Too often we take our freedom for granted. The rights and liberties we benefit from in our free society are by no means free. In fact, the real cost is incalculable. Unfortunately, the men and women who pay the ultimate price are not recognized enough for their bravery.

Vetrepreneur wants to pay homage to the courageous service members who put their lives on the line so we can live free. This month we honor Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor.

Monsoor was awarded the Bronze Star, the Silver Star and April, 8 2008, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor making the former Navy SEAL the fourth service member to receive this decoration since Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom began. The 25-year-old was enshrined in the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes joining the 3,446 other Medal of Honor recipients in the nation’s history.

In the early afternoon of September 29, 2006, SEAL Team 3 along with Iraqi Army soldiers were conducting operations in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Monsoor was a machine gunner along with two SEAL snipers and several Iraqi soldiers positioned on a rooftop to cover the enemy insurgent’s most likely avenue of approach.

One enemy combatant threw a grenade that bounced off Monsoor’s chest and rolled between his comrades. Monsoor was the only person who could have escaped through a narrow corridor. But instead of running for safety, he pounced on the grenade as it detonated--saving the lives of the other men on that roof. Monsoor died thirty minutes later as a result of his injuries. The other SEALs said they saw the options cross his face and he chose to save them.

"He’ll continue to inspire us all, because his spirit is forever woven in the fabric of a grateful nation who will never forget him or his sacrifice to save the lives of his brothers on that rooftop," said Army Lt. Col. Ronald Clark, former commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment and Monsoor’s former commanding officer at his award ceremony at the White House April 9, 2008. "We are honored by his life, humbled by his courage and blessed to have served in the company of a hero."
At a Navy SEAL Warrior Fund Benefit Gala at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City Oct. 29 2008, Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter announced the Navy will name the newest Zumwalt-class Destroyer USS Michael Monsoor.

"Michael could have escaped and saved himself," Winter said at the gala. "But he chose a different path, a path of honor that embodies the way of a Navy SEAL. For having chosen that path, Petty Officer Michael Monsoor joined the ranks of those who have earned our nation’s highest distinction, the Medal of Honor."

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