November 14, 2022 by the Partyka Family
On July 3, 2022, our son US Marine Corps Sgt. Matthew P. Partyka died by suicide on board Camp Lejeune, North Carolina while on active duty. This continues to be an overwhelming loss for our family, and for the many others who loved our dear Matthew. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the many organizations and individuals who did their best to make this challenging time a little bit easier by helping us to honor our son and brother. We would like to thank US Congressman Stephen Lynch and his staff for all their assistance.
We would also like to thank the Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Port Authority personal, TSA Honor Guard and the Commonwealth’s Veterans’ Services Secretary Cheryl Poppe, as well as Rep. Joan Meschino and Senator Patrick O’Connor. We would also like to thank Hingham town officials, including the Hingham Police and Fire Departments, and the Director of Veterans’ Services for Hingham Senior Chief Petty Officer Keith Jermyn, USN (Ret.). The show of honor by all the first responders on the overpasses on our way back to Hingham was so special and touching to us as we journeyed home with Matthew.
We are also grateful for the care and assistance we have received from Staff Sergeant Kyle R. Owens, our Casualty Assistance Calls Officer along with all the Marine Corps Brothers and Sisters that Matthew had the pleasure of serving with over the years. Each one of you exemplify all that is the best of our military, and we are enormously proud of your service.
We owe great thanks to many local organizations and businesses who assisted us in a variety of ways as we laid Matthew to rest and honored him: Military Families Foundation of Swampscott, East Coast Printing of Hingham, Hart Brothers Catering of Rockland, Fotique Photography of Hingham, the Jarhead, and Infidals Motorcycle Clubs, All State Mobil Wash of Hanover, Eagle Flag of America Inc. of Hingham, 50 Flags Campaign of Hingham, Raffael’s at The South Shore Country Club of Hingham, Ramon Liriano Photography, Downing Cottage Funeral Chapel of Hingham and to all of the anonymous people who gave to us their time and talent. We also thank the anonymous mourner who added a USMC flag to Mathew’s grave, it brought tears to our eyes and warmth to our hearts.
We would also like to offer a very deep and heartfelt thanks to our neighbors, the many residents of Hingham who honored Matthew by their presence on the streets of our town as he returned home. To see so many of you on that night, standing by with American flags and Marine Corps flags, families in their Hingham shirts and caps, small children in their pajamas, Little Leaguers in their uniforms standing by Haley field where Matt himself once played, holding candles and flashlights, was such a wonderful tribute to our son and brother, and lifted our crushed spirits so much. Some of you knew Matthew—former teachers and coaches, businesspeople, fellow students and athletes, members of our faith community—but many of you did not, and yet you stood by to show our family that your care and concern was with us, and that you were grateful for Matthew’s all too brief Marine Corps service. We are deeply thankful to all of you, and we will never, ever forget these kindnesses.
We remain heartbroken by this loss, but we are also committed to using our grief to fuel us in action on behalf of US service men and women and Veterans. We find some comfort in the hope that Matthew’s death will shine a bright light on the issue of military mental health, and especially military suicides. Each day in our country, 21 Veterans and one active-duty military member die by suicide. Now that we know this, and have experienced this terrible kind of loss firsthand, we are committed to raising this issue wherever and however we can and taking steps to change these tragic and unjust statistics in ways large and small. We hope you will join us in our efforts, and you can do so by calling on Congress to designate the Sunday after Veteran’s Day as a national day to raise awareness about suicide among our veteran population. Seven former Department of Veterans Affairs secretaries would like to have a resolution naming this Sunday in November as “National Warrior Call Day.” Please consider reaching out to a veteran on November 13th this year and let them know that someone cares about them. Addressing isolation may help in reducing suicide. September is Suicide Prevention Month, and we would like to see September 22nd designated as National Veteran and Military Suicide Prevention and Awareness Day. Even without a special day designated to this ongoing tragedy, please keep our active duty military and veterans in your hearts and thoughts.
Currently there are several federal bills that address military suicide, one is the bipartisan Military Suicide Prevention in the 21st Century Act, H.R. 5352, which authorizes a pilot program utilizing innovative technology-related resources to reduce the risk of suicide among servicemembers. Pending action in the Senate is the Strong Veterans Act, H.R. 6411, which is a package of bills that significantly expand VA mental health and counseling programs as well as access to crisis support and suicide prevention resources. Please research these bills and others that address this national tragedy and consider letting your elected representatives know about your interest in preventing military suicide.
With our eternal gratitude,
Maureen, Greg, Kathleen, and Caroline