Lieutenant Colonel Matthew A. “Bigs” Steege grew up in Standish, ME and graduated from Bonny Eagle High School in 2001. He attended the University of Maine earning a B.S. in Business Marketing in 2005. He attended Officer Candidate School and was granted his commission in 2007.
First Lieutenant Steege was designated a Naval Aviator in July 2010, and reported to MCAS New River, Jacksonville, NC for training in the CH-53E Super Stallion. He next reported to the HMH-466 “Wolfpack” at MCAS Miramar in San Diego, CA in February 2011 where he served various roles in the Operations Department. In January 2012, he deployed to Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan and conducted combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 12.1.
Following his first deployment, Captain Steege returned to MCAS Miramar where he served as the Flight Line Officer in Charge, Current Operations Officer and Future Operations Officer. In January 2014, he again deployed to Camp Bastion, Helmand Province, Afghanistan and conducted combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom 14.1. He returned to the Wolfpack in August 2014 and attended the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Course. After graduation, he served as the squadron Pilot Training Officer.
In August of 2015, Captain Steege transferred to HMH-166 (REIN) “Sea Elk,” 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and deployed on the USS BOXER in support of contingency operations within the Middle East region. After returning from deployment in August 2016, he returned to HMH-466 and served as Quality Assurance Officer in Charge.
In May 2017, Captain Steege reported to MAWTS-1 in Yuma, AZ where he served as a CH-53E Instructor Pilot. During his tenure, he was responsible for the planning and execution of the culminating Assault Support Division evolution, the largest night, live-fire, long-range battalion heliborne assault in the DoD which consisted of 40+ aircraft and over 2,000 Marines. He also served as the lead author for the 1st Edition of the CH-53K Training and Readiness Manual and was a second author on several tactical publication re-writes.
Major Steege left Active Duty in 2019, and direct affiliated with Marine Air-Ground Task Force Training Command, serving as an Individual Mobilized Augmentee providing direct support to MAWTS-1 as a Reserve CH-53E Instructor Pilot. In August of 2020, he transitioned to HMH-772(-), the “Hustlers” where he served as the Senior WTI and Reserve Executive Officer. He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in July 2024.
Lieutenant Colonel Steege has over 500 combat flight hours and holds every instructor designation and advanced qualification available in the CH-53E. His personal awards include the Air Medal Strike/Flight award with the numeral “9,” the Navy Commendation Medal with the numeral “2,” and the Navy Achievement Medal. He currently lives in Oklahoma with his wife and fills multiple directorship roles for a software and consulting company. He is pursuing a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma Price Graduate School of Business, expected December, 2025.