Rockland soldier's wife recalls how they met as teens

Sarah and Matthew Pollini.

A tearful young wife yesterday recalled the four days of marriage she and her husband enjoyed together before he shipped out to Iraq, and died there less than a month later, in the gunner's turret of a Humvee.

"He was a really loyal, trusting person. He always wanted to help people. He was always there to help people. He was always cracking jokes and laughing. He really was the most honest person I ever met," said Sarah (Cochran) Pollini, 20, remembering her husband, Army National Guard Specialist Matthew Pollini, 21, of Rockland, who died Jan. 22 at Forward Operating Base Delta, near al-Kut.

The Defense Department said the vehicle Pollini was riding in rolled over while driving on a military base, mortally wounding the soldier. He was assigned to the 772d Military Police Company out of Taunton. The Defense Department is investigating the crash. An Army spokeswoman said the crash was not combat-related.

The Pollinis met at the Rockland Teen Center when Sarah was 16. She had a fast crush on him, she said, and they started spending time together. Finally, when Sarah was 17, Matthew asked her out while they were taking a dip in a local swimming pool.

They were married Dec. 22 in a small ceremony in his parents' living room. Matthew left Dec. 26 for a 10-month tour of duty.

In October, when Matthew was due back in Rockland, he planned to take his wife on a "mini honeymoon" to Cape Cod. They planned to renew their wedding vows and have their "dream wedding" in 2012.

Sarah had a hard time finding the right words to describe her husband.

"I just know how great he is. I've been thinking about it all day long. He loved me so much, he really did," she said. "We knew we loved each other. I don't know what else to say about it."

A funeral Mass will be said in Holy Family Catholic Church in Rockland in the coming weeks, Sarah said. A date has not been set.

John M. Guilfoil can be reached at jguilfoil@globe.com.