The Mataxis Men AND WOMAN
Male Family Editions - Grandsons, Kodie Whitlow and Graham Mataxis
Brig. Gen. (R) Theodore C. Mataxis Sr.
Brig. Gen. (R) Theodore C. Mataxis was one of the premier authorities in the United States on Guerrilla war. During his illustrious career, he fought as an infantryman in WW II, Korea and Vietnam. He was continually involved with the observation and study of guerrilla forces. At the end of WWII, when his battalion was deactivated in Berlin, he was put in charge of a prisoner of war camp for German Generals and general staff officers. He supervised historians who recorded the German account of their operations in the Soviet Union, including the collections of German accounts of German efforts against the Soviets and Yugoslavian partisans. While in route to the Indian Staff College in 1950, he stopped at Singapore where the British instructed him in their ongoing counter-guerrilla effort in Malay. At the Indian Staff College, he studied the guerrilla aspects of the British-Afghan wars in detail and traveled up to the Soviet border. After he graduated from the Staff College, he then spent the next year as a UN observer in the guerrilla plagued Kashmir. On his way to the Korean War from Kashmir, he took personnel leave to visit French Indochina to observe France’s war with the Viet Minh guerrillas.
General Mataxis put his studies of guerrilla warfare to practical use in Vietnam. From 1964 to 1966, he served as the senior adviser to the South Vietnamese II ARVN Corps. He helped conduct the Vietnamese defense against the lesser known, but more dangerous Tet Offensive of 1965. When U.S. regular units entered South Vietnam, he took over the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division and swept through key provinces in the II Corps Region, fighting Viet Cong guerrillas and regular North Vietnamese forces. In 1968 to 1970, he was assigned as an adviser to the Military Advisory Group in Tehran, Iran, where he advised the Iranians on their covert plans to assist Kurdish guerrillas in eastern Iraq. He returned to South Vietnam in 1970 where he served as deputy commander and acting commander of the 23rd Infantry Division. The counter-guerrilla war was winding down and American forces were taking increasing casualties from mines and booby traps. General Mataxis was reassigned to Cambodia with one day’s notice. He became the Chief of the Joint Military Equipment Team in Phnom Penh with the mission to build a Cambodian military force of 200,000. However, the American ambassador to Cambodia was more hindrance than help in this effort, and the door was left open to the Khmer Rouge. General Mataxis retired in April 1972 after 32 years of uniformed service.
After retirement from the military, General Mataxis continued his study of guerrilla warfare. He served the Singapore Minister of Defense from 1972 to 1975 as a consultant. During this time, he was able to study the files on the Japanese attack on Singapore and the Malayan Emergency. From 1980 to 1990, he advised and assisted Mujahideen freedom fighters in his capacity as Field Director of the Committee for a Free Afghanistan. He was also active in helping raise support for the anticommunist resistance to the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. General Mataxis has written extensively about guerrilla warfare and taught on the faculty of the American Military University Prior to his death in 2006. I have his file from these experiences/adventures if more details are required.
General Mataxis put his studies of guerrilla warfare to practical use in Vietnam. From 1964 to 1966, he served as the senior adviser to the South Vietnamese II ARVN Corps. He helped conduct the Vietnamese defense against the lesser known, but more dangerous Tet Offensive of 1965. When U.S. regular units entered South Vietnam, he took over the 1st Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division and swept through key provinces in the II Corps Region, fighting Viet Cong guerrillas and regular North Vietnamese forces. In 1968 to 1970, he was assigned as an adviser to the Military Advisory Group in Tehran, Iran, where he advised the Iranians on their covert plans to assist Kurdish guerrillas in eastern Iraq. He returned to South Vietnam in 1970 where he served as deputy commander and acting commander of the 23rd Infantry Division. The counter-guerrilla war was winding down and American forces were taking increasing casualties from mines and booby traps. General Mataxis was reassigned to Cambodia with one day’s notice. He became the Chief of the Joint Military Equipment Team in Phnom Penh with the mission to build a Cambodian military force of 200,000. However, the American ambassador to Cambodia was more hindrance than help in this effort, and the door was left open to the Khmer Rouge. General Mataxis retired in April 1972 after 32 years of uniformed service.
After retirement from the military, General Mataxis continued his study of guerrilla warfare. He served the Singapore Minister of Defense from 1972 to 1975 as a consultant. During this time, he was able to study the files on the Japanese attack on Singapore and the Malayan Emergency. From 1980 to 1990, he advised and assisted Mujahideen freedom fighters in his capacity as Field Director of the Committee for a Free Afghanistan. He was also active in helping raise support for the anticommunist resistance to the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. General Mataxis has written extensively about guerrilla warfare and taught on the faculty of the American Military University Prior to his death in 2006. I have his file from these experiences/adventures if more details are required.
LTC (R) Theodore C. mataxis jr.
Lieutenant Colonel (R) Theodore C. Mataxis Jr. joined the Army Reserve 20th Special Forces Group on 20 OCT 1962 while still in high school during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Commissioned into the Infantry in 1969, he first served as a Platoon Leader in Company A, 1-504, 82nd ABN Division.
He immediately volunteered for Vietnam, where he extended multiple times from 1969 -1972. His first tour and extension were with the 3-187 (Rakkasans) of the 101st ABN DIV where he was a Platoon Leader, S-5, S-2, and D Company Commander. His next extension was as Adviser to the ARVIN ABN DIV with the 8th Battalion during Lam Son 719. He extended again for Command of “G” Ranger Company of the 23rd DIV followed by an assignment as an adviser at Plei Kleng and Plei Me with the ARVIN Border Rangers.
Upon returning to the US, he was ODA 535 Commander (HALO/SADM), with A Co, 3 Bn, 5th SFG at Ft. Bragg. The next time he returned to Ft. Bragg was to join the newly formed Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) where he served as the Chief of the Exercise and Evaluation Branch for five years. During Urgent Fury, he was the LNO to ADM Metcalf and Maj. Gen Schwarzkopf. After JSOC he was selected as XO, then DCO for the 7th SFG at Ft. Bragg.
LTC Mataxis then volunteered as the Chief of Operations Planning Assistance and Training Teams (OPATT) and the National Civil Defense Coordinator to the Armed Forces of El Salvador from June 1988 - June 1989. Upon returning to the US, he was selected as the Activation Cell Chief for the reactivation of the 3rd SFG, then was moved to be the Chief, Plans and Operation Division of the recently formed USASOC during Just Cause. Mataxis returned to 3rd SFG at Ft. Bragg as XO and then DCO. During which time, he served as the Rear Detachment Commander for Desert Storm.
Upon his retirement in June 1993, he studied to get both an Education Specialist Degree and his Doctor of Education. The following 22 years, he was with Moore County Schools as a Principal at various schools and Director of The Career and Technical Education Programs. After retiring from Public Education, he went back to work for the government as a contractor with Booz Allen for The USASOC History Office in the newly formed Sensitive Activities Historical Collections division. His next government contract was with RDR at JSOC in the J-7 Directorate. He retired in 2021 to write this book about father’s life.
He immediately volunteered for Vietnam, where he extended multiple times from 1969 -1972. His first tour and extension were with the 3-187 (Rakkasans) of the 101st ABN DIV where he was a Platoon Leader, S-5, S-2, and D Company Commander. His next extension was as Adviser to the ARVIN ABN DIV with the 8th Battalion during Lam Son 719. He extended again for Command of “G” Ranger Company of the 23rd DIV followed by an assignment as an adviser at Plei Kleng and Plei Me with the ARVIN Border Rangers.
Upon returning to the US, he was ODA 535 Commander (HALO/SADM), with A Co, 3 Bn, 5th SFG at Ft. Bragg. The next time he returned to Ft. Bragg was to join the newly formed Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) where he served as the Chief of the Exercise and Evaluation Branch for five years. During Urgent Fury, he was the LNO to ADM Metcalf and Maj. Gen Schwarzkopf. After JSOC he was selected as XO, then DCO for the 7th SFG at Ft. Bragg.
LTC Mataxis then volunteered as the Chief of Operations Planning Assistance and Training Teams (OPATT) and the National Civil Defense Coordinator to the Armed Forces of El Salvador from June 1988 - June 1989. Upon returning to the US, he was selected as the Activation Cell Chief for the reactivation of the 3rd SFG, then was moved to be the Chief, Plans and Operation Division of the recently formed USASOC during Just Cause. Mataxis returned to 3rd SFG at Ft. Bragg as XO and then DCO. During which time, he served as the Rear Detachment Commander for Desert Storm.
Upon his retirement in June 1993, he studied to get both an Education Specialist Degree and his Doctor of Education. The following 22 years, he was with Moore County Schools as a Principal at various schools and Director of The Career and Technical Education Programs. After retiring from Public Education, he went back to work for the government as a contractor with Booz Allen for The USASOC History Office in the newly formed Sensitive Activities Historical Collections division. His next government contract was with RDR at JSOC in the J-7 Directorate. He retired in 2021 to write this book about father’s life.
LTC theodore C. mataxis III
Lieutenant Colonel Theodore “Ted” C. Mataxis III is a native of Pinehurst, NC and enlisted in the United States Army Reserves in April of 2000. After earning the rank of Sergeant, he attended Duke University ROTC and received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Quartermaster Corps in May of 2004.
His past assignments include: Platoon Leader, 824th QM Co (Heavy Airdrop Supply), Fort Bragg, NC; Accountable Officer, 400th QM Co (General Support), Logistics Task Force 548th, 10th MTN Division, Balad, Iraq; Executive Officer/Airdrop Officer, 824th QM Co (HAS), Fort Bragg, NC; Logistics Operations Branch Chief, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) G4, Fort Bragg, NC; Logistics Assistance Team (LAT) OIC, 354th Civil Affairs Bde, Det 20, Baghdad, Iraq; Sustainment Cell OIC, 101st ABN Division HHBN, Bagram, Afghanistan; and Company Commander, 824th QM Co (HAS), Fort Bragg, NC. From 2013-2021 he was assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in Ft. Bragg, NC, where he held the following positions: J4 Support Operations Officer (with 3x international deployments as the J4 (FWD) for a Joint Special Operations Task Force), HHBN Executive Officer, J7 Force Development Exercise Log Branch Chief Deputy, and JSOC’s first Vice Chief of Staff. He last served as a Battalion Commander of the 812th Transportation (TC) Battalion in Charlotte, NC from July 2021-July 2023. He has now been reassigned to JSOC J4 at Fort Bragg, NC and is attending the U.S. Army War College with an anticipated gradation date of summer 2025.
LTC Mataxis completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his graduate studies at North Carolina Central University receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Criminology and Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. His military education includes the Command and General Staff College, Combined Logistics Captain’s Career Course, Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, Civil Affairs Qualification Course, SERE School, Jumpmaster Course, Pathfinder Course, Airborne Course, Parachute Rigger Course, Unit Movement Officer Course, Transportation Coordinators’ Automated Information for Movement Systems Course, Hazardous Materials Technical Transportation Course, Air Movement Operations Course, Automated Air Load Planning Systems Course, and the Standard Army Retail Supply System Management Course.
LTC Mataxis awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (w/ 2OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal (w/1OLC), the Joint Commendation Medal (w/ 1OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (w/ 2OLC), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (w/ 4OLC), the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War of Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/ 2 “M” Devices and Silver Hour Glass, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon w/ numerical “2”, the NATO Medal w/ ISAF Clasp, the Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and Parachute Rigger Badge.
LTC Mataxis is married to the former Ms. Elizabeth Deese and has two wonderful children, Grace who is 15 and Graham who is 12.
His past assignments include: Platoon Leader, 824th QM Co (Heavy Airdrop Supply), Fort Bragg, NC; Accountable Officer, 400th QM Co (General Support), Logistics Task Force 548th, 10th MTN Division, Balad, Iraq; Executive Officer/Airdrop Officer, 824th QM Co (HAS), Fort Bragg, NC; Logistics Operations Branch Chief, U.S. Army Civil Affairs & Psychological Operations Command (Airborne) G4, Fort Bragg, NC; Logistics Assistance Team (LAT) OIC, 354th Civil Affairs Bde, Det 20, Baghdad, Iraq; Sustainment Cell OIC, 101st ABN Division HHBN, Bagram, Afghanistan; and Company Commander, 824th QM Co (HAS), Fort Bragg, NC. From 2013-2021 he was assigned to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in Ft. Bragg, NC, where he held the following positions: J4 Support Operations Officer (with 3x international deployments as the J4 (FWD) for a Joint Special Operations Task Force), HHBN Executive Officer, J7 Force Development Exercise Log Branch Chief Deputy, and JSOC’s first Vice Chief of Staff. He last served as a Battalion Commander of the 812th Transportation (TC) Battalion in Charlotte, NC from July 2021-July 2023. He has now been reassigned to JSOC J4 at Fort Bragg, NC and is attending the U.S. Army War College with an anticipated gradation date of summer 2025.
LTC Mataxis completed his undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and his graduate studies at North Carolina Central University receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology/Criminology and Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology. His military education includes the Command and General Staff College, Combined Logistics Captain’s Career Course, Quartermaster Officer Basic Course, Civil Affairs Qualification Course, SERE School, Jumpmaster Course, Pathfinder Course, Airborne Course, Parachute Rigger Course, Unit Movement Officer Course, Transportation Coordinators’ Automated Information for Movement Systems Course, Hazardous Materials Technical Transportation Course, Air Movement Operations Course, Automated Air Load Planning Systems Course, and the Standard Army Retail Supply System Management Course.
LTC Mataxis awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (w/ 2OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal (w/1OLC), the Joint Commendation Medal (w/ 1OLC), the Army Commendation Medal (w/ 2OLC), the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (w/ 4OLC), the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War of Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/ 2 “M” Devices and Silver Hour Glass, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the Army Reserve Overseas Training Ribbon w/ numerical “2”, the NATO Medal w/ ISAF Clasp, the Combat Action Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and Parachute Rigger Badge.
LTC Mataxis is married to the former Ms. Elizabeth Deese and has two wonderful children, Grace who is 15 and Graham who is 12.
R. carson mataxis
R. Carson Mataxis is an Emmy winning editor and animator. He created 3DJoes.com to preserve the sculpt and package art of G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero in 2012. He completed documentation of the figures, vehicles, and playsets with the help of dozens of like-minded fans. Their work continues – documenting peripheral products and preproduction artifacts, and creating Creator Profiles for the legendary marketers, writers, designers, illustrators, and sculptors of the ARAH line. Carson teamed up with fellow archivist Chad Hucal in 2015 to create The Art of G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero, a fully licensed 712 page Omnibus Hardcover documenting every piece of painted ARAH art, and so much more. This unparalleled love letter to the greatest toyline of all time was met with commercial success and critical acclaim. He looks forward to announcing his next licensed project. In the meantime, Carson is developing an all-new line of action figures with former 1980s-1990s Hasbro employees, entitled Operation: Recall!
3DJoes: Dedicated to preserving the rich history of GIJOE.
STACEY MATAXIS WHITLOW
After graduating from UNCG as a NC Teaching Fellow, she immediately started teaching at high school two months before her 21st birthday. She spent over ten years as a NC public school teacher (preschool-12th). In the public schools she focused on social and emotional learning, soft skills development, and stronger literacy. As her career progressed, Mrs. Whitlow went on to teach as a fellow at NCSU and as a full-time college instructor at Durham Technical Community College for well over a decade. She has been awarded teacher of the year at every major educational institution where she has taught (NCSU, DTCC, and RCS).
Her Masters in Rhetoric and Composition from NC State University, along with various coaching/education/professional certifications, allowed her to participate in a variety of other professional arenas while working as an educator. She has worked as a personal and educational consultant, a personal assistant, an office manager for a political action committee, an executive director of a nonprofit, a college admissions consultant, a curriculum developer, a usability consultant for various instructional technology companies, a first-line video editor, a website developer, an editor, a published academic writer and researcher.
In 2020, Stacey officially retired from these roles and embraced a slower way of life as a recently published and award-winning poet, multimedia working artist, and instructor at ART Works Vass.
Her Masters in Rhetoric and Composition from NC State University, along with various coaching/education/professional certifications, allowed her to participate in a variety of other professional arenas while working as an educator. She has worked as a personal and educational consultant, a personal assistant, an office manager for a political action committee, an executive director of a nonprofit, a college admissions consultant, a curriculum developer, a usability consultant for various instructional technology companies, a first-line video editor, a website developer, an editor, a published academic writer and researcher.
In 2020, Stacey officially retired from these roles and embraced a slower way of life as a recently published and award-winning poet, multimedia working artist, and instructor at ART Works Vass.