Fallen Navy SEAL Enshrined in Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes

American Forces Press Service ^ | John J. Kruzel

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, April 9, 2008 – Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who posthumously received the Medal of Honor yesterday for his heroic actions in Iraq, joined a rarefied fraternity of military heroes at the Pentagon today.

In September 2006, Monsoor leaped onto a grenade and used his body to absorb a blast that likely would have killed two fellow SEALs and several Iraqi soldiers. For his heroism, the Defense Department today enshrined Monsoor’s name alongside the 3,446 other Medal of Honor recipients honored in its Hall of Heroes.

“To stand in this room, surrounded by reminders of greatness, of sacrifice and of heroism almost beyond comprehension, shakes the soul and stirs the heart,” Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter told the audience inside the Hall of Heroes.

Monsoor, a 25 year-old machine gunner with SEAL Team 3, was providing security in Ramadi, Iraq, at a sniper lookout post on Sept. 29, 2006, when a fragmentation grenade hit his chest and bounced to the floor. Positioned next to the single exit, only Monsoor could have escaped harm.

Instead, he threw himself onto the grenade. Monsoor used his body to absorb the blast and shield two nearby SEALs. The SEALs and eight Iraqi soldiers survived, some with wounds, others unscathed.

Thirty minutes later, Monsoor died.

“He had a clear path to safety,” Winter said. “But he chose a different path, a path of honor that embodies the way of a Navy SEAL.”

When Monsoor was assigned to Ramadi, it was the most dangerous city in the world for an American servicemember, said Navy Adm. Eric Olson, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Monsoor and his unit received hostile fire on 75 percent of their missions, and many believed the entire Anbar province -- home to Ramadi and other fiercely contentious cities -- was “irrevocably lost to a growing insurgency,” Olson said.

“At that time, in that place, what was needed most was brave and highly trained men with guns, determination and discipline,” he said. “Navy SEALs … answered the call, and Michael Monsoor was the best of them.”

Army Lt. Col. Ronald Clark, Monsoor’s former commanding officer, said the petty officer and his unit embodied the strength and courage of the unified fight against the enemy.

Their efforts, he said, helped foster what is known as the “Anbar Awakening,” a societal purging of extremism by a coalition-Anbari alliance that ushered in a level of stability unprecedented since U.S. operations in Iraq began.

“Mikey’s valor and selfless service will continue to inspire legions of brave Americans,” said Army Lt. Col. Ronald Clark, former commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment. “He’ll inspire brave men and women to take up arms to protect our country and our way of life.

“He’ll continue to inspire us all, because his spirit is forever woven in the fabric of a grateful nation who will never forget him or his sacrifice to save the lives of his brothers on that rooftop,” he continued. “We are honored by his life, humbled by his courage and blessed to have served in the company of a hero.”

Family members of the slain SEAL wept and clutched each other in a ceremony packed with servicemembers of all branches and rank who gathered to pay homage to the fourth servicemember to receive the Medal of Honor since the beginning of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

George and Sally Monsoor, the fallen petty officer’s parents, accepted the decoration on their son’s behalf during a White House ceremony yesterday. The Medal of Honor, awarded for gallantry in combat exceeding the call of duty, is the nation’s highest military decoration.

President Bush yesterday characterized Monsoor, a native of Long Beach, Calif., as an unlikely candidate for the SEALs. As a child, he suffered from asthma attacks and coughing fits that routinely landed him in the hospital, Bush said.

But the asthmatic child resolved to wean himself off his inhaler, strengthening his lungs by challenging his siblings in swimming races. The determined child grew into a young man who eventually completed SEAL training, which Bush called the “ultimate test of physical endurance.”

“Less than a third of those who begin this training become SEALs,” he said. “But Mike would not be denied a spot.”

Providing historical context for the decoration today, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon R. England told the audience the Medal of Honor is earned through actions so courageous they dwarf all other forms of bravery.

“It must put the recipient’s life at risk. It must be the type of deed, which had it not been done, the recipient would not be subject to criticism,” he told the audience today. “It, and its recipients, are genuine national treasures.”

England said war brings to the fore the best and worst human qualities. “Michael Monsoor showed us, again and again, on the violent battlefields of Iraq, and in every step of his young life, the very best we can be,” he said.

Biographies:
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor
Gordon England
Donald C. Winter

Related Sites:
White House Medal of Honor Ceremony

Related Articles:
Bush Confers Highest Military Decoration on Fallen Navy SEAL

[SandRat]

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WARNING: FRWN can be an EXTREMELY HIGH-VOLUME PING LIST!!

[infantrywhooah]

Selfless sacrifice for his buddies. No greater honor could be bestowed on this fine young man. He has earned a place in Heaven for sure.

[ought-six]

He comes from a very good, All-American family. Military and law enforcement are well-represented in his family.

[Thebaddog]

His parents are my age. I can only magine the pain of their loss, but what an honor for their son's bravery. Thanks to Michael for his extreme bravery and condolences to his family.

Thank you.

[Churchillspirit]

What a wonderful, brave young man.

God bless his family and may he rest in peace.

[Eaker]

Hey Buddy,

Another one of your own is a fallen hero.

I would like to thank both you and Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor (RIP) for your service and I am proud to call you my friend.

Thanks.

[PROCON]

Salute, Brave American!!

[submarinerswife]

I watched this live yesterday and as soon as I saw President Bush’s frown, I knew there would be a waterfall for him and I.

When the President mentioned that one of his teammates had dreams about this hero, he had wings. I was a bubbling mess at the end.

[SandRat]

And they were true tears and emotions.

[ken5050]

Well said. It is always curious to me how people who have never worn the uniform of our country fail to understand the answer to the question..what do the troops fight for? Yes, it is partpatriotism, God country, the flag, their kids, mom and apple pie, but in crunch time, it comes down to the guys in your unit, those on either side of you, the one who has your back, that's who you ultimately fight, and sometimes die for.

One of the things that is starting to irk me more and more is how, since the post-Vietnam era, it seems that the only way the CMH can be won is posthumously. I don't know if this is a conscious decision by the Pentagon and the DOD NOT to create living heroes, but it seems, well, weird. To make my point, just read most of the citations for the Navy Crosses awarded to living Marines in the Iraqi War, and compare them to those awarded the CMH in the last 35 years. No difference..indeed some seem especially worthy of the Big One, except that those heroes had the good fortune to survie the action.

[Hot Tabasco]

It is always curious to me how people who have never worn the uniform of our country fail to understand the answer to the question..what do the troops fight for?

I have had more conversations on war stuff with total strangers I've met in various places who were vets than I have ever had with my own family.

You're right, nobody can ever understand the military life unless they have been there..........

[Loud Mime]

Medal of Honor - Michael A. Monsoor

God Bless Him!

[Loud Mime]

When I now talk with fellow vets we have the same understanding of the good cause of our current soldiers and the idiocy of today’s liberals.

[Loud Mime]

That first link, with his photos from childhood and later, cost me many Puff’s tissues.

Thank You for posting it.

[submarinerswife]

And they were true tears and emotions.

oh yes. He moves my Husband to misty eyes too.

[STARWISE]

[SandRat]

Real not Hillary's or Bill's Crocodile Tears

[STARWISE]

His heart aches.

[Travis McGee]

Don’t for one nanosecond even think about putting me in the same sentence with these real heros.

Thanks for the ping, but I ain’t in any way near that league.