Chief Warrant Officer 4 Richard L. “Monty” Gonzales, assumed duty as the Senior Army Instructor of the Winston Churchill High School JROTC “Charger” Battalion on 13 June, 2012.

 

A native of Carson City, Nevada, Chief Gonzales enlisted in the Army in 1988. During 21 years of Military service, he has served units at every echelon, from platoon to division, with duty in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Central America, and the United States.  

 

During his first assignment with the 75th Ranger Regiment Chief Gonzales served in combat during Operations “Just Cause,” in Panama in 1989, and, “Desert Storm,” in Saudi Arabia and Iraq in 1991.  Chief Gonzales also participated in Operation “Uphold Democracy” in Cuba and Haiti in 1994.

 

After being selected to serve as a Warrant Officer he was assigned to U.S. Army Europe where he served as a targeting officer at the Brigade and Division levels supporting operations in Bosnia and Kosovo from 1997-2000.  In 2003 he led one of the Army’s Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Mobile Exploitation Teams (MET-Alpha) comprised of Joint and multi-national Soldiers and civilians in support of Operation “Iraqi Freedom.”  His leadership of Mobile Exploitation Team Alpha led to an immediate shift in methods used for conducting Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE) and a re-evaluation of the expectations of the search for WMD in Iraq.

 

Chief Gonzales returned to Iraq in 2005 as part of a research team for the Center for Army Lessons Learned (CALL) to collect lessons learned and provide input into emerging doctrine encompassing counter-insurgency operations in Iraq.  In 2008 he was selected as an advisor and liaison to the Indian Army where he deployed to collect lessons learned and share best practices and tactics techniques and procedures with the Indian military.

 

Chief Gonzales holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Cameron University, a Master’s Degree in History from Louisiana State University and is a doctoral student with the University of Phoenix, pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership. 

 

In addition to his formal education, Chief Gonzales graduated from the Army Master Parachutist Course, Military Freefall Course, and International Ranger School.  Chief Gonzales’s awards and decorations include two Bronze Stars, the Legion of Merit and Combat Jump Wings.