Luis A. Montes

Luis Antonio Montes

HHC Scout Platoon

1-22 Infantry

4th Infantry Division (Mechanized)

Died of Wounds Received In Action September 7, 2006

SGT Luis A. Montes was born on 11 March 1984 in Mexico.

He entered the United States Army on 2 January 2003 and graduated from Basic Combat Training and
Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Knox, Kentucky. Upon graduation from AIT, SGT Montes was assigned to C Troop,
4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry, 2nd Infantry Division in Camp Garry Owen, Korea. Upon completion of his tour in Korea,
he was reassigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team,
4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood Texas.

SGT Montes’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal,
Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal,
Korean Defense Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon,
Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, and the Combat Action Badge.

September 15, 2006

This month we mourn the loss of one of America’s finest – Sergeant Luis Montes.
Sergeant Montes and his Bradley Fighting Vehicle crew were conducting a mounted patrol
when their Bradley was struck by an Improvised Explosive Device. The Bradley immediately caught fire
and severely burned Sergeant Montes, Specialist Ricky Yarosh, and Private First Class Andrew Loe.
They were quickly evacuated to the 10^th Combat Support Hospital in the International Zone of Baghdad,
and subsequently flown to Balad, Iraq and Landstuhl, Germany for advanced medical care.

All three were medically stable enough to fly to the United States where they were taken to the special burn unit
at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. They arrived in stable condition,
but Sergeant Montes suffered from internal organ failure and passed away in the afternoon of September 7^th, 2006.
We are all deeply saddened by his loss and offer our sincerest condolences to his family and friends.
We continue to pray for them and for Specialist Yarosh, Private First Class Loe, and their families.
The road ahead will be long and the journey difficult, but the strength of family and friends will endure.

—Captain Troy Parrish (Hammer 6)

SGT Luis Montes' decorations

SGT Luis Montes

Valley soldier dies of wounds

By DARREN SIMON, Staff Writer

Friday, September 8, 2006 3:05 PM PDT

On Sept. 1, U.S. Army Sgt. Luis Montes was on patrol in a tank in Iraq
when it drove over a roadside bomb that exploded.

Injured, the El Centro resident found a way to crawl out of the vehicle, but, according to his family,
he was not going to leave his men. He went back in after them, and while pulling them out, the tank exploded again.

Montes, 22, suffered burns over 50 percent of his body, and on Thursday, in a San Antonio military hospital,
his life ended as, faced with mortal injuries, he was removed from life support.

Montes, a young sergeant who loved serving in the Army and had just re-enlisted,
became the fifth Imperial Valley resident to die in U.S. operations in Iraq.

Imperial Valley natives Marcus Cherry, Eric Silva, Steven Acosta and Pablo Manzano each died while serving in Iraq.

There was no official information from the military on Montes’ death by presstime today.

Since the Sept. 1 explosion, Montes had been flown to Germany and then to the military hospital in San Antonio,
where he had been on life support since Monday, his family said.

Doctors told the family this week Montes had suffered injuries “incompatible with life,”
said Montes’ uncle Miguel Vallejo, who was in San Antonio with Montes’ parents and two brothers.

Vallejo said Montes’ family was at his side Thursday as he was removed from life support and died.

Vallejo said the family was told by Montes’ commanding officer that he had pulled out two men serving under him
after the explosion despite his own wounds.

“His commanding officer told them he was very brave in saving his buddies,” Vallejo said.

Family friend and El Centro police Sgt. Eric Scoville said Montes had loved serving in the military
and had just re-enlisted for his second tour of duty.

“He was really thrilled he was promoted at such a young age,” said Scoville,
who added he had seen Montes two months earlier while Montes was on leave.

Montes was raised in El Centro and had become the first member of the El Centro Police Activities League,
Scoville said, adding Montes had helped sign up other kids into PAL in its early days.

Scoville was the first director of the El Centro PAL, and said he and Montes had become friends.

“He was a great kid,” Scoville said.

Vallejo said his nephew was a young man who loved his family and wanted to be a role model for others to follow.

“He served with honor and he signed up for a second term because he liked it so much,” Vallejo said.

There was no word on funeral arrangements,
but Vallejo said the family is expected to return Montes’ body to the Valley in coming days.

Montes is survived by his parents and two brothers, all of whom live in El Centro.

Staff Writer Darren Simon can be contacted at dsimon@ivpressonline.com or at 337-3445.

Above story from:

Imperial Valley Press

Luis was born March 11, 1984 in Mexicali, B.C., MX. He came to the US in 1989 were he lived in Oxnard and Santa Maria
for two years, and then came to El Centro in 1992 were he lived. Luis attended Southwest High School and graduated in 2002.
He also joined the US Army in 2003.

From Imperial Valley Press

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SGT Montes is survived by his mother, Marisela Montes of EL Centro, California and his father Alejandro Montes,
brothers, Alex and Alfonso Montes all of El Centro and sisters, Itza Dayna and Alexa Montes both of Mexicali.

Luis A. Montes is buried at Mountain View Cemetery,
Calexico, Imperial County, California

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Quilt made for the family of Luis Montes by Freedom Quilts

Quilt photos from the website Freedom Quilts

For a tribute to Luis A. Montes click on the following link:

Los Angeles Times

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