GATHER Veterans-Warriors-Heroes Sept/Oct 2022 Magazine

Featured Veteran and First Responder Lieutenant McCaul

A Patriot with a Purpose

By Amanda Renkiewicz

We need people who have a need to serve

It’s every police spouse’s worst nightmare to open the front door and see an officer in uniform, somberly ready to deliver news of loss and devastation. One evening, Matt McCaul’s wife opened her door to see a trooper she knew in his full wardrobe, and she blurted out in horror, “Don’t tell me the bastard’s dead!”

“Oh no, I’m just here to pick up some stuff!” the man hastily exclaimed.

Matt McCaul burst out laughing as he relayed this story to our magazine, and that sense of humor and fun has kept him smiling during a career in military and police service. He was born and raised in Clarksville, a town so small they put a traffic light up since otherwise you’d miss it. He was the youngest of six kids, with an “Iron Fist” mother full of love for her family and a hardworking, blue-collar father. Their family was in beef farming and construction, but Matt always had an image in his mind of being a Michigan State Police Trooper. Though classmates growing up, Matt and his future wife Coreen didn’t get together until her senior year in college. They recently celebrated their twenty-ninth wedding anniversary and have an adult daughter, Miah.

A family heritage of military service combined with a need to begin his police journey compelled Matt to start his service with the USAF - Edwards and Wright Pat AFB in 1993. He would be active until 2004 and had a primary role in law enforcement with security secondary. Some of his assignments included being a gate guard, dispatcher, desk sergeant, community policing, bike patrol, patrolman, squad leader, assistant flight chief, fireteam leader, combat patrols, priority security...and the list goes on! “The military did refine my future,” Matt says. “You see, we are a toolbox of our past, the positive and negative, and we’re placing lessons learned in your life toolbox to use or discard as we mature.” Matt found it much harder to adapt back to civilian life when he was recalled after 9/11. “I didn’t feel settled upon my return from recall and didn’t figure it out until about five years later,” he explains. “It was the lack of actual true military camaraderie, which I didn’t realize was missing until my Detroit Post assignment.”

The dream of being a police officer was two-fold for Matt: he wanted to be an officer, and he wanted to be one of the select few K-9 handlers. “The military was my avenue, or start, and I chose to work strictly in the law enforcement field in Security Police,” he says. “During my reserve duty, I applied for the MSP, along with other agencies, and was selected to attend the 118th Trooper Recruit School.” His post assignments have been all over the state: Grand Haven, Detroit, Metro, Metro North, Brighton, Marshall, and Cadillac. He has over ten years of experience as a bomb/narcotics/tracking/ patrol K-9 handler in Metro Detroit and five years as a squad/administrative sergeant. Matt is currently an assistant post commander.

The lifestyle Matt became accustomed to was exhausting just to listen to. He often worked 150 hours in a two-week period,

with many call-outs and day and night shifts. “You’re going with the momentum to get through it,” he says. “I was so fatigued and physiologically wiped out, and it took years to get over that lifestyle. We moved while I changed positions and had a lot of transitions in life. For a period, it revitalized us because it was a new experience, but when it’s too long, and you’re unsettled, it can really suck the life out of you”. Burnout in the police force is incredibly real and common, and Matt cited how their pool of applicants has drastically changed and lessened. “We need people who have a need to serve,” he says. “We need protectors who will go out and face the wolf, who will take on the ugly felons that are critically hurting the public. And we have to make sure we do it right because there’s that social paradigm of the watch dogs. The news, government, and public can take a snapshot or partial video and spin things the wrong way. Our approaches are changing, and you see it with how we portray ourselves as officers. It’s a reminder that we have to do our due diligence to the public and interact with them. We are truly a balancer for society.”

Matt’s initial advice for someone considering the military was a very empathic, “RUN!”. After a few laughs, he clarified, “It’s only four years of your life, and besides, it could be a career. If you don’t know what you want to do or have very little direction, go visit a recruiter and find a purpose in your life. Stop sitting around and making excuses. Build fortitude, travel, and explore. Get a sense of purpose and a sense of service.”

Matt offers sound advice for people interested in joining the police force as well. “Be in it for the right reasons: not for the badge, the power, or the image. This isn’t a ‘give it a try career,’” he cautions. “Research, invest time in looking at it.” Following this philosophy of a calling versus a job, Matt says, “My favorite part of being an officer is the unknown reward. How many people have I positively impacted? I don’t know, and I don’t need to know. The most joy I get is

hoping that I’ve impacted others and given them the tools to be safer and happier, and I hope it’s a legacy impact. I really do care about my people. I’ve got their backs.”

The history of Matt’s service and the goals of the future all revolve around adventure. He was proud to share that he was nominated as the Outstanding Reserve Airman of the Year and had a photoshoot with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He and Coreen’s long-term goal is to travel North America and stay in new places for weeks at a time. “Soon, it’ll be time to see what else is out there,” he said enthusiastically. For a man with a spirit of wanderlust and goodwill for others, we’re confident excitement and fabulous experiences await.

Matt would like to dedicate this story to USAF TSgt Robert B. Butler, EOW: died January 10, 1998, shot by a homicide suspect during a traffic stop. As a note to Robert, he added, “Too bad you didn’t get him first.”

Featured Veteran: Do you know a Veteran First Responder who you would like to nominate to be featured in an upcoming issue? Or would you be willing to share your story? Email pam@gatherveterans.com