Family recalls Fairchild airman’s devotion, caring

Just weeks ago Matthew Walrod’s medical skills saved a Honduran girl.

The 18-month-old had fallen on a large knife, suffering a deep cut. She needed stitches, and her parents brought her to the closest and best help they could – Air Force Staff Sgt. Walrod at the nearby military base.

The 26-year-old Fairchild Air Force Base independent duty medical technician stitched up the girl and sent her home. “It’s the best thing I’ve done,” said Walrod at the time.

That last good work is a testament to his caring nature, family members said Friday from their homes in Olympia and McCleary, Wash.

Walrod was killed Wednesday evening in an automobile accident in Honduras.

Details of the accident remain unclear, but one other airman was also killed and another was injured.

“His new assignment got him jazzed up about medicine,” said Walrod’s grandmother, Rosemary Walrod, who added, “He’s never been one to brag about his accomplishments.”

Assigned to the 92nd Medical Group Family Health Clinic, Walrod was deployed as an independent duty medical technician in January. His 120-day mission was part of the New Horizons 2006 joint training exercise between the U.S. and Honduras. Walrod provided medical care to both military and civilians.

Both airmen and soldiers praised the man they called “Doc” in a Fairchild Connection story published just two weeks before his death.

Army Master Sgt. Robert Comtois, a paramedic with 34 years of experience, said Walrod made the extra effort for his patients. “Typically most medical personnel aren’t as caring, but he has a good bedside manner and the ability to put people at ease,” Comtois said in the March 3 story.

That’s nothing new, said his mother and grandmother. Walrod always cared for others.

In an e-mail sent just last week to his grandmother, Walrod wrote about treating Honduran people in mountain villages.

“I’ve never seen poverty at such a level. However it is exciting to be able to help so many individuals,” he wrote.

On Friday, Walrod’s mother, Debbie Jackson, leafed through stacks of her son’s childhood awards and accomplishments.

Crying, she read aloud a school paper, “Heroes are neat,” written when he was 8 or 9 years old. In it Walrod wrote about how his mother was his hero: “We do fun things together, like go fishing or play Nintendo or have a water balloon fight. … My mom is like a piece of gold to me.”

“This is the most amazing young man, who from boyhood to adulthood followed Jesus in everything he did,” said Jackson. “He wanted to go further from Honduras. God took him back.”

Walrod, who was born in Olympia, joined the Air Force the summer after he graduated from Elma High School in Elma.

Growing up he was active in 4-H and Future Business Leaders of America. His first exposure to medicine was from his mom, a nurse’s aide, and then from caring for animals at the Elma Pet Clinic.

Walrod is survived by his mother and father, Robert Jackson; two brothers; grandparents; and a great-grandmother.

Brother Michael Jackson, who serves in the U.S. Navy, will accompany Walrod’s body home.

A private memorial service will be held Tuesday at Fairchild, but funeral services have not yet been arranged.

When she heard Friday about her son’s actions to help the Honduran toddler, Walrod’s mother’s pride blossomed through the tears.

“My son is a hero,” she said. “My son is a hero.”