Sergeant to get posthumous Medal of Honor

WASHINGTON, July 24 (UPI) -- An Army sergeant who died in Afghanistan while trying to rescue fellow soldiers in a battle will receive a posthumous Medal of Honor, the White House said.

President Barack Obama is to present the nation's highest military honor to the family of Army Staff Sgt. Jared C. Monti, a native of Raynham, Mass., Sept. 17. He "displayed immeasurable courage and uncommon valor, eventually sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his comrades," the White House said Friday.

Christopher Cunningham, an Army Ranger instructor from Whitingham, Vt., told The Boston Globe he was with Monti when the sergeant tried to rescue others when their platoon came under fire from Taliban insurgents in 2006.

"I've seen my fair share of fighting with the enemy and that was the bravest thing I've ever seen a soldier do,'' said Cunningham, who nominated Monti for the medal.

Monti, who was 34, graduated from Bridgewater-Raynham High School and enlisted in the Army in March 1993.

He has also received the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, among other military honors.