A native of Washington D.C., Captain Luis Carlos Montalván presently resides in Brooklyn, New York. On September 11, 2007 he departed the U.S. Army after 17 years of service. Before joining the officer corps in 2003, Montalván spent over a decade as a communications specialist, military policeman and infantryman in the enlisted ranks, having joined the U.S. Army on his 17th birthday in 1990.

In addition to his years in Iraq, which earned him the Combat Action Badge, two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart and Army Commendation Medals, Montalván has mentored and trained officers at Fort Benning and served on policy development teams in Washington, D.C.

After personally witnessing the tragic attack on the Pentagon on September 11, Luis volunteered to perform security missions around the D.C. metropolitan area. By then, he was enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs at Georgetown University and the University of Maryland, College Park. At the latter, he contributed to the founding of the college's first Army ROTC program since World War II.

In 2003, after graduating college and completing the Armor Officer Basic Course at Ft. Knox, KY, Montalván deployed to "Operation Iraqi Freedom" as a member of G Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (3d ACR). Luis served as a Tank and Scout Platoon Leader from September 2003 to April 2004 in the Al Anbar Province. He was responsible for securing and developing the Al Waleed port-of-entry, one of the largest border ports-of-entry in Iraq, in addition to patrolling the vast Iraqi desert along the strategically important Syrian border.

In March 2005, he deployed to Iraq again with the 3d ACR and served there until March 2006. During his second tour, he worked in a myriad of assignments including leading a Military Transition Team (MiTT) in the volatile South Baghdad region and as the Regimental Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) Operations Coordinator in Nineveh Province. During "Operation Restoring Rights," a successful clear and hold operation conducted in the city of Tall Afar, Luis established and developed the Joint Coordination Centers for the western Nineveh Province. Additionally, he was responsible for coordinating ISF development along the Syrian-Iraqi border. Promoted to Captain, he was assigned as the Regimental Adjutant for the 3d ACR.

Later in 2006, he was assigned to Ft. Benning, Georgia to train and mentor newly commissioned Army officers at the Basic Officer Leadership Course II (BOLC II) as well as coordinate resources and administration for B Company, 1-11 Infantry Regiment. In 2007, Luis was invited to participate in the American Enterprise Institute's Iraq Planning Group where he contributed to the development of new national strategic policy.

Luis holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park. His military education includes the Armor Officer Basic Course, Sapper Course, Airborne Course, Pathfinder Course, and Air Assault Course.

In addition to his decorations for service in Iraq, Luis has also been awarded the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal among 33 other awards and decorations. He is a qualified military parachutist and has conducted airborne jumps with the Czech, Thai, and Slovak armies.

While serving in Iraq, Luis was interviewed by Abu Dhabi television, The Denver Post and The New York Times. Since January 2007, his writings have been published in The NY Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times , Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Army Times, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Baltimore Sun among other newspapers. He has also been featured on NPR, CBS, AFP, BBC, C-SPAN, ANP, and Democracy Now among other media outlets.

Luis is presently a graduate student at Columbia University in NYC working on dual Master's degrees in Journalism and Strategic Communications. He is also completing a book about his experiences in Iraq and Washington over the past 6 years.

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