TO HONOR MICHAEL MONSOOR

The Sailor Pictured Below Is
Navy Petty Officer PO 2
(Petty Officer, Second Class)
EOD2
(Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Second Class)

MIKE MONSOOR

April 5, 1981 ~ September 29, 2009



Mike Monsoor
Was awarded The Congressional Medal Of Honor For giving his life in Iraq as he jumped on, and covered with his body, a live hand grenade saving the lives of a large group of Navy Seals who were passing by.

During Mike Monsoor's funeral, At Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, in San Diego, California, and as the six pallbearers removed the rosewood casket from the hearse, lined up on each side of Mike Monsoor's casket, were his family members, friends, fellow sailors, and other mourners.

The line of people continued from the hearse all the way to the grave site. What the group didn't know at the time was, every Navy Seal (45 To Be Exact) that Mike Monsoor saved that day was scattered throughout the assembly.

As the pallbearers carried the casket past the line of people to the grave site, the line would form a column which followed behind.

Each time the casket passed a Navy Seal, each Navy Seal would remove his gold Trident Pin from his uniform, and slap it down hard, causing the pin to embed itself into the top of the wooden casket.

Then each Navy Seal would step back and salute.

For those who don't know what a Trident Pin is, here is the definition:

After one completes the Basic Navy Seals Program which lasts for three weeks, and is followed by Seal Qualification Training, which is 15 additional weeks of training, necessary to learn new Tactics and Techniques, required for an assignment to a Navy Seal Platoon after successful completion, trainees are given their Naval Enlisted Code, and are awarded The Navy Seal Trident Pin. With the Gold Trident Pin they are officially Navy Seals.

It was said, that one could hear each of the 45 slaps from across the cemetery.

By the time the casket reached the grave site, it looked as if there were a gold inlay from the 45 Trident Pins that lined the top of the casket.



This Was A Fitting End To An Eternal Farewell For A Warrior Hero.