The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor (Posthumously) to Sergeant First Class [then Staff Sergeant] Jared Christopher Monti, United States Army, for gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a team leader with Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, in connection with combat operations against an enemy in Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, on 21 June 2006. While Sergeant First Class Monti was leading a mission aimed at gathering intelligence and directing fire against the enemy, his 16-man patrol was attacked by as many as 50 enemy fighters. On the verge of being overrun, Sergeant First Class Monti quickly directed his men to set up a defensive position behind a rock formation. He then called for indirect fire support, accurately targeting the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50 meters of his position. While still directing fire, Sergeant First Class Monti personally engaged the enemy with his rifle and grenade, successfully disrupting an attempt to flank his patrol. Sergeant First Class Monti then realized that one of his soldiers was lying wounded in the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol's position. With complete disregard for his own safety, Sergeant First Class Monti twice attempted to move from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of relentless enemy fire to rescue his fallen comrade. Determined not to leave his soldier, Sergeant First Class Monti made a third attempt to cross open terrain through intense enemy fire. On this final attempt, he was mortally wounded, sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his fellow soldier. Sergeant First Class Monti's selfless acts of heroism inspired his patrol to fight off the larger enemy force. Sergeant First Class Monti's immeasurable courage and uncommon valor are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3d Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3d Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, and the United States Army.

Background

On 21 June 2006, Jared C. Monti served as the assistant leader of a 16-man patrol and leader of a weapons forward observer team tasked with gathering intelligence in Gowardesh, Nuristan Province, in northeastern Afghanistan. That evening, the patrol was attacked by a group of at least 60 insurgents, who had established two positions on a wooded ridge. Monti died that evening after making three attempts to reach Specialist Brian J. Bradbury, after he was severely wounded and left lying in the open between the enemy and the team's position. Jared Christopher Monti was a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army who was posthumously awarded the United States military's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in Afghanistan. He was also posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class.

Source:

Military Hall of Honor