Medal of Honor

Ecofarm

Ecofarm

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SAN DIEGO — President Bush on Tuesday awarded the nation's highest military tribute to a Navy SEAL who was killed when he threw himself on a grenade in Iraq to save his comrades.

The president, blinking back tears, recognized the bravery of Michael A. Monsoor, who was part of a sniper team in Ramadi when he died on Sept. 29, 2006. Bush presented the medal to Monsoor's parents, Sally and George Monsoor, before about 250 guests, including some of his fellow soldiers, in an East Room ceremony.

The emotional ceremony came as the top U.S. general and diplomat in Iraq opened two days of congressional testimony on the status of the war, now in its sixth year. Monsoor was the third Medal of Honor winner from the Iraq war.

"Petty Officer Monsoor distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism on Sept. 29, 2006," press secretary Dana Perino told reporters during a briefing aboard Air Force One as Bush headed to Europe for a NATO summit.

Monsoor was part of a sniper security team in Ramadi with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi soldiers, according to a Navy account. An insurgent fighter threw the grenade, which struck Monsoor in the chest before falling in front of him.

Monsoor then threw himself on the grenade, according to a SEAL who spoke to The Associated Press in 2006 on condition of anonymity because his work requires his identity to remain secret.

"He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it," said a 28-year-old lieutenant, who suffered shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. "He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs' lives, and we owe him."

Two SEALs next to Monsoor were injured; another who was 10 feet to 15 feet from the blast was unhurt. Monsoor, from Garden Grove, Calif., was 25 at the time.

Monsoor, a platoon machine gunner, had received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for combat valor, for his actions pulling a wounded SEAL to safety during a May 9, 2006, firefight in Ramadi.

He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his sacrfice in Ramadi.

Sixteen SEALs have been killed in Afghanistan. Eleven of them died in June 2005 when a helicopter was shot down near the Pakistan border while ferrying reinforcements for troops pursuing Al Qaeda militants.

There are about 2,300 of the elite fighters, based in Coronado and Little Creek, Va.

The Navy is trying to boost the number by 500 — a challenge considering more than 75 percent of candidates drop out of training, notorious for "Hell Week," five days of continual drills by the ocean broken by only four hours sleep total.

Monsoor made it through training on his second attempt.
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:salute:

Now there is a truely great man.
 
Wow. Such bravery is quite amazing indeed.

I often wonder why we haven't seen but a handful of MofH from Iraq, when we had literally dozens and dozens from Vietnam and Korea and others. Heck, even Somalia gave us two, and that was on a one day operation.

~Chris
 
Few high-intensity conflicts. With total air and numerical superiority, it's not often that things go terribly wrong and require extraordinary acts of bravery.

Medals of Honor are generally the result of things going horrible to hell and someone rising up to try to make the situation better.

They are almost never awarded for offensive action, except when that offense is in the defense of a position (Sgt. York and Somolia, for examples). Extraordinary bravery is not required for a successful attack. It is needed when one goes to hell.
 
I think there has been a few high intensity conflicts!

However, I see your point. But literally, there had been over 3,000 issued until the end of Vietnam, and there has only been 5 since (all posthumously).

An old military buddy of mine thinks the left wingers have something to do with it! ;)

~Chris
 
Iraq is a terrorist war, we've never had one of those. Direct attacks are not their traditional approach. It's hard to dive on a grenade when they detonate 120mm mortar rounds a mile away.

P.S. I was in Ramadi 2007 and this strikes a bit more home for me. This guy deserved it.
 
Chazumi said:
Iraq is a terrorist war, we've never had one of those. Direct attacks are not their traditional approach. It's hard to dive on a grenade when they detonate 120mm mortar rounds a mile away.
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That is more my thinking...the technology gap is now so great that there are very rare moments which require pure heroism. If the crap is hitting the fan, the A10's come thundering through.

Interesting though...

~Chris
 
sonorakitch said:
That is more my thinking...the technology gap is now so great that there are very rare moments which require pure heroism. If the crap is hitting the fan, the A10's come thundering through.

Interesting though...

~Chris
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If you think you are going to get an A10 gunship on your side as a navy seal even, you are crazy. You have to understand that those sort of escorts on your mission are reserved for major campaigns. Even as Special Forces you are required to operate in the most extreme circumastances which is: alone. As a general infantry platoon we were lucky to get MLRS support. I credit that to our LTC, and CSM who himself had 48 months combat experience.
 
Chazumi said:
If you think you are going to get an A10 gunship on your side as a navy seal even, you are crazy. You have to understand that those sort of escorts on your mission are reserved for major campaigns. Even as Special Forces you are required to operate in the most extreme circumastances which is: alone. As a general infantry platoon we were lucky to get MLRS support. I credit that to our LTC, and CSM who himself had 48 months combat experience.
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The US used an A-10 for border patrol, pretty sure they'd use one over there...

(My proof? I saw it.)
 
d.highland said:
The US used an A-10 for border patrol, pretty sure they'd use one over there...

(My proof? I saw it.)
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Well yeah I am not saying an A10 is nonexistant over there. But if one rocket from the MLRS system is 100k$, what do you think an A10 costs?

Like I said, there isn't a clear enemy over there, so for something of that magnitude to be called in for an "every-day" mission you better be a pretty influencial person, in a "black-hawk-down" situation or worse.

But what do I know? I mean, who am I to question d.highland in all his middle-eastern warfare knowledge, vs. my pitiful 2nd Division 2nd Brigade, 1st Batallion 9th Infantry regiment experience, even though I spent 16 October 2006- 18 December 2007 in Al-Anbar province, Ramadi Iraq?

What was I thinking?!?! :eek:
 
Chazumi said:
Well yeah I am not saying an A10 is nonexistant over there. But if one rocket from the MLRS system is 100k$, what do you think an A10 costs?

Like I said, there isn't a clear enemy over there, so for something of that magnitude to be called in for an "every-day" mission you better be a pretty influencial person, in a "black-hawk-down" situation or worse.

But what do I know? I mean, who am I to question d.highland in all his middle-eastern warfare knowledge, vs. my pitiful 2nd Division 2nd Brigade, 1st Batallion 9th Infantry regiment experience, even though I spent 16 October 2006- 18 December 2007 in Al-Anbar province, Ramadi Iraq?

What was I thinking?!?! :eek:
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I suggest you encounter things much more calmly rather than start taunting me..
 
d.highland said:
I suggest you encounter things much more calmly rather than start taunting me..
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Your reason being....? Don't make me sick PSWEET on your ass.... ;)
 
Chazumi said:
If you think you are going to get an A10 gunship on your side as a navy seal even, you are crazy. You have to understand that those sort of escorts on your mission are reserved for major campaigns. Even as Special Forces you are required to operate in the most extreme circumastances which is: alone. As a general infantry platoon we were lucky to get MLRS support. I credit that to our LTC, and CSM who himself had 48 months combat experience.
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Please don't make the assumption you are the only person on here with military or governmental experience in the Middle East. You are not alone.

And for the record, the A-10 was simply one example. If you don't realize that even SF carries, in the field, highly sophisticated weaponry, battlefield reconnaissance capability, and advanced small arms that overwhelm the enemy, you are in dreamland sir.

Fact is, SF teams are highly advanced mobile stealth units and their deployment generally assures an astounding victory.

~Chris
 
sonorakitch said:
SF carries, in the field, highly sophisticated weaponry, battlefield reconnaissance capability, and advanced small arms that overwhelm the enemy <snip>

Fact is, SF teams are highly advanced mobile stealth units and their deployment generally assures an astounding victory.

~Chris
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You got me psyched up!

Company of Heroes (the strategy game) time!
 
Well that man sure does deserve my salute :salute:
 
sonorakitch said:
I think there has been a few high intensity conflicts!

However, I see your point. But literally, there had been over 3,000 issued until the end of Vietnam, and there has only been 5 since (all posthumously).

An old military buddy of mine thinks the left wingers have something to do with it! ;)

~Chris
Click to expand...
Actually I think if anything, its quite the opposite. I'd bet if political opposition to the wars factored in anyway to any of those medals, it was in Vietnam, when LBJ might have started to pass them out as a sign of success. Of course I doubt even that happened at all, and if it did, for only a minute fraction of them.

I think it has more to do with the very vague terms of what merits a Medal of Honor, and therefor how many are given out varies from time to time.
 
ParkCungHee said:
Actually I think if anything, its quite the opposite. I'd bet if political opposition to the wars factored in anyway to any of those medals, it was in Vietnam, when LBJ might have started to pass them out as a sign of success. Of course I doubt even that happened at all, and if it did, for only a minute fraction of them.

I think it has more to do with the very vague terms of what merits a Medal of Honor, and therefor how many are given out varies from time to time.
Click to expand...

However, if one reads the stories of these Medal of Honor recipients in Vietnam, there are also very heroic and deserving.

I just find it a bit interesting I guess.

~Chris
 
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