Honoree: Michael A. Monsoor

Hometown: Garden Grove, CA
Branch of Service: Navy SEAL
Rank: Mater-At-Arms, 2nd Class
Player: Jackson Buchanan
Master-at Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, 25, from Garden Grove, California was a Navy SEAL who was killed September 29, 2006, during the Battle of Ramadi when he dove onto a grenade to shield his fellow SEALS. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military award for valor.
SEAL Monsoor attended Garden Grove High School and played tight end on the school's football team, graduating in 1999. He entered the Navy in 2001 and graduated from Basic Underwater Demolitions School (BUD/S) Class 250 on 2 September 2004 as one of the top performers in his class. He completed advanced SEAL training courses in March 2005 and was assigned to Delta Platoon, SEAL Team Three.
On January 26, 2019, the Navy commissioned its newest Zumwalt-class destroyer at Naval Air Station North Island. It was named USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001), in honor of SEAL Monsoor.
“He was kind of a jokester. Every time you’d see him, he’d have this kind of grin on his face. You never knew whether he was scheming on something or if that was just his southern California laid back nature”, said SEAL teammate and survivor Benjamin Oleson.