Hero - A Word Synonymous With Unbelievable Courage

After receiving an email about this, I did a quick check of the facts and found some additional information, which I have appended at the bottom. Sadly, none of the references I found were national media, but various individual and organizational blogs. This fact speaks poorly, but accurately, of our liberal, left-wing, 'blame America first' national news media.

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"PO2 (EOD2) Mike Monsoor, a Navy EOD Technician, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow Seals.

During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEALs were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two's, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin.

The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it. This was a fitting send-off for a warrior hero."

This should be front-page news instead of the crap we see everyday. Since the media won't make this news, I choose to make it news by posting it for all to see. I am damned proud of those who serve in our military. If you are proud too, please pass this on. If not then rest assured that these fine men and women of our military will continue to serve and protect.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

"On 29 September 2006, 25-year-old Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor was killed during operations in enemy-held territory at Ar Ramadi, Iraq, when he threw himself on top of a grenade in order to save the lives of his fellow SEALS. In April 2008, Michael Monsoor (who had already been posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his actions in a 9 May 2006 incident, when he and another SEAL pulled a wounded team member to safety amidst gunfire) was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His funeral, attended (in the words of President Bush) by "nearly every SEAL on the West Coast," was held on 12 October 2006 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego." Actions such as this define the TRUE meaning of the word HERO! Simply being captured by the enemy does not make one a hero, even if the government designates it as such because they feel the need to identify a female "hero" in Iraq. Any fool can get captured. The real heroes were those military members who risked their own lives to retrieve the captive female soldier. Heroism is an heroic act - above and beyond what one could reasonably expect from a human being under the existing circumstances. Why trivialize the one word that truly should describe exemplary performance in the face of overwhelming odds? For those of you who have no real concept of the term 'hero' I would suggest you research two names:

1. Sergeant Alvin C. York (most decorated U.S. combat soldier of WWI)
2. Audie L. Murphy (most decorated U.S. combat soldier of WWII)

Through no fault of their own, both these fine soldiers survived their war. They placed themselves in harm's way repeatedly during their years of service. After the war York returned to Tennessee, where he raised money to improve education in his valley, and lived the relatively normal life of a Tennessee mountain man during the early-to-mid 1900's. He died at age 76.
During a successful film career, Murphy was plagued by the mental residue of war (which we now recognize as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). He was killed in a plane crash at the age of 46.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."

God bless Michael Monsoor and those who have served and still serve in the defense of our nation!

Gil