I will buy the book tomorrow on my usual pilgrimage to my favorite Starbucks wrapped in a Barnes & Noble. His story brought to mind a funeral of a SEAL back in 2008. Mike Monsoor, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for in May of 2006 throwing himself on top of a grenade in a firefight in Ar Ramadi, Iraq to save his fellow SEALs. As the coffin was removed from the hearse, 45 Seals lined up along the path 2 by 2 from the hearse to the gravesite. As the wooden coffin passed, it stopped by each Seal who removed his Trident and slammed it into the casket embedding it, each slam heard across the cemetery, louder than any three gun farewell salute and certainly more lasting and poignant. Sadly, the funeral of a man who chose to save his buddies rather than himself was hardly mentioned by the media save Fox and a few others.
When I learned of the funeral, the images of stars as tridents on a flag came to mind and I wrote this poem in 2008 after learning of the award of the Congressional Medal of Honor and the details of his funeral. Thank God for the SEALs and shame upon those in Congress who did not have the desire or integrity to find the paltry amount of funds cut from Veterans' pensions, including the disabled.
As President George W. Bush said of the event during the April 2008 Medal of Honor ceremony, "The procession went on nearly half an hour, and when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten."
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
As President George W. Bush said of the event during the April 2008 Medal of Honor ceremony, "The procession went on nearly half an hour, and when it was all over, the simple wooden coffin had become a gold-plated memorial to a hero who will never be forgotten."
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
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
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
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
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
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
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
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
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#RMhkKHoiMecZfHms.99
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.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#X3UmqGbTKSvyftgp.99
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.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#X3UmqGbTKSvyftgp.99
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.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#X3UmqGbTKSvyftgp.99
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.
Read more at http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/monsoor.asp#X3UmqGbTKSvyftgp.99
Stars On a Flag
and a Casket
The
last time Old Glory had stars numbering but 45 was in 1896
When
Utah joined the union adding a Mormon state to this great diversity mix,
We
may only have achieved a flag with stars of but 48,
Save
for the citizen warriors who dropped all and went into harm's fate.
Civilization
in 1917 was at a new dark ages abyss,
The
doughboys crossed the ocean to fix what was clearly remiss,
The
flags brought forward in the mud and shelling, stars of but 48,
For
the last two stars in the balance would have to wait,
Lessons
learned by those who are not lifelong Spartans to the core,
Soon
forgotten and in just 23 short years we had to do it again once more.
The
Flags of Our Fathers on Iwo Jima had stars still of 48,
Clash
of evil and the Great Crusade two more in the balance would have to wait.
The
flags in the dark days of Pusan or the glory of Inchon, also furled but 48,
The
world trembled as another band of brothers went off to meet their fate,
Any
one can sew a star onto a flag if you have some needle and thread,
But
to keep them on, you must go to Arlington or Normandy to view the threads of crosses
and stars of the dead,
When
the winds of war and chaos try to rip the stars from the flag apart,
Remember
those threads who each time gave it all until the last beat of their hearts.
Sadly,
another brave warrior Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL, gave his life for others to
save,
So
fitting his casket took with it 45 tridents so much like 45 stars to his far
too early grave.
The
flag has 50 stars because of the thousands of crosses, stars and now
crescents on well kept lawns,
A
stark reminder that without the courage and sacrifice of soldiers like Monsoor, this
nation may not see another dawn.
© July 13, 2008
Michael P. Ridley aka the Alaskanpoet
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