July 04, 2008
Independence Day tribute to a fallen hero
Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor was killed in battle in Iraq in September 2006, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in April. His funeral in Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego was attended by “nearly every SEAL on the West Coast,” said his grandfather, George Monsoor, Sr., who described his grandson as an “outgoing guy.” During the service, as Monsoor's coffin was taken from the hearse to the gravesite, Navy SEALs lined up in two columns. As the coffin passed, video shows each SEAL slapping down the gold Trident from his uniform and deeply embedding it in Monsoor's wooden coffin. The slaps were reportedly heard across the cemetery.
"This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day"
Petty Officer Michael Monsoor, 1981-2006.
Requiescat in pace.
Posted by Mike Lief at July 4, 2008 08:37 AM
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Comments
"Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but Soldiers don't have that problem."
--Ronald Reagan--
Posted by: Thin Ice, Sr. at July 4, 2008 09:25 AM
To merely say thank you to this young man just does not seem to be enough. He put himself out there so that my children would live in a safer, better world. He accomplished more in a short life than most of us ever will.
May God bless his family and keep this young man in the palm of his hand for eternity.
Posted by: RW at July 4, 2008 02:33 PM
A very moving video. Moving indeed.
Posted by: sonarman at July 5, 2008 09:23 AM
Chilling. Inspiring. We are so fortunate to have guys like this standing in defense of our liberty. Words just can't capture what we owe this brave man and those like him who at this very moment stand guard for us.
Posted by: Bill H at July 6, 2008 08:42 AM
As of today, U.S. Confirmed Deaths:
Reported Deaths: 4114
Confirmed Deaths: 4113
Each is a hero, none chose to die in Iraq--politicians chose for them. That's the real tregedy.
Posted by: Truth at July 6, 2008 08:37 PM
Each is a hero, none chose to die in Iraq--politicians chose for them. That's the real tregedy.
No, Truth, that's not the "real tragedy." It's called civilian control, and it's what soldiers have been doing since the founding of the Republic.
The real tragedy is when the nation lacks the will to ensure victory, resulting in our brave troops fighting and dying for capricious and shifting goals.
Leaving before we've achieved victory would indeed be a tragic waste.
Using the numbers posted on the site you linked to, the total casualties resulting from enemy action is 3,597, the lower number resulting from the 830 deaths not related to combat or enemy action that you included in the totals.
I'm curious; why do you artificially inflate the total number of Americans killed by grouping combat-related deaths with drownings, traffic accidents, suicides and illness?
Posted by: Mike Lief at July 6, 2008 09:38 PM