ROCKINGHAM — Richmond County held a Memorial Day observance Saturday at Richmond County Veterans Memorial Park to honor fallen service members.
Retired Army Maj. Matt Houston, senior Army instructor for the Junior ROTC program at Richmond Senior High School, served as this year’s guest speaker.
A native of Johnson City, Tennessee, Houston served 21 years in the Army as both an enlisted soldier and commissioned officer. He entered military service in July 1997 as an infantry paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division before leaving the service to attend Appalachian State University and enroll in the ROTC program. Following graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery.
During his military career, Houston served in leadership and staff roles ranging from platoon leader to brigade operations officer. His assignments included posts in Germany, Oklahoma, Texas, Rhode Island, Kentucky and North Carolina, along with deployments to Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. He completed five combat tours, including two in Iraq and three in Afghanistan, before retiring from active duty in 2023.
Houston’s military honors include four Bronze Star Medals, three Meritorious Service Medals and three Army Commendation Medals. He also earned campaign medals for Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the Expert Infantry Badge.
He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Airborne School, Air Assault School and the United States Naval War College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in archaeology from Appalachian State University and a master’s degree in national defense and strategy from the Naval War College.
The observance also included proclamations from the city of Rockingham and Richmond County, presentation of wreaths and a 21-gun salute by AmVets Post 316.
The town of Norman will host a Memorial Day service at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 30, at the Field of Honor.