On his final journey home, Army Pfc. Matthew Perez is being accompanied by his family, friends and Whittier neighbors, many of whom were lining the 50-mile route from Ontario International Airport Thursday, Sept. 26, to All Souls Cemetery and Mortuary in Long Beach.
But the fallen paratrooper’s father, Jose, requested one extra stop on the way. He wanted his oldest child to come home one last time, he told Laura Herzog, founder of the nonprofit Honoring Our Fallen, who has been helping the family since news of the 20-year-old’s death during a training accident on Sept. 13.
The last member of five Patriot Guard Riders displays the American and Patriot Guard Riders flag as they lead a “Fallen Soldier Procession” for Army, SPC Matthew Perez departs the Ontario International Airport in Ontario on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 on it’s way to the All Souls Mortuary in Long Beach. SPC Perez, of Whittier, was a paratrooper assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division training at the Joint Readiness Training Center died from his injuries sustained during training at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Sept. 13, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
So after the solemn arrival ceremonies planeside, the procession was winding its way from Ontario through East San Gabriel Valley cities to Whittier, where the city’s Mayor Joe Vinatieri gathered flag-toting residents at the corner of Leffingwell Road and First Street to honor the soldier.
Vinatieri encouraged attendees at the State of the City breakfast Thursday morning to spread the word and line the procession route to show support and respect.
Officers from the Whittier Police Department escorted the cortege as it exited the 57 freeway into the city.
“We so much appreciate the family and (Matthew) for choosing to go into the U.S. Army,” Vinatieri said. “One of our values in Whittier that we cherish is supporting the families of our Armed Forces and our veterans. From generation to generation, we’ve been there to do everything we can to help and support them. That’s what we do. We will do that here.”
Perez, a paratrooper assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, died from injuries sustained during training at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Johnson, La.
Army PFC Matthew Perez, a paratrooper assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, succumbed to injuries sustained during training at the Joint Readiness Training Center on Sept. 13, 2024. Picture is his officialU.S. Army Airborne photo. (Courtesy, Laura Herzog, founder, Honoring Our Fallen).
Family was everything to Perez, from his parents and three siblings, to the one he had just started with his wife Jessica, and her daughter Sofia, 4, whom he called his “bonus daughter.”
Married in May, the couple recently announced they are expecting their first child. The baby is due late April. Perez is also survived by his parents Jose and Vanessa, brothers Baltazar and Lino and sister Sophia.
Perez joined the Army in 2023, shortly after graduating from La Habra High School. He volunteered for paratrooper training and completed basic training and Airborne School before being assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division.
The Army has not confirmed if Perez died during a parachute jump and if an injury to another soldier that occurred the same day is related. Army Lt. Col. César Santiago, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne Division,
Army officials could not be reached for comment on the investigation.
A funeral with full military honors is planned for noon Monday, Sept. 30, at All Souls Cemetery and Mortuary, following a Mass in a Bellflower church.