Carl Waymon Matthews

Carl Waymon Matthews was born on August 14th, 1924 in Corsicana, Texas son of Carl and Velma Coleman Matthews. After attending public school in Dawson and Hubbard, Texas, he entered the Marine Corps in August 1941 with the 4th Marine Division. He was deployed to American Samoa January 6, 1942, and returned to the mainland as a medical patient in August 1942. Two years later, he participated in the invasion of The Marshall Islands February 1944, and the invasion of Saipan June 1944. He was evacuated from Saipan to a hospital ship July 8, 1944 and transported to a Navy Hospital at New Caledonia. While there, he was awarded the Purple Heart. After hospital treatment on the US mainland, he served briefly at Quantico, VA before being medically discharged March 29, 1945. He returned home to Hubbard and graduated from Hubbard High School on a Friday night in May and enrolled at Baylor University the following Monday. He completed college in December 1948, then began teaching school at Sinton, Texas. He began graduate school at seminary in 1950, from where he received two Masters Degrees. He was minister of several churches until 1964, when he began a career in social work. He served with the Connecticut Dept. of Mental Health for 10 years, then became director of a 13-state alcohol awareness training program based in Atlanta, Georgia. He later became owner of SteelHaus Buildings in 1980, retiring in 2003. Afterwards, he traveled extensively, visiting 25 countries from Japan to Russia. Since 2007, he was engaged in historical and genealogical research, writing, and public speaking. A Japanese television network invited Carl to Japan and Saipan in 2005 to participate in a documentary commemorating the ending of WWII. He was keynote speaker for the opening of the Memorial Museum on Saipan in 2005, and Guest of Honor Speaker at the 2011 Marine Corps Birthday Ball at Camp Lejeune, NC. He and his lovely Samantha returned to Saipan in 2014 for the 70th anniversary of that battle. He and two Japanese soldiers were the only veterans of that historic island conflict to return. Wade Family Funeral Home (817) 274-9233