R.I.P. Spc. Matthew D. Huston

Army Spc. Matthew D. Huston
Died March 01, 2010 serving during Operation Enduring Freedom

24, of Athens, Ga.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died March 1 in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked his unit using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed was Spc. Josiah D. Crumpler.

(The following was taken from hutchnews.com of March 10, 2010) HAVEN - The funeral for a soldier killed in Afghanistan whose grandparents and other extended family members live in Reno County will be today in Haven.

A U.S. Army news release reported that Spc. Matthew D. Huston, 24, of Athens, Ga., and a fellow soldier, Spc. Josiah D. Crumpler, 27, of Hillsborough , N.C., died March 1 in Bala Murghab when insurgents attacked their unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

Huston and Crumpler were members of the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division and were stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C., prior to their deployment to Afghanistan.

Huston's father, Phillip Huston, grew up in Haven; his grandparents, Earl and Kay Huston, formerly of Haven, now live in South Hutchinson.

Huston and his wife, Whitney Shaffer Huston, were married in June 2005 in Marietta, Ga. In respect for her wishes, Huston's father and grandparents declined to talk more about him.

Huston enlisted in the Army as an infantryman in February 2007. After training at airborne school at Fort Benning, Ga., he was assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg. The Athens (Ga.) Banner Herald reported this was Huston's second deployment to Afghanistan. His first was five months, beginning in December 2007. His 3,300-member brigade left for a 12-month overseas deployment last August from their base in Fort Bragg.

An Army news release, cited in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, quoted the squad leader of the two soldiers, Sgt. Ryan Mahoney, saying, "Spc. Huston was every bit as committed by going above and beyond to step up and take on the role of a team leader."

Huston was previously awarded the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Basic Parachutist Badge.

His is survived by his wife, Whitney, of Raeford, N.C.; his parents, Ronda and Phillip Huston, Henderson, Nev.; a brother, Kyle Huston, of Las Vegas; a sister, Whitney Huston Sellards, of San Clemente, Calif.; and nephews, grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins.

The funeral for Huston will be at 2 p.m. today at Haven Baptist Church, with Pastor Gary Cox presiding. There will be no visitation. Burial will follow in Laurel Cemetery, Haven, with Jaron Shaffer presiding.