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NACO, Ariz. — U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Logan Matthews, a native of North Carolina, a metal worker, oversees fabrication operations for Bravo Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion (8th ESB), currently attached to Combat Logistics Battalion 7 (CLB-7), 1st Marine Logistics Group (1st MLG). Matthews’ unit is deployed to the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Tucson Sector in support of Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) as part of Operation Ardent Vanguard.
To meet the anticipated demand of the mission along the southern border, Matthews implemented a training program for the unit upon deployment. He instructed 20 Marines to serve as provisional welders and provided introductory-level welding training to 15 others, expanding fabrication capabilities.
“By establishing the provisional welding program, Sgt. Matthews directly expanded our fabrication capacity,” said 1st Lt. Kyle Perry, a combat engineer officer with the 8th ESB. “Going from a limited number of trained metal workers to a team of 35 Marines capable of provisional welding allowed Bravo Company to sustain the pace required for barrier reinforcement.”
Matthews’ experience in high-stress environments and prior deployments contributed to his selection as Bravo Company’s welding chief. His leadership has led to a high production rate of bracket fabrication and strengthened security along the southern border.
In addition to running the fabrication shop, Matthews consistently volunteers to accompany his platoon on barrier reinforcement operations. While on site, he welds brackets onto the barrier and provides real-time instruction to other welders.
“Typically, every time they go to the barrier, I go with them,” said Matthews.
To address operational constraints, Matthews designed and fabricated a mobile fuel carrier system. The system transports 55-gallon drums, replacing inefficient fuel-can operations and reducing overall refueling times.
“His impact extends beyond the fabrication shop,” Perry said. “When he identified the fueling bottleneck with the General Support Platoon, he engineered a 55-gallon carrier from available materials that immediately reduced our logistical downtime during field operations.”
To construct the carrier, Matthews had to rely on limited materials and field-expedient methods.
“We didn’t have a lot of good options for metal,” said Matthews. “We made it work with what we had, and now we have a full carriage that we use on daily operations.”
Throughout the deployment, Matthews and his team have fabricated 26,300 brackets, supporting the emplacement of over 70,000 meters of triple-strand concertina wire along the southern barrier.
Matthews also collaborated with USBP leadership, mechanics and machinists to innovate a flood gate lock reinforcement system. The new protective guard is designed to deter and increase the time required to compromise the flood gates.
“We came up with a design together and went through a couple of test pieces for it,” said Matthews. “And then we ended up implementing that onto the barrier.”
Working directly with Bravo Company Maintenance Platoon, over 450 flood gate locks have been reinforced with this same design. Recognizing the effectiveness of this design, the USBP Tucson Sector director ordered that the same lock design be adopted and installed across the entire sector.
To ensure the long-term sustainment of these capabilities, Matthews is currently partnering with Bravo Company’s Engineering Assistance Team to convert his field-developed designs into computer-aided design (CAD) drawings. This will enable standardized fabrication of the equipment for future operations.
“The flood gate lock reinforcement is a testament to Sgt. Matthews’ technical proficiency,” Perry said. “The fact that our Border Patrol partners adopted a Marine-engineered solution across the entire Tucson Sector highlights the tangible, long-term impact his support provides to the JTF-SB mission.”
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.18.2026 17:43 |
| Story ID: | 572480 |
| Location: | NACO, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 10 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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