He gave his life to protect comrades . His valorous conduct, exemplary leadership, and extraordinary self-sacrifice for his fellow service members have earned him the highest respect and gratitude of his fellow SEALs, the Navy, and our nation. On January 26th, 2019, the Zumwalt class destroyer. As we bridge this, Father Halladay, Michael's faith, and the family's faith. You quit. On April 8, 2008, Monsoor was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously officiated by President George W. Bush in a ceremony at the White House . Rest in peace, Michael Monsoor. As I look at this picture, I hear a voice in a humble but confident tone. But then they started to take fire which happened pretty fast, and ultimately, a grenade was thrown on the rooftop. Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for diving onto a grenade to save his teammates in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, on September 29, 2006. 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. Each time I read of Michael's sacrifice I'm so amazed & heartbroken. Thank-you for raising such a great son. UNITED STATES NAVY Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island. You had winemakers make a special wine for him. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. You record a conversation that George told you he had with Michael. The enemy could not deter Michael and his SEAL platoon. The U.S. Navy's newest vessel, a guided-missile destroyer named the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), commissioned on January 27, 2019. All rights reserved. ALTHOUGH ONLY HE COULD HAVE ESCAPED THE BLAST, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR CHOSE INSTEAD TO PROTECT HIS TEAMMATES. George eventually said okay, let's do it. ALTHOUGH ONLY HE COULD HAVE ESCAPED THE BLAST, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR CHOSE INSTEAD TO PROTECT HIS TEAMMATES. The guys talk about the weight you carry, the extra weight. Michael Anthony Monsoor (5 April 1981 - 29 September 2006) was a U.S. Navy SEAL killed during the Iraq War. Market data provided by Factset. The symbolic display moved many, included Bush, who during his speech in April's Medal of Honor ceremony spoke about the incident. Petty Officer Second Class Michael Anthony Monsoor was born April 5, 1981 in Long Beach, Calif. Michael grew up in Garden Grove, Calif., as the third of four children of George and Sally Monsoor. He was not afraid. The overwatch couldnt tell where the RPG came from and didnt return fire., Read Michael Monsoors Summary of Action for September 29th, 2006. Two SEALs next to Monsoor were injured . Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor was killed in battle in Iraq in September 2006, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in April. We all hit those challenges in life and it's so easy to ring the bell which you do to get out of the BUD/S and SEAL training. Delta Platoon was sent to Iraq in April 2006 and assigned to train Iraqi Army soldiers in Ramadi. He will safeguard our families, as he safeguarded his own family. AS A MEMBER OF A COMBINED SEAL AND IRAQI ARMY SNIPER OVERWATCH ELEMENT, TASKED WITH PROVIDING EARLY WARNING AND STAND-OFF PROTECTION FROM A ROOFTOP IN AN INSURGENT HELD SECTOR OF AR RAMADI, IRAQ, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY HIS EXCEPTIONAL BRAVERY IN THE FACE OF GRAVE DANGER. While moving toward extraction, the Iraqi Army and Naval Special Warfare overwatch team received effective enemy automatic weapons fire resulting in one SEAL wounded in action. The Navy on Saturday christened the guided missile destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001), named in honor of a Navy SEAL who was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in Iraq. Monsoor died about 30 minutes later from wounds caused by the grenade explosion. A couple of other things that I think go to his character, which ultimately leads to him making the ultimate sacrifice, his commanding officer in Ramadi in the Spring of 2006 was Lieutenant Commander Jocko Willink. This electronic book is available for free download and printing from www.homeofheroes.com. The 40th annual San Francisco Fleet Week kicked-off Oct. 4 with ship arrivals bringing together the San Francisco community, Marines, Coastguardsmen and Sailors to . During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was at the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route . The enemy continued to assault the element, engaging them with a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. Let's let certain things be, right? "We were at a SEAL bar in San Diego called McP's, and we were having a wake for one of our guys that just died, I believe it was Michael Monsoor. I served with him in the Military and I can tell you that he was humble and would do just about anything asked of him to help. Michael the Archangel by Guido Reni, Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome, 1636. Brave men died or were wounded every day. He's such a cool dude, he's so masculine, so strong, and he was there. Although only he could have escaped the blast, Petty Officer Monsoor chose instead to protect his teammates. But, he didn't give up. On that day, Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi Army (IA) soldiers. Rose Rea: Yes, it is a powerful one. I mean this really is a story about Brotherhood and father/son. The hardened enemy was bent on destruction; they fought with ruthlessness, constantly on the attack with machine guns, mortars, grenades, and IEDs. The 610-foot, 15,000-ton ship, built by General Dynamics Bath Iron Works for the U.S. Navy, was named for Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor. A little-known tribute some Navy SEALs gave to a fallen comrade is gaining notice. I mean, you can imagine Michael who gave everything he had to have to hang up and quit and ring that bell and be viewed by all of his classmates as a quitter. Without hesitation and showing no regard for his own life, he threw himself onto the grenade, smothering it to protect his teammates who were lying in close proximity. It is a city devastated by war. The parents of Master-At-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor accepted the nation's highest military honor on behalf of their son during a White House ceremony April 8, 2008. Around midday, the exterior of the building was struck by a single rocket propelled grenade (RPG), but no injuries to any of the overwatch personnel were sustained. He will receive the award for his actions in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on Sept. 29, 2006. The future USS Michael Monsoor, named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Ramadi, Iraq, on September. . Fausone: He was the automatic weapons operator carrying the MK-48 and all that extra weight, there's a responsibility to the other guys because you're carrying that weapon to protect them. Fausone: And again, that's the lesson to learn. He chose them. Navy Narrative:On 29 September (2006), Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position in eastern Ramadi, Iraq, with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi soldiers. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor's chest and landed in front of him. Funeral. I don't think any of us can sit back and think oh it's so easy for everyone else, but it's hard for us to see past our own difficulty sometimes. It was the Army, the first of the 506 Battalion. Taking Offense Religion, Art, and Visual Culture in Plural Configurations So many guys have named their kids after him because they just loved him so much. Rea: I don't think we'll ever understand, Jim. During Operation Kentucky Jumper, a combined Coalition battalion clearance and isolation operation in southern Ar Ramadi, he served as automatic weapons gunner in a combined SEAL and Iraqi Army (IA) sniper overwatch element positioned on a residential rooftop in a violent sector and historical stronghold for insurgents. Dunbar, Monsoor, SEALS, Monsoor funeral. Duval's Top 10 September real estate: Queen's Harbour Colonial goes for $3.5 million. While the SEALs vigilantly watched for enemy activity, an insurgent threw a hand grenade from an unseen location, which bounced off Petty Officer Monsoor's chest and landed in front of him. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Michael Anthony Monsoor (April 5, 1981 September 29, 2006) was a United States Navy SEAL who was killed during Invasion of Iraq and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. A mutually supporting SEAL/IA position also killed an enemy fighter during the morning hours. In that split second, which is all that he had, he jumped on top of it and shielded the blast with his own body. SAN DIEGO - Zumwalt-class destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) held a change of command. Copyright 2018 by Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. From there, God willing, I had the connections because I was a SEAL wife and I was able to reach out to Naval Special Warfare and they put me in touch with Michael's parents. INSTANTLY AND WITHOUT REGARD FOR HIS OWN SAFETY, HE THREW HIMSELF ONTO THE GRENADE TO ABSORB THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION WITH HIS BODY, SAVING THE LIVES OF HIS TWO TEAMMATES. All rights reserved. One minute of prayer each night-Grass Roots Effort! Monsoor was engaged in a firefight in Ramadi when, according to the military report, he and another SEAL pulled a team member shot in the leg to safety while bullets pinged off the ground around them., On 29 September (2006), Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position in eastern Ramadi, Iraq, with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi soldiers. May the Lord continue to comfort you. The guy who made this special box - almost like a shadow box, but it's a decorative box - he said, "No I want to do this, don't pay me a cent. [1] He enlisted in the United States Navy in 2001 and graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training BUD/S class 250 in 2004. Due to expected enemy action, the officer in charge repositioned him with his automatic heavy machine gun in the direction of the enemy's most likely avenue of approach. The Moving Funeral of Petty Officer Mike Monsoor-Truth! Instantly and without regard for his own safety, he threw himself onto the grenade to absorb the force of the explosion with his body, saving the lives of his two teammates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, All Major Military Award Recipients (PDF), Medal of Honor Recipient's Story of Overcoming Obstacles and Sacrifice, Transcript of Veterans Radio Host Jim Fausone's Interview with. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Instead, knowing what the outcome would be, he fell on the grenade to save the others from harm. There's a healthy level of mystery or privacy. Such an amazing man! In the morning, his team observed four enemy fighters armed with AK-47s reconnoitering from roads in the sector to conduct follow-on attacks. Civilians aiding the insurgents blocked off the streets, and a nearby mosque had broadcast a message for people to fight against the Americans and the Iraqi soldiers. George Monsoor (Michael's father) and Rose Rea detail in their book, "Defend Us in Battle", Michael had prepared for this selfless act his whole life - a life that inspires us to have a similar generosity of heart. He continued to provide effective suppressive fire while simultaneously dragging the wounded SEAL to safety. Many of my brothers have fallen.