Sailor killed in Iraq awarded Medal of Honor

03/31/2008

By Tony Perry,
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 31, 2008


Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor, who grew up in Garden Grove, has been selected to receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for bravery during a firefight in Iraq in 2006, the White House announced today.

Monsoor, a petty officer 2nd class, died after pouncing on an insurgent grenade to shield his fellow SEALs and several Iraqi soldiers during a battle with insurgents on Sept. 26, 2006. Monsoor's squad was on a roof in Ramadi providing "over-watch" to troops on the ground.

He was 25 and is buried at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, across the San Diego Bay from where his SEAL team has its headquarters in Coronado.

Monsoor "without hesitation and showing no regard for his own life" fell on the grenade although he had a clear path to escape, Navy documents show. He had earlier been awarded a Silver Star for rescuing a wounded SEAL during the same deployment.

His parents, George and Sally Monsoor, have been invited to the White House to receive the Medal of Honor from President Bush. Their son is the first sailor to receive the medal for combat in Iraq; another SEAL, Lt. Michael Murphy, received the Medal of Honor, also posthumously, for actions in Afghanistan.

The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest award for bravery. Only one Marine and one soldier have been awarded the medal for actions in Iraq. In both cases, the award was posthumous.

Monsoor played football at Garden Grove High School and graduated in 1999. He enjoyed snowboarding, body boarding, spear fishing, motorcycle riding and driving his Corvette. He enlisted in the Navy in 2001 and completed SEAL training in 2004, on his second try. An injury had forced him to drop out on his initial attempt.

"Petty Officer Monsoor's actions could not have been more selfless or clearly intentional," the Navy said in a statement accompanying the Medal of Honor announcement. "Of the three SEALs on that rooftop corner, he had the only avenue of escape away from the blast, and if he had so chosen, he could have easily escaped. Instead, Monsoor chose to protect his comrades by the sacrifice of his own life."