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USS Michael Monsoor Commissioning <\/a><\/p>\n The Navy\u2019s newest Zumwalt-class destroyer, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), was commissioned Jan. 26 at Naval Air Station North Island, California.<\/p>\n Twenty Gold Star families and four Medal of Honor recipients witnessed the second Zumwalt-class destroyer enter the fleet. <\/p>\n The ship honors Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions in Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 29, 2006. At the ship\u2019s 2008 naming ceremony, former Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter recognized Monsoor as \u201ca consummate professional who faced terrorist enemies with aplomb and stoicism.”<\/p>\n “When you man the rails today and you man your first watch stations at [general quarters], you bring this ship to life in the spirit and legacy of Michael Monsoor with toughness, courage and love, and you will be the defenders,\u201d said Vice Adm. Timothy Szymanski, deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. “You will defend. Stay in the Fight.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n More at: Navy.mil<\/a><\/p>\n Sally Monsoor, Michael Monsoor\u2019s mother, served as the ship\u2019s sponsor and delivered the time-honored first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!” <\/strong><\/p>\n Hat tip to MCPO for the reminder.<\/p>\n Update Monsoor enlisted in the United States Navy on 21 March 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 2 September 2004, as one of the top performers in his class. 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.<\/p>\n 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 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 which was led by Jocko Willink and also featured Chris Kyle, reportedly killed 84 insurgents.<\/p>\n During an engagement on 9 May 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.<\/p>\n On 29 September 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Monsoor died on 29 September 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. His death was dramatized in the film, Act of Valor. <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Ref:
\nMichael Monsoor was born 5 April 1981, in Long Beach, California, the third of four children of Sally Ann (Boyle) and George Paul Monsoor. His father also served in the United States military as a Marine. His father is of Syrian, Lebanese, and Irish descent, and his mother has Irish ancestry. When he was a child, Monsoor was afflicted with asthma but strengthened his lungs by racing his siblings in the family’s swimming pool. He attended Dr. Walter C. Ralston Intermediate School and Garden Grove High School in Garden Grove, California and played tight-end on the school’s football team, graduating in 1999.<\/p>\n
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