Captain Matthew Howell was born in Clarksville, TN and raised in Big Lake, MN. He graduated from West Point in 2016, earning a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Engineering and commissioning as an Armor Officer. Immediately following, CPT Howell attended Armor Basic Officer Leaders Course (ABOLC) and Army Reconnaissance Course (ARC) at Fort Benning, GA. He was first assigned to 2-34 AR “Dreadnaughts”, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, KS.
CPT Howell served at Fort Riley, KS from 2017-2020. CPT Howell was first assigned to B “Bulldawgs” Company, 2-34 AR as a Tank Platoon Leader from 2017-2018. His second assignment was the Executive Officer for HHC “Hoplites”, 2-34 AR. CPT Howell rotated to Camp Humphries, Republic of Korea in 2017 and Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland in 2019 while serving with 2-34 AR.
CPT Howell joined 2-5 CAV “Lancers” 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division in October 2020 after graduating Maneuver Captain’s Career Course (MCCC) and Cavalry Leader’s Course (CLC). He immediately joined the battalion in Europe serving as an advisor on the Georgian Defense Readiness Program – Training (GDRPT) team at the Vaziani Combat Training Center in the Republic of Georgia from December 2020 to March 2021. CPT Howell served as the BN AS3 as his second assignment in 2-5 CAV with the 2-5 CAV HQ at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania for the remainder of the battalion’s rotation to Europe. He took command of the battalion’s tank company, C/2-5 CAV “Crazy Horse”, shortly after redeploying from Europe.
CPT Howell’s schools include Maneuver Captains Career Course, Cavalry Leaders Course, Basic Officer Leaders Course, Army Reconnaissance Course, and Airborne School. CPT Howell’s awards include: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Medal, and Overseas Service Medal.
CPT Howell and his wife, Courtney, currently reside in Monticello, MN with their three daughters, Eleanor, Ruth, and Mabel.