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Fallen Marine Reupped to Join War on Terror
AP
An undated photo shows Capt. Matthew Bancroft with his family.
Thursday, January 10, 2002
REDDING, Calif. — Capt. Matthew Bancroft was so proud of his hometown that he couldn't resist "buzzing" by the remote mountain area in a KC-130 refueling jet after he earned his pilot's wings with the U.S. Marine Corp.
"He was tall, straight and proud. That's my son," said his father, Bob Bancroft.
Bancroft, a father of three, grew up in Burney, Calif., a remote town of 5,000 just 60 miles north of Redding, graduating from Burney Jr.-Sr. High School in 1990. Former teachers at Burney said Bancroft often talked about going to the Naval Academy and becoming a pilot.
"But he was never showy about it," said former basketball coach Bob Osborne. "He was always a leader and people just naturally followed him. He had his goals but he never talked too much about himself."
Bancroft worked hard in high school, tutoring others and even taking algebra in the seventh grade, despite advice from teacher and football coach Gene Pisenti.
"He was intent on doing it," Pisenti said. "He really took those advanced courses. He really wanted to go to the (U.S.) Naval Academy."
Bancroft did go on the Naval Academy, graduating in 1994. He then joined the Marines and got married in 1999. His wife, MaryEllen Bancroft, already had two children, but Bancroft took them on as his own. Sean Johnson is 13 and Christian is 12.
The couple lived in San Diego and nine months ago, had a daughter named Maddie, a name that was an evolution of Bancroft's childhood nickname "Mattie."
He was sent to war in December. He would have been out of the military in October, but decided to extend his term two more years because of the war against terrorism.
His parents said they were never scared that their son was working in Afghanistan.
"He said we didn't have to worry about him flying, that he was trained by the best and he promised to come home," Bob Bancroft said.
Osborne said there wasn't anything Bancroft couldn't have done.
"He could have gone so far," Osborne said, his voice beginning to crack over the telephone. "You just knew he was going to be so successful."
Peggy Snelling, vice principal and athletic director at Burney, said no one doubted Bancroft would reach his goals. She said he lettered in football, basketball and baseball and served as the student body president his senior year. He decided not to play football his senior year for fearing of receiving an injury and not being able to join the Naval Academy.
"He had the whole package," Snelling said with a sigh.
His mother, Beverly, said Bancroft was a poster boy for the Marines.
"If you wanted somebody to go to war and represent you, my son was the perfect one. He was the perfect person to represent this country," said Bob Bancroft. |
