MOH Monday: Sergeant First Class Jared Monti

Sergeant First Class Jared Monti was a member of the United States Army. He earned a Medal of Honor for courageous action during the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan. Monti served with the 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.

Sergeant First Class Monti is from a small town about 50 miles south of Boston. He graduated from high school in 1994 and joined the Army soon after. Monti first trained as a fire support specialist. Then he became a member of the Fire Support Team with the 71^st Calvary Regiment. Later, he served as a paratrooper in Kosovo, where he injured himself in action. Because of his injury, the Army offered a medical discharge. However, Monti refused. Then, in 2006, he deployed to Afghanistan.  

On June 21, 2006, Monti was part of an intelligence task force in northern Afghanistan. Along with his team, he deployed to Gowardesh, Nuristan Province. The region was mountainous with high hills and deep valleys, and the team positioned itself on a cliff to surveil the area. A helicopter brought supplies to him and his task force during the operation. Unfortunately, enemy combatants were watching from the ridges above, and the helicopter gave away the position of the team.

Enemy snipers began to fire on the Americans, killing some and wounding others. Private First Class Brian Bradbury took a hit and lay wounded without cover. He knew that if Bradbury didn’t move quickly, he would die. So he radioed for backup. Then, without further delay, he raced toward Bradbury. The insurgents detected Monti and began shooting and launching grenades from above. Monti retreated to avoid injury, but he and his team didn’t give up. The other soldiers covered Monti by firing up at the enemy shooters. Monti tried again to cross the ledge to get to Bradbury. Still, the shower of enemy bullets was too heavy to penetrate, and Monti turned back.

Not one to be defeated, Monti made a third attempt to rescue Bradbury. As he crossed the terrain this time, a rocket-propelled grenade struck him down. Mortally wounded, Monti used his arms to crawl back for cover. Soon after, air support arrived and fired at the insurgents, ending the battle. Unfortunately, Monti died on the ledge before the team could be evacuated.

Nevertheless, he is remembered for his heroism. On September 17, 2009, President Barack Obama presented Sergeant First Class Monti’s family with his Medal of Honor during a ceremony at the White House. Listen to his remarks here.

Read more about the heroes of Afghanistan and Iraq who have received the Medal of Honor.