Sgt. Sean Thomas Mather, son of Jeff and Sandy Mather, will be returning home to Cedar Springs for a four week post-deployment leave mid-September.

Sean is a 2002 graduate of Cedar Spring High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in October 2005 and selected the Cavalry Scout as his military occupational specialty. He was deployed to Iraq in April 2006 where he was stationed at various forward operating bases south of Baghdad. His squadron was responsible for collecting information about the enemy for the brigade commanders. He conducted regular missions to identify insurgent activities, particularly those associated with enemy placement of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).  During his first tour in Iraq, Sean was awarded the Army Commendation Medal, which is presented for sustained acts of heroism or meritorious service, and for valorous actions in direct contact with an enemy force. He was awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in an IED attack during a mission near Baghdad, where his squadron was attacked, killing one of his fellow soldiers and wounding several others.

Sgt. Sean THomas Mather

In September 2008 Sean began a second deployment to Iraq where he conducted patrols and assisted in the training of Iraqi soldiers in preparation for the withdrawal of U.S. forces. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in January of this year. Sean recently returned to Fort Carson, Colorado where he is enjoying spending time with his girlfriend Stephanie and is looking forward to an Elk hunting trip in Colorado. A hunting group on stickbow.com called “Leatherwall” organized the trip for returning soldiers. In January 2010, Sean will be relocating to South Korea for one year.

His parents, brothers Ryan and Ian, and their extended family are all very proud of his service and welcome friends to stop by during his vacation this month.