Iraq hero to get Medal of Honor
A Navy SEAL who threw himself on a grenade in Iraq to save his comrades’ lives will be posthumously awarded the nation’s highest military honor.
The family of Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor will receive the Medal of Honor on his behalf during a White House ceremony, according to a Marine Corps Times report Monday. The report, which cited an anonymous Department of Defense official, said it was not clear when the medal would be presented.
Monsoor, 25, of Garden Grove, was part of a sniper security team on Sept. 29, 2006, in Ramadi with three other SEALs and eight Iraqi soldiers, according to a Navy account. An insurgent threw the grenade, which struck Monsoor in the chest and fell in front of him. Monsoor, according to the account, then threw himself on the grenade.
Monsoor, a platoon machine gunner, had received the Silver Star, the third-highest award for combat valor, for his actions pulling a wounded SEAL to safety during a May 9, 2006, firefight in Ramadi.
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