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Anastacio was born in Leon Valley, Texas. He was raised in the Valley of deep South Texas. The family moved with the migrate farm work and the father went to work on a ranch near Presidio. Anastacio attended Presidio schools, dropped out at age 16 and joined the Army when he turned 17 in the months before the Korean War.
He completed basic training and infantry training as well as parachute training at Fort Benning, Georgia. He joined the 101st Airborne and saw action in Korea, where he excelled as a soldier. After the war and a tour in Germany and married a German national. Stateside, he attended Ranger training and was among the first soldiers selected for the famous Green Berets in 1960. His primary specialty was indirect fire (mortars).
He had completed two previous tours as a part of the 5th Special Forces acting as advisors and teachers to the Montayards in the Central Highlands. He thought his place was in Vietnam as long as there was a need.
Loss Coordinates: 143302N 1074119E (YB897102)
Status (in 1973): Killed/Body Not Recovered
SFC Anastacio Montez commanded a company of civilian irregulars in a strike force (MSFC) and was assigned to Detachment B-20, 5th Special Forces Group. The 2nd Mobile Strike Force Command, assigned to Detachment B-20 at Pleiku had during 1968 contained 3 battalions and also satellited separate battalions under Detachment B-22 at Qui Nhon, B-23 at Ban Me Thuot, and B-24 at Kontum. On April 1, 1969, the mobile strike force companies in II CTZ (Montez' area of operations) were reconsolidated at Pleiku and trimmed down to a total of six companies.
On May 24, 1969, Montez's company encountered a numerically superior group in a fire fight in Kontum Province, South Vietnam. The American members of the team tried to defend a small hill. During this time, Montez was badly wounded and, according to survivors, later died.
As the enemy pressed the attack, surviving members of the team had to abandon the position, leaving Montez behind. Because of heavy enemy concentration in the area, it was never possible to reenter the area of loss to recover Montez.
SFC Montez was posthumously award the Silver Star. His MIA status was changed to Killed in Action/Body Not Returned on 12 July 1969 when his status was determined to be correct based upon witness testimony.
Description This campaign was from 23 February to 8 June 1969. From Tet 1969 through the month of June, the enemy again tried to sustain an offensive. His inability to do so can be largely attributed to aggressive allied ground operations. Between 23 February and 8 June 1969, a total of 70 significant named ground operations were terminated resulting in heavy enemy loss of life and materiel. The main operations concluded during this period were:
(1). The 3d Marine Division's Operation KENTUCKY aimed at preventing enemy infiltration through the Demilitarized Zone in central Quang Tri Province. Throughout the early part of January 1969, Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army forces continued to avoid major contacts with Free World Forces. Their continual movement to avoid friendly forces or to search for food and supplies contributed to a decrease in the enemy-initiated ground attacks and attacks-by-fire in Quang Tri Province.
(2). Operation NEVADA EAGLE, initiated on 17 May 1968 in Thua Thien Province, continued in 1969 as the U.S. 101st Airborne Division continued to defeat enemy personnel, and capture rice caches, material, and installations within its large area of operations, where it undertook offensive sweeps along Route 547 and around Song Bo.
(3). Two battalions of the 4th Marine Regiment were engaged in Operation SCOTLAND II. Initiated on 15 April 1968, this multi-battalion search and clear operation was centered in and around Khe Sanh.
(4). The IV Corps Tactical Zone Dry Weather Campaign began on 1 December 1968 in support of the overall mission to prevent Viet Cong units from interfering with pacification efforts. This operation, "Speedy Express," interdicted lines of enemy communication and denied him the use of base areas. In 1969 the 1st Brigade, 9th U.S. Infantry Division continued the operation in Dinh Tuong Province, using its highly successful night ambush tactics while the 2d Brigade continued its mission with the Mobile Riverine Force. Although engagements in Operation SPEEDY EXPRESS were typically small, the 9th Infantry Division fought several sizeable engagements with impressive results.
On 23 February U.S. Navy units and installations at Da Nang, Tan An, Ben Luc, Go Dan Ha, and Tra Cu came under numerous and widespread attacks associated with a new enemy offensive, but since many units in these areas were poised to meet these attacks they caused only minimal damage. April saw the heaviest cumulative enemy activity in the barrier interdiction camapign to date.
