that emotions were very high. They were in a state of disbelief and extreme sadness. Many family members and friends gathered at their home. All loved Matthew very much.

Mathew Grimm will always be remembered for his hard work, his positive attitude, his respect for everyone, his love for life and the jokes he liked to play on his parents.

Written by,

Jordan Becker

East Junior High School