…That didn’t have to be. Now I could have titled this post Tears of a Clown, in reference to the visible tears that streamed down President Bush’s face while reading the Medal of Honor citation, but I think that would have taken the focus off of a most-deserved recipient, Michael Monsoor. Michael Monsoor was a Navy SEAL who showed the utmost dedication to his fellow SEALs as well as outstanding courage in throwing himself on a live grenade in order to save his brothers.

Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor had fast thinking to do when a live grenade came out of nowhere to bounce off his chest: Take the clear path to safety that he had but his comrades didn’t, try to toss it safely away, or throw himself on top of it.

With barely an instant’s hesitation on that Iraqi rooftop, Monsoor took the last course, sacrificing his life to save the men around him.

[snip]

In reading the citation, President Bush visibly was crying and rightly so. It was his war, his decisions, his fool’s errand to send our troops to Iraq to find non-existent WMDs, stop the smoking gun in the form of a mushroom cloud, (why did he choose to go to Iraq again?).

I say Bush crying is a good thing. Hopefully it goes to show that he is now feeling remorseful for the over 4000 young men and women who’ve perished in this war. Maybe he is finally feeling the weight of all those lives lost on his head, but I doubt it. I’m sure he still thinks we were justified to go into Iraq, topple the government of a sovereign nation, and destroy the country in the process despite all of the evidence to the contrary. Thankfully, he is only months away from leaving office. I hope that each one of these 4000+ lives weighs on his conscience each and every day he is “clearing brush” on his property in Texas when he leaves office.  I want their senseless deaths to haunt him for the rest of his life. I want him to think about all the wounded, American & Iraqi, for the rest of his life especially those with PTSD. Most of all, however, I would hope that when he dies and goes to heaven, he gets to face every one of those young men and women his decisions helped to kill needlessly if, for no other reason, than to answer their questions of Why?

In conclusion, I am genuinely proud to call Michael Monsoor a brother-in-arms. His selfless sacrifice is in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Navy. As a SEAL, he was definitely one of the best of the best. He was also awarded the Silver Star for pulling a wounded teammate to safety in May 2006. This guy was about as selfless as they come. If you had to die, I only wish it would have been for a legitimate cause such as Afghanistan instead of Iraq. [author’s note: Please click the below link to read the rest of the article.]