Mike Monsoor - Navy Seal

Mike Monsoor 
April 5th, 1981 – September 29th, 2009 
Navy Petty Officer PO2 
(Petty Officer, Second Class) 
EOD2 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Second Class) 

Mike Monsoor was awarded "the Congressional Medal of Honor" last week, 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 that was passing by!

During mike Monsoor's funeral, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery , in San Diego , California, the six pallbearers removed the rosewood casket from the hearse, and lined up on each side of mike Monsoor’s casket, where his family members, friends, fellow sailors, and well-wishers were present. The column of people continued from the hearse, all the way to the gravesite. What the group did not know at the time was, that every navy seal (45 to be exact) that Mike Monsoor saved that day were scattered throughout the column! As the pallbearers carried the rosewood casket down the column of people to the graveside, the column would collapse and formed the group of people that followed behind. Every time the rosewood casket passed a Navy Seal, he would remove his gold trident pin from his uniform, and slap it down hard, causing the gold trident pin to embed itself into the top of the wooden casket! Then the navy seal would step back from the column, and salute!

Now for those, who do not 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 more weeks of training, necessary to continue improving basic skills and 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 this gold pin they are now officially navy seals! It was said, that you could hear each of the 45 slaps from across the cemetery! By the time the rosewood casket reached the gravesite, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from the 45 trident pins that lined the top!

This was a fitting end to an eternal send-off for a warrior hero!