 Sergeant First Class Monti distinguished himself at the cost of his life while serving as a team leader with the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop , 3d Squadron , 71st Cavalry Regiment in Nuristan Province , Afghanistan on 21 June 2006 . On that day , Sergeant First Class Monti was leading a mission to gather intelligence and to direct fires against the enemy in support of a squadron @-@ size interdiction mission . While at an observation position on top of a mountain ridge , Sergeant First Class Monti ’ s sixteen @-@ man patrol came under attack by a superior force consisting of as many as 50 enemy fighters . On the verge of being overrun , Sergeant First Class Monti directed his patrol to set up a hasty defensive position behind a collection of rocks . He then began to call for indirect fire from a nearby support base ; accurately bringing the rounds upon the enemy who had closed to within 50 meters of his position . While still calling for fire , Sergeant First Class Monti personally engaged the enemy with his rifle and a grenade , successfully disrupting an attempt to flank the patrol . Sergeant First Class Monti then realized that one of his Soldiers was lying wounded and exposed in the open ground between the advancing enemy and the patrol ’ s position . With complete disregard for his own safety , Sergeant First Class Monti moved from behind the cover of the rocks into the face of withering enemy fire . After closing within meters of his wounded Soldier , the heavy volume of fire forced Sergeant First Class Monti to seek cover . Sergeant First Class Monti then gathered himself and rose again to maneuver through a barrage of enemy fire to save his wounded Soldier . Again , Sergeant First Class Monti was driven back by relentless enemy fire . Unwilling to leave his Soldier wounded and exposed , Sergeant First Class Monti made another attempt to move across open terrain and through the enemy fire to the aide of his wounded Soldier . On his third attempt , Sergeant First Class Monti was mortally wounded , sacrificing his own life in an effort to save his Soldier . Sergeant First Class Monti ’ s acts of heroism inspired the patrol to fight off the larger enemy force . Sergeant First Class Monti ’ s immeasurable courage and uncommon valor were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself , 3d Squadron 71st Cavalry Regiment , the 3d Brigade Combat Team , the 10th Mountain Division ( Light Infantry ) , and the United States Army . 
