Matthew James Hevezi: Profile and Background
Military Service and Career
Enlistment: Matthew (also known as Mateo) James Hevezi enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on November 16, 1987, in Oakland, California.

Training: He completed boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, CA, followed by Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) training at the U.S. Marine Corps Engineer School, Camp Lejeune, NC.

Early Assignments: Assigned as an engineer equipment mechanic to the 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, CA.

Overseas Duty: In 1990, transferred to Okinawa, Japan, serving as Hazardous Materials and Safety Noncommissioned Officer-in-Charge at the 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Force Service Support Group.

Combat Correspondent: Reenlisted in 1991 as a Combat Correspondent. Served in Compton, CA during the 1992 Los Angeles Riots with the 1st Marine Regiment.

Public Affairs Chief: Deployed in 1993 to Camp Doha, Kuwait, with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), serving as Public Affairs Chief. Provided staff support to senior officers and trained junior officers in public affairs.

Military Photojournalist: Competitively selected as a military photojournalist. His work covering 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment training at the Jungle Warfare Training Center was published in the Harper Collins book “Day in the Life of the U.S. Armed Forces” (2003).

Awards and Recognitions
Twice awarded the Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal for professional excellence and leadership (1993 and 1999).

Nominated for the Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal in 1997; selected as RS Albuquerque’s Marine of the Year.

Nominated for the Army Achievement Medal in 1997 for leadership during joint operations at Fort Bliss, TX.

Nominated for a third Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal in 2002 for performance as Operations Chief during Cobra Gold-02 but declined the award, insisting it be given to a junior subordinate.

Graduated second overall in his class at NCO Leadership School in 1992 with a 97.2% average.

Received a Certificate of Commendation from the Director of Marine Corps Public Affairs in 2004.

Awarded a Merit Award in 2005 from Marine Corps Headquarters Division of Public Affairs for journalistic excellence.

Later Life
In 2023, Matthew reportedly became a cannabis farmer in Cambodia, where he lives and shares his stories online, including with groups like Alcoholics Anonymous.