Matthew C. Ferrara was born in Los Angeles, California on October 14, 1983 to Mario and Linda Ferrara. Matthew was the third of five children. The first two were born in New Zealand, while Matthew and his two younger brothers were born in the United States. Matthew grew up in Torrance, and graduated from South High School in 2001. He was a standout athlete and exceptional student, he excelled in track and cross country and earned a near-perfect SAT score of 1,580.

In May 2005, Matthew graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he majored in Chinese and economics, finishing near the top of his class. After commissioning, he became a Ranger and was assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy. In the year before deploying to Afghanistan, he traveled widely across Europe. His adventures included running with the bulls in Spain, cliff jumping in Croatia, scuba diving among Mediterranean shipwrecks, skiing in the Alps and weekend trips to Paris.

Matthew deployed to Afghanistan in early 2007. As a platoon leader in Chosen Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, he led operations in Nuristan Province. On August 22, he distinguished himself in the Battle of Aranas and was awarded the Silver Star for his leadership under fire. On November 9, while returning from a meeting with village elders, his unit was ambushed. He and five of his men were killed in the attack.

Captain Matthew Ferrara is buried at West Point Cemetery.