Gabriel Meaghan was born at Boston City Hospital and grew up in South Boston to Daniel Meaghan, a mechanic at Logan International Airport and Janet (Sullivan) Meaghan. Life was hard for the Meaghan family of Boston, but not because they didn't have the means to survive. Dan Meaghan worked hard for his money and frequently worked overtime shifts at the airport. When he was home, he was drunk. There were frequent beatings for young Gabe and his older sister, Fname.
When Gabe was 10 years old, he lost his mother to alcohol poisoning. The woman was always a wreck from being beat by her abusive husband. The only escape for her from the pain was the bottle which ultimately killed her. Dan Meaghan felt no desire to remarry, continued to work and provide for his children. He often boasted about his accomplishments, working a full-time job and raising a son and daughter. But he could not watch them.
By age 13 Gabe and his sister, aged 15 were hanging out with other teens getting into mischief anyway they could. They vandalized private property, shoplifted and smoked weed. At age 15, Gabe was arrested on a drug possession charge, but there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the case and it was thrown out of court.
Later that year, Gabe found a stray dog. He took the dog down by the docks and played with it. He tied the dog to a post and threw rocks at the animal. This made him laugh. Whenever the dog would yelp in pain from a rock pelting his face or torso, it would merely elicit another burst of pleasure from Gabe. He found a rock that was shaped like a four-inch knife. He picked up the rock, approached the dog who he started calling
Lucky. He thrust the rock into the dog's side. The dog naturally tried to bite Gabe. That only made the teen angry. He then picked up a small boulder. He grasped the boulder firmly in his hand and repeatedly smashed it into the dog's head. The skull cracked with the first impact. Successive blows flattened the skull, smashing the dog's brain inside. The experience gave Gabe an immense feeling of exhilaration. He was initially fearful of these feelings. He knew they were socially wrong, but for some reason they were also pleasurable. He would have to try hunting some day. The perversion of killing the dog helped him to deal with his abusive father and the loss of his mother. It really changed him.
At age 19, Gabe joined the Army after completing High School in 2013. There was a war going on in the Middle East, which the United States Army was heavily involved with. Secretly, he considered what opportunities that would present for him. Gabe was not concerned about a career. He figured he could always go work for the Airport if he had to, but here was a greater opportunity he could not pass up. He never forgot the dog down by the docks and was curious what more he could do with that desire. He joined the Infantry and received his Basic Combat training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He didn't care for the authority, resented it in fact, but tolerated it, in order to get what he wanted. He also earned the Parachutist badge and a Ranger Tab which ushered the young Bostonian into
By 2014, Gabe Meaghan was assigned as an Infantryman in 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and by the end of the year, found himself in southwest Afghanistan assisting Afghani soldiers in Counter Terrorist activities. Max took to the army like a square peg in a round hole. He quickly learned to adapt to the changing situation and learned teamwork. There were a few fellow soldiers whom he took to and they stayed together through it all. They were a tight band of brothers.
During this deployment to Afghanistan, Private First Class Meaghan had several opportunities to use his M4 Carbine on mounted and dismounted patrols. In November 2015, first platoon, A Company, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment were on a dismounted patrol with Afghani army soldiers. They encountered a large group of over two hundred Taliban soldiers. The two forces engaged in a firefight that lasted five days.
PFC Meaghan was always on the front line and focused on shooting Taliban soldiers. During the engagement, Gabe Meaghan fought in hand to hand fighting with no fewer than three Taliban fighters. Two he killed with a bayonet and a third he strangled with his bare hands. Gabe himself, lost the pinky finger of his left hand and the top of his left ear was torn away by an AK-47 bullet. For his effort, Gabe Meaghan was recommended for the Silver Star with “V” for Valor, America’s third highest award for valor in the face of the enemy and the Purple Heart Medal for injuries sustained while in combat.
Privately, Gabe Meaghan was pumped. The entire engagement was exhilarating. The adrenaline was flowing, and he thoroughly enjoyed every minute, from plunging the first bayonet into the first Tali to the wrapping, his hands around the third soldier's neck and watching the life slip out of his body. He could smell these men. They stunk bad just like he and is comrades. These were warriors. Hearing the dead men's dying breath slip from their lips filled Max with such euphoria. It would take at least three days for him to come down from this high. The excitement was incredible. The fact that five of his brothers in arms were killed in action was totally lost on PFC Gabe Meaghan went without notice.
That single event in 2015 was a catalyst for Gabe Meaghan. He needed to feel it again. He wanted it badly. He volunteered for patrols and sought firefights with zeal. His behavior did not go unnoticed by his superiors. Gabe was described as a quiet reticent young man who socialized only with a small group or kept to himself. He focused on exercise to keep himself in shape and work.
Finally, in December 2015, the Third Ranger Battalion returned home to Fort Benning. Within the next year, Gabe was promoted to Specialist and then discharged honorably. In 2016, Max returned to Sorel to find his father died a year earlier and no one notified him. This alone was reason to celebrate. He linked up with his sister, Fname and they got totally hammered.
Gabe Meaghan, 23 years of age, stands 6’ 2” tall and weighs 198 Lbs. with short brown hair, steel gray eyes and a mustache that extends past his mouth straight down on both sides stopping at his jawline. He wears his side burns extended two inches past his ear canals. He typically wears sweat pants, running shoes, T-shirts and matching zip up hooded sweatshirt. He normally wears a Boston Red Sox baseball cap.
