Members of the Army 10th Mountain Division who served with Army Sgt. 1st. Class Jared C. Monti from Raynham, Mass, stand and are acknowledged by President Barack Obama, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, as he posthumously awarded Monti the Medal of Honor for his service in Afghanistan.
FILE - Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti of Raynham, Mass.is shown in this undated file photo. Monti was killed during a firefight with the Taliban in Gowardesh, Afghanistan, in June 2006. President Barack Obama presented his first Medal of Honor to Monti, posthumously, Thursday Sept. 17, 2009. Monti braved enemy fire while attempting to save a comrade.
President Barack Obama pauses in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009, during a ceremony where he awarded Army Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti from Raynham, Mass. the Medal of Honor for his service in Afghanistan.
President Barack Obama stands with Paul and Janet Monti during a White House ceremony at which he posthumously awarded their son, Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti, the Medal of Honor for his service in Afghanistan.
Presenting his first Medal of Honor, President Barack Obama on Thursday praised the sacrifice of a soldier who braved enemy fire while attempting to save a comrade during the war in Afghanistan.
Obama honored Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti of Raynham, Mass., during an East Room ceremony and praised the extraordinary valor while facing insurgent fire. Standing before Monti's parents, Janet and Paul, Obama said Monti personified the values of duty, honor, sacrifice and heroism.
Americans often toss around such words too freely, the president said.
"But do we really grasp the meaning of these values? Do we truly understand the nature of these virtues, to serve and to sacrifice?" Obama asked. "Jared Monti knew.The Monti family knows. And they know that the actions we honor today were not a passing moment of courage. They were the culmination of a life of character and commitment."
Obama said the sacrifice of Monti and other brave members of the military should inspire all Americans to aspire to be better citizens.
"What can we do to be worthy of such service and such sacrifice?" Obama said.
Monti previously was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, five Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals and three National Defense Service Medals.
The Medals of Honor are the highest award for military valor, typically reserved for members of the military who risk their lives with gallantry beyond the call of duty.
"Bullets and heavy machine gunfire ricocheting across the rocks. Rocket-propelled grenades raining down. Fire so intense that weapons were shot right out of their hands," Obama said, explaining the battle to a packed White House event. "Within minutes, one soldier was killed; another was wounded. Everyone dove for cover, behind a tree, a rock, a stone wall."Monti's 16-man patrol had been scouting ahead of a larger offensive against the Taliban along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. A helicopter deployed to resupply the patrol blew their cover; Taliban fighters converged, and Monti called for backup.
One of his men, Pvt. Brian Bradbury, of St. Joseph, Mo., was shot during the encounter. Monti, who enlisted at age 17, twice left cover and ran into the open under intense enemy fire to retrieve the wounded soldier.
"Jared Monti did something no amount of training can instill. His patrol leader said he'd go, but Jared said, 'No, he is my soldier, I'm going to get him,'" Obama recounted.
Paul Monti says it's frustrating that U.S. troops have never had the proper resources in Afghanistan. But he insists his son did not die in vain. "He died doing what he felt he had to do," he says. "It didn't matter the end result because that was him. He just did what the soldier's creed says: 'You never leave a soldier behind.' "
When Jared Monti was just a young boy, the family traveled to Washington and stood outside the White House gates to pose for a photo. As they return Thursday to honor their fallen son, Paul Monti is going through a mix of emotions.
"It's wonderful meeting the president and it's wonderful having my son receiving the Medal of Honor, but I would give all of it up to have my son back -- everything," he says, next to a shrine in the living room with some of his son's personal effects, including his uniform. "There's nothing I wouldn't give. Even my own life to get my son back."---------------------
-------------------
0 comments:
Post a Comment