Thomas Matthews (colonel)

Thomas E. Matthews (born 1949) is a retired United States Army (1972–2002) colonel who is best known for his commanding role in the Battle of Mogadishu in 1993. During the Battle of Mogadishu, Matthews and a Delta Force officer, Lt. Col. Gary Harrell commanded the helicopters Super 6-3 circling over the battle. Matthews was an adviser for the movie Black Hawk Down about the Battle of Mogadishu and was portrayed in the movie by Glenn Morshower.[1] During the Battle of Mogadishu, Matthews was the commander of 1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), of which 5 members of his unit were killed when two Black Hawk Helicopters were shot down by the forces of Somali Warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid.[2][3] Matthews was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal by President Bill Clinton for his actions in Somalia.[4] Matthews later retired from Military Service and works in the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Department of Defense.[4] He currently resides in Northern Virginia with his family.