Other ways to honor SFC Monti, fallen soldiers

(NECN: Jim Braude) – His name is Sergeant Jared C. Monti. He is a Raynham, Mass. soldier who was killed in action on June 21st, 2006, while deployed with the 10th Mountain Division for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. SFC Monti was 30. He had been a soldier since he was 18. In July, Monti’s parents got word that their son will be awarded the Medal of Honor — the first such award to go to someone from Massachusetts since the Vietnam era. The ceremony is set for September 17th at the White House. The army cited Monti’s “extreme personal courage and extraordinary self-sacrifice”, in his repeated attempts to rescue one of his wounded men under fire. Monti and three other soldiers died in a hail of grenades and bullets as they were ambushed while scouting Taliban positions along a treacherous ridge. Other than the Medal of Honor, I can think of two other ways to honor Sgt. Monti. First, his friends, family and fellow-soldiers have created a scholarship fund in his name. You can donate. Just Google “Jared Monti Scholarship” to get the information you’ll need. But beyond the medals and the scholarship fund, let’s re-dedicate ourselves to those soldiers still fighting in Afghanistan at a time when too many Americans have stopped paying attention. We need to ask the tough questions. Are we in a fight we can win? Is it a mission worth fighting? Are we giving the soldiers over there the chance they deserve to come home, alive, with honor? The memory of heroes like Jared Monti requires no less.