by Natalie Allen

Rosie Guerra was in the process of teaching a lesson to her Spanish class when she was approached by Principal Melbrech.

“I was in a class when Melbrech came in and said someone needed to talk to me,” Guerra said. “At first I didn’t understand why he had a man with him. Then he told me ‘Perhaps you should get your purse,’ because I probably wouldn’t be coming back.”

The worst-case scenario had yet to cross her mind.

“I thought to myself, ‘Well, you know, I’ve parked in the police parking lot before’,” she joked. “So I asked, ‘Is anything wrong?’. I kinda wasn’t moving. ‘Is it my kids? My husband?’, and Melbrech told me, ‘No, I don’t really think so. Let’s just go see.’”

The three of them walked out of the classroom and into the hall.

“I stopped and asked ‘Is it my son?’, and all he said to me was ‘I hope not’. I saw the two army chaplains, and I knew.”[cincopa AsCASSKOk3_h]

Her fear, the pain all parents hope to never experience, was realized.

“The moment I saw them, I think I just screamed. I screamed and said, ‘No, no.’,” Guerra recalled. “They kept saying ‘Ma’am, ma’am, we’re sorry to tell you that- we’re  so sorry. Yesterday at 8:25 A.M., your son was hit by enemy fire, and the wounds he sustained were fatal.’”

In a whirlwind, she was on the way to receive her son’s remains.

“The plane was delayed in Dallas. There was a lot of rain that week,” Guerra recalls. “I sat by a military captain on the plane. We talked to each other on the plane.”

In time, they realized they had more in common than a flightplan.

“He asked me why I was going. I told him I was going to pick up my son, Diego Montoya,” she said. “He ended up being the man whose duty was to train the soldiers escorting my son off the plane.”

The agonizing wait was further lengthened by a series of delays. Finally, Guerra took a small plane, bearing only herself, the pilot, and the casket, to the funeral site. The landing brought an unexpected sight.

“When I got to my hometown, it was amazing. There were colored cards everywhere. People were lined down the streets,” Guerra said. “The Patriot Guard Riders were there. Kids from school came to watch, and the fire station was there. There was a huge flag. It was really patriotic.”

The sentiment, she says, was a fitting tribute to her son’s sacrifice.

“I just wish the Lord let him peek out of heaven for just one second to see the glory. So bittersweet, so amazing.”

The young soldier was honored by his family, friends, teachers, neighbors, and comrades.

“Three of his boot camp friends traveled 23 hours straight from Ohio to be there,” Guerra recalled. “All of his teachers came: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade and so on. They were all there.”

With their condolences came poignant memories of Diego Montoya’s life and legacy.

“His 4th grade teacher even brought their time capsule out and showed me the piece of paper where he wrote ‘I want to be an army general’,” Guerra said.

A military career was a lifelong dream for her son.

“Diego was a kid who always wanted to be in the military and serve his country. He was more focused than other kids who, at that certain age, were. He knew what he wanted to do,” she said.

The danger of her son’s profession was a topic that worried Guerra.

“I discussed with him the possibility of death, and he said to me, ‘I don’t care. This is what I signed up for, this is my job, and this is what I’m going to do. The only this is, you’re going to have to deal with it, because now you’re an army mom.’,” she said. “He had a very big heart.”

Diego Montoya was 20 years old and fearless. His comrades and commanding officers praised him for his honor, faith, and uplifting presence as a soldier and a person.

“His commander sent me a letter telling me about how he was always ready to do his best,” Guerra said.

The young man’s upright virtues influenced all around him.

“To his buddies, he was a moral leader. He even asked me for some scripture to pass on. So, he was doing his duty as a Christian too,” said Guerra.

She has the privilege of remembering her son in a more carefree time.

“I remember he would always wear his uniform around the house,” Guerra reminisced. “All of us would be like, ‘Diego, when are you going to take that off?’. I told him one day that I will pray for him to get a job behind a desk in Alaska. I said that I would call the congressman. He would say, ‘You better not, Mom.’”

His willingness to serve was at times beyond her understanding.

“See, I would be a crummy football player, and I would be a crummy soldier,” Guerra said. “I don’t know how they do it. If I was in a football game, and they just started running at me, I know I would just roll over or play dead. With the military, I think of Normandy and the soldier at the front of the line. I would never want to be that first soldier to leave the boat.” Guerra said.

Despite this recent void in her life, Guerra has shown a strength and grace that is nothing short of inspiring.

“God has been my strength. There’s no falling apart,” Guerra said. “I got an email from a support group and I plan on attending  some meetings.”

As the mother of Diego Montoya, Guerra has many reasons to be proud.

“His commander said in these exact words: ‘He is a fine soldier, but an even greater person. I am envious of his upbringing, because it must have been a good one, [considering] the quality and caliber of the person he has become’,” she said. “He had a purpose, and he focused on it.”