Brief Family History

I was born on July 2, 1974 in Anderson, SC. My parents are Michael V. Hilley from Calhoun Falls and Laura S. Hilley (Sanders) from Anderson. I grew up at 1104 West End Avenue on the mill hill, as it is commonly known. I have two younger sisters, Savannah & Jessica Hilley. I attended Centerville Elementary, Lakeside Middle and McDuffie High.
My family comes from a very humble background steeped in true patriotism. I had a Great (5) Grandfather, Thomas Hilley, who was a Revolutionary War Soldier as well as an activist against religious taxes and taxes in general. The Hilley family has copies of a petition against religious taxes from Sept. 1, 1779 in Amherst county Virginia with Thomas Hilley’s signature on it. He is buried in Western Georgia.
I also had a Great (2) Grandfather who served in the Civil War on the Confederate side. Pvt. James Madison Hilley served in the 1st SC Infantry (Butlers) CSA. He enlisted March of 1863 and was discharged in April 1865. He is buried only 30 minutes outside of Anderson County in Canon, GA.
My great uncle, James Hilley, was a First Sergeant in WWII. He was leading a group of soldiers across Lake Garda in Italy in a DUKW (amphibious vehicle) on the night of April 30, 1945. Before reaching their destination, their vehicle capsized in a storm and 25 men, including my uncle, were drowned. Only one man was rescued. The bodies of the other men and the equipment were never recovered. I started an effort to recover some of the equipment in 2005. However, I have not been able to get any favorable responses from the government.
My Father served honorably in Vietnam and later joined the Army Reserves. Two decades later, he answered the call again. He served in Operation Desert Storm and was deployed to Saudi Arabia and the surrounding regions. He had reached the rank of Sergeant First Class when he was discharged, soon after his return from the Gulf War. It was my father that gave me a true spirit of patriotism and love of country.
After high school, I wanted to join the military but decided to put it off. Instead I literally wasted time, as many of us do in our youth. Then, in 1994, I met the woman that would eventually win my heart and change my life. Four years later, on June 20, 1998, I married Tonya L. Cordell in Gatlinburg, TN. She helped to inspire me to get back on track with my dreams and goals.
I enrolled in college and starting developing a true passion for community service and politics. I have volunteer with many local organizations such as the Rape Crisis Center and Meals on Wheels. My political passion was thrown into high gear after meeting George W. Bush on the campaign trail and then later, working on his 2000 Presidential campaign in SC.
On August 21, 2001 at Fort Jackson South Carolina, I raised my right hand swearing to protect the country I love dearly. A little over two weeks later, America was attacked on Sept. 11th. In December of 2002, I was becoming very anxious about world events and knew I would most likely be deployed. That same month, Tonya and I found out we were going to have a baby. I received my order on February 10th 2003 and left the Reserve Center in Athens GA on February 14th. I was deployed to Kuwait in support of operation Iraq Freedom and served in Baghdad and Balad Iraq for nearly a year. I was blessed enough to be granted ten days leave and made it home to see my wife give birth to our son Michael. He was born on July 30, 2003. I returned to the Middle East when he was only five days old and did not see him again until he was eight months old.
Since my return from Iraq, I have focused on God, Family and community while continuing to serve in the Army Reserves. I founded a non-profit organization, ran for County Council, and have become even more active in my Church. I hold many titles in the community but none as important as husband and father. I will continue to strive for a better community and I am proud to have had the opportunity to serve My God, My family and my country.

Matthew Hilley
**This is a copy of the article submitted to the Anderson County Heritage Book**