Lt. Colonel John "Hughie" Mathews

16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division

KIA, June 6, 1944

*****

John Hubert Mathews never even reached the sand of Omaha Beach, but he was hardly an inexperienced combat officer. With a Silver Star from the Oran Offensive, the Distinguished Service Cross from action in Sicily, and extensive combat experience in North Africa, he had more than proven his bravery and valor. As a Lieutenant Colonel, he helped lead the first wave of troops to hit the beach that morning. Hubert was the highest ranking officer in the 1st Division killed on D-Day.

A graduate of Augusta Military Academy and West Point, Hubert spent his entire career as an infantry officer, serving throughout the country and in Panama before the US entered the Second World War. By the time he went into combat in North Africa, he was a Major with the 16th Regiment. In Tunisia, his 3rd Battalion held at bloody Kasserine Pass. In the summer of 1943, the 1st Division moved into Sicily, and after months of intense, hill-to-hill battle, the 16th Regiment took Troina on August 6, 1943.

By the fall of 1943, with Sicily secured, Hubert and the 1st Division were brought to England for a brief opportunity to rest and retrain. On June 6, 1944, Hubert was near the front of a landing craft moving toward the Easy Red sector of Omaha Beach in the angry morning seas. When the landing ramp came down, Hubert was hit by the onslaught of enemy fire and killed instantly. He was not quite 37 years old.

Hubert & Dolores’ daughter Barbara has carefully compiled the mementos of her parent’s lives, and spoke emotionally about the love they shared. Marianne Reissig, Hubert's eldest daughter, powerfully conveyed her love for the father she was never able to know.  Hubert's nephew Allen spoke candidly about Hubert's sense of humor and lasting friendships. John Carroll and Jess Weiss both served under Hubert in the 16th Regiment, and were able to shed light on his personality as a commanding officer. Those that knew Hubert revealed not just a heroic officer but a warm friend and father as well.

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