MA2. MICHAEL A. MONSOOR

por **SiX** Dom 12 Sep 2010 - 8:55

Michael Anthony Monsoor (April 5, 1981 – September 29, 2006) was a U.S. Navy SEAL killed during the Iraq War and posthumously received the Medal of Honor. Monsoor enlisted in the United States Navy in 2001 and graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training in 2004. After further training he was assigned to Delta Platoon, SEAL Team Three.

Delta Platoon was sent to Iraq in April 2006 and assigned to train Iraqi Army soldiers in Ramadi. Over the next five months, Monsoor and his platoon frequently engaged in combat with insurgent forces. On September 29, 2006 an insurgent threw a grenade onto a rooftop where Monsoor and several other SEAL and Iraqi soldiers were positioned. Monsoor quickly smothered the grenade with his body, absorbing the resulting explosion and most likely saving his comrades from serious injury or death. Monsoor died 30 minutes later from serious wounds caused by the grenade explosion.

On March 31, 2008, the United States Department of Defense confirmed that Michael Monsoor would posthumously receive the Medal of Honor from the President of the United States, George W. Bush. Bush presented the medal to Monsoor's parents on April 8, 2008. In October 2008, United States Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced that DDG-1001, the second ship in the Zumwalt class of destroyers, would be named Michael Monsoor in honor of Monsoor.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_A._Monsoor

http://www.navy.mil/moh/Monsoor/

Photo Illustration commemorating the Medal of Honor presented posthumously to Master at Arms 2nd Class (Sea, Air, Land) Michael A. Monsoor. U.S. Navy Illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jay Chu (Released)

por **SiX** Dom 12 Sep 2010 - 8:58

Michael Anthony Monsoor (5 de abril de 1981 - 29 de septiembre de 2006) fue un SEAL de la Armada de los Estados Unidos muerto en combate en la Guerra de Iraq y condecorado a título póstumo con la Medalla de Honor.

Vida y servicio militar
Monsoor asistió a la secundaria Garden Grove High School en Garden Grove, California. Jugó para el equipo de futbol americano y se graduó en 1999. Sus hobbies incluían snowboarding, body-boarding, pesca con lanza, conducir motocicletas y conducir su Corvette.

Monsoor se unió a la Armada de los Estados Unidos en 2001. Se graduó de la clase 250 del entrenamiento Básico de Demolición Submarina/SEALs en 2004. Luego fue asignado al Pelotón Delta, Equipo Tres de los SEALs.

Misión en Iraq
El Equipo Tres SEALs fue enviado a Ramadi, Iraq en 2006 y fue asignado para entrenar a las tropas del ejército Iraquí. Como enlace de comunicación y artillero, Monsoor cargaba cerca de 100lbs en equipo a temperaturas que excedían los 37 grados Celsius. Monsoor tomaba posición frontal para proteger al pelotón de un eventual asalto. El equipo tuvo frecuentes enfrentamientos con combatientes insurgentes. En el transcurso de los primeros cinco meses, el equipo mató 84 insurgentes según se reportó.

Durante un enfrentamiento el 9 de Mayo de 2006, Monsoor corrió por una calle bajo fuego enemigo intenso para rescatar a un compañero herido. Monsoor fue condecorado con la Estrella de Plata por esto.

Muerte en combate
El 29 de Setiembre de 2006, el pelotón se enfrascó en un combate contra cuatro insurgentes. En anticipación a más ataques, Monsoor y tres francotiradores SEALs se posicionaron en un tejado. Algunos civiles que ayudaban a los insurgentes bloquearon las calles cercanas, y una mezquita cerca transmitió un mensaje de radio instando a las personas a pelear contra los estadounidenses y los soldados iraquíes presentes. Monsoor se encontraba protegiendo a sus compañeros SEALs, dos de los cuales se encontraban a 5 metros de distancia. Su posición lo hacía el único del equipo con una fácil ruta de escape del tejado.

Una granada fue lanzada en el tejado por un insurgente que se encontraba en la calle. La granada le pegó a Monsoor en el pecho y cayó al piso. Monsoor se abalanzó sobre la granada y la cubrió con su cuerpo, salvando las vidas de sus tres compañeros. Monsoor fue malherido, y a pesar que fue evacuado inmediatamente, murió 30 minutos después. Dos de los SEALs que se encontraban con él resultaron heridos por la explosión de la granada, pero sobrevivieron.

Medalla de Honor
Los padres de Michael Monsoor reciben la Medalla de Honor de manos del presidente George W. Bush.

Monsoor fue descrito por sus compañeros de equipo como un "profesional calmado" y amante de la diversión. Fue enterrado en el Cementerio Nacional Fort Rosecrans en San Diego.

El 31 de marzo de 2008, el Departamento de Defensa de los Estados Unidos confirmó que Monsoor iba a recibir la Medalla de Honor a título póstumo por el Presidente de los Estados Unidos George W. Bush por sus acciones en combate. Los padres de Monsoor, George y Sally Monsoor, recibieron la medalla el 8 de Abril en una ceremonia celebrada en la Casa Blanca por el presidente. Monsoor es el cuarto estadounidense y segundo SEAL - todos muertos en combate - que recibe la más grande condecoración militar de los Estados Unidos por la guerra contra el terrorismo.

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http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_A._Monsoor

por **SiX** Dom 19 Dic 2010 - 7:35

Subido originalmente por doc_breacher

Navy SEAL Dives on Grenade to Save Others

CORONADO, Calif. (Oct. 14) - 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.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor had been near the only door to the rooftop structure Sept. 29 when the grenade hit him in the chest and bounced to the floor, said four SEALs who spoke to The Associated Press this week on condition of anonymity because their work requires their identities 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 sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. "He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs' lives, and we owe him."
Monsoor, a 25-year-old gunner, was killed in the explosion in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. He was only the second SEAL to die in Iraq since the war began.

Two SEALs next to Monsoor were injured; another who was 10 to 15 feet from the blast was unhurt. The four had been working with Iraqi soldiers providing sniper security while U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted missions in the area.
In an interview at the SEALs' West Coast headquarters in Coronado, four members of the special force remembered "Mikey" as a loyal friend and a quiet, dedicated professional.
"He was just a fun-loving guy," said a 26-year-old petty officer 2nd class who went through the grueling 29-week SEAL training with Monsoor. "Always got something funny to say, always got a little mischievous look on his face."
Other SEALS described the Garden Grove, Calif., native as a modest and humble man who drew strength from his family and his faith. His father and brother are former Marines, said a 31-year-old petty officer 2nd class.
Prior to his death, Monsoor had already demonstrated courage under fire. He has been posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions May 9 in Ramadi, when he and another SEAL pulled a team member shot in the leg to safety while bullets pinged off the ground around them.
Monsoor's funeral was held Thursday at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego. He has also been submitted for an award for his actions the day he died.
The first Navy SEAL to die in Iraq was Petty Officer 2nd Class Marc A. Lee, 28, who was killed Aug. 2 in a firefight while on patrol against insurgents in Ramadi. Navy spokesman Lt. Taylor Clark said the low number of deaths among SEALs in Iraq is a testament to their training.
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-Qaida militants.
There are about 2,300 of the elite fighters, based in Coronado and Little Creek, Va.
The Navy is trying to boost that number by 500 -- a challenge considering more than 75 percent of candidates drop out of training, notorious for "Hell Week," a five-day stint of continual drills by the ocean broken by only four hours sleep total. Monsoor made it through training on his second attempt.