Arthur “Bud” Montagne — shown here with his wife, Ellene — father of for- mer NPR Morning Edition host Renée Montagne, was a prior-enlisted sailor who retired from the Marine Corps as a major. Renée, left, interviews a British general in Kabul, Afghani- stan, in 2010 (below).
“For
three hours, [he] told me details about the attack.”
— Renée Montagne
He traveled all the way to Virginia in his Marine uniform. My mother would laugh and say that he looked much better — that he was much improved. [laughs] You know, those Marine uniforms.
that like? Q
MONTAGNE: It was a beautiful expe- rience. I wish everyone could do that with their family. For three hours, my father told me details about the at- tack I had never heard before. He was one of the last people off the ship and, in the meantime, saw people being pulled up from below. He had to swim ashore under fl am- ing oil. Then he went looking for his friend Joe in all these burn units, but Joe had died.
What kind of values did you pick up from your father and the other Marines in your life?
Q
MONTAGNE: Defi nitely honesty, valor, and a strong sense of duty to the country. In the offi cer corps es-
PHOTOS: ABOVE, GUY VOLB; TOP, COURTESY RENÉE MONTAGNE
You later interviewed him about that day. What was
pecially, they embrace those values. I grew up knowing that you do any- thing for your fellow Marines.
How did your experience help inform your reporting on the military?
Q
MONTAGNE: I probably had a per- sonal comfort level around military leaders that I might not have if I didn’t have a family feel for it. I also found it to be gratifying to see so many nonmilitary journalists who were embedding with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan see what the offi cer corps was all about. Military leaders have deep thoughts [and] feelings and are admirable people, but I think the of- fi cer corps in particular was really negatively portrayed in a lot of movies from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.
In interviewing gener-
als, colonels, and lieutenants, I think reporters found they had a vast range of knowledge while being asked to do this vast range of contra- dictory things, like “be diplomats and
also be fi ghters; be builders and de- stroyers.” In many cases, seeing them carry that out is extremely impres- sive — although it didn’t surprise me.
from a military family? Q
To read these interviews in their entirety, visit www
.moaa.org/mil brats.
MONTAGNE: Some would acknowl- edge it. When I would interview Gen. John Kelly, USMC (Ret), in Afghanistan, he would ask, “How is your Marine dad?” And I would say, “Oh, fi ne — how are your Marine sons?” It was our “hello” because we had that connection. In fact, General Kelly once sent my dad a fl ag that had fl own over Fallujah, Iraq, along with a beautiful letter. My father had the fl ag framed with the letter underneath it, and it became one of his most precious possessions. MO
— Gina Harkins is MOAA’s senior staff writer. Her last feature article for Mili- tary Offi cer was “The Right to Fight,” March 2017.
APRIL 2017 MILITARY OFFICER 57
Are servicemembers sur- prised to learn you come
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88