Drum soldier to get top award

WASHINGTON — Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti received the Bronze Star and about 20 other medals before he was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2006 — but the 10th Mountain Division soldier wasn't always proud of those achievements, his father said Friday.

"He regretted that he earned them by killing people," Paul Monti said in a telephone interview from his home in Raynham, Mass., a few days after President Barack Obama called to tell him his son would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

President Obama called him at home Tuesday to share the news and to say he was proud of Sgt. Monti, who was 30, for his military service. The Medal of Honor is the highest award given to service members.

Sgt. Monti is just the second U.S. service member to be awarded the Medal of Honor for service in Afghanistan and the sixth to receive it for duty in either Afghanistan or Iraq. He was a member of the 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Drum, and was killed June 21, 2006, in Gowardesh, Afghanistan, during a clash with militants involving small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

In a press release announcing the award, the White House said he "displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor — eventually sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his comrade."

Sgt. Monti will be the first Medal of Honor recipient under President Obama, who will present the medal to Paul Monti and Sgt. Monti's mother, Janet Monti, Sept. 17 at the White House.

Sgt. Monti enlisted in the Army in 1993. His father said that he tried to persuade his son, without success, to attend college first but that Jared said he needed the money to pay for college. He brushed off his father's offer to take on another job to pay for college, Mr. Monti said.

Jared was 17 years old then and needed parental permission to enlist. Mr. Monti said he figured his son would enlist anyway as soon as he turned 18, so he signed the papers.

Mr. Monti said he tried to instill "old-fashioned virtues" in his son. He had no military background himself — he wanted to serve in Vietnam but was turned away because of a back injury after being drafted — and said he was proud of his son's mix of hard work and humility in everything from military service to playing soccer in school. Jared was the "the kind of kid who would rather pass the ball and let someone else score," he said.

Rep. John M. McHugh, R-Pierrepont Manor, who will play a role in recommending such awards should he be confirmed as Army secretary, issued a statement Friday praising Sgt. Monti.

"The Medal of Honor, our nation's highest award for valor, is a fitting tribute for a soldier who truly gave the last full measure," Mr. McHugh said. "Sgt. 1st Class Monti's actions in Afghanistan were far above the call of duty, and he represents the tremendous heroism, sacrifice, and dedication of every American soldier. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and I can only hope that this honor brings them some small degree of comfort."