Every American should read this and stories like it, and thank God for our freedom brought to us by brave men and women.
Navy SEAL Mike Monsoor was posthumously awarded The Congressional Medal Of Honor in 2008 for giving his life in Iraq. On September 29, 2006 in Ar Ramadi, he was on a rooftop with several other SEALs and Iraqi soldiers. The local mosque loudspeaker was broadcasting instructions for civilians to assist the insurgents, and they had blocked the streets.
When an insurgent threw a hand grenade onto the roof, it hit Monsoor, bounced off him and landed on the ground. Monsoor saved the lives of the Navy SEALS and Iraqi soldiers that were with him, by covering it with his body. He lived for another 30 minutes, before succumbing to the massive injuries inflicted by the grenade.
That was a bad week in the war against terror, as a NewsBlaze story said at the time, 11 deaths were reported over three days.
During Monsoor’s funeral, at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, CA., the six pallbearers took the rosewood casket from the hearse. They lined up on each side of Monsoor’s casket with his family members, friends, fellow SEALS and well-wishers following behind.
The column of mourners walked from the hearse all the way to the grave site.
As the pallbearers carried the rosewood casket down the column of people to the grave site, they would collapse backwards, forming a group of people that followed in the wake of the casket.
Navy SEALs each slapped their Gold Trident Pin onto the casket. Then the Navy SEAL would step back from the column and salute.
The Trident Pin
After completing the Basic Navy SEAL Program which lasts for three weeks, there are 15 weeks of SEAL Qualification Training necessary to continue improving basic skills and learn tactics and techniques required for an assignment to a Navy SEAL platoon.
After successful completion, trainees are given their Naval Enlisted Code and awarded the Navy Seal Trident Pin. With this gold pin they are officially Navy SEALS.
Witnesses at the funeral said you could hear each of the pins slapping onto the casket from across the cemetery.
“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.” – President George W. Bush.
On March 31, 2008, the United States Department of Defense confirmed that Michael Monsoor would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor from the President of the United States, George W. Bush. President Bush presented the medal to Monsoor’s parents on April 8, 2008. In October 2008, United States Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced that DDG-1001, the second ship in the Zumwalt class of destroyers, would be named “Michael Monsoor” in his honor.
There are currently three DDG 1000 class destroyers in production at Bath Iron Works, Zumwalt (DDG 1000), Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) and Lyndon B. Johnson (DDG 1002). Zumwalt is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2015. The keel laying ceremony for DDG 1001 took place in May 2013 and Start of Fabrication for DDG 1002 was in April 2012.
“The American people are proud of all the branches of our military and thank them for our freedom.”
