Matthew Garvey: A Life Dedicated to
Service
For
those who are anxious or tired or losing focus on the war
effort, the friends of Matthew Garvey would like you to
consider his life.
"It was a life dedicated to the service of the people
of America," said his friend, Rick Helton, who served
with him in the Marine Corps.
Matthew Garvey enlisted in 1981 at the age of 18. In
his 10-year career, he would make sergeant and become a
squad leader in 2nd Anglico, an elite scout team that
went into hostile territory ahead of ground troops. He
served in Beirut and in operations Desert Storm and
Desert Shield.
Mr. Garvey, 37, joined the Fire Department in 1995 and
earned his way into the elite Squad 1 unit based in Park
Slope, Brooklyn.
He was recently accepted to law school, was an active
Marine reservist, studied Kung Fu, played guitar, took
photographs, climbed to the summit of Mount Rainier and
was a rescue instructor for the Fire Department. Books on
his nightstand included: Don Quixote, War and Peace, The
Iliad, Moby Dick. "No one word can describe him," said
his friend and stationhouse mate Gerald Smyth.
There are three: New York firefighter.
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