Warrior of the Week: Airman 1st Class Matthew Lang

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Rachel Waller
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  The moon begins to rise as Airman 1st Class Matthew Lang, 319th Security Forces Squadron, looks out the window. For most people, this is usually a sign to start getting ready for bed, but for Airman Lang, it means time to get ready for work.

"My flight works three swing shifts, three mid-shifts and then we get two days off," said the security forces patrolman.

Airman Lang calls Moore, Okla., home.

"Moore is about 30 minutes outside of Oklahoma City," said Airman Lang. "It was fun growing up there, my high school was in the city and my house was in the country, so I had the best of both worlds."

Before Airman Lang joined the military in 2009, he worked in the oil fields of Oklahoma.

"I loved working in the oil fields, but I wanted to try something new," said Airman Lang. "I wanted more structure and more experiences, so this opportunity to join the military presented itself to me and I took it."

Since joining the military, Airman Lang said he has enjoyed all of his experiences so far.

When Airman Lang isn't working, he said he can be found singing and practicing the guitar.

"When I was younger, my older brother would tell me that I couldn't sing, so I started listening to the radio and I tried to match my voice to what I heard," said Airman Lang. "A few years later, I was at a party and everyone was singing along to the radio and someone heard my voice over all the other voices and told me that I had a good voice. Since then, I haven't stopped singing."

"I like to sing country music because it is the easiest to sing," said Airman Lang. "To me, country music is more about the meaning of the words and not so much the way the music sounds."

Not only does he sing to radio, Airman Lang also writes his own music.

"I started writing music when I was about 12 years old," said the 27-year-old. "So far I have written about 20 songs. The songs I write are about what I am feeling or thinking and I translate that into lyrical form."

Airman Lang said that he would like his music to be played over the radio in the future but at the moment he is content singing to his friends.

Until Airman Lang is discovered, he said his future plans are to remain in the military and eventually work his way into the office of special investigations or become a U.S. Marshall.