Medal Of Honor
Sgt. Jared Monti, 30, of Raynham, Massachusetts. Congressional Medal of Honor, posthumous, for his actions on June 21, 2006, in Gowardesh, Afghanistan. He didn’t just give his life trying to drag badly wounded soldiers to safety under heavy fire. He gave in life. Boston Herald:
Army Sgt. Jared C. Monti of Raynham has been posthumously named to receive the Medal of Honor this week for giving his life as he tried to rescue wounded comrades under heavy fire in Afghanistan in 2006.
The humble soldier never liked medals, his proud father, Paul Monti, recalled yesterday. The ones he earned when he was alive, he just tucked in a drawer. It was the way he dealt with many of his exemplary actions in life, his dad said – he didn’t feel he needed to show off about the good things he was doing.
Jared Monti, a 1994 Bridgewater-Raynham High School graduate, was the son of Paul Monti of Raynham and Janet Monti of Winterville, N.C. Just 30 when he was killed, he “was extremely selfless.
“He spent most of his life doing things for other people, even when young,” his father said.
On Tuesday afternoon, Monti received a telephone call from President Obama informing him that his beloved son has been named as a recipient of the Medal of Honor. It will be awarded in a ceremony at the White House in the fall.
“The president told me that he was very proud of him, that the nation was very proud of him and that I should be proud of him,” Monti said. He described the conversation as emotional and “bittersweet.”
On June 21, 2006, during a heavy firefight in Gowardesh, Afghanistan, Jared Monti dragged one wounded soldier to safety under fire. He went back to get another critically wounded soldier and was killed by a grenade in the process.
Monti recalled his son’s quiet, giving spirit, never wanting any recognition for the often surprising things he did.
At 17, Jared asked to cut down a spruce tree from their yard, because a local family wasn’t going to have a Christmas tree.
Then, “he bought them ornaments, presents, Christmas dinner, and he never told anyone,” his father said.
Only five other Medals of Honor have been awarded since 9/11.
“I would rather have him back than all the medals,” Monti said. “But it’s fitting that (Jared) should be recognized for his act.”
He said his son, whose dream was to serve in the military and then become a history teacher, “would be appalled” by the attention he is receiving now.
“(Jared) would say, ‘Dad, I was just doing my job,’ ” he said.
More from Mudville, with a complete account of the firefight in which Monti was killed.
Topics: Afghanistan, courage, military
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 11:43 am Comments (2) on Friday, July 24, 2009
2 Responses to “Medal Of Honor”
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July 24th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
Thank you for bringing us this story. God bless Jared Monti.
July 25th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
These are the people to remember whenever you’re confronted by pacifist idiots.