Pat Dollard

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Family Security Matters:

Marine Corporal Brian Mathews was home on a three-day leave for the 2006 Thanksgiving holiday. He had finished an eight-month tour of duty in Iraq and was planning to leave the military in June, 2007. Corporal Mathews, 21 years old, had enlisted in the Marines on his 17th birthday.

Brian’s mom, Trudy, had been worried about her son’s decision to enlist. This trip home was a rare moment of peace for her.

“He felt on top of his world,” Mrs. Mathews said. “He was real happy. Very, very happy.”

Brian told his mom how Southwest Airlines had let him board first and thanked him for his service to the country over the intercom on the plane. He had plans to see his family and attend another friend’s 21st birthday party while home.

After finishing Thanksgiving dinner with his family, Brian was picked up by his date, Jennifer Bower, 24 years old, from Columbia, Maryland. They were on their second date, having been introduced by a couple whose wedding they attended the previous June. While Brian was stationed at Camp Pendleton they continued to keep in frequent contact.

Brian and Jennifer were waiting for the red light to change at the intersection of Route 175 and Route 108 in Jennifer’s Toyota Corolla. Eduardo Morales-Soriano, an illegal alien with a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit, slammed into their car, spinning it around and crashing the windshield. Morales-Soriano, stepped out of his Nissan Sentra, shaking his head and sat down on the guard rail according to witnesses. He had a valid Maryland driver’s license.

Jennifer and Brian were taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center where they died. When the Mathews arrived, Brian was on life support but an MRI showed no blood flow to the brain. He never gained consciousness and was pronounced dead on Friday morning.

Trudy Mathews recalled her son donating his organs when he went to renew his driver’s license, “I asked him if he really wanted to do that, and he said, ‘Sure, why wouldn’t I? I don’t need them and it could save people.’ That’s exactly what happened. His heart was matched right there at the hospital. And it’s a good heart, a very good heart.”

Brian M. Mathews, Corporal United States Marine Corps Iraq, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on November 29, 2006.

Jennifer Bower and Brian Mathews shared a commitment of service to others.

Jennifer was buried on her 25th birthday. Friends gathered to “remember and celebrate” her life. Described as “infectious and outgoing”, Jennifer was working on a master’s degree in community counseling at Marymount University. She was also an intern at a halfway house working with addicts.

Jennifer wrote on her MySpace profile, “There is nothing better than the feeling of being able to help others.”

At the sentencing hearing of Morales-Soriano the judge read a statement about Jennifer: “She had a kind heart and a great potential for helping others. We will always cherish who she is and what she brought to each of us.”

Brian Mathews wanted to be in the armed services from the age of three, family members recalled. He began playing with GI Joe and wanted to follow in the foot steps of his father, Bill Mathews, and older brother, Kyle Mathews. Brian’s father was a Marine who served in Vietnam and is a retired Navy Captain. Kyle was a Navy pilot and now flies for the Navy Reserves. His older sister Heather is a Naval Criminal Intelligence Service investigator.

Childhood friends recalled Halloweens when Brian dressed in fatigues or as a secret service agent. Playing in the snow, he would ambush them “camouflaged in snowballs.”

On May 28, 2008, Judge Louis Becker sentenced Morales-Soriano to 10 years in prison and five years probation after he pleaded guilty to two counts of automobile manslaughter, avoiding a jury trial. Morales-Soriano may be deported after he serves his sentence. The judge stated his immigration status was a factor in the sentencing.

After months of attending court hearings and rarely discussing the case publically, the Mathews family spoke after the trial to express their frustration with the sentencing.

Trudy Mathews stated, “I am not going to get consolation from this.” She said, “It is ironic, because he (Brian) fought for the system and it failed him.”

Morales-Soriano’s attorney, Brad Goldbloom, said after sentencing that he was surprised his client’s immigration status was a factor.

Morales had been in the country illegally for a year. During this time, he had been charged with four counts related to a drunk driving arrest in Howard County. This case was dropped. Morales-Soriano was never prosecuted, nor was his license suspended.

With Thanksgiving approaching, families and friends must once again deal with the loss of these two young people who should be seated at their family tables enjoying a festive occasion if not for the failure of our federal government to uphold immigration law. An Iraqi war veteran and American hero and a lovely, dedicated young woman, both with bright futures were taken not only from their families on that Thanksgiving night, but America lost two bright stars.

Americans should not have to live in fear in their own neighborhoods.

Enforcement legislation, passed by a few states, has led illegal aliens to leave because the magnets of jobs and taxpayer benefits have been removed. This is a dirty little secret that elected officials in Washington on both sides of the aisle do not want you to know.

Are you concerned about this epidemic of death at the hands of illegal aliens? Tell your elected officials what you think.
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