There’s a good chance you may have received an email telling the story of the Iraqi war hero whose funeral tribute was something very unique. Unfortunately, many people read these emails and assumed the story was just another one of those over-hyped forwards they receive. However, this story was true. If you haven’t yet had a chance to hear the story, you’ll find it below. The Soldier

The soldier at the center of the story is the late Michael Monsoor who was born and raised in California. During high school he had played on the football team and had been involved in a number of other sports as well. Two years after graduation, he joined the U. S. Navy and eventually graduated from Navy SEAL training in 2004. His training took place in Coronado, California and he was considered one of the top students in the class. A little over two years later, he was deployed to Iraq.

Heroic Action in Iraq

Only a few days after arriving in Iraq, Monsoor risked his life to rescue a fellow SEAL who’d been shot in the leg by the enemy. All the while he pulled the injured solider to safety bullets were being shot at him and the SEAL who was also helping. For this action, the military awarded Monsoor the Silver Star. However, this would not be his only heroic action.

In September 2006, Monsoor, 3 other SEALs, and eight members of the Iraqi Army were on mission. A fragmentation grenade was thrown by the enemy into their location. Only Monsoor was located in a position to safely escape before the grenade exploded. Instead, he threw his body over the grenade to protect the other soldiers from the blast. His injuries cost him his life but saved the lives of the eleven other soldiers. For this act, Monsoor was awarded the Medal of Honor.

The Funeral Service

In October 2006, a funeral service was held for Monsoor back in California. The service was attended by his family, as well as President George Bush and many of the Navy SEALs still stationed in California. As Monsoor’s casket passed by each of the officers, they plunged their tridents (a badge received after completing SEALs training) into the top of the casket as a sign of their respect for their fellow soldier. By the time the casket had reached the end of the officers, it was covered in dozens of gold tridents.

The Email

In July 2008, the email sharing this story with others began circulating. Because the story was not a big news story, many people had not heard about Monsoor’s heroic sacrifice or how his memory was honored by his fellow soldiers. The unknown sender of the email sent along a message explaining that these are the stories which demonstrate why people should support the military. Although Monsoor’s story has been documented, the photo of the casket covered in tridents mailed with the story is believed to be from a different Navy SEAL who died in 2005 in Afghanistan.