PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. -- The 21st Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordinance Disposal Flight hosted a four-mile memorial ruck in remembrance of Airman 1st Class Matthew Seidler, 21st CES EOD technician, at Peterson SFB, Jan. 6, 2025.
Seidler was killed by an improvised explosive device on Jan. 5, 2012, while deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. He was performing route clearance while attached to a U.S. Army platoon. The rest of Seidler's team, Team "Tripwire", Tech. Sgt. Matthew Schwartz and Senior Airman Bryan Bell, also lost their lives that day.
“We’re here to memorialize [A1C Matthew Seidler] and his team and put in some effort in their memory,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Alford, EOD Team Leader. “Any time we get the chance to memorialize those who have fallen, who have paid the ultimate price of being an EOD tech in a time of war, is a great activity.”
The ruck began and ended at the A1C Matthew Seidler Memorial on Peterson Space Force Base near Peak View Park. Many of the attendees wore rucks, while a couple of Airmen wore their full EOD bomb suits for the duration of the ruck.
“His memory is never forgotten; his name never leaves our mind. For his family, teammates, and friends, we ensure that the story of Seidler and Team Tripwire lives on.,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jonathan Herman, 21st CES commander, “He was the first Airman killed in action out of Peterson Air Force Base during the Global War on Terror, so it’s important that we remember the legacy of A1C Seidler.”
The EOD flight extended this invitation to the entire civil engineer squadron, with a turnout of roughly 100 Airmen coming together to remember Seidler and his team.
Herman shared his personal connection to the ruck and the story of Seidler; describing how significant the ruck is to him and the unit.
“As an EOD tech, I knew his teammates, I know his family, I know his parents very close, so it is a personal challenge. It’s important to me personally to make sure that his memory lives forever.”