Michael Monsoor came from a military family and enlisted in the Navy in March 2001. After basic training, quartermaster training and a short assignment as a master-at-arms in Sigonella, Sicily, Monsoor volunteered to become a Navy SEAL. After qualifying in 2005, he was assigned to Delta Platoon, SEAL Team 3.
In 2006, SEAL Team 3 deployed to Ramadi, Iraq, for Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were assigned to watch over the Mulaab area, one of the “most vicious” neighborhoods in Ramadi. Monsoor worked as an automatic weapons gunner and communications operator. “I thought [Monsoor] was the toughest guy in my platoon,” Navy Lt. Cmdr. Seth Stone said. He noted that Monsoor would never complain about work.
In May 2006, Monsoor risked his life under heavy fire to save a wounded teammate, receiving a Silver Star for his actions. On Sep. 29, 2006, he and his team engaged enemy insurgents for Operation Kentucky Jumper. They secured an enemy-controlled building and Monsoor took a rooftop position between two teammates to watch over the team.
“All of a sudden,” Monsoor’s team leader Lt. Cmdr. Michael Sarraille recalled, “a grenade came over the lip of the wall … and hit Mikey right in the chest … It fell to the ground. I was to his right three feet, seated, and Doug Wallace was to his left three feet, also seated on the ground … All [Monsoor] had to do was turn the other direction, jump and he would have lived … But due to Mikey’s character and his quick train of thought, he knew that if he chose self-preservation, which is sometimes needed on the battlefield, Doug and I would most likely perish, and he was right.”
Monsoor threw himself onto the grenade, saving his teammates’ lives, and would die shortly after. “He never took his eye off the grenade,” remembered one of Monsoor’s teammates, who was there during the attack. “His only movement was down toward it. He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs’ lives, and we owe him.”
Monsoor’s remains were brought back to the U.S., and he was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, Calif. In 2008, he posthumously received a Medal of Honor, becoming the third service member and the first from the Navy to receive the award in the Iraq War. A guided missile destroyer was named in his honor and was commissioned in 2019.
Monsoor ended his service as a petty officer second class. He received many awards in addition to the Medal of Honor, including a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.
“As a SEAL, one of the greatest accolades you can have is being known as reliable,” Sarraille said. “Reputation in the SEAL teams is everything … Especially if you’re a quiet guy who just performs … your reputation skyrockets, and Mikey was that guy. He was dependable, especially in a firefight in the streets of Ramadi … When Mikey was to your side, you felt safe.”
We honor his service.
