Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor died a hero, and some of the men he served with are speaking out in advance of the commissioning ceremony for the destroyer that bears his name.
The second ship in the Zumwalt-class of destroyers, the USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001) will be commissioned during a ceremony Saturday at Naval Air Station North Island, in San Diego, California, the ship’s homeport.
In a video profile of Medal of Honor recipient and Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Monsoor released by the Navy, his teammates share the story of what happened Sept. 29, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq when they were part of SEAL Team 3’s Task Force Bruiser.
“He was just a hard-charging guy,” said Lt. Cmdr. (SEAL) Leif Babin, who was Mansoor’s direct supervisor while in Ramadi.
Monsoor was part of a sniper overwatch security position with two other SEALs and several Iraqi Army soldiers when an insurgent threw a fragmentation grenade into their position. Monsoor was nearest the exit and was the only one who could have escaped. Instead, he dropped down onto the grenade, smothering it with his body, absorbing its blast and saving the lives of those who were around him. He died as a result of his wounds 30 minutes later.
“I now have a family. I have three kids,” said Chief Warrant Officer (SEAL) Benjamin Oleson, who was behind Monsoor when the grenade was thrown. “I owe it all to Mikey.”
Monsoor, who grew up in Garden Grove, California, joined the Navy in 2001 and earned his SEAL Trident in 2004. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on April 8, 2008.
In part, Monsoor’s Medal of Honor citation reads, “by his undaunted courage, fighting spirit and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of certain death, Petty Officer Monsoor gallantly gave his life for his country, thereby reflecting great credit upon himself and upholding the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.”
In a press release, Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer called the destroyer one of the most capable warfighting assets in the nation’s arsenal.
“This ship will provide independent forward presence and deterrence for decades to come,” he said.
Congressman Scott Peters (D-Calif) will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Sally Monsoor, Monsoor’s mother, serves as the ship’s sponsor. She will give the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life.”
The ceremony, using #USSMichaelMonsoor, will be streamed live at Facebook.com/USNavy, Twitter.com/USNavy, YouTube.com/USNavy and on the Navy Live blog at http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2019/01/23/uss-michael-monsoor-ddg-1001-commissioning