Why We Serve - CW4 Jamie Montgomery

By CECOM Public AffairsJune 21, 2019

CW4 Montgomery gets promoted
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Recently promoted Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jamie Montgomery, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command's senior military intelligence systems technical advisor, and a native of Jackson, Tennessee, joined the U.S. Army in 1997 as a Strategic Intelligence Repairer, or 33Y (now 35T Military Intelligence System Maintainer/Integrator).

"I had always kind of toyed with the idea of doing something in the military," said Montgomery. "However, I attended two years of college at Middle Tennessee State University before making my final decision to join the Army."

Over a decade of enlisted service, he was stationed at Camp Humphreys, South Korea; Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio; and, finally, with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

"In 2007 I decided to become a 353T," Montgomery said. "My decision to become a Warrant Officer was based on a few things. Primarily, I had wanted to become a WO since I was a private and worked for the senior WO in our specialty at the time. The idea of achieving that degree of technical proficiency and being 'the guy' always appealed to me. My decision was solidified when I realized that if I wanted to stay in the operational force for as long as possible, then the WO route was the only way to do so."

Warrant Officers make up the technical foundation of the U.S. Army. Although comprising less than 3% of total Army strength, Warrant Officers have great job responsibility that includes training Soldiers, organizing and advising on missions, and advancing within their career specialties.

Montgomery's time as a Warrant Officer began with the 66th Military Intelligence Brigade in Germany, where he was responsible for the readiness of the U.S. Army Europe Theater Operations Center, Regional Operations Center, and multiple Deployable Intelligence Support Elements. Airborne school followed, after which he joined the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

"I did three years each in the 4th Brigade Combat Team and 1st BCT of the 82nd ABN where I was responsible for the MI systems and intelligence architectures in the brigade," Montgomery said. "After six years at Ft. Bragg, I moved to Aberdeen Proving Ground and the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command."

He credits his wife Elizabeth, and daughters Olivia and Laura Kate for his rapid rise through the ranks.

"My family's support is the only reason that I've had any measure of success in my career. They've always been my highest priority and I've only stuck around because they've supported me."

Montgomery takes the Soldier training part of the Warrant Officer cadre seriously.

"The thing I typically tell younger Soldiers is to start by building a solid foundation of knowledge in their specialty," he said. "Once they've mastered their fundamentals, they can start to look at ways to improve those around them and make the Army better overall."

What's up next for this technical expert?

"I'm not really sure what's in my future once I leave CECOM," Montgomery said. "What I would like to have happen is for me to move on to a position where I can apply all the things that I've learned during my time at CECOM. An instructor position would be ideal."