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By Dave Konopki dkonopki@timesleader.com
Assistant Sports Editor

The nationally published photo of U.S. Army 1st Lt. Mike Viti leading the U.S. Secretary of Defense on a tour of a key battleground in Afghanistan didn’t surprise those who know the former Berwick High School and West Point football standout.

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1st Lt. Mike Viti poses for a photo with an Afghan man in the village of Tabin in southern Afghanistan.

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Mike Viti, who served as regimental commander in his final year at West Point, talks to members of staff during a formation in November 2007. Only three cadets hold the prestigious rank of regimental commander each year.

JON MALINOWSKI/FOR THE TIMES LEADER

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Not his fellow soldiers.

Not his family.

And not his high school football coach.

From elementary school to his standout playing days at Berwick, from his remarkable career at the U.S. Military Academy to firefights in the battlefields of southern Afghanistan, Viti has always been a leader.

“Mike has the qualities to be a general someday,” said former Berwick football coach George Curry, who coached Viti in the early 2000s. “He’s everything you want in a young man. He loves challenges. He doesn’t fear anything. And he believes in his country. Mike is a great young man.”

The 25-year-old Viti – who passed on an opportunity to pursue a career in the National Football League in order to lead his fellow troops in a combat zone – is serving with the 4th Infantry Division at Combat Outpost Kowall, located west of Kandahar, Afghanistan. Viti and his fellow soldiers recently returned to Fort Carson, Colo., for a two-week leave. The unit returns to Afghanistan on Monday and its year-long deployment ends in July.

“When you arrive there, you know you’re in a Third World country,” said Viti, during a phone interview from Colorado. “That’s the first thing that sticks out. We’re in a very rural, tribal area. The people in that area are extremely religious. It’s highly agricultural and rural, even for Afghanistan.

“You hear and learn so much about insurgents being able to easily hide. Then you look at the pomegranate fields and they’re like a maze. It’s not a very welcoming feeling.”

The rugged former Army football star has been instrumental in helping implement the initiative of Gen. David Petraeus to train Afghan Local Police in the village of Tabin. Launched in July 2010, the initiative provides support to local armed villagers so they can provide security for their own villages against the Taliban.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited Afghanistan earlier this month and met with village elders in Tabin. Gates toured the village, with Viti walking side-by-side and briefing the defense secretary. So far, the Americans have trained 17 members for the ALP, with a goal of training 25 for the village.

“It was good to see someone at that level come down and see what we’re doing,” said Viti, who also met with Petraeus – commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan – two weeks before the Gates visit. “It was good for our guys and the Afghans to see he has a vested interest.”

The day after Gates’ surprise visit to Afghanistan, Viti’s friends and family members were getting a surprise of their own while surfing the Internet.

“The photos were in the Washington Post, the Dallas Morning News, all kinds of papers,” said father, Mike Viti Sr. “We were so proud, but we weren’t surprised. Mike has always been a leader. In elementary and grade school, he was always the biggest and the strongest. But he was never a bully. He always stood up for the little guy.”

And his parents aren’t taking credit for his values.

“I don’t know that we did anything right,” said mother, Karen Viti. “He’s a man of integrity. I firmly believe that some people are born to be leaders. Mike is one of them.”

West Point standout

Viti was only a freshman at Berwick when Curry took him approximately 160 miles east for a visit to West Point.

It was love at first sight. And from the football field to the classroom to the military training, Viti excelled at everything he did there.

“I considered West Point another stepping-stone in life, a springboard for the next 50 years,” he said.

On the field, the 5-foot-10, 240-pound fullback started for three seasons and earned four varsity letters, despite a knee injury that required reconstructive surgery before the start of his freshman season. Viti, who holds the Army football record with a bench press of 470 pounds, was named a team captain for his senior season.

He was also a leader for the more than 4,000 other Cadets.

During his final year at the academy, Viti held the prestigious rank of regimental commander – one of only three cadets to hold the rank each year.

“What I learned at West Point has done a lot to make things easier for me in life, and not just in the military,” said Viti, who graduated in 2008 with a degree in American Law and Legal Studies. “You learn traits that are long-lasting. It expanded on the core values I was taught growing up.”

Curry said he watched with pride while Viti – a three-time Wyoming Valley Conference all-star and all-state linebacker/fullback at Berwick – made a name for himself at West Point.

“He represents everything the academy stands for, like esprit de corps and leadership,” said Curry, who estimates 16 of his former Berwick players went on to attend a military academy. “Mike Viti is an American hero, you better believe it. All you have to do is meet him. He was an honor student. He’s a great person who believes in God, country and family. He’s a true role model.”

Determined to serve in Army

At the time Viti graduated from West Point, the Army’s Alternative Service Option gave standout athletes an opportunity to play their sport professionally while also serving as an Army recruiter for two years.

Viti was not selected in the 2008 NFL draft but was invited to attend Buffalo Bills training camp, where he was offered a two-year contract. A few months later, the Department of the Army dropped the Alternative Service Option and replaced it with a policy that allows athletes to petition for early release after serving two years in the active Army.

“I was a little disappointed,” said Viti. “I was on the fence, but I knew I wanted to serve in the Army at some point. Even if I was able to play in the NFL for 10 years, I wanted to go back into the military after my playing days were over.”

Viti served as a graduate assistant coach – working with fullbacks and overseeing the conditioning program – for the Army football team during the 2008 season.

A few months after that season – May, 7, 2009 – Viti married Laura, his high school sweetheart, and chose field artillery as his specialized branch. He also requested to serve with the 4th Infantry Division in Fort Carson.

And there was a reason behind the request.

“I knew going to the 4th Infantry would increase my chances of serving in Afghanistan,” he said. “There’s an unwritten rule that football players go into a combat arms unit, like field artillery and the infantry. If you put in the right preferences, you can pretty much set yourself up to serve in a combat zone. That’s what I wanted to do.”

When Viti’s unit got its orders for duty in Afghanistan, the two-year period had elapsed and Viti was eligible to apply for early release to pursue an NFL career. Despite being contacted by several sports agents, he never submitted the request to the Army.

“In the end, I couldn’t walk away from the bond. I wanted to get to Afghanistan and serve my country.”

Outpost attacked many times

Viti estimates his COP – Combat Outpost – has been attacked approximately 50 times by insurgents. While visiting the troops, Gates called the area a key battleground in the war and praised the soldiers for their progress.

A member of Alpha Company’s 3rd Platoon, Viti was with another platoon when he came under fire for the first time.

“At first, I didn’t react,” he said. “Then I went behind some cover. It happened quickly. I was surprised how aggressive it was. It wasn’t that shocking of an event. I felt in control the whole time.”

No members of his platoon have been killed in action during the deployment but several members of his company lost their lives, said Viti.

“We have a good team,” he said. “I can’t give enough credit to our squad leaders and platoon sergeants. In the end, no one is going to be harder on me than myself.”

It’s important for the Afghans to see the Americans putting their lives at risk to keep the villages safe, Viti said.

“They’re putting themselves at risk just by talking to you,” he said. “We’ve developed good rapport with the leaders. We live with the villagers every day. If we hear any gunshots, we’re right down there with them.”

Viti isn’t quite certain what the long-term future holds. He expects to be promoted to captain around the time his unit returns to Fort Carson in July. After a year back in the United States, Viti says he will most likely have another 12-month deployment to Afghanistan before his enlistment runs out in May 2013.

“My deployment has been positive,” said Viti. “I enjoy what I do, but it’s not for everyone. Laura and I will need to decide if that’s the kind of environment in which we want to raise children. But my gut feeling is that I would like to stay in.”

In the meantime, Viti will continue to serve his country with the support of his family members and friends.

“Proud doesn’t describe how we feel,” said Karen Viti. “We’re his biggest supporters. You take a look and see everything Mike has accomplished. Then you wonder what he’s going to do for an encore.”