ABQ native son, Navy vice admiral was at Pentagon during 9/11 attacks - Albuquerque Journal

Former U.S. Navy Vice Adm. John Mateczun (Courtesy of the Mateczun family)

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U.S. Navy Vice Adm. John Mateczun was successful the Pentagon erstwhile it was attacked by terrorists who flew a jetliner into the gathering connected Sept. 11, 2001.

A aesculapian doc specializing successful psychiatry, Mateczun instantly began attending to the wounded.

“We didn’t cognize if helium was dormant oregon live and it wasn’t until a fewer hours aft the level had crashed that helium yet was capable to get successful interaction with the household to fto america cognize helium was inactive alive,” said his son, Adam Mateczun.

It was that lawsuit that led Adam to articulation the Marine Corps. His begetter remained successful the subject until 2012, serving successful a fig of capacities.

John Mateczun died peacefully astatine his Maryland location connected Nov. 7. He was 76.

Although helium had not lived successful Albuquerque since graduating aesculapian schoolhouse successful 1978, Mateczun returned regularly to sojourn his parent and different relatives and friends, and to soak up the New Mexico godforsaken landscapes and colors that helium loved truthful much, said his daughter, Laura Mateczun.

Growing up successful Albuquerque, helium attended Rio Grande High School, wherever helium played varsity basketball, shot and ran track, past went to the University of New Mexico and aboriginal the UNM School of Medicine. In 2015, Mateczun received the dual honors of being named distinguished UNM undergraduate alumnus and distinguished postgraduate of the UNM School of Medicine.

As a youth, Mateczun and his older brother, Dr. Alfred Mateczun Jr., were members of 4-H, raising animals, keeping bees and conducting technological experiments with genetically modified maize connected the family’s fertile South Valley property, said his daughter. Those experiments led to 5 first-place ribbons astatine State Fairs for New Mexico’s champion bluish corn, and her father’s lifelong emotion of Hatch greenish chile, posole and enchiladas, she said.

Laura Mateczun remembered her begetter arsenic a loving and compassionate household antheral who cautiously considered others’ opinions earlier offering his own. He was besides diversion and continued to play play and hoops agelong aft helium retired.

“He was brushed spoken, but spoke powerfully erstwhile helium chose to,” she said. “He ne'er raised his dependable and was a arrogant man, but humble throughout.” And, helium possessed a adust wit, “but you had to beryllium paying attraction to drawback that helium was joking.”

Mateczun came from a subject family. His father, Alfred Sr., served successful the U.S. Navy arsenic a Seabee during World War II. John and his brother, Alfred Jr., attended the Air Force Academy. John, however, didn’t similar the engineering-centric curriculum. He near and successful 1966 enlisted successful the U.S. Army. Both brothers were deployed to Vietnam successful 1967.

During his 2nd combat circuit successful Vietnam successful 1969-70, John Mateczun became an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. He was promoted to sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star for heroism successful combat – the archetypal of galore awards bestowed during his career.

After being honorably discharged successful 1970, Mateczun attended the UNM School of Medicine, graduating successful the aforesaid people arsenic his brother, Alfred. Both were subsequently commissioned successful the U.S. Navy and completed residencies astatine the Naval Regional Medical Center Oakland, California. During his residency, John Mateczun besides received a Master of Public Health grade from the University of California, Berkeley, successful 1982.

While stationed astatine the Naval Hospital successful Bethesda, Maryland, arsenic the caput of consultation-liaison psychiatry and manager of interns, Mateczun met his aboriginal wife, Elizabeth Holmes, who was the caput of the HIV/AIDS intelligence wellness program. They were joined for 34 years.

Holmes, a objective psychologist, said her husband’s quality arsenic thoughtful, reflective and alert of his ain mortality was partially a effect of his clip successful Vietnam. “After taking isolated bombs, helium truly felt similar risk-taking was thing helium was acquainted with, but paying attraction to his ain intuition was astir important.”

Over the pursuing years, Mateczun was regularly promoted and served successful a big of high-level positions, including president of the Department of Psychiatry astatine the Naval Medical Center successful Portsmouth, Virginia; main of staff, TRICARE wellness program, Walter Reed Army Medical Center; associated unit surgeon, Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Pentagon; commandant of Joint Task Force National Capital Region Medical; and lawman surgeon wide of the U.S. Navy.

At immoderate point, the Department of Defense told Mateczun that “in bid to get promoted, he’d person to instrumentality a definite forensic course,” which was offered astatine Georgetown University Law Center, said Adam Mateczun. Upon contacting the university, his begetter learned that “to instrumentality the people he’d person to motion up for the full program.”

So helium did. “He would enactment each day, travel location and instrumentality attraction of household concern and past pain the midnight lipid speechmaking lawsuit studies,” Adam Mateczun said. “He knocked retired an full grade by studying astatine night,” and successful 1988, astatine the property of 42, John Mateczun added Juris Doctor to his increasing database of credentials.

In summation to his wife, son, daughter, and older brother, Mateczun is survived by 2 grandchildren, and a fig of nephews, nieces and cousins.

Burial with afloat subject honors volition instrumentality spot astatine a aboriginal day astatine Arlington National Cemetery.

Memorial gifts successful representation of John Mateczun tin beryllium made to the Mateczun Endowed Scholarship for Veterans astatine the University of New Mexico.