Julian Matlock was born in Lancaster, KY on August 8, 1926. His mother was Virgie Matlock. He joined the US Army on 8 Nov 1944 and was inducted into military service at Camp Atterbury, IN. From there he was sent to California where he joined the 19th Infantry. He fought in the Pacific, first in Mindoro, Philippines, and later in the invasion of the island of Mindanao. In one of the major battles of the Pacific, the 19th Infantry under the 8th Army captured Davao (on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines) on 2 May 1944.

On 8 Oct 1945, the 19th Infantry was sent to Japan as part of the 6th Army. In Japan they were sent to Kochi, and after that to the Island of Shikoku. Sgt. Matlock describe in his letters a lot of patrolling in this area. After almost a year in Japan Sgt. Matlock finally came back to the United States, and died in a fire at the Sheffield Manor hotel in Chicago, IL. The incident became national news.