The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC is endorsing the 71st Combat Veteran For Congress; he is a social and fiscally conservative candidate who will work to rein in the out of control spending by the Obama Administration.  He will work to unleash the private sector to grow once again, create jobs, and stimulate private sector business investment. Lt Col Dan Matthews, USAFR (Ret) http://www.danmatthewsforcongress.com resides in Mukilteo, Washington and is a 22 year veteran of the US Air Force and US Air Force Reserve.  Lt Col Matthews is running for the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District of Washington State.  He is running for election to the seat held by 6 terms Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA-2) who has no previous military service, and is a Pelosi clone who has consistently voted to increase taxes, for the out of control spending, voted over 12 years to increase the debt ceiling, and consistently votes to expand the federal budget.  Dan Matthews’ father served in the US Coast Guard; he was born on November 23, 1949 in Seattle, Washington, and graduated from Shorecrest High School in Seattle, Washington.  On May 28, 1972 Dan Matthews graduated from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington with Honors and received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science Degree; he was designated as a Distinguished Graduate in the Air Force ROTC Program.    In September 1975, while still in the US Air Force, Captain Matthews matriculated at Golden Gate University in San Francisco, CA and on June 10, 1975, he received a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA).

Dan Matthews was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force via Air Force ROTC on graduation from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA on May 28, 1972.   2nd Lt Matthews received order to undergraduate Pilot training at Vance Air Force Base and received his wings in June 1973, he went on to Advance Flight School completing training in March 1974.  He was assigned to the 86th Military Airlift Squadron (MAC) at Travis Air Force Base, CA flying C-141 Starlifter jet transports.  In January 1974 2nd Lt Matthews, as a Co-pilot, flew multiple missions to Southeast Asia, with 8 missions into the Vietnam combat theatre on airlift missions.  2nd Lt Matthews was promoted to First Lieutenant on July 1, 1975; from April 10 thru May 30, 1975, he flew 22 hours in the Vietnam Refugee Airlifts at the end of the Vietnam conflict.  On June 7, 1977 1st Lt Matthews was promoted to Captain; Captain Matthews logged a total of 3000+ hours, until his resignation from the US Air Force on February 1, 1979.  On February 2, 1979, Captain Matthews accepted a commission as a Captain in the US Air Force Reserve; he was assigned to the 97th Military Airlift Squadron (MAC) ART McCord Air Force Base in Tacoma, WA.  On May 28, 1986 Captain Matthews was promoted to Major.  On September 15, 1990, Major Matthews was recalled to active duty in support of Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm, and flew to Saudi Arabia as an Aircraft Commander of a C-141B; he flew 14 airlift missions into the combat zone, and flew 53 combat hours under extremely hazardous conditions; he returned to CONUS in May 1991.   Major Matthews was released from active duty on December 15, 1991.  For combat duty he was awarded the Air Force Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation, and various service and campaign medals. 

Major Matthews reported back to McCord AFB and was assigned the billet of Squadron Safety Officer; on May 28, 1992 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assigned the billet of Command Pilot.  After 22 years of service with 4000 + hours of flight time Lt Col Matthews retired from the US Air Force Reserve on May 29, 1994 with an Honorable Discharge; his medals and awards include the Air Force Aerial Achievement Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, an Air Force Unit Citation, multiple service and campaign medals.   Dan was hired as a commercial pilot by Northwest Airlines on April 2, 1979; he subsequently flew for Delta Airlines completing commercial service after 30 years, on April 1, 2010 he retired as a Senior Captain Instructor, qualified in the Boeing 747 with 24,000 flight hours.  In September 2010, Dan accepted a position as a 747 Contract Instructor Pilot for the Boeing Company.   He is a qualified Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) having completed training in the Armed Pilots Program by the US Federal Air Marshal Service.  In his professional career as a pilot Dan has flown the T-37, the T-38 Jet trainer, the C-141 Starlifter, jet cargo transports for the USAF; and the Boeings 727, 757, 747, and the DC-10 passenger jets in commercial aviation, as well as, Float Planes (SE-Sea) for fun.   From January 1987 to January 1981, Dan served an elective term on the Shoreline School Board in Shoreline, WA; from 1990 -1991 he was a member of the Federal Relations Network for the Washington State School Directors Association, and he lobbied Congress in Washington, D.C. in support of educational issues. Lt Col Matthews has been endorsed by Snohomish County GOP, Whatcom County GOP, Island County Republicans, San Juan County Republicans, Washington State Farm Bureau, US Senator Slade Gordon (Ret), Mr. Robert Meyer (Ret CIA Officer), Capt Doug Roulstone, USN (Ret), Rev Joe Fuiten, and Rev Les Welk. Lt Col Matthews is a member of the Reserve Officers Association (ROA), the VFW, the American Legion, Celebrate America (a patriotic, educational, and service organization), a Lifetime Member of the NRA, Rotary International, founding member of the Cousteau Society, a contributor to the Nature Conservancy, a former Little League Coach, the Naval Institute, the Heritage Foundation, the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA-Union), a member of the Board of Directors of the Mountain View Assembly of God in Marysville, WA, a Little League Coach, and a signatory to The Manhattan Declaration.  Dan and his wife Janis of 39 years are members of the Mountain View Assembly of God Church; they have been active in the church program to feed the homeless, and Dan served on the Church Board of Directors as past president, Treasurer, and Trustee.  Dan and Janis have four children, Erin Melissa (age 33), Richard (age 31 who is a C-17 pilot), Todd (age 27), David (age 24) and they have 4 grandchildren.  

If you review Lt Col Dan Matthews, USAFR (Ret) positions on various issues, you would be pleased with his stands; they agree with the Combat Veterans For Congress Mission Statement. The Combat Veterans For Congress PAC are pleased to endorse Lt Col Matthews, we look forward to working with him, and we are gratified that a Combat Veteran of his caliber is running for the U.S. House of Representatives.  If you have friends, associates, or relatives who know voters in Washington State, kindly pass this email onto them and ask them to support Lt Col Matthews by working in his campaign, providing financial support for his campaign in any amount, and/or by networking with others who would be willing to support his campaign. We have endorsed another Combat Veteran For Congress who General George Washington would have approved of, he is a Veteran who at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The Unites States of America” for an amount “up to and including his life.”