Matthew Axelson

A bill was proposed in October 2019 to rename the post office in Cupertino, California, to "Petty Officer 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson Post Office Building", the bill had passed on 14 September 2020 and the building was renamed.

The quick reaction force that was dispatched in response to a request from Murphy, consisted of eight Navy SEALs and eight 160th SOAR Night Stalker crewmen. As the aircraft arrived onsite and the SEALs attempted to fast rope, an RPG hit their Chinook causing it to crash. All 16 personnel aboard were killed.

In 2016, Axelson Tactical, a firearm company started in Axelson's honor, unveiled a replica rifle similar to what Axelson had carried at the time he was killed in action in June 2005. On January 19, 2016, Axelson Tactical and Team Never Quit Ammunition, announced a raffle to giveaway an Axelson replica rifle and a 1,000 rounds of ammunition to raise money for the Special Operations Wounded Warriors charity.

On November 3, 2015, the Naval Base San Diego renamed their Pacific Beacon housing complex to The Axelson Building and dedicated a display box in the building's lobby which houses some of Axelson's possessions.

On November 13, 2015, Axelson was recognized as an alumni at the San Diego State University and included on the university's war memorial.

For the 2013 film Lone Survivor, which covered the events of Operation Red Wing, Axelson was portrayed by actor Ben Foster.

On November 11, 2007, the town of Cupertino, California erected a bronze lifesize statue of Axelson and fellow SEAL James Suh, (also killed in action during Operation Red Wings), holding their rifles in a defensive kneeling position. The Navy Cross citation was replicated on the memorial.

On September 13, 2006, Axelson was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross by Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter.

Operation Red Wings was a counter-insurgency operation carried out by the United States Armed Forces in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in 2005. The objective of the operation was to kill or capture Ahmad Shah (code name Ben Sharmak), a known terrorist and head of the "Mountain Tigers" militia group. During the operation, Axelson and Marcus Luttrell were assigned as snipers while Danny Dietz and Michael P. Murphy served as spotters.

Axelson was severely wounded after taking the brunt of the initial attack and the fall with his teammates. After regrouping with the team, he began firing back and hours later he suffered a gunshot wound to the head, by this point of time he had been shot in several places including his chest and head. On July 10, 2005, Axelson's body was discovered a few hundred yards away from the initial RPG explosion, by a group of SEALs during a search and rescue operation and returned to the United States. Axelson was buried with full military honors at Glen Oaks Memorial Park in Chico, California.

Axelson enlisted in the United States Navy in December 2000, and completed basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes. After finishing Sonar Technician Surface (STG) "A" School, he undertook Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) and graduated with Class 237 in Coronado, California. After BUD/S, Axelson went to the Army Airborne School, completed SEAL Qualification Training and then attended SEAL Delivery Vehicle School. He reported to SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 in December 2002, in Hawaii. He deployed to Afghanistan in April 2005.

Matthew Gene "Axe" Axelson (June 25, 1976 – June 28, 2005) was an enlisted United States Navy SEAL who was awarded the U.S. Navy's second highest decoration, the Navy Cross and the Purple Heart, for his actions during the War in Afghanistan. Serving as a sniper in the operation, Axelson was killed in action during the firefight phase of Operation Red Wings.

Axelson was born on June 25, 1976, in Cupertino, California, to parents Donna and Cordell Axelson. He graduated from Monta Vista High School in 1994, attended San Diego State University for a year and graduated from the California State University Chico with a degree in political science. Axelson's brother, Jeffery, wrote a book about him. Axelson married Cindy Oji in 2003, in Sacramento, California.