Marine killed in training crash served until the end

His parents — both retired from the U.S. Air Force — could say nothing to convince him otherwise.

“We tried to get Matt to go into the Air Force, but he wasn’t buying it,” said Michael Determan, Matthew’s father, over the phone. “He wanted to be the best of the best, and that’s all there was to it. He put his mind to it, and everything he did in the Marines was great.”

On Saturday, the Determan family mourned the death of 21-year-old Matthew Determan, who was one of two Marines killed in an MV-22 Osprey crash while training in Hawaii on May 17. He was pronounced dead May 19.

At the Church of Our Lady of the Desert, 7101 W. Picture Rocks Road, a Marine from the honor guard of Bulk Fuel Company Alpha presented Matthew’s mother, Charlesa Determan, with a folded American flag. The church overflowed Saturday, with many waiting outside to pay their respects. Nearly 20 Marines from the Tucson honor guard, along with several others who knew Matthew personally, attended, said 1st. Sgt. Jason Hamm. The lance corporal was honored with a 21-gun salute.

During the service, the Rev. Greg Wiest highlighted that like Jesus Christ, Matthew understood “the power of service to protect life.”

His father called Matthew a “Marine’s Marine” who served until the end. The donation of Matthew’s organs has saved four lives, so far.

“That’s the only shining light in this whole thing,” Michael said. “Matt actually saved four people, confirmed.”

The family had been on “pins and needles” since Matthew’s deployment with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit earlier this month, Michael said.

Assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, “Matthew has always been a free spirit — strong-willed and determined,” said his grandmother Mary Determan, reading from a statement prepared in advance for the funeral. “He loved to argue. He loved to fight. He never backed down. He was tough and resilient.”

Matthew’s desire to join the Marine Corps started young, maybe at the age of 10, his father said.

“When 9/11 happened, he took that to heart,” Michael said, adding that Matthew’s grandfather served as a Marine.

Although Matthew loved history, he cared little for school but graduated from Compadre Academy in Tempe when he realized “he had to graduate to get to the Marines,” his father said. The family lived in Ahwatukee for years but moved back to Tucson, where Determan was born and where the family had previously lived, in August.

His grandmother, reading from the prepared statement during a phone interview, listed things Matthew loved: movies, football, video games, music, animals, his friends, his sister, his brother. Even when Matthew was stationed at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, his 23-year-old brother, Taylor Determan, still visited often, making weekend trips from Arizona. The brothers were “inseparable,” Michael said, adding that their 26-year-old sister Ashley Determan “always tried to supervise Matt, and that wasn’t the easiest thing in the world.”

In the Marine Corps, Matthew was awarded National Defense Service and Global War on Terrorism Service medals. He excelled, his family said, whether serving others or enjoying life.

On his last trip home, he insisted on going fishing. Michael took his two sons and brother up to a lake on Mount Lemmon. He felt something coming that day. He thinks Matthew did, too.

“It was the perfect day, that day,” Michael said. He remembers fishing with his son when, “he just said to me, ‘I love you, Dad.’ ”

He points to his son’s last Facebook post before deployment: “See you on the flip side America haha nothing but love goes out to all my friends and family, till I see you all again be safe and keep my brothers of 3/1 in your prayers.”