I Will Defend: Michael Monsoor’s story

there is a picture of Mike Mansoor that circulated the news after he died it shows Mike shrouded in a greenish yellow smoke emerging from the chaos of combat if you knew Mike or if you know his story that picture speaks for Mike and this is what that picture says Mikey was the prototypical Southern California kid had a sense of style fairly big kid about 61 210 pounds but was just extremely quiet [Music] he was kind of a jokester every time you see me to have kind of like this grin on his face so you don't know whether or not he was scheming on something or if that was just as kind of you know Southern California laid-back nature [Music] mic monster was a new guy in task unit bruiser and he was just a hard-charging guy as where this guy's was such a great attitude always put out always had a smile and it's got a crooked smile on his face all the time and you could just count on for stuff when we first got the word that we were gonna be the task e.t you bruiser we're gonna do a deployed Hermione we instantly knew each and every one of us that we were going to war and this was finally our moment I'll get it own 2/3 of the entire city - Keena Boozer was in the thick of the fight and for nearly six months in almost daily dangerous and violent urban combat operations from the second we stepped down we were in contact with the enemy but regardless of being rattled it didn't deter the guys from putting their kit back on and getting back out there day after day at a time when so many guys were burnout had had to had their fill of dangerous combat missions Mike Mansoor was so eager to jock up and his combat gear Lock and Load is big more mark 48 machine gun and get out there with his Delta 2 brothers and get after it so this was our last operation for the deployment we know we're a week out from going home it was myself and Mikey and two of our other fellow skills and then we also had four iraqi Johnnie's that were with us we were so close to going home that when we stepped off on that final mission on September 29th 2006 maybe we're proud of what we've accomplished and it was a hug fought battle but we were seeing progress at some point we all know exactly you know how they got there were you know Holly were able to maneuver and sneak up on us but Renee did end up coming over it over the rooftop and being behind Mikey what I remember hearing was grenade and next thing I know was the explosion [Music] and so he made a very conscious and deliberate selfless decision looked my direction Yahoo name jumped down [Music] all I could say is it you know I'm alive today because of what Mikey did by him going down on a grenade you know I now have a family I have three kids and I owe that all to Mikey I would have loved to see Mikey become a father because I know he would have been great father a great husband he's the steel that we all strive to be when we're on active duty going to war and on behalf of a grateful nation we will present Michael Munsch to his family with the Medal of Honor [Music] I am Michael Monsoor I love my country my fellow seals and the men fighting alongside us we are fighting a determined enemy but we are strong our strength is our Brotherhood soldiers sailors airmen and Marines fighting together a brotherhood bound by sweat and blood and tears many of our brothers have fallen but we fight on for the men to our left and right we fight on I am Michael Monsoor and I am ready forged by faith and family molded by belief and brotherhood I have lived life to its fullest and I have no regrets we can't bring Mikey back but we can live in his memory in his image and try to be the best human beings and we can be and it's just an honor honored to have known and worked with a guy like Mike once or the moments that I did out with Mikey I cherish every day I talked him up talk about him to my kids so they understand the United States of America I christened me Michael Monsoor may God bless this ship and all who sail in her [Music] I think if Mikey saw the ship you know it's cutting edge advanced technology and I think like stay with Mikey in the platoon he was always at the front you know leading away and the way the ship is designed is it's it's gonna be leading the way in the future there is no way that a steel and iron ship can ever replace the flesh and blood that was Michael Monsoor but it seems there can be no more fitting memorial to him than a warship a warship that proudly bears his name and in this ship and in its crew Mike spirit will live on through this ship Michael Monsoor will still represent the very best our country has to offer he will inspire the crew just as he inspired his teammates and just as Michael Monsoor did the USS Michael Monsoor will go forward willingly into harm's way and will stand tall without hesitation or regrets and face down evil and malevolence saying boldly to the world I will defend that is Michael Monsoor [Music] you

Channel: U.S. Navy

Views: 1,641,827

Keywords: #USNavy, U.S. Navy, United States Navy, DDG-1001, Zumwalt-class destroyer, Michael Monsoor, USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), USS Michael Monsoor, Medal of Honor, Navy SEAL

Id: 256ymQN8F70

Length: 8min 21sec (501 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 22 2019