Overview

The inspiring life story of a young boy stricken with polio who, through sheer grit, the drive to achieve, and love of the military, overcomes childhood paralysis, takes up the physical challenges of an infantry career and joins the elite airborne forces. Bill Matz earns his Ranger Tab and Master Parachute Badge, and rises to the highest levels of achievement in the U.S. Army. He serves in the DMZ in Korea, leads troops in combat in Vietnam, is wounded in the Tet Offensive, receives the Distinguished Service Cross for Valor, and leads troops again during the Panama invasion-all while wearing a specially fitted combat boot and a foot orthotic device on his atrophied “polio leg.” Later duties include serving as Executive Secretary to the Secretary of Defense during the Reagan years. Retiring as a Major General in 1995 after numerous overseas deployments and an illustrious 30-year Army career, he works in the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Keeping veterans' causes close to heart, he leads the fight on behalf of the wounded, disabled and their families as a member of the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission and as President of the National Association for Uniformed Services, and becomes the guardian of America's war dead as Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission. A witness to or participant in many of the most defining moments of American history of the last sixty years, Bill Matz retired “for the fifth time” in 2021 and remains active as a recognized public speaker and proponent for veterans and the military. My Toughest Battle portrays the personal challenges and inner resources he relied on to meet the demands of service to his nation as an infantryman and paratrooper in times of peace and war, and candidly reveals how he was able to achieve his goals while battling the debilitating effects of polio.

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9781636244983

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Reviews

""In this fine, carefully documented book, you meet William Matz--Billy, Bill, General, Military Contractor, Association Chair, Commission Executive--who vividly details the many phases, adventures and challenges of his life. You experience through his eyes the triumphs and travails of youth, the frustrations of the rice-paddy war in Vietnam, the horror and carnage of terrorism, walking and working the halls of Congress, and caring for the overseas graves of our fallen heroes. ... I commend this book to all. It will be exciting to some, nostalgic to some, instructive to some, but a worthy read to all.""--Fred F. Fielding, Attorney and Counselor, Former Counsel to the President (Presidents Reagan and George W. Bush), Former Commissioner, 9-11 Commission ""An incredible story of courage, perseverance, and commitment. Bill Matz is extraordinary, a leader of character with engrossing perspectives on behind-the-scenes military circumstances. His account of his time as a rifle company commander with the Mobile Riverine Force in Vietnam and his description of the Al-Qaeda attack on his project management compound in Saudi Arabia are fascinating. An illuminating, thought-provoking, inspirational narrative and a great read for anyone who desires to learn more about crisis management.""--Lieutenant General Robert F. Foley, US Army (Ret.), Vietnam Medal of Honor Recipient ""Dedicated to service in the U.S. Army, General Bill Matz had to overcome a childhood filled with the pain of polio. The fact that he overcame all personal challenges and odds to join the Army, became highly decorated for valor in Vietnam combat, and reached the pinnacle of service as a General Officer all testify to his character. A wonderful life story of a true American hero, and a book of personal and professional courage.""--Lieutenant General Joseph Keith Kellogg, Jr., US Army (Ret.), Former National Security Advisor to President Trump and Vice President Pence ""General Matz has written a remarkable book about his childhood struggle with polio and his determination to overcome this obstacle and serve his country in war and peace. It is an inspiring read for every generation.""--Susan Eisenhower, The Eisenhower Institute, Founding Director and President emerita ""Much more than a fascinating story of service and sacrifice. If you've ever wondered about guts, tenacity and sheer determination against the odds to survive and succeed, this story is a revelation. It's hard to imagine how a man so challenged from childhood illness to wartime survival in one of the nastiest areas of the Vietnam War made it to stratospheric levels in the U.S. Army, but William Matz did that and more. Our nation is better because of men like him.""--Captain Dale A. Dye, USMC (Ret.) ""This heartfelt, lively story of courage and faithful service to family, country and the traditional American values of liberty, patriotism and religion is sure to inspire, encourage and reassure readers of all ages and persuasions. Americans searching for an 'uplifting' story of selfless service and overcoming physical adversity will find it in this book.""--Lieutenant General Carmen J. Cavezza, US Army (Ret.), Former Commanding General I Corps and Fort Lewis, Chairman & CEO Emerita, National Infantry Museum Foundation ""I do not recall any other patient who maintained such an active, stressful, and dangerous lifestyle for so long a time as General William Matz. He was fortunate in that the distribution and extent of his weakness primarily involved a foot drop in one of his lower limbs for which a military boot could adequately serve as a splint, reducing functional impairment resulting from the weakness. When I asked him which physical compensatory methods or techniques he relied on over the many years, his response was always, 'It was natural ... I just knew what I had to do.' Listening to him then, I sensed his story could be inspirational to others, especially those with Post Polio Syndrome.""--John N. Aseff, MD, former Medical Director, Post Polio Program, MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital ""Inspirational people worthy of emulation are in short supply. This book was written by one of them. Bill Matz is a fighter. All his life he has battled one thing or another, most notably polio and America's enemies. He is the embodiment of a phrase we don't hear much anymore: 'The American way of life.' ... Bill Matz would never call himself a hero. I would ... and I am happy to endorse his story: My Toughest Battle!""--Jerry Spinelli, author and Newbery Award winner

Author Information

Major General William M. Matz, Jr is a highly decorated combat veteran of the United States Army with a distinguished military career spanning four decades. As an infantryman, he served in Korea and Panama, and as a company commander with the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, where he was wounded in action in the 1968 Tet Offensive. He served multiple tours in the 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions and was executive secretary to two secretaries of defense. He served two years with the Navy/Marine amphibious forces in the Pacific during a second tour in Vietnam and deployed with the 7th Infantry Division to Panama during Operation JUST CAUSE in 1989._x000D_ _x000D_ Upon retirement from the Army in 1995, General Matz worked nine years in the defense industry. In 2005, President Bush appointed him to the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission, and he served there until the commission rendered its report to the Congress in 2007. He has served as President of the National Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS), and as the eighth Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 2018–21. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Airborne and Ranger Schools, the Command and General Staff College and the Army War College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Gettysburg College and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of San Diego. He is also a graduate of Harvard University’s Program for Senior Executives in National and International Security. Among his military service awards and decorations are the Distinguished Service Cross, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star for Valor, Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge. General Matz was born in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Linda reside in Great Falls, Virginia, and have three children and seven grandsons.

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