Sept. 28, 2009 : A fallen Massachusetts soldier receives the Medal of Honor

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>> TONIGHT ON "GREATER BOSTON."

A SOLDIER'S STORY.

THE FATHER OF MEDAL OF HONOR

WINNER JARED MONTI ON HIS SON'S

COURAGE AND SACRIFICE.

PLUS, BRINGING A FUGITIVE TO

JUSTICE -- THE ARREST OF FILM

MAKER ROMAN POLANSKI.

AND WOULD YOU PUT DOWN YOUR CELL

PHONE FOR CASH?

ONE MAN'S MISSION TO KEEP

DRIVERS OFF THE PHONE A BUCK AT

A TIME.

Closed Captioning

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>> GOOD EVENING.

THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN BEGAN

EIGHT YEARS AGO NEXT MONTH IN

RESPONSE TO THE SEPTEMBER 11TH

TERRORIST ATTACKS.

THE INITIAL ASSAULT REMOVED THE

TALIBAN FROM POWER, BUT THEY ARE

BACK AND THERE IS A CALL FOR

MORE TROOPS TO HEAD INTO THE

REGION.

ONE MASSACHUSETTS FAMILY KNOWS

TOO WELL THE COST OF THIS WAR.

ONE SOLDIER WHO DIED IN ACTION

WAS HONORED WITH THE NATION'S

HIGHEST MILITARY AWARD.

ON A SWELTERING JUNE DAY IN

2006, 30-YEAR-OLD ARMY SERGEANT

FIRST-CLASS GERALD MONTI, AND 15

OF HIS MEN, WERE ON A SCOUTING

MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN WHEN A

SUPPLY HELICOPTER BLEW THEIR

COVER, DROPPING PROVISIONS RIGHT

AT THEIR POSITION.

THAT IGNITED A FIREFIGHT WITH

THE TALIBAN.

OUTNUMBERED 4-1, JARED MONTI

TRIED TO PULL ONE OF HIS INJURED

MEN TO SAFETY.

ON HIS THIRD ATTEMPT, HE WAS HIT

BY A GRENADE AND DIED ON THE

FIELD.

EARLIER THIS MONTH, PRESIDENT

OBAMA POSTHUMOUSLY AWARDED MONTI

WITH THE MEDAL OF HONOR -- THE

NATION'S HIGHEST AWARD FOR

VALOR.

MONTI'S PARENTS ACCEPTED THE

MEDAL ON HIS BEHALF.

JARED MONTI'S FATHER, PAUL

MONTI, JOINS US.

WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> Emily: I THINK I CAN SPEAK

FOR EVERYONE IN THE NATION THIS

WAS A MOVING THING TO WATCH.

>> YES.

>> Emily: WHAT DID HE SAY TO

YOU?

>> HE WAS PROUD OF JARED.

>> Emily: WHAT DID HE ASK YOU?

>> I HARDLY REMEMBER.

WE WERE HAVING SOME -- TALKED

WITH HIM, TALKED WITH MICHELLE,

AND WHAT A WONDERFUL LADY, VERY

CLASSY LADY.

BUT HE TALKED ABOUT JARED AND

WHAT HE HAD DONE, WHAT HE MEANT

TO THE COUNTRY.

>> Emily: HE KNEW THE FULL

STORY?

>> YES, YES, HE WAS VERY WELL

BRIEFED ON THE ENTIRE STORY,

YES.

>> Emily: WHEN DID YOU FIRST

COME TO REALIZE EXACTLY WHAT HE

HAD DONE THAT DAY?

>> I HAD NOTIFICATION OF HIS

DEATH, AND A MONTH LATER THERE

WAS A MEMORIAL SERVICE AT FORT

DRUM UP IN WATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

AND WHEN I WAS AT FORT DRUM, I

WAS CALLED INTO AN OFFICE AND

THEY GAVE ME A NARRATIVE THAT

HAD BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT EXACTLY

WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND SAID THAT

THAT NARRATIVE WAS GOING TO GO

TO WASHINGTON, AND THEY WERE

GOING TO NOMINATE HIM FOR THE

MEDAL OF HONOR.

THAT WAS IN 2006.

>> Emily: DOES ONE OF THE OTHER

MEN IN THAT --

>> YES, THE SENIOR PATROL LEADER

AT THE TIME, SERGEANT CHRIS

CUNNINGHAM, WAS THE ONE THAT

WROTE UP THE MISSION AND

ACTUALLY WROTE THE NARRATIVE AND

STARTED IT.

>> Emily: THIS WAS A HORRIBLE

EVENT -- I WASN'T EVEN AWARE OF

ALL THE DETAILS TODAY -- BECAUSE

THE SOLDIER THAT HE TRIED TO

SAVE WAS ACTUALLY PICKED UP

LATER BY A HELICOPTER, AND THE

HOIST BROKE AND THE RESCUE TEAM

AND HE DIED, SO A NUMBER OF

PEOPLE DIED THAT DAY.

>> Emily: YES.

THERE WERE FOUR THAT DIED THAT

DAY ALL TOGETHER.

>> Emily: YOUR SON ENTERED THE

MILITARY WHEN HE WAS 17 YEARS

OLD.

>> THAT IS CORRECT.

>> Emily: HE WAS IN HIS MID 20'S

WHEN SEPTEMBER 11TH, 2001

OCCURRED.

WHAT DID HE SAY TO YOU ABOUT THE

EVENT AT THE TIME?

>> WELL, I WAS VERY NERVOUS AT

THAT TIME -- I KNEW HE WAS GOING

TO WAR.

WHAT HE SAID TO ME, SIMPLY, WAS

"DAD, I GOT TO DO WHAT I HAVE TO

DO, I'M A SOLDIER AND WHERE THEY

SEND ME IS WHERE I GO."

>> Emily: HOW LONG HAD HE BEEN

IN AFGHANISTAN?

HE HAD BEEN THERE MORE THAN

ONCE.

>> YEAH.

THIS WAS HIS SECOND TOUR OF DUTY

IN AFGHANISTAN AND HIS LAST TOUR

HE ARRIVED IN FEBRUARY OF 2006

AND WAS KILLED IN JUNE.

>> Emily: BY THEN -- THIS HAS

BEEN AN UP-AND-DOWN EPISODE --

THERE WAS SOME INITIAL SUCCESS

AND KIND OF A PULLBACK AND

ANOTHER SUCCESS AND NOW THERE IS

YET ANOTHER SURGE ON THE PART OF

THE TALIBAN.

WHERE WERE WE AT THAT POINT IN

THE SUMMER OF 2006?

>> IN THE SUMMER OF 2006, WE

WERE ACTUALLY DOING PRETTY WELL.

WE WERE PUSHING INTO MORE

TERRITORY, SEARCHING FOR TALIBAN

INSURGENTS AND NOT DOING TOO

BAD.

HOWEVER, AT THE SAME TIME, I

MUST SAY THAT THE SOLDIERS THERE

IN AFGHANISTAN WEREN'T AS WELL

EQUIPPED OR TRAINED AS THE BULK

OF OUR FORCES WERE GOING INTO

IRAQ, SO THERE WAS ALWAYS

SOMETHING MISSING --

>> Emily: REALLY.

>> IN AFGHANISTAN.

>> Emily: HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?

HOW DO THEY SEPARATE ONE GROUP

FOR ANOTHER?

WHY WOULDN'T THEY ALL GET THE

SAME KIND OF TRAINING?

>> I THINK POLITICS, FOR ONE, IS

INVOLVED.

IT SEEMS MOST OF THE POLITICAL

WORLD AND THE MEDIA FOCUSED ON

WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN IRAQ --

THAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT

THING, THAT WAS ON THE NEWS

NIGHT AFTER NIGHT AFTER NIGHT.

AND NOTHING WAS SAID ABOUT

AFGHANISTAN AND WHO WAS THERE.

AND SO I THINK -- YOU KNOW, WITH

SO MANY TROOPS IN IRAQ -- AND

YEAH, THEY CERTAINLY NEEDED THE

BEST OF EQUIPMENT, BUT AT THE

SAME TIME, AFGHANISTAN WAS THE

PLACE WHERE BIN LADEN WENT AFTER

9/11.

THAT'S WHY WE WENT THERE.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE SHOULD HAVE

HAD A BETTER PUSH, I THINK.

>> Emily: BECAUSE IN TRUTH, THE

INCIDENT THAT LED TO THE

ULTIMATE DEATH OF YOUR SON WAS

NOT FRIENDLY FIRE, BUT IT WAS A

MISTAKE -- THAT THIS HELICOPTER

LANDED ITS PROVISIONS SO CLOSE

TO YOUR SON'S UNIT.

HOW WAS THAT LOOKED AT IN

HINDSIGHT?

>> NO ONE'S REALLY SAID VERY

MUCH ABOUT THAT.

I'VE TALKED TO ALL LEVELS OF THE

MILITARY -- ALL THE WAY UP TO --

YOU KNOW, SECRETARY OF THE ARMY

AND SO ON -- AND THE REASON FOR

THE MISTAKE IN THAT CASE WAS

THERE WAS A PUSH GOING INTO THE

GREMAN VALLEY -- INTO THE

GARAMAND VALLEY, THEY WERE THE

FORWARD OBSERVERS FOR THAT AND

THAT PUSH INTO THE VALLEY WOULD

HAVE BROUGHT IN MANY HELICOPTERS

AND AIRCRAFT WHICH WOULD HAVE

GIVEN COVER FOR THE RESUPPLY

HELICOPTER COMING IN.

BECAUSE THAT PUSH INTO THE

VALLEY WAS DELAYED, THE

HELICOPTER GOING IN WITH THE

RESUPPLY HAD TO GO IN -- IT WAS

OVER 100 DEGREES WHERE THEY

WERE, THEY WERE OUT OF WATER,

THEY WERE OUT OF FOOD, THEY WERE

OUT OF AMMUNITION, SO IT STILL

-- IT HAD TO GO IN, AND IT HAD

NO COVER AT THAT POINT, AND TWO

OF THE SOLDIERS THAT WERE WITH

MY SON WERE WATCHING THE TALIBAN

COMPOUND BELOW AND COULD SEE MEN

BELOW LOOKING BACK AT THEM WITH

MILITARY-TYPE BINOCULARS AND

THEY KNEW THEY WERE SPOTTED.

>> Emily: YOU FOUND OUT, AFTER

THE FACT, THAT YOUR SON -- THIS

IS NOT THE FIRST AWARD HE'S

RECEIVED.

HE GOT MEDALS IN THE PAST.

HE EVEN GOT A FABULOUS ATHLETIC

MEDAL THAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW

ANYTHING ABOUT -- FOUND THEM IN

HIS DRAWER.

>> THAT'S CORRECT.

HE WAS AN EXTREMELY HUMBLE KID.

NEVER WANTED TO BE IN THE LIME

LIGHT.

IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT HE HAD

DONE WHEN HIS TEAM WON A

CHAMPIONSHIP IN BASKETBALL, HE

DIDN'T HOLD THE TROPHY UP AND

JUMP UP AND DOWN, HE SORT OF

CRINGED IN THE BACK.

AT 17 YEARS OLD, HE WON THE NEW

ENGLAND STATES WEIGHTLIFTING

CHAMPIONSHIP FOR TEENAGE

DIVISION.

I DIDN'T FIND THAT TROPHY UNTIL

AFTER HE DIED.

HE HID IT UNDER HIS BED.

HE WAS VERY GOOD AT HIDING

THINGS LIKE THAT -- BECAUSE HE

WAS JUST VERY HUMBLE KID -- HE

BELIEVED IN DOING THE RIGHT

THING, BUT YOU DIDN'T NEED TO

GET TROPHIES, AWARDS OR MEDALS

FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING.

>> Emily: HOW WOULD HE HAVE FELT

ABOUT THIS?

>> HE WOULD HAVE GONE AND HID

SOMEWHERE -- ACTUALLY, AS THE

GUYS SAY, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN

A BAR SOMEWHERE DRINKING SAYING,

"YEAH, I DID THAT BUT THAT'S

WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO."

>> Emily: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE

WITH THE MEDAL?

WHERE DO YOU KEEP IT?

>> IT'S ON DISPLAY IN MY LIVING

ROOM WITH HIS OTHER MEDALS AND

SUCH.

HE HAD MANY, MANY OTHER MEDALS

THAT WE DIDN'T DISCOVER UNTIL

AFTER HIS DEATH.

HE HAD ANOTHER BRONZE STAR.

HID THAT.

WOULDN'T TELL US ABOUT THAT.

AND I FINALLY GOT THE NARRATIVE

ON THAT.

THAT WAS VERY SCARY -- WHAT HE

HAD DONE -- IN THAT CASE, HE HAD

SAVED AN ENTIRE SQUAD, 13

VEHICLES FULL OF GUYS COMING OUT

OF A VILLAGE THAT THEY HAD JUST

CHECKED FOR WEAPONS, AND GOING

UP OUT OF A VALLEY, AND THEY

WERE ATTACKED.

AND THE LEAD VEHICLE WAS TAKING

VERY HEAVY FIRE, AND THEY CALLED

BACK TO THE REAR VEHICLE AND

ASKED THEM TO BACK DOWN INTO THE

VILLAGE.

THE REAR VEHICLE CALLED BACK AND

SAID, "WE CAN'T.

WE'RE UNDER VERY HEAVY FIRE."

SO THEY WERE TRAPPED AT BOTH

ENDS.

JARED WAS IN A VEHICLE WITH A

MACHINE GUN-MOUNTED ON TOP AND

THERE WAS A YOUNG PRIVATE ON THE

MACHINE GUN WHO FROZE.

JARED WENT UP, DRAGGED HIM DOWN

OUT OF THE TURRET, GOT UP INTO

THE TURRET, GOT ON THE MACHINE

GUN.

AT THE SAME TIME, HE WAS ON THE

HEADPHONES CALLING IN AIR

STRIKE, AND WITH HIS FIRE THAT

HE WAS POURING IN TO THE ENEMY

AND CALLING IN THE AIR STRIKES,

HE SAVED THAT ENTIRE GROUP THAT

WAS THERE AND WAS GIVEN A BRONZE

STAR FOR THAT.

>> Emily: PAUL MONTI, THANK YOU

VERY MUCH FOR COMING HERE TODAY

AND TELLING HIS STORY.

>> THANK YOU.