Quote:
A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor had been near the only door to the rooftop structure Sept. 29 when the grenade hit him in the chest and bounced to the floor, said four SEALs who spoke to The Associated Press this week on condition of anonymity because their work requires their identities to remain secret.
"He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it," said a 28-year-old lieutenant who sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. "He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs' lives, and we owe him."
Monsoor, a 25-year-old gunner, was killed in the explosion in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. He was only the second SEAL to die in Iraq since the war began.
Two SEALs next to Monsoor were injured; another who was 10 to 15 feet from the blast was unhurt. The four had been working with Iraqi soldiers providing sniper security while U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted missions in the area.
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He better also get the congressional medal of honor for this.
What are your thoughts on the "ultimate" hero?
Is it blatant self-sacrifice like this, where they knew for a fact they were going to die to save others? Is it the single mother/father who raises her/his kid(s) well while working a job or jobs to feed, clothe, and house them? Is it someone like a doctor or emergency worker who spend their lives saving others?
For me, this guy fits the bill. You know you won't survive. You know it for a fact. You could try and jump away, and maybe escape death, but leave those around you to the same fate as you, possibly even death- or you can lay down on it and die, saving those around you.
Sadly, few things make me feel proudly patriotic these days... but this is one of those things that does.
(Bonus points if we can keep this thread from becoming a 9/11 memorial)