California’s War Dead

Michael A. Monsoor, 25

Navy, Petty Officer 2nd Class

Based: Coronado, Calif.

SEAL assigned to a West-Coast based command

Supporting: Operation Iraqi Freedom

Died: September 29, 2006

Ramadi, Iraq

Single

Gender: Male

Hometown: Garden Grove

High School: Garden Grove High (Garden Grove)

Burial: Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, San Diego

One of the survivors puts it this way, 'Mikey looked death in the face that day and said, 'You cannot take my brothers, I will go in their stead.'

— President Bush, Medal of Honor ceremony

On the last day of his life, on a rooftop in Ramadi, Monsoor was assigned to protect three SEAL snipers. When a grenade lobbed from the street bounced off his chest, he yelled, "Grenade!" and pounced on it even though he had a clear path of escape.

Times obituary

Michael Monsoor's Medal of Honor page

Michael Monsoor's video tribute

« Luis E. Tejeda, 09/30/2006

Cesar A. Granados, 09/15/2006 »

1 memory of Michael

I go to Garden Grove High School. Never had a chance to know him because I'm class of 2010. His memorial are hanging in the Hall of Fame at GGHS. Very brave man. God be with him

— Lahhal

July 29, 2009 at 9:06 p.m.

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