DougGuy
06-19-2016, 12:19 AM
US Navy SEAL Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor is finally getting the honor he deserves, our Navy's newest fighting warship, the Zumwalt class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor DDG-1001 bears his namesake. Michael Monsoor was a US Navy SEAL killed in Iraq in 2006.
On March 31, 2008, the United States Department of Defense confirmed that Michael Monsoor would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor. U.S. President George W. Bush presented the medal to Monsoor's parents on April 8, 2008. In October 2008, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced that DDG-1001, the second ship in the Zumwalt-class of guided missile destroyers, would be named Michael Monsoor in his honor.
The ship was christened this morning by Sally Monsoor, mother of US Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor.
http://www.youtu.be/watch?v=VgpHX1MI9Bo
U.S. Navy SEALs
Monsoor enlisted in the United States Navy on March 21, 2001, and attended Basic Training at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Illinois. Upon graduation from basic training, he attended Quartermaster "A" School, and then transferred to Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy for a short period of time. He entered Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training and graduated from Class 250 on September 2, 2004, as one of the top performers in his class.[7] After BUD/S, he completed advanced SEAL training courses including parachute training at Basic Airborne School, cold weather combat training in Kodiak, Alaska, and six months of SEAL Qualification Training in Coronado, California, graduating in March 2005. The following month, his rating changed from Quartermaster to Master-at-Arms, and he was assigned to Delta Platoon, SEAL Team 3.
Iraq War
Michael Monsoor, a U.S. Navy SEAL, with a fellow SEAL team-mate, dressed in green camouflage uniform loaded with green combat uniforms. Both are carrying firearms and wearing sunglasses. There is a white-colored building and green smoke billowing in the background
During Operation Kentucky Jumper, SEAL Team Three was sent to Ramadi, Iraq in April 2006 and assigned to train Iraqi Army soldiers. As a communicator and machine-gunner on patrols, Monsoor carried 100 pounds (45 kg) of gear in temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees. He took a lead position to protect the platoon from frontal assault and the team was frequently involved in engagements with insurgent fighters. During the first five months of deployment, the team reportedly killed 84 insurgents.
During an engagement on May 9, 2006, Monsoor ran into a street while under continuous insurgent gunfire to rescue an injured comrade. Monsoor was awarded the Silver Star for this action, and was also awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq.
Death
On September 29, 2006, Monsoor's platoon engaged four insurgents in a firefight, killing one and injuring another. Anticipating further attacks, Monsoor, three SEAL snipers and three Iraqi Army soldiers took up a rooftop position. Civilians aiding the insurgents blocked off the streets, and a nearby mosque broadcast a message for people to fight against the Americans and the Iraqi soldiers. Monsoor was protecting other SEALs, two of whom were 15 feet away from him. Monsoor's position made him the only SEAL on the rooftop with quick access to an escape route.
A grenade was thrown onto the rooftop by an insurgent on the street below. The grenade hit Monsoor in the chest and fell onto the floor. Immediately, Monsoor yelled "Grenade!" and jumped onto the grenade, covering it with his body. The grenade exploded seconds later and Monsoor's body absorbed most of the force of the blast. Monsoor was severely wounded and although evacuated immediately, he died 30 minutes later. Two other SEALs next to him at the time were injured by the explosion but survived.
Monsoor died on September 29, 2006, in ar-Ramadi, Iraq, and was described as a "quiet professional" and a "fun-loving guy" by those who knew him. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
Funeral
During the funeral, as the coffin was moving from the hearse to the grave site, Navy SEALs were lined up forming a column of twos on both sides of the pallbearers route, with the coffin moving up the center. As the coffin passed each SEAL, they slapped down the gold Trident each had removed from his own uniform and deeply embedded it into the wooden coffin. For nearly 30 minutes the slaps were audible from across the cemetery as nearly every SEAL on the West Coast repeated the act.
The display moved many attending the funeral, including President Bush, who spoke about the incident later during a speech stating: "The procession went on nearly half an hour, and when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten.”
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/General/MichaelMonsoorTridents_zpsvstt815p.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/General/MichaelMonsoorTridents_zpsvstt815p.jpg.html)
On March 31, 2008, the United States Department of Defense confirmed that Michael Monsoor would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor. U.S. President George W. Bush presented the medal to Monsoor's parents on April 8, 2008. In October 2008, Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced that DDG-1001, the second ship in the Zumwalt-class of guided missile destroyers, would be named Michael Monsoor in his honor.
The ship was christened this morning by Sally Monsoor, mother of US Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor.
http://www.youtu.be/watch?v=VgpHX1MI9Bo
U.S. Navy SEALs
Monsoor enlisted in the United States Navy on March 21, 2001, and attended Basic Training at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Illinois. Upon graduation from basic training, he attended Quartermaster "A" School, and then transferred to Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy for a short period of time. He entered Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training and graduated from Class 250 on September 2, 2004, as one of the top performers in his class.[7] After BUD/S, he completed advanced SEAL training courses including parachute training at Basic Airborne School, cold weather combat training in Kodiak, Alaska, and six months of SEAL Qualification Training in Coronado, California, graduating in March 2005. The following month, his rating changed from Quartermaster to Master-at-Arms, and he was assigned to Delta Platoon, SEAL Team 3.
Iraq War
Michael Monsoor, a U.S. Navy SEAL, with a fellow SEAL team-mate, dressed in green camouflage uniform loaded with green combat uniforms. Both are carrying firearms and wearing sunglasses. There is a white-colored building and green smoke billowing in the background
During Operation Kentucky Jumper, SEAL Team Three was sent to Ramadi, Iraq in April 2006 and assigned to train Iraqi Army soldiers. As a communicator and machine-gunner on patrols, Monsoor carried 100 pounds (45 kg) of gear in temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees. He took a lead position to protect the platoon from frontal assault and the team was frequently involved in engagements with insurgent fighters. During the first five months of deployment, the team reportedly killed 84 insurgents.
During an engagement on May 9, 2006, Monsoor ran into a street while under continuous insurgent gunfire to rescue an injured comrade. Monsoor was awarded the Silver Star for this action, and was also awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq.
Death
On September 29, 2006, Monsoor's platoon engaged four insurgents in a firefight, killing one and injuring another. Anticipating further attacks, Monsoor, three SEAL snipers and three Iraqi Army soldiers took up a rooftop position. Civilians aiding the insurgents blocked off the streets, and a nearby mosque broadcast a message for people to fight against the Americans and the Iraqi soldiers. Monsoor was protecting other SEALs, two of whom were 15 feet away from him. Monsoor's position made him the only SEAL on the rooftop with quick access to an escape route.
A grenade was thrown onto the rooftop by an insurgent on the street below. The grenade hit Monsoor in the chest and fell onto the floor. Immediately, Monsoor yelled "Grenade!" and jumped onto the grenade, covering it with his body. The grenade exploded seconds later and Monsoor's body absorbed most of the force of the blast. Monsoor was severely wounded and although evacuated immediately, he died 30 minutes later. Two other SEALs next to him at the time were injured by the explosion but survived.
Monsoor died on September 29, 2006, in ar-Ramadi, Iraq, and was described as a "quiet professional" and a "fun-loving guy" by those who knew him. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego.
Funeral
During the funeral, as the coffin was moving from the hearse to the grave site, Navy SEALs were lined up forming a column of twos on both sides of the pallbearers route, with the coffin moving up the center. As the coffin passed each SEAL, they slapped down the gold Trident each had removed from his own uniform and deeply embedded it into the wooden coffin. For nearly 30 minutes the slaps were audible from across the cemetery as nearly every SEAL on the West Coast repeated the act.
The display moved many attending the funeral, including President Bush, who spoke about the incident later during a speech stating: "The procession went on nearly half an hour, and when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten.”
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/General/MichaelMonsoorTridents_zpsvstt815p.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/General/MichaelMonsoorTridents_zpsvstt815p.jpg.html)