Michael Monsoor — dead, for his friends
President Bush gives Medal of Honor to Navy SEAL:
| Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor had fast thinking to do when a live grenade came out of nowhere to bounce off his chest: Take the clear path to safety that he had but his comrades didn’t, try to toss it safely away, or throw himself on top of it.
With barely an instant’s hesitation on that Iraqi rooftop, Monsoor took the last course, sacrificing his life to save the men around him. For that, President Bush on Tuesday awarded him the Medal of Honor. In an East Room ceremony, Bush presented the nation’s highest military honor to Monsoor’s still-grieving parents, Sally and George Monsoor. […] After a long day of back-and-forth engagement and evidence that the enemy was closing them off, Monsoor and the two other SEALS moved to a confined outcropping of the roof for a better lookout position. An unseen insurgent lobbed a grenade, which hit Monsoor in the chest and landed on the floor in front of him. He yelled a warning, but quickly saw that his fellow SEALS, not positioned near the exit like he was, wouldn’t be able to get clear in time. Monsoor fell onto the grenade just as it exploded, absorbing the blast with his body and dying from the injuries about 30 minutes later. Others suffered shrapnel wounds, but no one else was killed. The Garden Grove, Calif., native, was only 25 years old. |
“Mr. and Mrs. Monsoor: America owes you a debt that can never be repaid.” — President Bush
a President weeps
So, Christian, would you give your life for your friend?
Your Master stated plainly, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
And how did you give your life for a friend yesterday?
How about for your Master?
He, His kingdom, and His righteousness come first, you know!
(Oh — click here to read about another type of self-sacrificing hero and warrior.)