 After enlisting in the Army in March 1993 , he completed basic training and forward observer training at Fort Sill , Oklahoma and continued his training as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division . Monti , a fire support specialist , served as a staff sergeant and Fire Support Team sergeant with the 3rd Squadron , 71st Cavalry Regiment , 3rd Brigade Combat Team , 10th Mountain Division . Previous to his service in Afghanistan he was deployed to Kosovo , where he sustained injuries while sky diving . He rejected a medical discharge and reenlisted to deploy with his unit to Afghanistan in February 2006 , as part of Task Force Spartan . 
