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There are still nearly 100,000 American service members stationed far from home in Afghanistan. NBC's Jim Maceda profiles Capt. Matilda Howe- a single mother of four, a grandmother and a company commander in Afghanistan.
Capt. Matilda Howe is an impressive mix of raw energy and uncanny focus. And she needs to be: she’s the company commander in charge of keeping a key combat aviation brigade in Afghanistan's Logar province in the fight. Whether it’s fuel for her Apache and Chinook helicopter gunships, or drinking water for 4,000 soldiers - every nut, bolt, frozen vegetable, bullet or Hell-Fire missile comes under her watchful eye, as she stays one step ahead of her forward operating base’s needs. The sergeants who have to keep up with her call her "the Energizer Bunny."
But "Mattie," as she likes to be called, has a softer side, too. In her Echo Co. headquarters she anxiously awaits the next mail call and the arrival of the latest crazy nail polish from the States. She calls her 79 soldiers "her children" and knows something about mothering. When Mattie joined the Army at the age of 24 she already had four kids, and signed up on a bet she couldn’t handle the military and her large family. Not only did she thrive in the Army, she also adopted a fifth child. Today, at 36, she’s a grandmother.
"I could never have made it without my mother," she’ll tell you with tears in her eyes. Doris Gardner, herself a 50-something cancer survivor, has taken charge when it’s mattered most, watching over all the kids – her grandkids – during Mattie’s five overseas deployments. In spite of the distances and long stretches of time away from home, Mattie has tried hard to be a mother to her own. She’s addicted to Skype, calling home at least one, even two hours a night, if possible. She likes to "hang out" with her family, who gather in their living room back in Colorado Springs and chat, via cyberspace. Mattie is also good at sending short video clips she makes from her Flip camera about her life in Afghanistan and her mission there.
Mattie says she draws strength from her family, and those roots go deep – she’s also a full blooded Navajo, the first in her family to leave the reservation back in Jeddito, Ariz.; the first to complete high school and the first to get a college degree.
Captain Matilda "Mattie" Howe, Echo Co 2-10 Combat Aviation Brigade, the commander in charge of keeping a key combat aviation brigade in Afghanistan's Logar province ready for the fight, discusses the importance of family in her life.
"In my culture, family is the foundation of life," she says. Sticking together as one gives Capt. Howe the time and space to focus on her demanding job in a war zone. She has no illusions about how dangerous that can be – her unit has lost five pilots since July. But Mattie also gets strength from her tribe, and a special prayer dance performed by her grandfather before she left for Afghanistan often brings her peace, she says.
Mattie Howe is a single mom and a half marathon runner who happens to wear a uniform and defend her country. She never shies away from a challenge – I learned that the hard way when I boasted I’d beat her in a 100-yard dash, back on base. She not only smoked me but left me writhing in pain with a pulled hamstring.
She says she’s just an ordinary Native American who loves her country and wants to give back, but she’s also a tough as nails "lifer" who’s in it for the full 20 years, the first female commander in her brigade. She even dreams of becoming a general some day.
One thing’s for certain – Mattie Howe will never slow down.
Jim Maceda is an NBC News correspondent who is based in London and covers Afghanistan extensively. You can watch his series "Far From Home" on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and on msnbc.com.
Leave a Comment:
It's good all Californian's are not as dense as you Concerned..... Least wise I hope not...
KennyB,
I wonder if that's the same advice you would give to a soldier if they were 'father Matt' instead of 'mother Mattie'.
God bless her
Truly a woman to emulate and be very proud of! Go Mattie! This country needs more women of her ilk!
Well, isn't she special... what a pathetic example of motherhood and "success".
Disgusting.
MoonRiverExpress...go to the store and buy some toilet paper, your brain needs to be wiped again.
I've got to take a little exception to someone who basically leaves her four kids to prove out a bet. Sounds like this one individual has somehow made it work out (as far as we know) with a lot of help from her family, but I still don't even recommend the military as a place to raise kids even if you're married with a spouse living at home to take care of them.
I'll give her credit for at least having done something in life that was somewhat productive, but would not choose her as a role model , we already have more than enough single mothers and fatherless children running about as it is, without holding single motherhood to be an example of the ideal.
Re: Concerned in CA-4261446
I suspect that you have never served in the military nor have any idea about the true American culture. We Native Americans are warriors with a strong spirit and dedication to our family and tribes. I am White Mountain Apache and I live in California, so please next time you decide to spew your ridiculous banter concerning anyone's culture, go take a look in the mirror so you can get a real good look at an ignorant fool and don't clump yourself together with the rest of us in California who do respect this wonderful soldier.
Sounds like a mom who has no problem abandoning her kids. No father at home, and she runs out on them too, to play soldier.
Stupid is as stupid does...enough said.
MSNBStupid....your name says it all.
And YOUR Military credentials for protecting America are?
Zero. When you know a statement is true, and that truth makes you angry, deflect the argument by attempting to insult the person who spoke the truth
For your info Stupid...she hasn't abandoned her kids. You should think twice before spewing lies.
I mean, she talks to them whenever she can, she puts food on the table, and a roof over their head, and her mother looks after them while she is deployed...that sure doesn't sound like she abandoned them. As a Navy brat, I didn't feel abandoned when my old man was overseas, and I'm sure my siblings felt the same way.
If some people shouldn't breed, I would nominate your name on the first ballot, along with a few other ingrates and morons. And that's not a deflection...my aim is true.
Ahéhee' Capt. Matilda Howe! Thank you for your service!
Thank you :)
I commend her....great job! That said I also commend her mother and family for taking over raising her children...that is a rare thing these days...I know getting my mother to babysit for a short period is almost as bad as passing a bill for the government! The message...it took the family pulling together to accomplish this!
For all you single parent haters let us change the picture here a bit. Let us say that the truth comes out that she is a single mom due to the fact that she is a widow. That she lost the love of her life in a tragic accident and just hasn't found anyone she wants to marry. Does that change your idea of her being a bad role model? My uncle passed and my aunt continued on raising my three cousins. All are fantastic individuals and productive citizens. I knew many single parents while serving in the military and while it was not an easy life, and yes it does create unique situations while serving, they were some of the best parents I've ever known. Maybe you should try to understand that being single and raising children is not a sin.
Any of you bad mouthing this soldier....are you willing to fight for your country? Her personal business is her business alone, not yours. Judging her is a sad reflection of your ignorance!
Here here!
She made it everyone's business when she agreed to become a "star" and allow MSNBSTOOPID to publish details about her life and family for all the world to read about and comment on. Facebook generation doesn't care about privacy; they're all stars in their own minds.
Who cares how old she was when she became a mother, do you all ask the same questions of the men serving? nope, didn't think so. So what, she is a mother, a grandmother and in charge of a bunch of soldiers. Atta girl. I am proud she is serving for us here. I am glad she made it out of the reservation.
she is a model for other women and girls of all nationalities. A big ATTA GIRL!!!! to you Mattie.
Here here!
Ok,lets see...she's a Native American who could have chosen to just stay on the rez and take the welfare checks and food stamps and drink and get high all day and night, gaining weight and being lazy because the white man has taken away the proud spirit that once was the Navajo, and Apache and other tribes of our country.....that would be such a great example for her children right? Or she could try to better herself by choosing to serve her country and show a better example to all. And leaving her children to her mother is not a bad idea really is it? After all, she was raised by the same woman, so what is the frigging deal? I am amazed at the ignorant remarks made by some people who don't have anything better to do than to trash someone. There are plenty of women in the military who have left children at home. Are they all bad mothers? And what about the men who left children at home. Are they all bad fathers? I am proud of this soldier and all the other soldiers who fight for us. She wouldn't have to be there at all,none of them would have to be there at all if the governments would end this. Bring all our soldiers home.
I'd say she won that bet...
.
As a Military Brat and Vietnam Vet, I wish to offer Capt. Mattie a properly executed hand salute. I hope you get at least one star before you retire. The pride I feel for the young (and not so young) men and women who serve this country is endless.
Everything about the story is inspiring...except the sad fact that babies having babies continues in her family. That cycle will lead to more poverty and less options. Not all single mothers can join the army and be successful.
On one hand, this woman is performing a service to her country, and she's to be commended.
On the other, her choice has meant she's been away for significant chunks of time over the past twelve years. Part of me can't help but think, "They're her children - not her mom's (despite the apparent closeness of the family). She chose to have them; she should play more of a part in raising them." I'm guessing Grandmom's okay with being a surrogate mom while Capt. Howe is away, but I wonder what effect it has on the kids.
My husband and I are both retired military after 24 years. I am a child of military parents as well. I remember being left with my grandparents while both my parents served their remote tours (12 months). My parents made an effort to keep in touch, and reminded us that we were not abandoned, but being taken care of for the time being by our loving grandparents, who proudly assumed that role.
Single mothers can't seem to escape judgment, if on welfare, they are called lazy and accused of using our tax money to keep having babies and not work. If working hard outside the home without the support of a partner then they are neglecting their children for a paycheck. Even those in the military who made headlines when they used their lack of childcare arrangements or unwillingness to leave their children to get out of deployments, were harshly judged....
Like my grandparents, I would gladly support my daughter and if able to help with her children in her absence while she earned a paycheck, medical benefits and possibly even housing benefits for them. Beats being the grandparent raising kids truly abandoned by truly neglectful mothers and fathers. Deployment rotations do end, and she gets to come home for a while, no where did it indicate that even then her children were being raised by others.
If I had ended up a single mother, I would have still stayed in the military. A guaranteed paycheck twice per month, medical benefits, dental coverage, commissary access, military networks dedicated to supporting our families and a tight knit community where it didn't matter if you were single or married or dual active members or a civilian partner, grandparent, or whatever, we still mowed the lawn of the pregnant ladies whose husbands were gone, or gave the dad left behind a break from the kids, we took care of own. It is not this good for everyone I know, but for those that never served or served long time ago, you might not be aware of the rest of the support network around this children, it is no longer a minority of families with loved ones in permanent deployment rotations, it is the norm and as such in particular for the last 10 years or so, children of military members, single or otherwise have grown up in the deployment era, easily finding other children in the same situation, today's military children are often reminded of the valor and courage credited to their entire family and better supported than before.
Let the woman's children decide how it feels to have their mother be a soldier.
Last, for those commenting how she chose to "play soldier" you don't play soldier in the military. My brother was not playing dead, when he came home in a casket after choosing to become a soldier and eventually sacrificing his life for our mission.
Thank you....
Capt. Matilda Hower did your mom went to IMS, Brigham City Utah?