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User:Chetsford/mont

< User:Chetsford
Thomas M. Montgomery
BornIndianapolis, Indiana, United States
Allegiance United States of America
Branch United States Army
Years of service1963–1997
RankLieutenant General
Commands1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division
ConflictsVietnam War
Somali Civil War
Awards Defense Distinguished Service Medal
Silver Star

Thomas M. Montgomery is an American soldier who retired from the United States Army in 1997 at the rank of Lieutenant General. A native of Indiana and graduate of Indiana University, he entered military service in 1963 and commanded an armored company during the Vietnam War, during which he was decorated with the Silver Star for gallantry in the face of the enemy. During the Somali Civil War, he served as deputy commander of the military element of UNOSOM II and would later spend three years as U.S. representative to the NATO Military Committee.

Early life and education

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Thomas M. Montgomery was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana.[1] He received a B.A. degree in Slavic Languages from Indiana University and later earned a Master of Arts in Management from Central Michigan University.[2] He also attended the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College.[3]

Career

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Vietnam War

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Montgomery was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant through the Indiana University Reserve Officer Training Corps and entered the U.S. Army in 1963. As an officer in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Montgomery saw action during the Vietnam War.[1] On February 26, 1969, his unit was ambushed by Viet Cong and Vietnamese People's Army (PAVN) forces, during which one of the tanks under his command was disabled by a rocket propelled grenade.[1][2] Montgomery used his own vehicle to shield the disabled tank, and – despite it also being hit by RPG fire – successfully commanded the evacuation of his wounded men, after which he led his soldiers in overrunning the PAVN positions.[1] For his actions, he was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star with "V" device.[1][2]

After Vietnam

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Following the Vietnam War, Montgomery held a variety command and staff assignments, including as commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment; as commanding officer of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division (United States); and as director of management to the U.S. Army Chief of Staff.[3]

UNOSOM II

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Montgomery served as deputy commander of the military element of UNOSOM II.

In 1993, Montgomery was designated deputy commander of United Nations Forces in Somalia under Turkish Gen. Cevik Bir, part of the UNOSOM II mission led by Admiral Jonathan Howe.[4] Though he was deputy commander, the U.S.-comprised Quick Reaction Force fell under Montgomery's exclusive control. However, American special forces in Somalia – including the Delta Force operators and Army Rangers who would later undertake Operation Gothic Serpent – were outside of Montgomery's jurisdiction, instead reporting to Gen. William F. Garrison.[5]

Montgomery was well aware of the dangerous environment in Somalia - his own vehicle had been hit by bullets in April – but he did not anticipate the scale of violence that erupted.[6] It had been assumed by Pentagon planners that UN forces in Somalia would face bandits, not centrally directed guerrillas.[6]

From the beginning, political reticence and miscalculations left UNOSOM II with insufficent troops or equipment to fulfill its mandate, a state of affairs that emboldened local militias.[7] In a later interview with Frontline, Montgomery would note that "there were only eight tanks in Mogadishu....they were old American tanks that had been given to the Pakistanis, and of those only four were operational".[8] In the middle of September 1993, due to the deteriorating situation in the country and out of what the Washington Post later described as a "pressing concern for the safety of his troops", Montgomery transmitted a classified and urgent request to the Pentagon for heavy armor.[9] The request was denied by United States Secretary of Defense Les Aspin due to what Paul Greenberg would characterize as a politically-motivated calculation designed to avoid causing "a stir in Congress".[9][10] Ten days after Montgomery's appeal for tanks was rejected, Somali militiamen killed 18 American soldiers; their timely rescue was foiled by UNOSOM II's lack of armor.[9][a] Aspin accepted blame for the disaster and resigned his office.[12]

Montgomery was subsequently designated commander of Joint Task Force Somalia and given command of the American withdrawal from the country. Due to the extremely dangerous situation on the ground, Montgomery pressed to keep a significant U.S. force in Somalia through the final date of redeployment, emphasizing that the last element to depart should be "an Abrams tank with its gun tube pointed toward Mogadishu".[13]

NATO

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From 1994 to 1997, Montgomery served as the United States representative to the NATO Military Committee.[3]

Retirement

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Montgomery retired from the U.S. Army in 1997. In the years following his retirement from active military service, Montgomery was involved in mentoring Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets at his alma mater, Indiana University, and also served on the board of trustees of the Command and General Staff College Foundation.[14][15]

Personal life

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As of 2015, Montgomery resided in Fishers, Indiana.[1]

Awards and honors

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Decorations

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U.S. military decorations
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters)
  Silver Star
  Distinguished Service Medal
Bronze Star (with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters)
  Air Medal
Meritorious Service Medal (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters)
  Army Commendation Medal
Non-U.S. orders and decorations
  Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Knight Commander)
  United Nations Medal
Honor Cross of the Bundeswehr (in Silver)

Other recognition

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In 2015, Montgomery was recognized with Indiana University's Distinguished Alumni Award, described by the institution as "one of its highest honors".[14] Two years later, he was elected to the Indiana Military Veteran Hall of Fame as part of its third class of inductees.[1]

Notes

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  1. ^ The attack was cited by some observers as retaliation for the previous "Bloody Monday" assault which had occurred as part of the manhunt for Mohamed Farrah Aidid. According to Scott Peterson, the intensity of the manhunt for Aidid by American forces at times violated "the laws of war".[11] However, Montgomery has observed that United Nations forces were under constant engagement by militiamen who often used armed women and children to probe UN defenses. Speaking to the New York Times, he caustically noted "it is the inalienable right of the Somali militia to kill and maim United Nations soldiers. But it is treated as a human rights violation if there is any military response against those responsible".[11]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Reason, Betsy (November 1, 2017). "'63 NHS grad to be inducted into Indiana Veterans Hall of Fame". The Times. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "LTG Thomas M. Montgomery to Address 11th ACVVC at Reunion" (PDF). Thunder Run. 20 (2). 2005.
  3. ^ a b c "Lt. Gen. Thomas M. Montgomery". University Honors and Awards. Indiana University. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  4. ^ Manwaring, Max (2019). Managing Contemporary Conflict: Pillars Of Success. Routledge. pp. 33–34. ISBN 0429723776.
  5. ^ Kaempf, Sebastian (2012). "US warfare in Somalia and the trade-off between casualty-aversion and civilian protection". Small Wars and Insurgencies. 23 (3): 388–413. doi:10.1080/09592318.2012.661608.
  6. ^ a b Poole, Walter (2005). The Effort to Save Somalia (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Joint History Office Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staf. pp. 41–45.
  7. ^ United Nations: Limitations in Leading Missions Requiring Force to Restore Peace. Washington, D.C.: Government Accountability Office. 1997.
  8. ^ "Ambush in Mogadishu". Frontline. PBS. n.d. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Gellman, Barton (October 31, 1992). "The Words Behind a Deadly Decision". Washington Post. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  10. ^ Greenberg, Paul (August 16, 2002). "Clinton's memory proves too casual, just like his flippancy". Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 5, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Peterson, Scott (2014). Me Against My Brother: At War in Somalia, Sudan and Rwanda. Routledge. p. 131. ISBN 1135955514.
  12. ^ John, Barry (December 26, 1993). "The Collapse of Les Aspin". Newsweek. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  13. ^ Baxter, Peter (2013). Somalia: US Intervention, 1992 1994. Helion and Company. pp. 50–51. ISBN 1909384615.
  14. ^ a b "IU College of Arts and Sciences names its 2015 alumni and faculty honorees". indiana.edu. Indiana University. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  15. ^ Command and General Staff College Foundation Annual Report (PDF). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 2009. p. 7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.

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