My Toughest Battle

“I do not recall any other patient who maintained such an active, stressful, and dangerous lifestyle for so long a time as General William Matz. He was fortunate in that the distribution and extent of his weakness primarily involved a foot drop in one of his lower limbs for which a military boot could adequately serve as a splint, reducing functional impairment resulting from the weakness. When I asked him which physical compensatory methods or techniques he relied on over the many years, his response was always, ‘It was natural … I just knew what I had to do.’ Listening to him then, I sensed his story could be inspirational to others, especially those with Post Polio Syndrome.”–John N. Aseff, MD, former Medical Director, Post Polio Program, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital“Inspirational people worthy of emulation are in short supply. This book was written by one of them. Bill Matz is a fighter. All his life he has battled one thing or another, most notably polio and America’s enemies. He is the embodiment of a phrase we don’t hear much anymore: ‘The American way of life.’ … Bill Matz would never call himself a hero. I would … and I am happy to endorse his story: My Toughest Battle!”–Jerry Spinelli, author and Newbery Award winner

Major General William M. Matz, Jr is a highly decorated combat veteran of the United States Army with a distinguished military career spanning four decades. As an infantryman, he served in Korea and Panama, and as a company commander with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, where he was wounded in action in the 1968 Tet Offensive. He served multiple tours in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and was executive secretary to two secretaries of defense. He served two years with the Navy/Marine amphibious forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War and deployed with the 7th Infantry Division to Panama during Operation Just Cause in 1989.

Upon retirement from the Army in 1995, General Matz worked nine years in the defense industry. In 2005, President Bush appointed him to the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission, and he served there until the commission rendered its report to the Congress in 2007. He has served as President of the National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS), and as the eighth Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 2018–21. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Airborne and Ranger Schools, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Gettysburg College and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. Among his military service awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Cross, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

General Matz was born in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Linda reside in Great Falls, Virginia, and have three children and seven grandsons.