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Monsoor’s family to get MoH today

The family of a Navy SEAL who was killed in Iraq when he dove on a grenade to save his shipmates will accept his Medal of Honor at the White House today.

Master-at-Arms 2nd Class (SEAL) Michael Monsoor was with a four-man sniper team on a rooftop in Ramadi when he smothered the grenade that took his life Sept. 29, 2006. He will be the first member of the Navy to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq and the second since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began.

A Navy Web site dedicated to Monsoor offers a schedule of events honoring the SEAL:

* Monsoor’s parents and other family members will accept the Medal of Honor from President Bush at 2:15 p.m. April 8 at the White House.

* Monsoor’s name will be added to the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes at 2 p.m. April 9.

* At 7 p.m. April 9, his family will be presented with the Medal of Honor Flag at the Navy Memorial in downtown Washington.

Born April 5, 1981, in Long Beach, Calif., Monsoor enlisted in the Navy on March 21, 2001, and graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training Sept. 2, 2004. He deployed to Iraq with Delta Platoon, SEAL Team 3, in April 2006. He has already received the Silver Star for earlier actions in Iraq.