Local soldier honored for saving lives
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FORT BENNING, Georgia — U.S. Army Chaplain Captain Matthew Christensen, 43, the son of Polson resident Sue (Decker) Heppner, was awarded the Soldier’s Medal on March 14 in Fort Benning, Georgia. The award, presented for putting one’s life in danger while saving others, is the highest honor given to a non-combat soldier.
On Feb. 29, 2015, in Alaska, Christensen and three others were being held hostage by a suicidal soldier who threatened to kill them. When the soldier began to swing a machete, Christensen grabbed and restrained the soldier, ending the hours-long standoff.
When the incident occured, Christensen was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Christensen graduated from Flathead High School in 1992, attended the University of Montana for one year before enlisting in the Army where he served for six years. After discharging, he earned his Master of Divinity degree and then re-enlisted after two years of serving a parish in Junction City, Kansas.
“He put his life in danger to save the lives of two other soldiers in Alaska,” Heppner said. “I’m a proud mother of my son.”
