George Monsoor - Defend Us in Battle: The True Story of MA2 Navy SEAL Medal of Honor Recipient Michael A. Monsoor

Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

Please note that the endnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication

Defend Us in Battle is a powerful narrative about modern warfare and a tribute to Michael Monsoor and his teammates. It is also an American familys story. The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it. Nothing in our SEAL training would have led Michael to do what he did. Yet for those of us who knew him, especially his teammates in Task Unit Bruiser, we were not surprised by what he did. His mother, Sally, and father, George, were his examples of love, selflessness, and service above self. It is the nurturing of our families that gives SEAL warriors courage. It is this dedication to ideals greater than self that gives us strength.

Vice Admiral Joseph Maguire,

USN (Ret.)

As an unknown person once said, Someday when the pages of my life end, I know that my son will be one of the most beautiful chapters. Defend Us in Battle is just like that. The values instilled in Michael at an early age epitomize those held by his fellow Medal of Honor recipientscourage, commitment, integrity, sacrifice, citizenship, and patriotism. The simple act of saving the lives of his brothers by sacrificing his own, while a moment in time, is the culmination of his life experienceslearning to overcome obstacles and injuries. He never gave up on his dream of becoming one of Americas elite special operations units. Truly inspirational.

John Falkenbury,

Executive Vice President of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society

Michael Mikey Monsoors life and service will be an inspiration for generations. In Defend Us in Battle, George Monsoor and Rose Rea (with help from other friends and family) tell his story with vigor, verve, and heartfelt emotion. Their insight and devotion to the man and the country he selflessly served are evident on every page, providing a rare, intimate portrait of a hero.

Jim DeFelice,

Coauthor of American Sniper

Defend Us in Battle

Copyright 2022 George Monsoor and Rose Rea

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published by Harper Horizon, an imprint of HarperCollins Focus LLC.

Book design by Aubrey Khan, Neuwirth & Associates, Inc.

Any internet addresses, phone numbers, or company or product information printed in this book are offered as a resource and are not intended in any way to be or to imply an endorsement by Harper Horizon, nor does Harper Horizon vouch for the existence, content, or services of these sites, phone numbers, companies, or products beyond the life of this book.

Epub Edition September 2022 9780785290605

ISBN 978-0-7852-9060-5 (Ebook)

ISBN 978-0-7852-9059-9 (HC)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022934026

The actions of the few dictate the fate of many.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT

Motto of BUD/S class 250

CONTENTS

O f all of the lessons that I learned during my tenure as navy secretary, the most enduring has been the recognition of the great range of human beliefs and behaviors. It is hard to comprehend what would drive men to fly airplanes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing thousands of innocents. At the same time, we are presented with individuals such as Michael Monsoor, who are willing to do whatever is needed to preserve the lives of others.

Much has been said of those of the Greatest Generation who saved our nation during World War II. It is hard today to grasp fully the commitment and motivation that enabled those men to storm the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima. For our country, it was a time of near universal recognition of the existential threat posed by fascism, which led to a national response with much of the American population serving in uniform. The entire nation was engaged.

The response to the challenges of the twenty-first centuryexemplified by the attacks of 9/11has been far more selective. We have an all-volunteer military that disproportionally comes from families and communities with a long history of service. The vast majority of the American population has little if any contact with those who serve, let alone those who serve in our elite special forces.

Michael Monsoor was an exemplary SEALa man of great integrity, a skilled warrior, and a loyal teammate. That loyalty led to his willingness to sacrifice his life for his teammates. As the Bible teaches us, Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13).

One of my objectives as secretary was to help develop and motivate the next generation of sailors and marines. Both the navy and marine corps have great traditions and heroes dating back to John Paul Jones. Unfortunately, it can be difficult for young men and women, brought up in the twenty-first century, to relate to heroes from the age of sail. However, we also have great contemporary heroes such as Michael Monsoor who exemplify the characteristics that we look for in our future personnel. I worked to ensure that the memory of Michael is preserved and that his story is told to our latest generation of sailors and marines. To that end, I am most pleased to see this book published, as it tells the story of Michael as a child, a man, and a SEAL. A lifes story well worth telling.

To the readers of this book, you will find Michaels story to be defined by the values we all hold dear. I would hope that you also take notice of the way that Michaels parents, George and Sally, instilled these values in Michael. Theirs is a story of the impact that parents have upon their children. Lastly, please note the story of the Navy SEALs and the ethos that defines them, an ethos that elevates commitment to the mission and the team above all. Not surprisingly, Michaels BUD/S class adopted the motto (attributed to Alexander the Great) The actions of the few dictate the fate of many. We all have much for which to thank Michael, Task Unit Bruiser, and all the special operators who have defended us so faithfully.

Dr. Donald C. Winter

Secretary of the Navy, 20062009

Ar Ramadi, Iraq, May 9, 2006

T he sun scorched outside as the muscular and wellbuilt warfighter fell to the ground. He instinctively raised his rifle to his shoulder and fired while simultaneously clutching his push-to-talk and keying up. LT, this is K. Ive been shot. I say again, this is K. Ive been shot!

As his transmission came through the radio, strings of distinct machine gun fire could be heard cracking in the background one after the other. On the opposite end of the radio, J. P. Dinnell knew exactly what and who that was. Thats a Mark 48; its Mikey! Lets go right now... weve got their position, yelled J. P. as they rapidly maneuvered to support the element under fire. In that same moment, Michael and K. along with one other SEAL (SEa, Air, Land, commando) and their Iraqi partners were on the receiving end of a violent enemy ambush from almost a dozen insurgent fighters.