Meet the 2025 Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283 Historians
Meet Christina Silva and Matt Louie who are military veterans, and members of the historic Ronald Reagan American Legion Post 283. Matt and Christina are documenting historic events, special programs, community engagement, and membership highlights that align with the principles of the National American Legion Preamble, Mission, and Vision.
Matt Louie served in the United States Army and he enlisted in 1996 and completed his basic training at Ft Knox, Kentucky. Thereafter, he went to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland for AIT. Matt’s first Military Occupational Specialty was 63Golf10, Fuel and Electrical Repair Personnel.
Matt served primarily in Hanua, Germany, and returned stateside in 2000 and transitioned into the California National Guard.
In 2005, orders came down for deployment to Iraq for OIF and OEF, and I was sent to Ft. Sam Houston in Texas to be trained as an Army Medic.
In 2006, Matt received orders to take over the Abu Ghraib detention facility, and worked in the wire at the wound care tent to attend to the injuries of the detainees, as well as the CASH, when the birds came in with the sick and injured. Today, Matt performs as a licensed FAA Part 107 remote pilot, flies drones and teaches children to fly drones in the Palm Springs School District. Matt is involved with FIDAUSA, the Federation of International Drone Soccer Association, and competes in international drone competitions against 46 other nations in the sport of drone soccer.
Matt leads the Drone and Scuba Diving programs at American Legion Post 283 and has captured history including the LA Fires, recovery, and restoration and special events to date with Christina Silva.
Christina Silva is an Honorable United States Marine Corps Veteran with an extensive background in veteran advocacy, safety and emergency preparedness, military philanthropy, licensed real estate education, multimedia production, and certified resiliency coaching. Christina is a Federal Government Contractor, and produces and hosts “Educating Our Veterans LIVE,” a storytelling series that highlights the accomplishments of active-duty military personnel, retirees, veterans, law enforcement officers, and first responders. Christina has earned a BS in Business and is currently completing her Masters Degree in Public Administration at University of Phoenix to further her career in Emergency Management. Her involvement in Disaster Readiness is evident through her active role in the City of El Segundo Community Emergency Response Team (C.E.R.T.) since 2019 and as a new 2026 Board Member of the Business Industry Council for Emergency Planning and Preparedness (BICEPP).
