Jack Spencer
Jim Montano was one of my mentors at the 7th Infantry Division (light) in 1987.
He brought me into the S3 Plans shop at Division Headquarters. He was committed to teaching me how to write field orders that worked and would not get misinterpreted. In this effort , we would finish one OPORD and hand it in and 5 minutes later he directs another plan for future operations.
Not noted in his bio is a position he held in the office of the Vice CofS of the Army. There he oversaw 8 subject matter experts who were Colonels. He also supervised 7 majors known as the 7 Dwarves. Their function was to expeditiously answer questions for the Vice or the CofS of the Army. The questions ranged across all branches, all services, and all topics from budget to Operations to space and back.
He was a task master! On one exercise we were in full MOPP gear (NBC Suits and Masks). We were taking a break and he began a conversation informally before it turned into a full bore ass-chewing aimed at me and my many deficiencies. Being in full NBC suit, my temperature got up to about 100 degrees inside the suit! He was an expert at on-the-spot corrections.
He was a dedicated soldier with a history of difficult and dangerous assignments. He stood well for the United States of America.
Jack H. Spencer, LTC (r). USA