Gunnery Sergeant Matthew Hannan served for fifteen years of active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 18 September 1995 to 30 October 2010.  He was medically retired after an injury he sustained in Fallujah, Iraq 21 January 2007.  He served his entire career as an Intelligence Analyst/Intelligence Chief.  He was directly involved in Combat Operations in Tirana, Albania and the Al Anbar Province of Iraq.  He also participated in Humanitarian Operations in the Mediterranean Sea, Tsunami Relief efforts in 2005, and in the Caribbean Sea in 1996.   

 

While in the Marine Corps, Gunnery Sergeant Hannan was stationed with various operational forces, to include, but not limited to; Joint Special Operations Command, United States Forces in Korea, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, 2nd Marine Division, Marine Forces South, Joint Interagency Task Force South, and III Marine Expeditionary Force.   

 

After his medical retirement, he participated in an internship that was offered through the Veterans Affairs Vocational Rehabilitation clinic with the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) in the ELeVATE Program (Experiential Learning for Veterans in Assistive Technology and Engineering).   

 

He states, “HERL was a life and game changing experience for me.  It exposed me to community partners, educators, researchers, and medical professionals that develop quality of life research and engineering to assist veterans and others with disabilities into reintegration into society.  I was alone at first in trying to figure out what was my next chapter in life, but HERL made sure I wasn’t alone and that I had potential elsewhere in the community.” 

 

In the Fall of 2012, he enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh to study Public Service and Non-Profit management.  In his first semester, he was the business manager of Pitt Vets, an official national chapter of Student Veterans of America.  In 2013, he became president of Pitt Vets until 2015.   

 

After the University of Pittsburgh, he worked at the Veterans Affairs Pittsburgh Healthcare System, where he assists with patient care and tends to administrative tasks.  He also served as an Honors Escort and Lead Honor Escort (trainer) from 2018-2023.   

 

In 2024, he received his medical service dog Maverick.  And thanks to the assistance of a medical service dog, Matt is back to doing the things he loves most, serving his community and his fellow veterans working for Team Foster as the Pittsburgh Community Representative.  He is currently a lifetime member of the VFW Post 92 in Lower Burrell, Pennsylvania, which he proudly represented at the 2014 Centennial Celebration of the VFW.  He continues his volunteer work with multiple agencies (both local and national), while also serving as a Peer Mentor Support Specialist with the Wounded Warrior Project.