BOSTON -- Saying Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti showed "conspicuous gallantry" above and beyond the call of duty when he was killed during an Afghan firefight in 2006, President Barack Obama presented his family with the Medal of Honor on Thursday.

Obama presented the award to Monti's parents, Paul and Janet, of Raynham, at the White House on Thursday. Massachusetts lawmakers Sen. John Kerry and Rep. Barney Frank attended the ceremony.

"Compassion. Perseverance. Strength. A love for his fellow soldiers. Those are the values that defined Jared Monti's life -- and the values he displayed in the actions that we recognize here today," Obama said.

Obama said Americans often toss around such words too freely.

"Do we truly understand the nature of these virtues -- to serve and to sacrifice? Jared Monti knew. The Monti family knows. And they know the actions we honor today were not a passing moment of courage. They were the culmination of a life of character and commitment," Obama said of Monti.

Fellow soldiers said Monti died trying to save a fallen comrade who had been shot by insurgents and was lying exposed during a firefight near Gowardesh, Afghanistan in June 2006. Monti ran out into fierce gunfire to try save him, and was killed.

Army reports of the incident say Monti and his men were outnumbered by insurgents 4 to 1.

"It was written long ago that 'the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet, notwithstanding, go out to meet it.' Jared Monti saw the danger before him. And he went out to meet it," Obama said.

Three other soldiers were killed in the attack.

"When Monti went out to go get him, it was like he was going out there to get, you know, his son… and he needed to go get him," said Sgt. Christopher Cunningham. "I never experienced anything like that."

Many of the other soldiers also there were shocked by Monti's sudden action.

"I don't know how someone can run out into a hail of bullets. I don't know how you can do that," said Sgt. John Henry.

In his final moments, Monti's sole concern was to try to save the life of one of his own, his comrades said.

"Right before he died, he said, 'I've made my peace with God,'" said Henry. "He just said, 'Tell my Mom and Dad I love them.'"

That final message does not completely fill the void his parents still feel.

"It's been three years, but there's not a day I don't think about my son," said Paul Monti, Jared's father.

Monti's fellow soldiers believe that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest honor, is a fitting final tribute for someone who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

"It's the greatest honor that can be bestowed upon anyone, and there's no one more deserving than Monti," said Sgt. John Hawes.

The 30-year-old Monti previously was awarded a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, five Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals and three National Defense Service Medals. Monti is the first Massachusetts veteran to receive the Medal of Honor since 1970.