3rd ACR Warriors Gone But Not Forgotten

Courtesy Photo | The four men honored by Killer Troop and 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment July 29 were sons, fathers, future fathers, husbands, friends and brothers-in-arms: Staff Sgt. Jason Montefering, Sgt. Milton Monzon, Pfc. Ernest Dallas, and Pfc. Ramon Villatoro were killed in action July 24 after their Bradley Fighting Vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device outside Baghdad.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

08.15.2005

Courtesy Story

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Sgt. 1st Class Donald Sparks
3rd ACR PAO

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq -- The four men honored by K Troop and 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment July 29 were sons, fathers, future fathers, husbands, friends and brothers-in-arms.

Each Kevlar helmet and each pair of boots arranged in a memorial tableaux were reminders that they were gone.

Staff Sgt. Jason Montefering, Sgt. Milton Monzon, Pfc. Ernest Dallas, and Pfc. Ramon Villatoro were killed in action July 24 after their Bradley Fighting Vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device outside Baghdad.

1st Lt. Todd Arnold, executive officer, K Troop, 3-3 ACR, somberly took the microphone and addressed the audience of nearly 300 troopers in attendance.

"Whether it was their noted calm demeanor, sometimes fiery mentality, or ability to make you laugh even when you didn't feel like it, each one of them affected every one of us, and their sacrifice on the field of the war will never be forgotten," said Arnold as he struggled to fight back tears.

One by one, each of the four cavalry scouts were eulogized by leaders and troopers of K Troop.

For Sgt. Chris Fasold, the loss of Montefering was painful as he recalled the times the two shared together. The two were long-time friends first stationed together in Germany as privates,

"He was by far the most selfless man I have ever met, and I befriended him immediately," Fasold said. "I admired Jason for everything that he was and everything that he wasn't. He was among the best of people, a master of his life."

Montefering, from Parkston, S.D., entered the Army on June 18, 1997, and after concluding his One Station Unit Training at Fort Knox, Ky., he was awarded the Primary Military Occupational Specialty of 19D, Cavalry Scout.
In 2002, Montefering arrived at Fort Carson, Colo., where he was assigned to K Troop. He deployed with 3rd ACR to Iraq in March 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Montefering is survived by his mother Lorraine and his father Allen who reside in Parkston.

Labeling Monzon as "among the greatest men I've ever known," Spc. Timothy Buchalski had immense pride for serving in the same ranks as his fallen brother-in-arms. He shared how Monzon loved playing guitar and learning new languages.

"He was an outstanding linguist and a wonderful guitar player," Buchalski said. "Both were hand in hand. He would hear a song, and a half hour later play it for you, and he spoke English and Spanish fluently."

Buchalski also described the love Monzon had for his wife Christy.

"I knew them as boyfriend and girlfriend, as fiancées and as newlyweds," he said. "After all of that I knew that he found a soul mate. He reenlisted before deploying to buy an engagement ring and was going to take her on a honeymoon upon our return."

Monzon, from Los Angeles, entered the Army Aug. 6, 2001, and after concluding his OSUT at Fort Knox he was awarded the MOS of 19D, Cavalry Scout. In January 2002, Monzon arrived to K Troop where he later deployed with 3rd ACR to Iraq in support of OIF 1. He is survived by his wife Christy who resides in Los Angeles.

When Pfc. Richard Guard wrote his tribute about his good friend Dallas, he reflected on a funny story to share with the troopers of Thunder Squadron. He shared a story about Dallas getting swindled on a deal to get his car painted while in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"For $200, he was going to get a complete paint job on his Honda Civic," Guard said. "The painters picked up shop and left something that resembled a Civic, they even painted his exhaust pipe. It looked like crap, and even though we gave him a hard time about it, he still blew it off in classic Dallas fashion."

Dallas, from Mesquite, Texas, entered the Army Nov. 18, 2003, and after OSUT at Fort Know, was awarded the MOS of 19D, Cavalry Scout. In May 2004, Dallas arrived at K Troop and deployed to Iraq in March in support of OIF 3.
Dallas is survived by his mother, Charlene A. Sauseda.

The final Soldier to be eulogized, Villatoro, was described by Pfc. Marco Morales as competitive, a team player and a family man. The two occasionally spent time together on duty in Iraq where Villatoro talked about his new wife, Amanda.

"He would keep me up all night talking about his wife," Morales said. "He was so proud of her. He looked forward to going home in November; to see his wife give birth. He always looked at the sonogram of his son, and always would brag about him and say, "I'm gonna have a Jr.""

Villatoro, from Bakersfield, Calif., entered the Army on July 28, 2003 and after concluding OSUT at Fort Knox he was awarded the MOS of 19D, Cavalry Scout. In January 2005, Villatoro arrived at K Troop and deployed to Iraq in March in support of OIF 3.

He is survived by his wife, Amanda, who resides in Bakersfield, Calif.

With the sting of their loss still in the troopers" hearts, Arnold reminded them to always remember the sacrifice of the four Cavalry Scouts.

"Although we say goodbye, we will never forget them, we will remember them by talking trash just to talk trash, by being stern leaders, and by giving each other the shirts off our backs if someone needed it just like Dallas, Villatoro, Sergeant Monzon, and Staff Sergeant Monty would have done."

• Date Taken: 08.15.2005
• Date Posted: 08.15.2005 13:37
• Story ID: 2715
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ