Captain Matthew S. Leck '04

Company Commander in Logistics, United States Special Operation Command
October 2016

Two trips to Tijuana, Mexico, through Loyola’s summer service program instilled in Captain Matthew S. Leck ‘04 a lifelong devotion to duty and service. Now a company commander in Logistics assigned to the United States Special Operation Command (USASOC) headquartered at Fr. Bragg, North Carolina, Leck will depart next month for a four-month deployment to the Middle East.

“The trips were life changing,” Leck says of his summer service experience where he helped build schools. “They provided me with a broader perspective of the world we all live in. There was no question I had to be of service in this life after those trips.”

At Loyola, Leck played water polo and swam for Coach and Director of Alumni Relations Dennis R. Stonequist ’90. “Matt taught me more about how to be a leader and role model than any student that I have ever worked with,” Stonequist says. “He was there during my early coaching years when I was just testing the waters, to say the least.”

Leadership opportunities on these teams afforded Leck the chance to develop confidence in himself and his team. “Coach Stonequist gave me leadership responsibilities and emphasized the concept of a team,” he remembers. A victory over New Trier in the 2003 water polo sectional game and subsequently advancing the team to state, where they grabbed a fourth place finish, remains one of Leck’s favorite Loyola memories. “It was the culmination of the team concept taught by Coach Stonequist,” he says.

In the classroom, Leck calls O’Shaughnessy Resource Teacher Ms. Joan Dowdle “instrumental” in achieving success at Loyola and later at Xavier University. “She gave me the tools to tackle academics and instilled in me the confidence required to be successful,” he says.

“Matt was always a very motivated student,” says Dowdle. “And he didn’t let any difficulties or obstacles deter him. As he went through Loyola, it was awesome to witness how much his confidence grew and with that, his leadership skills became very evident.”

After graduating from Xavier University where he majored in business management and participated in Army ROTC, Leck was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army as a Transportation Officer. Since then, he has been in continuous service, attaining the rank of Captain and serving tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Last November, Leck completed the 62-day Army Ranger School, the premier leadership course of the U.S. Army and one of the toughest training courses for which a soldier can volunteer. He completed the rigorous course the first time through, an achievement claimed by only 15 percent of soldiers.

In addition, Leck recently finished his company commander time in the 82nd Airborne and now serves as a Troop Commander in Logistics. Among his many accomplishments, he takes great pride in being a jumpmaster—an expert paratrooper who teaches techniques for jumping from airplanes. “It’s an incredible responsibility,” Leck says of the role. “The jumpers’ lives are in your hands throughout the airborne operation.”

Leck continues, “There is a direct line from what I learned at Loyola and what I do today. Loyola taught me, at a critical time in my development, what it meant to be responsible, to be there for people, to put aside the ego for teamwork, to feel the satisfaction of placing others’ needs ahead of mine and to truly understand that we are called to serve.”

In 2012, Leck married his wife Lana and is now a proud step dad to Ava, Alex and Max. This past June, he received his MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

“The teamwork, the motto of women and men for others, leaders in service and the love I learned at Loyola are the values I call upon everyday in my personal and professional life,” he says.

In November, Leck will depart for his third deployment to the Middle East.

Veterans’ Day is Friday, November 11. Loyola Academy pays tribute to our Ramblers who are serving or have served in the United States Armed Forces. Please click here to view our Ramblers in the Military web page and keep all of them in your prayers.

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