2-11FAR honors Medal of Honor Recipient

HI, UNITED STATES

06.20.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Carlos Davis 

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – On 20 June 2016, Soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, conducted a training event in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Jared C. Monti.
Monti, a field artillery Soldier, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 2009. Sgt. 1st Class Monti was deployed to Nuristan Province, Afghanistan, with 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment.
During the event, the Warrior Brigade Soldiers replicated the sequence of events that took place on June 21, 2006, when Sgt. 1st Class Monti gave his life for his country.
“Just getting to experience what Sgt. 1st Class Monti went through, you realize how difficult it must have been,” stated 1st Lt. Mackland Wagner, fire support officer for Troop B, 2-14th Cavalry Squadron.
Teams were required to road march 12 miles with events set up every three miles to test the basic Soldiers skills such as, calling for fire, first aid, and grenade throwing. The culminating event at the end of the twelve miles replicated the conditions that Sgt. 1st Class experienced.
"It was non-stop, it felt like a live situation. I was trying to communicate back and forth. You're tired, exhausted. You’re going the extra mile to keep going, going, going. When it's all said and done, I know why I picked this job: It makes me proud of putting on the uniform," said Staff Sgt. Nicholas Ulmer, fire support noncommissioned officer for Troop B, 2-14 Cavalry Squadron.
Sgt. 1st Class Monti was leading a mission when his 16 man patrol came under fire by as many as 50 enemy fighters. He set his men in a defensive position before calling for close air support. When one of his Soldiers was wounded, Monti attempted to rescue him three times before hit by an enemy Rocket Propelled Grenade, dying minutes later.
The event that 2-11th Field Artillery Regiment conducted gave the Soldiers a greater appreciation and respect for what Sgt. 1st Monti accomplished.
“I needed to ensure that the Soldiers understood they are part of something greater than their Battery or Battalion, or Division, that they have certain characteristics to live up to and it was demonstrated by Sgt. 1st Class Monti,” said Master Sgt. Steven Gieb, 2-11th FAR. “It gives them something to strive to be and by learning about his history they understand what is required to perform their duties.”

• Date Taken: 06.20.2016
• Date Posted: 06.30.2016 19:52
• Story ID: 202949
• Location: HI, US