Col. Edwin "Ed" Matthaidess III, Deputy Commanding Officer - Support

4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson

Col. Ed Matthaidess graduated from the United States Military Academy and commissioned as an Infantry officer. His first assignment was with the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Fort Myer, Virginia where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Support Platoon Leader and Company Executive Officer. He responded to the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon while a member of The Old Guard.

After completing the Captain’s Career Course, Matthaidess joined the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He served as the Brigade Transformation Officer before taking command of C Company, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry. As a Company Commander he deployed to Mosul, and then Baghdad, Iraq from 2005-2006 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Following Company Command, Matthaidess studied at Harvard University and earned a Master’s in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government. Following graduation, he served for one year on the Headquarters Department of the Army Staff in the G-3/5/7.

Matthaidess returned to the operational force as Battalion S3 and XO in 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Fort Polk, Louisiana and deployed to Logar, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom from 2010-2011. He then rejoined the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) as the 4th Battalion XO before serving as the Regimental S3. He later attended the U.S. Army School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) as a field select.

In 2015, Matthaidess took command of 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and deployed to Iraq for the counterattack into Mosul during Operation Inherent Resolve. After redeploying, he assumed duties as the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) G-3 and deployed again with the Division to Afghanistan for Operation Resolute Support in 2018. He redeployed from Afghanistan to attend the U.S. Army War College and graduated from the Advance Strategic Art program.

Following War College, he served as the U.S. Central Command Deputy Chief of Staff before taking command of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in 2021. Matthaidess deployed to Southeast Europe in 2022 as part of Operation European Assure, Deter and Reinforce following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He then joined XVIII Airborne Corps as the G-3 and Corps Chief of Staff.

He currently serves as the Deputy Commanding Officer (Support) for the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson, CO.

Matthaidess is married and has three children.