[2] His father also served in the United States military as a Marine. I thought that was beautiful and respectful. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Fausone: And again, that's the lesson to learn. 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. Taking Offense Religion, Art, and Visual Culture in Plural Configurations 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Monsoor, a 25-year-old gunner, was killed in the explosion in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. Michael definitely inspired him in that, Michael was a SEAL first. There was no other option for him. The trapezoidal-shaped USS Michael Monsoor came to Naval Station Everett on Friday, where the ship . I feel like it was about a hundred pounds extra the guys were telling me from bullets from his SAW Gun, which you probably could go into more specifics about, but I meant it was a huge automatic weapon. SEAL's Name", Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, jumped onto the grenade, covering it with his body, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Parachutist Insignia, United States Department of Veterans Affairs, "Complications Grow for Muslims Serving in U.S. Military", "Sailor Killed in Iraq Awarded Medal of Honor", "A Fitting Tribute to a Slain Navy SEAL Gains Attention", "Medal of Honor for Navy Officer in Iraq", "President Bush Attends Medal of Honor Ceremony for Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor, U.S. Navy", "U.S. Navy Recipients of the Silver Medal for Actions Since September 11, 2001", "Monsoor Avenue, Krulak Way at new vets cemetery", "SECNAV Names New Zumwalt-Class Destroyer USS Michael Monsoor", "Department of the Navy Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Budget Estimates Justification of Estimates February 2018", "Dedication event for Monsoor Stadium set", "Garden Grove High School dedicates new stadium in honor of fallen war hero", "Navy SEAL who sacrificed life for team honored at school in Southern California", "Navy SEAL's sacrifice earns Medal of Honor", "Pentagon-sourced video clip of White House ceremony honoring Petty Officer Second Class (SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Michael_A._Monsoor&oldid=1135657594, United States Navy personnel of the Iraq War, United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients, American military personnel killed in the Iraq War, Burials at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, Iraq War recipients of the Medal of Honor, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with dead external links from January 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 01:00. His leadership, guidance and decisive actions during 11 different combat operations saved the lives of his teammates, other Coalition Forces and Iraqi Army soldiers. Michael the Archangel by Guido Reni, Santa Maria della Concezione, Rome, 1636. Can you talk to us a little bit about learning that part of the story, which I suspect his parents knew nothing about when he was over in Iraq? Close. Naval Sea Cadet Corps unit named the "Michael A. Monsoor Battalion" based in Camp Pendleton, California. [19], There is a U.S. The ship honors Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who . This is what I said: Ladies and gentlemen. He has an older brother James and older . 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 men fighting alongside us in the streets are infantrymengrunts. 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. Ramadi had been a violent and intense area for a very strong and aggressive insurgency for some time. Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week. A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said. He had three SEALs with him and I think there's one or two Iraqi interpreters. Instead, knowing what the outcome would be, he fell on the grenade to save the others from harm. He attended Catholic Mass devotionally before operations, and often spoke lovingly of his family - his older brother, a police officer and former Marine for whom he held great respect; his sister, a nurse; and his younger brother, a college football player. Then you read about these guys in the story when Michael was in Italy and he was in this waiting pattern to go back to get a second chance. The grenade exploded seconds later and Monsoor's body absorbed most of the force of the blast. 120. I want to hold my nephews and nieces again. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. Fausone: I think again, another very important part because of a mother's concern and pain you sort of mention. His sacrifice has not gone unnoticed. 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. Multiple times that we shared in the book. Fausone: I think that's one of the lessons, right? And then he had communications equipment. U.S. Navy file photo of the Medal of Honor certificate presented by President George W. Bush to George and Sally Monsoor on Tuesday, April 8, 2008, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Twenty Gold Star families and four Medal of Honor recipients witnessed the second Zumwalt-class destroyer enter the fleet. The name of Petty Officer Michael Anthony Monsoor will now be among them. The thing is, for these boys who served with Michael, this matters to them, too, because their children want to know who Uncle Mikey was. As enemy activity increased, Petty Officer Monsoor took position with his machine gun between two teammates on an outcropping of the roof. Michael Anthony Monsoor was born on 5 April 1981 in Long Beach, CA, the third of four children born to George and Sally Monsoor. But there was more of a story there. Rea: It was my pleasure and it's been such a joy speaking with you. [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. : USS Michael Monsoor DDG-1001 2. Sally Monsoor, mother of Michael Monsoor and the ship's sponsor, is escorted on stage during the commissioning ceremony for the guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) on Jan. 26 . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. But fear is no match for my Faith. He placed him in a small, confined sniper hide-sight between two SEAL snipers on an outcropping of the roof, which allowed the three SEALs maximum coverage of the area. May the Lord comfort you. Margaret Louise Monsoor, our loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, and friend passed away in her sleep on August 8, 2021. Michael Monsoor is a hero for all the world to know about and appreciate. And just as Mikey Monsoor did, the USS Michael Monsoor will go forward, willingly into harms wayand will stand tall without hesitation or regrets and face down evil and malevolence, saying boldly to the world: I WILL DEFEND. We've talked a little bit about the reaction to this sacrifice, but does the family feel that the sacrifice going forward in a ripple effect, will that continue to go forward? Market data provided by Factset. By his extraordinary guidance, zealous initiative, and total dedication to duty, Petty Officer Monsoor reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. 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. When I started reading the memorials at the back of the book, I could feel how meaningful different memorials would have been to Michael. Palatial properties along the Intracoastal Waterway, the St. Johns and the Beaches dominated the list of . The 1,063 acre site has a firing range, an administration building, and a dormitory. There is a lot that goes into naming the ship. It is the first Navy combat ship named for fallen Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael Monsoor, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions while serving in Ramadi, Iraq, in 2006 (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter Burghart/Released). And Jesse Ventura was in thereI was at the other end of the bar, but he said something kind of derogatory toward us losing guys or whatever and . And then, as you know, at the end of the book who says that powerful prayer at the end, who's able to be there and the huge commissioning of bringing his ship to life but Father Paul Halladay. I've done a lot of projects. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Live Well Plan Well Rest Well A half day breakfast seminar on Saturday March 18th, 2023, at the . 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. The Michael Monsoor, a Zumwalt-class destroyer, is docked in the San Diego Harbor at Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado Island, Calif. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 10 For this brave action, he earned a Silver Star. 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. Give us a little bit about how George is thinking about this, how the rest of the family is thinking about this? Rose Rea: Yes, it is a powerful one. It is a city devastated by war. "And when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten.. A fellow Navy Seal who knew and trained with Monsoor told TruthorFiction.com that he had already earned a Silver Star for Bravery and a Bronze Star for separate acts of valor. It is obviously very humbling to be here today, as it was humbling to be on the battlefield of Ramadi with my fellow SEALs and 2/28 Brigade Combat Team, the Iron Soldiers, and then 1/1 AD, the Ready First Combat Team, which was formed up by our brothers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines and included such hallowed units as the 1st of the 506th Band of brothers, the 1-37 Bandits, and the 3/8 Marines. One of the lessons here that I think folks learned, and it's kind of interesting, is Michael had asthma as a kid and had to overcome all the medical challenges that go through childhood when you can't breathe when you have an asthma problem. It's really a selfless sacrifice and you end up giving this gift to those who are spared. He continued to provide effective suppressive fire while simultaneously dragging the wounded SEAL to safety. They fought in 35 heated firefights; during these incidents Mike shot tens of thousands of 7.62 millimeter rounds to cover Delta Platoon's movement through streets that seemed to be paved with fire. IN THE EARLY MORNING, INSURGENTS PREPARED TO EXECUTE A COORDINATED ATTACK BY RECONNOITERING THE AREA AROUND THE ELEMENTS POSITION. Two other SEALs next to him at the time were injured by the explosion but survived. They are willing to go to the ends of the Earth. Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines, fighting together. In that split second, which is all that he had, he jumped on top of it and shielded the blast with his own body. . That picture says so much. Lieutenant Commander Jocko Willink, Navy SEAL. Portrait of Medal of Honor recipient Michael Monsoor. Like many kids, he wanted to test himself and be the best he could in service and made his way through BUD/S and became a Navy SEAL in March 2005. Element snipers thwarted the enemy's initial attempt by eliminating two insurgents. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. So I thought it was a nice touch to add that all in. USS Michael Monsoor is the second of three Zumwalt-class destroyers ordered by the Navy. We're talking to Rose Rea and she wrote the book, "Defend Us in Battle," with George Monsoor who's the father of Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor, who received the Medal of Honor from President George Bush back in 2008 for his actions in 2006 in Iraq. They were providing overwatch security while joint and combined forces were conducting missions in the area. May the Lord continue to comfort you. He knew some of these guys were going home early, it's called turnover. Tell us about finding those guys and in some measure pulling the stories out to make "Defend Us in Battle.". Not everyone can step in and do it that well, that fast. All rights reserved. On 11 different operations, Petty Officer Monsoor exposed himself to heavy enemy fire while shielding his teammates with suppressive fire. I love my country, my fellow SEALs, and the men fighting alongside us. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Delta Platoon was sent to Iraq in April 2006 and assigned to train Iraqi Army soldiers in Ramadi. He lived for 30 minutes longer, they were providing aid as fast as they could. [21][22][23], Michael Monsoor is mentioned in the book of Rorke Denver "Damn Few: Making the Modern SEAL Warrior".[24]. Michael just took all that on and he was never one to back down from anything. And his story offers some perspective on the long war in Iraq and the chaos there today.