Kitto earns medal
Altamont soldier dives in to save lives



ALTAMONT — Each time Sgt. Christofer Kitto dove into the murky water of a canal off of the Euphrates, he brought a soldier up for air.
"The funny thing is, Chris hates the water," said his mother, Fran Kitto. "That’s why he didn’t do the Navy SEALS."

Kitto, 23, is a sniper in the Army who grew up in Altamont and is now in Iraq.
"I feel sorry for every life that’s lost over there," said his father, Mike Kitto. "I feel that he’s saved three of those families from hearing the news."
His son’s Humvee "sank like a rock" to the bottom of a river while out on a night patrol, Mr. Kitto said. Stuck upside down in the muddy riverbed, the five soldiers in the truck couldn’t open their doors for several minutes. Sgt. Kitto was the first to break through and swim up for air. He and Sgt. Michael C. Pesamoska each went back down to bring the remaining soldiers to the surface.
"We have three families that don’t have to go to a funeral," said Mr. Kitto. "I think that’s important."

Sgts. Kitto and Pesamoska were awarded the Soldier’s Medal for their heroics. That medal is the Army’s highest noncombat award, given for voluntary risk of a soldier’s life not involving direct combat with an enemy. According to the Military Awards branch of the Army, a total of 79 Soldier’s Medals — out of a total of 281,227 medals given overall — have been awarded in Iraq as of April, which is when the incident occurred.
"He did what he had to do, he said," Mrs. Kitto recounted of her son’s reaction to the honor.

Sgt. Kitto is serving his second tour of duty in Iraq as part of President George W. Bush’s troop surge.
"On his first tour, he loved it," said Mr. Kitto. "He felt he really had a purpose."

His first tour was 12 months, his parents said, and the second time around he’s gotten discouraged with the way things are progressing.
Reconciling the two sentiments that Mr. Kitto holds equally dear is hard, he said. He wants to bring the troops home, but he also wants to get the job done. "We’re caught between a rock and a hard place," Mr. Kitto said.
Three years ago, on his first tour, Sgt. Kitto used his own body to shield an Iraqi boy from an incoming mortar, Mr. Kitto said. That action saved the boy, and his family was so grateful they invited Sgt. Kitto for a goat dinner. Of the language barriers at the meal, Mr. Kitto said, "There was a lot of head bobbing."

Sgt. Kitto has trouble hearing in one ear as a result of shielding the boy, but he felt the work he was doing was important, his parents said.
Now, on his second tour, "He’s disenchanted," his father said; he had hoped that there would be more improvement.
"He’s not as optimistic," added Mrs. Kitto.

His decision to fight for his country was immediate and intense.

At the beginning of his senior year at Guilderland High School, Sgt. Kitto called his mother on the morning of Sept. 11 and told her he wanted to join the military.
"He was very affected by 9-11," said his father.
Both of his parents encouraged him to go to college instead. "Unfortunately, we fought it all the way," Mrs. Kitto said of their urgings away from the Army. Now that Sgt. Kitto is there, they are proud of him, but they’re anxious for him to come home.

Before leaving for Iraq last winter, Sgt. Kitto proposed to his high-school sweetheart and talked about plans for a career in law enforcement, rather than the military, when he returns, his parents said.
Right now, they are taking it "one day at a time," Mrs. Kitto said. "We fear all the time," said Mr. Kitto. "But it’s nothing compared to the fear that he has to go through."