"My heart still skips a beat when I see him in his uniform"

Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Matthiesen with his wife

I want to salute my husband of seven years, Petty Officer 1st Class Kyle Matthiesen. He is currently an instructor at a Submarine Learning Center here in St. Marys, Georgia but he will be leaving this fall to deploy on the USS Rhode Island, a Trident Subarine.

I am so proud of all his accomplishments but especially his recent Sailor of the Year honor that was presented to him by his command.  Not only was he chosen as the top Sailor at Trident Training Facility but also won the designation as the Top Sailor for all the Submarine Learning Centers worldwide for the U.S. Navy.

Despite all the dedication and hard work that he puts into his job, he still finds time to be a wonderful father to our three children, including our newest son who arrived this April! He is a devoted husband and, even after seven years of marriage, my heart still skips a beat every day when I see him walk up the driveway in his uniform.

We have learned after many deployments that one of the benefits of us being separated for months at a time is that our marriage always feels like it is in the "honeymoon phase" whenever he is at home!

Even though we will miss him when he leaves this fall for deployment, we want him to know that we are so proud of what he does and we want to thank him for being such a wonderful husband and father!

–Megan, Conrad, Sophia, and Vincent Matthiesen

P.S. He would be upset if I didn't mention that he is a devoted Cubs/Bears Fan!

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