Hospital Corpsman Third Class Mathews was assigned to Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division. He was Killed in Action while tending his wounded comrades on 25 January 1952.

Mathews was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.