Dedication brings tears, thanks

Nicole Conley said she was blessed to have known her late husband, Matthew.

"He gave me happiness. He's gone, but he gave me a part of him that is with me all the time," Conley said as she looked at their 19-month-old daughter, Catherine Mattison, who was standing near her grandparents playfully waving an American flag.

"She has his blue eyes, his love for life and, it's evident, his enthusiasm," Nicole Conley said.

Cpl. Matthew Conley, 21, was killed while on routine patrol in Ramadi, Iraq, on Feb. 16, 2006. He died from injuries sustained when a roadside bomb exploded near the Humvee he and his company members were in.

Conley, of the U.S. Marine Corps, was the first local solider to be killed in the war in Iraq. Since his death, two others - Jamie Lindsey, of Florence, and William Brown, of Phil Campbell - have died in the line of duty.

Monday afternoon, with more than 1,000 people packed into the Rogers High School football stadium, Conley was memorialized as a portion of U.S. 43 was named Cpl. Matthew Conley USMC Memorial Highway.

With a large portrait of Conley hanging in front of the stage, a U.S. Marine Corp. Color Guard posted on each side of the portrait, members of the Legion riders and Patriot Guard riders stretched from end zone to end zone of the football field holding large American Flags; small American Flags lined U.S. 43 to the stadium. The scene appeared fitting for a fallen veteran on Veteran's Day.

"(Matthew Conley) gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom; that can never be forgotten," said Rogers assistant football coach Brent Palmer during a prayer. "Every day, as we drive down U.S. 43, we need to remember what (Matthew) did for us."

Rep. Mike Curtis, D-Greenhill, who along with Rep. Tammy Irons, D-Florence, and Sen. Bobby Denton, D-Muscle Shoals, pushed a bill through the Alabama Legislature to name the portion of roadway, said it was fitting to have the ceremony in the football stadium where Conley was the quarterback of the team.

"He excelled here as quarterback; Matt was a leader and that showed in everything he did," Curtis said. "We need not to forget that we are able to be here today because of what Matt and other men and women of our armed forces have done for us."

Rogers head football Coach Dan Beavers said Conley was the quarterback on his first team as head coach.

"What is a hero, to me, is someone you model your life after," Beavers said. "Matt fits that category."

Brian Smith, who taught Conley in elementary school, said he feels differently now when he hears the Pledge of Allegiance because of Conley.

"His valor, characteristics, his sacrifices will never be forgotten," Smith said. "These are the essence of Veterans Day, and it's fitting that we are here today."

Former Rogers basketball coach Lee Walker said Conley represents "everything we all aspire to become."

"But would we be willing to put ourselves in harm's way to protect people who can't protect themselves? Matt did," Walker said.

Local musicians Jason Isbell and Zac Hacker, who both wrote songs honoring Conley - who was buried on his 22nd birthday - performed their tributes during the ceremony. The Rogers High School Band performed a patriotic selection as the road sign was unveiled.

"Isn't it nice when we lay down at night and have a blanket of freedom over us, which is because of sacrifices by others," Walker said. "Matthew wanted to make a difference, and he did."

Nicole Conley said Monday's ceremony will always be something special in her family's life.

"He would be so proud to know that the same road he traveled so many times is named after him, and that people will always remember him," she said. "I know I will.

"I will always remember my Matt; the boy I fell in love with long before I knew what love was; the man that sent me letters from boot camp planning our life together; the man who cried tears of joy when I told him I was pregnant and the man who called me while in a combat zone just to tell me he loved me. This is my Matt, and he would be so proud of this today."

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@timesdaily.com.