Jordan Matson, a former US soldier from Wisconsin has joined the Kurdish fighters in order to help them stop ISIS. Jordan Matson, 28 years old had been a volunteer fighter for the Kurdish militia, known as YPG. The group is in charge of protecting three small Kurdish states in northern Syria. Matson said: “Due to two years of almost no foreign policy in the region — while these people threatened American citizens, and bring harm to us — I think I decided enough was enough, and I decided to come out this way”. Jordan Matson saw the impact the fall of Mosul had on Iraq. He saw soldiers like himself die and decided he could not just stand there, after being honorably discharged from the military. He declared: “All of the American brothers that have died over there — all the American veterans that have died over there — and paid their lives for that country so they could have a democracy. That just resonated in my mind. And I couldn’t live with myself letting that country fall, and all my brothers’ lives be for nothing”.
Joining the YPG in Syria was a major decision in Matson’s life. During the two years he served in the US military, he had never seen combat, nor was he sent overseas in order to serve his country. However, after joining the YPG he was part of the action from the very beginning. Just two days after arriving at a Kurdish enclave, Rojava, he got hit by a mortar round, during fights with ISIS. He said that he always wanted to be a soldier and that normal 9 to 5 life is not suitable for him. He said: “All my life, I’ve wanted to be a soldier. So it just fits well over here. I’m at peace being here”. Matson was honorably discharged from the army in 2007. The military refused to take him back, despite his repeated efforts to get re-enlisted. He got in contact with YPG on Facebook. Jordan Matson seems to be very happy with the decision he made and would not change anything. He speaks about the Kurdish movement with great respect: “It’s for these people that I’m doing this. Yes, it does help Americans back home, because we’re taking the fight to the enemy here, so they can’t take it to us. So it’s that to a degree. But, for me, it’s for the Kurdish people”.
However, according to US law enforcement officials, it is illegal for American citizens to join a Syrian militia, as it is illegal to join ISIS. More than 100 foreign fighters for ISIS came from America. Matson says he is not the only former American soldier interested in joining the Kurdish militia. On Facebook, he talked to numerous people from countries like America, Australia and Europe. Most of the men interested in joining YPG are former soldiers who simply want to stop ISIS from threatening their countries.