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<\/a><\/p>\nStories of Honor is a Fort Worth Report weekly series spotlighting 12 Tarrant County veterans<\/a> who are serving beyond the uniform.<\/p>\n We also are highlighting nonprofits<\/a> recommended by the veterans.<\/p>\n In November, the veterans will gather for a luncheon where the Report will honor their service at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington.<\/p>\n After returning home from Camp Pendleton in 2012, Ceballos said he was spiraling. Struggling with divorce, homelessness and depression, he couldn\u2019t shake the trauma from his 2011 deployment to Afghanistan with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, a unit that lost 17 Marines and saw nearly 200 wounded.<\/p>\n Two of those killed were his best friends, Lance Cpls. Sean O\u2019Connor and Joe Jackson.\u00a0<\/p>\n The day O\u2019Connor was killed, Ceballos said he had the honor of placing his friend\u2019s body in a helicopter, sending him home.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat was probably the hardest day of my entire life,\u201d Ceballos said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Founded by U.S. Army Ranger veteran Karl Monger, GallantFew exists to bridge the civilian-military gap, offering personalized support, career guidance and peer connection. The organization focuses on helping veterans reclaim their identity and mental wellness, often by preparing them to become counselors or mentors themselves.<\/p>\n Once home, Ceballos grew angrier and more withdrawn. At a memorial event for the Marines lost, he said, he realized he was dealing with severe PTSD and physical injuries. He was unsure where to turn, but a fellow Marine passed him Monger\u2019s number.<\/p>\n The two have developed a strong friendship. Later, Monger offered him a full-time role at GallantFew as a veteran support specialist, Ceballos said.<\/p>\n Ceballos is now set to graduate from the University of North Texas in the spring of 2026, using his GI Bill. He spends his days helping other veterans on similar paths, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to cultivate a whole network of mental health professionals who\u2019ve been there,\u201d Ceballos said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n That philosophy drives GallantFew\u2019s broader mission, not just healing veterans, but empowering them to help others. The nonprofit has provided more than 38,000 services to over 8,000 veterans, according to Monger.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe military spends years shaping service members into warriors,\u201d Monger said. \u201cBut when it\u2019s time to leave, you get a one-week transition course.\u201d<\/p>\n Becoming a licensed counselor can take up to seven years, longer if a veteran has no college background. Supervision sessions alone can cost $200 each, Monger said. GallantFew raises funds to knock down those barriers and support veterans through the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf we want more veteran counselors, we have to actually make that path possible,\u201d Monger said.<\/p>\n The group has partnered with Denton County Military Veteran Peer Network. Sponsors that help fund GallantFew include Chevrolet and the Texas Veterans Commission. One initiative, Freedom Reins, is an eight-week program where veterans build trust and connection through horsemanship.\u00a0<\/p>\n That support proved transformative for Douglas Rhodes, a retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt., who was referred to GallantFew through Tarrant County Veterans Treatment Court.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t value my veteran status. I didn\u2019t care what anyone thought,\u201d Rhodes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alcoholism had taken hold. Legal trouble followed. Then came Monger.<\/p>\n \u201cI asked him, \u2018You retired as a Master Sgt., right?\u2019 And when he said yes, I said, \u2018When\u2019s the last time you acted like one?\u201d\u201d Monger recalled. \u201cIt was like reaching through the screen and punching him in the nose.\u201d<\/p>\n That moment snapped Rhodes out of his fog. He\u2019s been sober since 2023 and now mentors others in the same program, Rhodes said. He even coordinates GallantFew\u2019s indoor rock climbing sessions at a Grapevine gym.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore that, I would\u2019ve never set foot in a climbing gym,\u201d Rhodes said. \u201cNow, I\u2019m there three times a week.\u201d<\/p>\n He never realized how important embracing his identity as a veteran was until GallantFew helped him. The connection, discipline and accountability clicked, Rhodes said.<\/p>\n \u201cVeterans don\u2019t want to talk to somebody that\u2019s never been in the military,\u201d Monger said. \u201cThey want someone who\u2019s been in their shoes, to challenge them.\u201d<\/p>\n Through counseling, rock climbing, retreats and peer mentorship, GallantFew is building a model centered on trust and shared experience. Ceballos said a recent sweat lodge retreat with Lakota elders in Colorado helped several participants work through long-buried trauma.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSome of us were crying,\u201d Ceballos said. \u201cThere was so much gratitude for Monger. I\u2019ve seen this organization prevent suicides. I\u2019ve seen it give people back their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n GallantFew doesn\u2019t claim to have all the answers, Ceballos said, but it offers something many veterans can\u2019t find elsewhere: someone who understands and won\u2019t let them walk alone.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t make a lot of money,\u201d Ceballos said. \u201cBut when a veteran says, \u2018Thanks for listening,\u2019 that makes my freaking day.\u201d<\/p>\n Hearing those words, Ceballos said, is how he gets paid, emotionally.<\/p>\n Orlando Torres is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at orlando.torres@fortworthreport.org<\/a>. \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/00943DBE-71C7-4D05-A622-4175686994B6.png\")
Zachary Ceballos, a Marine Corps veteran, kneels next to the headstone of Lance Cpl. Joe Jackson, his friend who died during a deployment to Afghanistan in 2011, at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. (Courtesy photo | Zachary Ceballos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0E27630F-42B4-4D53-968F-4663B0857CFA.jpeg\")
From right to left, Marines Zachary Ceballos and Cpl. Jarred Taylor prepare to breach a compound in the Sangin district of Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2011. The mission targeted a Taliban associate suspected of aiding in the construction of improvised explosive devices. (Courtesy photo | Zachary Ceballos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Goss-StoriesofHonorKarl-02.jpg\")
Maj. Karl Monger\u2019s medals and honors gleam in their glass case July 3, 2025, in Roanoke. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)<\/p>\n
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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