It’s been 14 years since Matt May parachuted onto Goodrich High School’s football field to deliver the game ball to his younger brother, starting Martian quarterback Lane May.
According to news reports, with the crowd on their feet and the National Anthem blaring, Matt landed on the 50-yard line with the football tucked under his arm and walked over to embrace the brother he had never seen take the field.
‘It was a windy, cold early October day in 2000. My dad was in the stands talking to me on a radio when I jumped,? recalled May, a 1989 Goodrich High School graduate. ‘I really pushed the limits? the clouds were at only 2,500 feet, lower than I care to jump.?
May’s ability to make that special delivery was earned as a Navy SEAL.
There are currently about 2,500 Navy SEALs on nine teams trained to operate in all environments? sea, air, and land. Navy SEALs, highly skilled and intensely disciplined, were established by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 as a small, elite maritime military force suited for all aspects of unconventional warfare. They provide immediate military options amidst crises around the world.
On Aug. 22, Matthew May, 44, a Master Chief Special Warfare Operator, retired from the Navy and his duties as a SEAL after 25 years of service.
‘I was in Mr. Shields? tenth grade science class at Goodrich High School,? said May. ‘One of my classmates said he was going to be a SEAL’I asked him what that was all about? I was 17-years-old at the time. After school I went home and told my mom I was going to join the SEALs. Two months after graduation I was in the Navy. The biggest mistake I ever made was not taking a few months to enjoy not having responsibility. Years later I tell my SEAL candidates that I help to train, ‘You’ll never get that time back in your life.??
‘I’ve stayed in the Navy 25 years and am very satisfied with my career’I would not change a thing,? said May, the son of Larry and Linda May.
May entered the Navy in July 1989. Later that year he attended Basic Underwater Demolition School in Coronado, Calif.
May’s Naval Special Warfare career began with his assignment to SEAL Team Two Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia Beach, Va. He deployed two times in the next four years to Europe and the diving rep, and in support of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) operations in Bosnia. He visited multiple countries including Scotland, England, Italy, Denmark, Holland and Norway. He obtained certifications in all diving operations and maintenance courses, winter warfare operations to include telemark, cross country, and back country guide ski instructor. He would become a Petty Officer Second Class (E5) before leaving SEAL Team Two.
‘One of biggest differences with other military is there’s no separation with regard to rank’we all train together,? he said. ‘I can count on one hand in 25 years that I’ve saluted another SEAL. We are all on a first name basis’SEALS are my friends first and my bosses second. We SEALS are mama’s boys’just big babies. We cry with each other, we cry when our children are born.?
‘The mental aspect of being a SEAL is by far the toughest part,? he said. ‘If you can make it through the physical part you’re only going to get stronger. Men come in and they may be in the greatest shape and as an instructor you’d think they are going to make it. But they wash out. Then some men come in and you think they’ll never make it’no way will they be a SEAL. And they make the best ones. Those candidates that really have to push themselves’the men that are stubborn, who at some point in their life had to fight for what they have, make it. SEAL training is a psychological game’a lot of traditions where an instructor is pushing students past their limits. The person that has never failed will crack when instructors are circling them’they can’t handle the mental aspect.?
In June 1995 May was assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group Virginia Beach, Va. During the next five years he rose in enlisted ranks from E5 to E7. His qualifications include Static Line and Free Fall Jump Master, Tandem/Bundle Master, Air Ops Trainer, Lead Climber, Helicopter Rope Suspension Training/Cast and Recovery Training Master. He also made several operational deployments to Bosnia and Kosovo receiving multiple awards for his actions.
‘When I entered the Navy 25 years ago there were no wars or fighting. There were little skirmishes, but not all-out war,? he said. ‘Over the last 14 years military can expect to see some level of combat. You’re going to fight. Having been in fights, it’s really not what I expected. In combat at first your head is on a swivel very aware of what’s going on’every click or movement you know it. Every night I was afraid; however, after about 90 days things change and you’re not on your game anymore’you get lax. It’s like, ‘My turn’so be it.??
In August 2000 he transferred to Naval Special Warfare Center Det Little Creek as the course manager-lead instructor for Static Line Jumpmaster School. While in charge he graduated more than 150 SEALs.
In May 2003 he transferred to SEAL Team Eight as a Platoon Chief, deploying to Afghanistan. He also deployed to Iraq twice as a Troop SEAL and the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force liaison. He obtained the rank of a SEAL Master Chief E9.
‘The IEDs (improvised explosive devices) were always a threat’I did not want to be blown up. Driving in a truck was extremely miserable you just never know? I’d rather get shot.
‘I’ve been on hundreds of missions and after time your concerns switch from you to your men,? he said. ‘I’ve never lost anyone. Unfortunately, not everyone can say that. When 9-11 occurred I was teaching static lines and had students. They came in and told me. We all went into the lounge and watched the plane hit the second (World Trade Center) tower. We were at war. A few minutes later they sent us all home off base. We were a target then. That same day we all got orders and our training shifted to combat.?
In September 2009 he transferred to Navy Recruiting Command in Millington, Tn. As the head recruiter for SEALs and Navy’s Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen, recruiting for the Navy. While on board May was instrumental in creating the next generation of warriors.
In August 2011 he transferred to Naval Special Warfare UNIT Four, Virginia
Beach, Va. as the Senior Enlisted Advisor. While building teams to combat Trans National Organized crime in Central, South America, and the Caribbean, he traveled to Honduras, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Peru and Chile. That same year he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a specialization in management and graduating magna cum laude from Saint Leo University.
‘It’s just my time to retire,? he said. ‘I have a desk job with the Navy not fighting anymore, other SEALS have taken my place. ‘I’ve been married to Theresa for five years and we have three girls Makenzie,12, Avery, 4, and Sofie, 1. I now will gear toward my family and using my business background in the civilian world.?
Matthew also has two brothers, Chris of Goodrich and Lane of Grand Rapids.
His decorations include Special Warfare breast insignia, Naval Parachutist, three Bronze Stars two with ‘V? Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, three Navy Commendation Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and Combat Action ribbon, along with others.