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Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Lee Brice attends ceremony at Army facility dedicated to fallen Mass. soldier
NATICK, Mass. (WPRI) — A new state-of-the-art military research facility dedicated to U.S. Sgt. First Class Jared Monti opened in Natick, Massachusetts, on Monday. The 30-year-old Raynham native was serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan in 2006 when he was killed trying to save his fellow soldier in action. In 2009, then-President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor, and now a new research institute in his home state will honor his legacy. The facility features an immersive combat maneuver lab, which will allow researchers to study how individual soldiers and teams perform. Military members, family, and lawmakers came together for the dedication ceremony. Also in attendance was country singer Lee Brice. Brice sang his hit song 'I Drive Your Truck,' which was inspired by Monti's father, who drove his son's pickup truck in his memory after he didn't return home from Afghanistan. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
‘His sacrifice': Lee Brice attends ceremony at new Army facility dedicated to fallen Mass. soldier
Wearing black sunglasses, country singer Lee Brice began playing his guitar in Natick on Monday and sang his hit song, 'I Drive Your Truck.' Parked next to Brice was the 2001 Dodge Ram truck once owned by Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. First Class Jared Monti, the fallen Massachusetts soldier whose story inspired the song. Brice joined military leaders, friends and family members at the dedication of a new military research facility dedicated to Monti. The 30-year-old Raynham native was serving with the 10th Mountain Division when was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2006 while trying to save a fallen soldier. In 2009, then-President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Monti. Military officials on Monday unveiled the Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM)'s new Jared C. Monti Soldier & Squad Research Facility. The Natick facility bearing Monti's name aims to better protect soldiers through researching and developing new equipment and training methods. Brice's song, released in 2012, came about after Monti's father, Paul Monti, said publicly that he drove his son's truck after his combat death. Paul Monti passed away in 2022. 'All these years later, being in a moment like this, a day like this, it just keeps coming back,' Brice said Monday after performing his song that pays tribute to the fallen Massachusetts hero. 'This song is special. Jared Monti and his family mean so much to us, so just glad to be here.' He said after all these years, this song in particular 'has been a huge blessing to me.' 'It brings healing, what the song says, that's what it's meant to be,' Brice said. 'It's meant to be a healing song, to find your own way to grieve.' Monti's sister, Nicole Monti-Alicea, addressed the crowd on Monday. She recalled how she and her family learned the news that her brother had been killed in action. 'To the nation, Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti is a war hero... Rest in peace, little brother,' she said. Brice, meanwhile, spoke of Monti and 'His sacrifice for all of us as Americans.' 'Today kind of stamps a moment in time for him to live forever,' Brice said. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
CBS News
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
New Army research facility dedicated to Massachusetts soldier killed in Afghanistan
A new Army facility in Natick has been named for U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti , who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. There was a moving tribute and special dedication at the building on Monday. "Absolutely loved being in the military," his sister Nicole Monti-Alecia said. The Raynham native served his country for 12 years. Monti was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2006 and was later awarded the Medal of Honor trying to save the life of his fellow soldier. On Monday family, friends and members of his unit took part in the opening of a brand-new state-of-art Army research facility in Natick named in his honor. "We want to dedicate this facility in the honor of service and sacrifice our local hero, Sergeant First Class Jared C. Monti," Major General John Cushing said. It's an 80,000 square foot research facility. Inside the main hall are all of Monti's uniforms, prestigious awards and Army paraphernalia. "We knew that Jared's highest honors belonged here, and my mother finally got the one thing she always wanted for her son to rest in peace," Nicole Monti-Alecia said. The facility also includes an impressive combat maneuver lab that breaks down and analyzes every single aspect of soldier or squad in the middle of a battle or on an operation. "This is a brand-new facility, one of its kind across the Army," said Jeremy Whitsitt of the Jared Monti Research Facility. "A dedicated laboratory-controlled space where we can assess and research soldier and small unit performance." Simon Campbell, 40, served with Monti and was there the day he lost his life. "What he did for soldiers and what this building will do for soldiers, everything here that's learned is going to save lives going forward," Campbell said. Monti's death gained national attention by country music artist Lee Brice who released the song "I Drive Your Truck" inspired by Jared's dad Paul, who used to say that about his son. During the ceremony Lee Brice performed the song next to Monti's truck. "I Drive Your Truck" was named song of the year at the Country Music Association Awards in 2013.
