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Last updated on Sunday, July 22, 2018
(INDIANAPOLIS) - The votes are in and The American Legion, Department of Indiana has named Captain Matthew Heil the 2018 Active Military Person of the Year.
Captain Heil was sponsored by Bloomington Post 19 in the 7th District.
"American Legion officers selected Heil because he exemplifies what a member of the United States Military should be, both in and out of uniform," said 7th District Cmdr. Gina Owens.
Heil grew up with military service in his blood. Military service has always been a tradition in his family and it's a tradition he wanted to continue. After graduating from North Dakota State University in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, he commissioned as a second lieutenant from the Air Force Reserve Training Corps.
He soon entered active duty as a Development Engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
While at Wright-Patterson, he was given assignments as both a Research and Test Engineer with the Air Force Research Laboratory and as the Executive Officer for the Mission Support Group Commander, where he oversaw all support activities for Military personnel as well as contracted civilians.
Soon after he was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan to a NATO Executive Officer for the Brigadier General in charge of Kandahar Airfield. After returning "state-side", he was reassigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina as the Officer in Charge of Combat Systems in the Combat Development Directorate.
He is currently serving as Operations Flight Commander of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Detachment 215 at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana where he is responsible for the training, mentoring, advising and preparing young men and women to serve as future officers and leaders of the Air Force.
The American Legion, Department of Indiana honors local heroes in the fields of military service, law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical services, and educators every year in communities across Indiana. Learn more at www.indianalegion.org.
The American Legion is comprised of more than 77,000 military service veterans who have served honorably during times of conflict in defense of their nation and has been active within Indiana since 1919. The Indiana American Legion has represented veterans from every major conflict since World War II to Iraq and Afghanistan within its membership.
If you have any questions, please contact the Indiana Legion Communications Director Tim Sproles at 317-690-1390 or by email at communications@indlegion.org
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