After his discharge from the Marines in February 1969, Steve Montgomery became active at the Lima Veterans Administration clinic. He enjoyed helping other veterans with veterans services and benefits answers.
Photo courtesy of Marilyn Montgomery
My husband, Steve Montgomery, was a proud Marine! He enlisted in the service in December 1965 and completed aviation electronics school in Jacksonville, Florida, followed by more electrical training on aircraft while at New River Air Facility at Camp Lejune, N.C. This training on maintenance on helicopters would soon be put to use, as he received orders to be sent overseas and arrived in Vietnam on July 5, 1967.
In his words: “The atmosphere in the country at the time was very much conflicted. We had one side that thought we should not be in Vietnam, and we also had the faction that we needed to defend freedom anywhere in the world we could help.”
My husband was all about serving his country. He was based at Marble Mountain in Vietnam. This base had been pretty well protected and had not been attacked for approximately one full year. But that changed on Jan. 3, 1968. The enemy bombed their base and missed hitting the Huey Cobras they were aiming at, but they made a direct hit in the enlisted living quarters instead. This left eight dead and 72 wounded. One of those killed was very close to his bunk.
After doing his regular daily job of helicopter maintenance — it took 10 hours of maintenance for every hour the helicopter was in the air — as well as testing radios and directional equipment, this young Marine volunteered in his off time as a door gunner on re-supply missions!
This was during the Tet Offensive in the demilitarized zone! In a period of just about three months, this young Marine flew as a door gunner on a CH530 helicopter over 70 missions! This is almost unheard of.
God was not done with him yet. He had other plans ahead for this Marine.
Steve was discharged from the Marines in February 1969. He worked in various types of sales, was active in his church and community and worked as a clerk at the Lima Veterans Administration clinic. While there, he made connections with other veterans who had served during combat, and he found it very fulfilling to be able to share experiences. He filled himself with knowledge regarding veterans services and benefits and was always willing to help someone get an answer if at all possible.
As most of us have never experienced serving in combat, it is impossible to fully understand what a veteran lives with every day. As Steve found out in recent years and was able to share with others, it is good to talk to someone about those experiences, and the VA offers that service.
Steve was a true Marine. He loved the Lord and his country, and he lived his life to serve others.
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— Marilyn Montgomery, Lima
