Army Spc. Matthew Creed, 23, Covina; shot to death by sniper in Iraq

Army Spc. Matthew Creed had called his mother in Covina to tell her the good news: He would be home within 45 days.

“He was real excited about that,” his mother, Kimberly, recalled. “One of the last things he said to me was ‘I love you, Mom.’ I told him to be careful.”

Creed, 23, was shot to death in Iraq by a sniper while on foot patrol just weeks after a San Gabriel Valley homecoming. He died of his injuries Oct. 22.

Creed, who graduated from Charter Oak High School in 2001, was making plans for the future, his mother said, including buying his first new car. His dream was to become a policeman.

Creed was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Ft. Hood, Texas.

He was making sandwiches at Blimpie’s in San Dimas when he joined the Army in 2003, said his father, Richard, of Rancho Cucamonga.

When Creed interviewed with the Covina Police Department, he learned that he was not qualified. It was suggested that he enter the military to gain experience, his father said.

After duty at Ft. Benning, Ga., and in South Korea, he was offered an assignment in Washington, D.C., but Creed asked to be sent to a combat unit, his father said.

In addition to his parents, Creed is survived by his wife, Ashley, and brother, James.