Lynn Mattocks, a cowboy if there ever was one, sits at a dinner table with friends and family without the slightest bit of ego, despite a lifetime of accomplishments and experiences to be proud of.
Now after 40 years, he has one more symbol to prove it—his second purple heart. What took so long? An “administrative snafu,” explains Lynn, as he conveys his heroic story.
Stationed in Hue City, Vietnam, Mattocks was in the Marine Corps Counter Intelligence, though he didn’t wear the Marine Corps uniform due to the covert nature of his assignment. Lynn served through 24 years of service and three tours of Vietnam, and was employed as a covert intelligence gatherer. He officially retired in 1979.
So what happened? “Got hit in the left wrist by the tailfin of a rocket,” he recalls. “The medic quickly bandaged it up.”
He’s able to recall the details of the story as if it happened just moments ago. “Later that day we were under heavy mortar fire. [A shell came down and exploded nearby.] My arms were covered in shrapnel. I was heli’d out, moved to hospital in the 101st airborne field… I was on another operation a week later.”
Mattocks suffered physically, and he carried a heavy burden while on a mission in a foreign land. For a brief time he was able to revisit his home. “Returned to the states in ’69, and was awarded my purple heart for ‘wounds received’ on 16, September, 1968. Received the certificate in ’69. But the award transmittal letter actually had wound, singular.”
How did this affect Mattocks at the time? “The wounds were wake up calls. I have a strong faith in God, and I know he was by my side. I wouldn’t be here today without him.” A man of character and spiritual inclination, Mattocks believes that the Almighty watched over him while on the battlefield, and is grateful for all that he’s been given.
“So 40 years go by… When I went to the veterans’ facility for financial assistance they said they had to pull all my records to see if what I claimed was factual. So they did an investigation in ’06 that went all the way back,” he says “No B.S. Everything in my life is recorded. I have 20 combat operations. All front line combat.” Lynn only went in for financial assistance, so after the investigation began, “I never gave it much more [thought] of it.”
Lynn continued, “I went to the mail box this week, and there’s a whole thing there, a certificate, a full investigation report, and a purple heart… My wife thought it was great.”
Where is it now? “It’s sitting on my desk. And I can still put my dress blues on any day,” referring to his uniform.
Aside from his military career, Lynn also began a career in the equine industry and rodeo, and worked his way up to the highest levels of both. His love for horses never abating, he currently serves as trail boss along the Santa Rosa Plateau, in Murrieta, California. He also volunteers in schools to help share the history of the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement, and is an active member in veteran’s assistance programs.
After such great accomplishments, what advice does Mr. Mattocks offer to those who face difficulties in life? “Stay optimistic. Have a lot of perseverance. What goes around comes around. Never say ‘can’t.’ There’s never a mountain you’re unable to climb.” These are the inspiring words of a man who has gone through the darkest of nights and lived to see the day break.
He seems rather unattached to his accomplishments, yet is fully aware of the difficulties he had to go through to achieve them. “I was just doing my job. You’re out to win, to do your very best. Let the chips fall where they may.” He says, “I was only 5’ 4, 115 lbs. I was told I couldn’t make it past the 9th week in boot camp. I returned a master sergeant in full regalia.”
This appears to be a theme in Lynn’s life. “It was the same with the rodeo. You know, the disbelievers, the naysayers.” These people believed he was too small and couldn’t possibly be able to overcome the challenges at hand. Yet the proof of his ability is with him wherever he goes. He still carries a lifetime membership in the Marine Corps and a lifetime membership of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, considered the holy grail of the Rodeo. “I don’t know anybody who carries both of those in their wallet.”
Regarding his thoughts on war, and his part to play in it, he says, “Not one day goes by where I don’t think about those events in my life.”
Today, Lynn Mattocks is a devoted member of the Equestrian Mounted Unit, and recently rode in a celebration on Veteran’s Day, on Nov. 11. He leads the annual Murrieta 4th of July parade in California atop a noble steed with the American flag in hand.
