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Our American Stories

Remembering Father and Son Whose Story Inspired the Hit Country Song "I Drive Your Truck"

Our American Stories

iHeartPodcasts

Documentary, Society & Culture

4.6817 Ratings

🗓️ 26 February 2026

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On this episode of Our American Stories, Paul Monti was able to keep and drive a meaningful memorial of his son, Jared, who was killed in action while defending his comrades. Those experiences later inspired the song “I Drive Your Truck,” recorded by country artist Lee Brice. Our own Lee Habeeb shares the story.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

This is an I-Heart podcast.

0:02.3

Guaranteed Human.

0:03.4

And we continue with our American stories.

0:18.7

Up next, a story about a song. Lee Bryce's, I drive your truck.

0:29.1

Today, Paul Monti never forgot. The day he got the news military parents dread. His 30-year-old

0:36.5

son, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jared

0:39.2

Monty, had been killed while serving with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan.

0:45.4

Paul, a recently retired teacher from Rayna, Massachusetts, instantly joined the ranks of

0:51.1

Gold Star parents in 2006.

0:59.9

Paul didn't know what to do or say when he got the news, let alone how to process his grief.

1:06.9

A few months later, on his first Veterans Day visit to his son's gravesite at the 780-acre Massachusetts National Cemetery, he noticed something odd. There wasn't a flag on display at any

1:13.6

of the 78,000 graves in the cemetery. Not one. The flags weren't there, Paul learned, because

1:20.8

ground crews complained they made it harder for them to cut the cemetery grass. Not pleased with

1:26.6

that explanation, Paul did what any gold Star Dad or a mom would do.

1:30.3

He fought the Department of Veterans Affairs

1:33.3

until the rule was changed.

1:35.3

But this Gold Star Dad's mission was only partially complete.

1:39.3

He then launched Operation Flags for Vets,

1:42.3

an organization dedicated to placing flags on every

1:45.3

grave at the Massachusetts National Cemetery, every Memorial and Veterans Day, all to preserve

1:52.1

the memory of the sacrifices that so many in that cemetery made for their country, including

1:57.4

his son. During the first Flags for Veterans Ceremony, a Memorial Day in 2011,

...

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