Montrel Chatman

Born to a single mother in Natchez, Mississippi I grew up facing many obstacles. My father was scarcely involved in my life, but eventually I came to appreciate it. Along with two younger brothers there was a limited time for me to enjoy my childhood before I was required to take on responsibilities. My uncles and cousins started teaching me around the age of eight how to hunt, fish, grow crops, raise livestock, ride horses, and build with wood and bricks because being able to live off the land is how we survived. Learning how to cook, clean, work and help take care of home while my mother worked at such a young age greatly prepared me for even more demanding challenges I would face in life. My father did teach me one lesson and that's if someone threatens his sons life for no reason while he still breathes, they should hope the police catch them first.

After I finished high school, college was merely a farfetched fantasy. Unable to afford an education, I decided to join the United States Army. From the outset I intended to prove to myself I could make a difference, develop leadership skills, and be prepared for what may come because I knew deploying to combat was inevitable. Throughout my training I continually exceeded the standards and used what I knew to help my fellow soldiers. During my tenure in the military I faced many challenges from within and without. I was always assigned to tasks above my actual scope of responsibility due to my inept ability to learn quickly and complete tasks with minimal supervision. While at home on leave before deploying, some friends and I had a run in with some Klan members. They attempted to run us over with a 4x4 truck one night right in front of my friends house, I never mentioned it to my father though. While on my first deployment to Iraq I left early to help setup for the unit as they came in and helped train the Brigade radio operators. From my radio operator station I helped save hundreds of people, soldiers and civilians alike; as a medical evacuation radio operator I spent time memorizing maps to narrow down locations to pinpoint accuracy as the evacuation calls came in without needing to look at the map to improve response time. Also, coordinating directly with ground units and relaying vital information to MedEvac helicopter crews was stressful, but by far one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.