Major Matthew D. Reith hails from Havelock, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, earning a varsity letter competing in Division 2 cross country and indoor/outdoor track and field. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps on May 10, 2016.
Following completion of The Basic School with Alpha Company in April 2017, he reported to MATSG 21 in Pensacola, Florida, for flight training. He completed Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API) and primary flight training in the T-6 Texan with VT-2, during which he was promoted to First Lieutenant. Selected for the MV-22 Osprey, he completed intermediate flight training in the TH-57 with HT-8 and advanced multi-engine training with VT-35. He was designated a Naval Aviator in September 2019.
First Lieutenant Reith subsequently reported to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Training Squadron 204 at MCAS New River for fleet replacement training, earning his T2P designation for the MV-22B in April 2020. In May 2020, he reported to his first fleet assignment with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363 aboard Marine Corps Base Hawaii.
Initially serving in the Operations Department as a schedule writer, he was promoted to Captain in July 2020.
During his tenure with the "Lucky Red Lions" of VMM-363, he completed two deployments to Darwin, Australia, as part of the Aviation Combat Element (ACE) for Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) in 2021 and 2023. During his time with the unit, he served as the Embarkation Officer, Current Operations Officer, and the Director of Safety and Standardization (DOSS). His operational experience includes supporting exercises Balikatan 21 in the Philippines, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 aboard the Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Canberra, and serving as the lead ACE planner for the trilateral exercise Crocodile Response 23 in Australia. A graduate of Aviation Safety Officer School, he earned his MV-22B Division Lead designation in May 2024 before departing the squadron.
After leaving the fleet, Captain Reith attended resident Expeditionary Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia, graduating in May 2025. He then reported to the Marine Aviation Detachment (MAD) Patuxent River, Maryland, as the Operations Officer. He was promoted to the rank of Major in July 2025. In April 2026, Major Reith assumed his current duties as the Executive Officer and 8059 Occupational Field Manager.