VICENZA -- The Department of the Army selected Public Health Activity-Italy's food safety officer as the 2017 U.S. Army Veterinary Services Warrant Officer of the Year.
Warrant Officer One Abraham Montemayor is the 27th recipient and second warrant officer one in history to receive the prestigious award. The U.S. Army Veterinary Service Corps selected Montemayor above every eligible warrant officer applicant based on character, positive influence, leadership and accomplishments.
"I was not expecting it at all; it completely blindsided me. In all honesty, I have a really great command team," Montemayor said.
"The title of 'Veterinary Corps Warrant Officer of the Year' is truly fitting," said Lt. Col. Justin Schlanser, U.S. Army Africa's Command Veterinarian.
Montemayor directly contributes to the U.S. Army's number one priority, readiness. He supported U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School's mobile team to train 15 Public Health Command Europe food inspectors on the Installation Food Vulnerability Assessment Course. He also educated U.S. Air Force preventative medicine personnel on basic food safety.
"Our primary purpose is to ensure the warfighter is safe," Montemayor said. "A foodborne illness can cripple a unit and make them completely incapable. Dehydration, bacteria, food poisoning…you can't do your job while you're sitting on the toilet."
Montemayor summed up his responsibilities as verifying the safety of food "from the farm to the dinner plate."
Montemayor's food safety and defense mission spans across the globe, including 475 facilities in EUCOM, U.S. Central Command and AFRICOM. In six months, he traveled to over 200 food service locations in Europe and Africa to ensure Soldiers and civilians were receiving food and water that is safe for consumption.
Montemayor conducts audits in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He describes audits in Africa as the most challenging because they are multi-faceted. Political, cultural, distance, logistics, technological and economic concerns present unique hurdles in the realm of food safety.
Montemayor's crowning innovation is the creation of an interactive map graphically depicting PHA-I audits of 136 facilities in 26 countries. The public health regional commander uses this map to brief key leaders, general officers and combatant commanders.
"Warrant Officer One Montemayor's support to AFRICOM in the last year has been innovative and changed how we can track approved sources on the continent," Schlanser said.
Montemayor's map saves manpower and resources. Commanders and public health professionals can use Montemayor's innovation to source and plan requirements instead of more expensive methods such as sending individuals to travel to Africa for specific inspections.
Montemayor says he owes his success to former and current leadership, direct, honest advice from his mentors and a great team working together for a common goal.
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