CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Matthew Montgomery has spent most of his adult life serving others.
The Corpus Christi native joined the U.S. Marine Corps immediately after graduating from Tuloso-Midway High School in 2005, answering what he describes as a lifelong family tradition of military service and a personal calling that emerged in the years following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Every male Montgomery has served in the military all the way back to the American Revolution," Montgomery said. "I felt a calling to do that. It was right after 9/11, and I felt compelled to do my part and serve my country."
That decision launched a career that would take him from combat deployments in Iraq to military embassies overseas, private contracting work and specialized search-and-rescue operations.
Montgomery completed back-to-back deployments to Iraq before serving as a Marine embassy guard. After leaving active duty, he spent more than a decade working as a military contractor before returning to military service through the National Guard. While serving in the Guard, Montgomery was selected to work with a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue task force, an experience that introduced him to technical rescue operations and ultimately led him to discover a passion for teaching.
"I really fell in love with instructing," he said.
Today, Montgomery serves as Fire and Rescue Director at the National First Responder Training Complex in Corpus Christi, where he trains future firefighters, rescue personnel and emergency responders.
Across the sprawling training grounds, cadets learn everything from vehicle extrication and hazardous materials response to rope rescue and high-angle operations. Montgomery said the goal is not only to teach skills but to build confidence.
"They're conquering fears. They're learning new things. They're finding things out about themselves they didn't even know," he said. "They have to trust their gear, trust their equipment and trust themselves."
That philosophy guides his approach to leadership.
For Montgomery, every challenge on the training field is designed to prepare students for challenges beyond it.
"These are going to be the people that are pulling us out of vehicles or out of structure fires," he said. "I take an extreme amount of pride to make sure they have quality training and that they know what they're doing when they come out of here."
His commitment to instruction extends beyond civilian emergency response. Montgomery also serves as an Officer Candidate School instructor, helping train future Army lieutenants in leadership, military tactics and decision-making.
"I absolutely love doing that," he said.
But while Montgomery has spent years preparing others for difficult situations, he has spent the last two years confronting one of the toughest challenges of his own life. About two years ago, he was diagnosed with cancer. Montgomery said doctors linked the illness to burn pit exposure during his military service. Since then, he has undergone chemotherapy, radiation treatments and 14 surgeries.
"We're still fighting through it, but staying positive," he said.
The diagnosis forced him to put other goals on hold. A longtime fitness enthusiast and competitive bodybuilder, Montgomery had been preparing for another run at qualifying for a national competition when everything changed.
"It went from putting on as much muscle as I could to, 'We're going to fight this cancer thing,'" he said.
Even during treatment, Montgomery has continued working and mentoring others. He credits his employers, fellow instructors and family for helping him stay focused and engaged.
"When I first started treatments, I was sitting at home going through it," Montgomery said. "They told me, 'Come up here and get your head into something.' They knew I needed to stay busy."
People are often surprised to learn he is battling cancer.
"Anytime I tell people that I'm battling cancer, they just give me this crazy look," he said. "I just try to stay positive, keep my mind busy and keep going forward."
His approach is simple: focus on what comes next rather than dwelling on what has been lost.
"I'm a fighter," Montgomery said. "And I'm going to fight it till the end."
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
Contact Veterans In Focus reporter Michelle Hofmann at michelle.lorenzo@kristv.com
