Thomas M. Montgomery

Thomas M. Montgomery (born January 23, 1941) is an American soldier who retired from the United States Army in 1997 at the rank of Lieutenant General. A native of Indiana and graduate of Indiana University, he entered military service in 1963 and commanded an armored company during the Vietnam War, during which he was decorated with the Silver Star for gallantry in the face of the enemy. During the Somali Civil War, he served as deputy commander of the military element of UNOSOM II and would later spend three years as U.S. representative to the NATO Military Committee.

Early life and education Thomas M. Montgomery was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. He received a B.A. degree in Slavic Languages from Indiana University and later earned a Master of Arts in Management from Central Michigan University. He also attended the Armed Forces Staff College and the Army War College.

UNOSOM II Montgomery served as deputy commander of the military element of UNOSOM II. In 1993, Montgomery was designated deputy commander of United Nations Forces in Somalia under Turkish Gen. Çevik Bir, part of the UNOSOM II mission led by Admiral Jonathan Howe. Though he was deputy commander, the U.S.-comprised Quick Reaction Force fell under Montgomery's exclusive control. However, American special forces in Somalia – including the Delta Force operators and Army Rangers who would later undertake Operation Gothic Serpent – were outside of Montgomery's jurisdiction, instead reporting to Gen. William F. Garrison.

Montgomery was well aware of the dangerous environment in Somalia - his own vehicle had been hit by bullets in April – but he did not anticipate the scale of violence that erupted.

From the beginning, political reticence and miscalculations left UNOSOM II with insufficient troops or equipment to fulfill its mandate, a state of affairs that emboldened local militias. Montgomery was the commander of U.S. troops when the Bloody Monday raid took place on 12 July 1993. The raid elicited such a strong reaction from Somalis that even forces loyal to Mohamed Farah Aidid's main rival, Ali Mahdi, began displaying open contempt for UNOSOM. In an interview with Scott Peterson, he defended the raid, highlighting the discovery of "tactical radios" at the villa. The operation faced significant international criticism. In the middle of September 1993, due to the deteriorating situation in the country and out of what the Washington Post later described as a "pressing concern for the safety of his troops", Montgomery transmitted a classified and urgent request to the Pentagon for heavy armor. The request was denied by United States Secretary of Defense Les Aspin due to what Paul Greenberg would characterize as a politically motivated calculation designed to avoid causing "a stir in Congress". Ten days after Montgomery's appeal for tanks was rejected, during the Battle of Mogadishu 18 American soldiers were killed; their timely rescue was foiled by UNOSOM II's lack of armor.

Montgomery was subsequently designated commander of Joint Task Force Somalia and given command of the American withdrawal from the country. Due to the extremely dangerous situation on the ground, Montgomery pressed to keep a significant U.S. force in Somalia through the final date of redeployment, emphasizing that the last element to depart should be "an Abrams tank with its gun tube pointed toward Mogadishu".

NATO From 1994 to 1997, Montgomery served as the United States representative to the NATO Military Committee.

Personal life As of 2015, Montgomery resided in Fishers, Indiana. Two years later, he was elected to the Indiana Military Veteran Hall of Fame as part of its third class of inductees.