EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – The life and legacy of U.S. Army Sgt. Alberto D. Montrond, an Army Quartermaster, wheeled vehicle mechanic, chemical equipment repairer and Special Forces support Soldier was forever placed into 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) history with a building dedication in his namesake, Apr. 25, 2019, here.
On Feb. 13, 2006, Montrond, a 7th SFG(A), GSB Soldier, was killed when an improvised explosive device was detonated near his Humvee, north of Deh Rawood in Central Afghanistan.
The request for approval read, “Such a memorialization would be appropriate as Sgt. Alberto D. Montrond epitomized the professionalism and courage essential to today’s multifunctional logistics support Soldier. Naming the Group Support Battalion Facility after Sgt. Montrond will be a fitting legacy to the Group Support Battalion and 7th Special Forces Group missions, the Battalion and its Soldiers.”
“Sgt. Alberto Montrond was assigned to GSB, 7th SFG(A) when he was killed in action, so it was most appropriate to dedicate the GSB building in his honor,” said Lt. Col. Dan Lancaster, commander, GSB, 7th SFG(A).
While with GSB, Sgt. Montrond served as a wheeled vehicle mechanic under Maintenance Company. He was attached to an Operations Detachment Alpha in 2006 when he deployed to Afghanistan. Sgt. Montrond's team was involved in an ambush and he volunteered to go out with the Quick Reaction Force to help fix the team's vehicles and get them moving away from the bad situation they were in.
“It was his bravery and selflessness that resonated across the entire ODA. He sacrificed his own well-being to come to the aid of his fellow Soldiers,” said Lancaster.
Sgt. Major John Fischetti who served with and was in Afghanistan at the same time Montrond was killed in action, reflected on Montrond’s work ethic and the sacrifice he made for his fellow Soldiers.
“Admirable men like SGT Montrond are not a dime a dozen. His presence in my life changed me and many others forever,” said Fischetti. “As the GSB Plans and Operations Sgt. Major, I took what I learned from him and applied it to my daily mindset: to love and appreciate your part of the mission and do it to the absolute best of your ability regardless of the circumstance; to instill in my Soldiers that even if you feel out of your element or out of place at times, what you do matters. What you do saves lives. What you do enables the mission to change how the world thinks and functions in the long run. I will never forget the man Sgt. Montrond was because his influence has made me the man I am today.”
Montrond is survived by his wife, Christl and their two children, Nazereah and Kevyn. His parents Alberto, Sr. and Maria Montrond of the Republic of Cape Verde also survive him.
Lo Que Sea, Cuando Sea, Donde Sea.