Saturday's Internet Edition, July 31, 2010.
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| Richard Montes stands before a sign welcoming folks to the Al Asad military base near Fallujah, Iraq. (Photo by Richard Montes) |
- It was not a soldier who addressed the Van Horn junior high class Tuesday afternoon and spoke of maintaining safety for the United States military stationed in Iraq. It was a civilian who wore khakis and a striped shirt with the words Eagle Pest Control stitched above the left breast pocket.
Richard Montes, from El Paso, Texas, stood in front of the kids with the confidence of a man who has videotaped incoming sand storms in Iraq and thrown pit vipers in a bag at 3 a.m. without so much a thought to the fact the reptiles are one of the deadliest breed of snakes.
In 2006 Montes volunteered to spend 26 consecutive months as a member of the Military Veterinarian Unit stationed in various parts of Iraq. His job was vector control, eliminating the risk of deadly diseases being transmitted from infected animals to United States soldiers.
“There’s a lot of things soldiers go through,” Montes told the students. “You have no idea.”
Montes talked about the heat exceeding 130 degrees Fahrenheit on most days and having to succumb to suffocating sand storms that sometimes lasted 48 hours. In addition to the elements, Montes explained soldiers were confronted with dangerous elements of war and poverty.
Danger also came in smaller sizes – smaller then a mosquito, to be exact, according to Montes. The sand fly was notorious for biting soldiers and possibly transmitting a disease called leishmaniasis, which produces large skin sores if left untreated.
“(They) were a big challenge for us,” said Montes. While the sand flies could not be completely eliminated, Montes said hanging fly bags around the tents helped reduce the sand fly population.
Other potential dangers presented themselves in the form of dogs, kangaroo rats, barn owls, sand foxes, desert lions, sand boas, hedgehogs, spiders, the death stalker scorpion, Black Spitting Cobras, Kurdistan vipers and the Desert Black Snake, said Montes, clicking through photos of each animal on the overhead projector.
Animals infected with deadly diseases such as rabies and Q fever were humanely euthanized, said Montes and the healthy animals were relocated to safer territory.
Soldiers who were combating snakes residing in their empty boots had the problem quickly remedied by Montes who instructed they put a half a bar of soap in each boot to repel the harmful creatures.
Rats quickly infested a bunker where the military stored their MREs (meals ready to eat) and they soon met a worthy opponent in Montes. In one week, 800 rats were killed, Montes said.
Montes was guarded by security personnel who traveled with him but they could not protect him from the events of April 22, 2007.
A base was “hit very hard,” said Montes. The bulk of the hit was in the laundry and the flames were evident on the pictures Montes presented. He joined the fire fight from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m.
At 1 a.m. Montes was part of a group who found the body of one of his friends, he said.
“We were awarded an award for sacrificing our lives for bringing the remains of one of ours home,” he said.
In an unrelated incident, Montes was injured and suffered broken ribs and torn cartilage.
Montes was influential in being one of the first to train Iraqis in the skill of pest control.
During his tenure in the “war torn country”, Montes met rocker Brett Michaels and “even played in his band.” He also met the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders and added, “they were scared of bugs.”
Montes answered questions from the students that ranged from “how were the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders?” to “did being in Iraq teach you to appreciate America more?”
The experience of living in Iraq for over two years “makes me appreciate life, my family, my country,” Montes answered the inquisitive student.
“Whether people believe in the war or not is irrelevant,” said Montes. “I kept soldiers safe and that was my mission.”
Montes showed students pictures of his visits to places like Babylon, the Tower of Babel and other Biblically historical places.
“I can actually say I was on amazing ground,” said Montes. “Iraq is a war torn country but it’s beautiful.”
Ironically, Montes was based at the same base the Van Horn junior high students sent care packages to last December, said Van Horn Junior High Assistant Principal Debbie Engles. The troop commander responded to the students by sending a plaque, letter of thanks and an American flag, which was flown over the base headquarters on Jan. 10, 2002.
Column One
By Dawn Simpson
Well, if you haven’t already voted in ‘early voting’ don’t get busy with weekend activities and forget to go to the polls Saturday and cast your vote. Larry and I prefer to vote on the actual election day because it seems more of a special event to us, and indeed it should be a special event to have the freedom to cast that vote. But it’s fine with me if you are one of those who prefer to get it over with, ‘just in case something happens’ to keep you from voting later. I hear there was a big turnout in early voting – over 300. This is one of those elections where I don’t have a clue how it will turn out. So to all seeking office – Good Luck, and may the best persons win!
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Larry and I are so excited to have Holly Wise on board at the Advocate. It is so apparent from reading the story she covered for us this week, as well as some in her resume package, that she is a very talented (and educated) journalist. We are indeed fortunate that she decided to move to this small town. Hopefully her experience with the Advocate will be a very positive one for her and thus a long-lasting one.
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How many times do we say “My Mother always told me…….” . Yes, we learned a lot about life, and how to handle it, from our precious Mothers. And as we get older, we realize even more how those words of wisdom made us into the persons we are. The following was written by Bryan Golden, a syndicated columnist and author of “Dare to Live Without Limits”. It lists just a few of those valuable lessons our Moms tried to teach us. Mother’s Day is a great time to think about things like that and realize how blest we were to have that influence in our lives.
Life’s Lessons from Your Mother
You can be whatever you want to be…
You have no limitations. The whole world is open to you. Your future is ahead of you. You can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. It’s ok to dream.
Be nice to your friends and they will be nice to you…
People respond to the way you treat them. If you are mean and selfish, no one will want to play with you. Share your toys and don’t be a bully. Be considerate of the feelings of others.
Do your homework and you will get good grades…
Success takes work. If you don’t put in the effort, you won’t reap the rewards. Those who work hard will succeed.
Clean your room now…
Get things done today and you won’t have to worry about them. If you let things pile up, it will be difficult to catch up.
You can play once your chores are done…
Get your work done before you take a break. Then you can relax and have a good time.
Stay in school…
If you don’t get an education, your opportunities will be limited. Don’t drop out of school. The more you learn, the more you benefit.
Sticks and stones will break your bones but names will never hurt you…
It doesn’t matter what other people say. Don’t allow others to upset you. There will always be mean people. Don’t pay attention to them.
Don’t waste your time…
Time goes by very fast. Don’t wait to pursue your dreams.
Be thankful for what you have…
There are many who are not as fortunate as you. Be grateful for your home and family. It doesn’t matter what someone else has.
Don’t Complain…
Whining is annoying. If you have something to say, say it. If you complain all the time, no one will want to listen to you.
COMMUNITY CALENDAR
May 6th - Van Horn High School will hold a Blood Drive today at the Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members of the Van Horn Volunteer Fire Department are slated to meet this evening at 7 p.m. at the Firehouse.
May 7th - Van Horn High School Calculator team will be competing at state competition today.
May 8th - State U.I.L. competition continues.
May 9th - Attend the church of your choice today.
May 10th - Culberson County Commissioners are scheduled to meet this morninig at 10 a.m. at the County Courthouse. Van Horn High School will present the one-act play,“Persephone,” at 7.m. this evening at the Auditorium. Members of the Van Horn Lions Club are slated to meet this evening at 7 p.m.
May 11th - The Van Horn Rotary Club will meet today at noon at Chuy’s Restaurant.
May 12th - Nothing scheduled at press time.