Jeff W. Mathis III

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Jeff W. Mathis III (December 5, 1955 – June 3, 2016) was a United States Army officer who rose to the rank of major general and spent much of his career in the Army National Guard. He is best known for leading Joint Task Force – Civil Support from 2012 to 2014 and for commanding I Corps from 2009 to 2010. He also served overseas during the Global War on Terrorism, including work with Africa-focused missions.

Mathis was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and spent part of his youth in Central and South America while his father served in the Air Force. He graduated from John Marshall High School in 1974. He enlisted in the Army in 1975 as a communications specialist, became a sergeant, and earned the Special Forces Qualification Course. In 1981, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in education from Florida Bible College.

He later joined the Florida Army National Guard as an officer after completing Officer Candidate School, receiving his commission as a second lieutenant in Infantry. Over the years he held numerous roles, advanced in rank, and commanded several units, including the Headquarters Battery of the 1st Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, the Special Operations Detachment – Pacific, and Joint Task Force – Civil Support. He also served as deputy commander of I Corps and in key staff positions, such as deputy director of antiterrorism and homeland defense on the Joint Chiefs of Staff staff. Mathis completed many professional military education programs, including a Master of Science in management from Troy State University (1989) and the Army War College.

His awards include the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Legion of Merit. After retiring from the military in July 2014, he lived in Suffolk, Virginia, and worked as a civilian emergency management and homeland security consultant. He also served on boards and gave lectures to various military and academic audiences.

Mathis passed away on June 3, 2016, at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Virginia, and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was survived by his second wife, Christine Pendill, and five children: Jeff, Joshua, and Jeremy (from his first marriage to Debra Wood, whom he separated from in 1989), and Declan and Cecily (with Christine).