As you enjoy your Memorial Day weekend this
year I would like you to think about what this holiday means to you. Many people just look at it as the beginning
of summer or the first bar-be-que or camping trip of the season. And, although these are fun things to do,
and you should enjoy yourselves, please remember those that, as our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln so ably put it, “gave the last full measure of devotion.” And, although many people nowadays thank
those that have, or are, serving our country in uniform (which is greatly
appreciated,) Memorial Day is actually for those whom we have lost on the long
road to preserving our freedom.
On Memorial Day we remember those men that
President Lincoln at Gettysburg called “these honored dead.” We remember those that died at Pearl Harbor
even before they knew they were at war.
We remember the men that began the Bataan death march but did not
complete it. We remember those that
died at Omaha and Utah beaches and above the fields of Normandy. We remember the men who died on countless
Pacific islands and in the endless skies.
We remember the men who never walked back down the unnamed hills of
Korea and Vietnam. We remember those
that never came back from the streets of Beirut and Mogadishu. We remember the men and women that liberated
Iraq but never returned. We remember
those that fought & died in the mountains of Afghanistan. We remember all of those that gave the “last
full measure of devotion” upon a thousand battlefields across the globe. We remember. We shall never forget.
Not all of the fallen have received medals
for bravery or sacrifice. However, as a
tribute to those that have gone before us and secured our liberty through their
ultimate sacrifice I would like to present the citation for the fourth Medal of
Honor awarded in the war on terrorism.
Like so many before, this one was awarded posthumously. Throughout the history of our republic 3,473
times the Congressional Medal of Honor has been awarded for actions above and
beyond the call of duty normally expected from an American warrior. On April 8th, 2008 President Bush
presented the Medal of Honor to the parents of Petty Officer Second Class
(SEAL) Michael A. Monsoor.
 |
| Petty Officer Michael A. Monsoor |
April
8th, 2008
The President of the United States, in the name of
the Congress, takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor, posthumously to MASTER-AT-ARMS SECOND CLASS (SEA, AIR AND LAND) MICHAEL A. MONSOOR
UNITED STATES NAVY.
FOR
CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY AT THE RISK OF HIS LIFE ABOVE AND BEYOND
THE CALL OF DUTY AS AUTOMATIC WEAPONS GUNNER FOR NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE TASK
GROUP ARABIAN PENINSULA, IN SUPPORT OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM ON 29 SEPTEMBER
2006. AS A MEMBER OF A COMBINED SEAL AND IRAQI ARMY SNIPER OVERWATCH ELEMENT,
TASKED WITH PROVIDING EARLY WARNING AND STAND-OFF PROTECTION FROM A ROOFTOP IN
AN INSURGENT HELD SECTOR OF AR RAMADI, IRAQ, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR
DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY HIS EXCEPTIONAL BRAVERY IN THE FACE OF GRAVE DANGER.
IN THE EARLY MORNING, INSURGENTS PREPARED TO EXECUTE A COORDINATED ATTACK BY
RECONNOITERING THE AREA AROUND THE ELEMENT’S POSITION. ELEMENT SNIPERS THWARTED
THE ENEMY’S INITIAL ATTEMPT BY ELIMINATING TWO INSURGENTS. THE ENEMY CONTINUED
TO ASSAULT THE ELEMENT, ENGAGING THEM WITH A ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADE AND SMALL
ARMS FIRE. AS ENEMY ACTIVITY INCREASED, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR TOOK POSITION
WITH HIS MACHINE GUN BETWEEN TWO TEAMMATES ON AN OUTCROPPING OF THE ROOF. WHILE
THE SEALS VIGILANTLY WATCHED FOR ENEMY ACTIVITY, AN INSURGENT THREW A HAND
GRENADE FROM AN UNSEEN LOCATION, WHICH BOUNCED OFF PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR’S
CHEST AND LANDED IN FRONT OF HIM. ALTHOUGH ONLY HE COULD HAVE ESCAPED THE
BLAST, PETTY OFFICER MONSOOR CHOSE INSTEAD TO PROTECT HIS TEAMMATES.
INSTANTLY AND WITHOUT REGARD FOR HIS OWN SAFETY, HE THREW HIMSELF ONTO THE
GRENADE TO ABSORB THE FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION WITH HIS BODY, SAVING THE LIVES OF
HIS TWO TEAMMATES. 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.
SIGNED GEORGE W. BUSH
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