Q. Why is MA2 Monsoor being awarded the Medal of Honor? What is the specific citation for his action?
The citation will not be available prior to the official ceremony. It will be made available to the public after the presentation at the White House.
Q. What is a SEAL?
U.S. Navy SEALs are the maritime component of U.S. Special Operations Command and the Navy’s special operations force. The SEALs take their name from the elements in which they operate – sea, air and land. In addition to being experts in special reconnaissance and direct action missions -- the key skill sets needed to combat terrorism – their unique stealth and clandestine methods of operation enable them to conduct multiple missions against enemy forces, ashore or afloat, that larger forces cannot approach undetected.
Q. Will MA2 Monsoor be interred at Arlington National Ceremony?
MA2 Monsoor is interred at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, Calif.
Q. Prior to MA2 Monsoor, who is the most recent recipient of the Medal of
Honor?
Woodrow W. Keeble was posthumously awarded Medal of Honor in a ceremony on Monday, March 3, 2008. He is the first full-blooded Sioux recipient.
Q. Prior to MA2 Monsoor, who was the most recent person from the Navy to be awarded the Medal of Honor?
Lt. Michael P. Murphy, U.S. Navy SEAL, received the Medal of Honor posthumously Oct. 22, 2007 in support of Operation Redwings in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, June 28, 2005. Murphy was killed by enemy forces during the reconnaissance mission in which his four-man SEAL team was tasked with finding a key Taliban leader in the mountainous terrain near Asadabad. Murphy’s actions were documented in the best-selling book “Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwings and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10,” by Marcus Luttrell.
Q. How many other personnel besides MA2 Monsoor have been awarded the Medal of Honor for action in the Global War on Terrorism?
This is the first Medal of Honor received by a Navy service member for actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and the second Medal of Honor to be awarded for actions by a Navy SEAL in the Global War on Terror. Lieutenant Michael P. Murphy was the first Navy service member to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in support of Operations Enduring Freedom. Additionally, the Medal of Honor was awarded to Corporal Jason L. Dunham, U.S. Marine Corps, and Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith, U.S. Army for actions in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Q. When will the official presentation ceremonies take place?
The official ceremony will take place at the White House on April 8,
2008. Parents George and Sally Monsoor will accept the Medal of Honor
from President Bush on behalf of the family. Follow-on ceremonies will
also be conducted at the Pentagon (Hall of Heroes induction) and the
Navy Memorial (Medal of Honor Flag presentation ceremony) on April 9,
2008.
Q. What is Naval Special Warfare Command? Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSPECWARCOM) is the Navy's special
operations force and the maritime component to United States Special
Operations Command. Established at Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado,
California in April 1987, NAVSPECWARCOM oversees the organization,
training, equipping and readiness of all active duty and reserve Navy
Special Operations Forces.
Major Operational Commands
Naval Special Warfare Group ONE, Coronado, California Naval Special
Warfare Group THREE, Coronado, California Naval Special Warfare Group
TWO, Little Creek, Virginia Naval Special Warfare Group FOUR, Little
Creek, Virginia Naval Special Warfare Operational Support Group,
Coronado, California These commands train, equip, and deploy components
of Naval Special Warfare Squadrons to meet the training, exercise,
contingency, and wartime requirements of the regional commanders,
Theater Special Operations Commands and numbered fleets located around
the world. The NSW Squadron is built around an entire Sea, Air and Land
(SEAL) Team deploying and includes its senior leadership, SEAL Vehicle
Delivery Teams and Special Boat Teams, as well as personnel detachments
such as mobile communications teams, tactical cryptologic support and
explosive ordnance disposal. Additionally, they receive support from
three permanently deployed NSW units overseas.
On any given day, Navy SEALs and SWCCs (Special Warfare Combatant-craft
Crewmen) are deployed to approximately 25 to 30 countries around the
world. Naval Special Warfare maintains a continuous training and
deployment cycle that keeps approximately 25 percent of our forces
overseas. NSW forces can operate independently or integrate with other
U.S. Special Operations Forces. There are approximately 5,000 total
active duty personnel - including 2,300 SEALs and 600 SWCC- within the
NSW community.
NSW employs a 2-year, 4-phase deployment schedule, which means following
a year of individual and unit level training, NSW personnel form up a
Squadron which then receives six months of interoperability training
prior to its six-month deployment. The NSW Squadron provides theater
commanders with tactical forces and assets that are completely trained,
operationally focused and integrated with command and control forward.
Major Component Commands
Naval Special Warfare Center, Coronado, California Naval Special Warfare
Development Group, Dam Neck, Virginia Naval Special Warfare Center
provides basic and advanced instruction and training in maritime special
operations to U.S. military and government personnel and members of
other allied armed forces.
Naval Special Warfare Development Group is responsible for the test,
evaluation and development of technology and maritime, ground and
airborne tactics applicable to NSW forces, with possible applicability
DOD-wide.
Major Subordinate Commands
SEAL Teams are maritime, multi-purpose combat forces organized, trained
and equipped to conduct a variety of special missions in all operational
environments and threat conditions. They infiltrate their objective
areas by fixed and rotor-winged aircraft, Navy surface ships, combatant
craft and submarines. By maintaining a continuous overseas global
presence, Naval Special Warfare forces are uniquely structured and
positioned to fight a dispersed enemy. Operating in small numbers,
SEALs' ability to conduct clandestine, high-risk missions and provide
real time intelligence and eyes on target, offer decision-makers
immediate and virtually unlimited options in the face of rapidly
changing wartime situations. NSW primary mission areas include special
reconnaissance and direct action; as well as unconventional warfare,
combating terrorism, foreign internal defense, information warfare,
security assistance, personnel recovery, counter-drug operations, and
hydrographic reconnaissance.
SEAL Delivery Vehicle (SDV) Teams are specially trained SEALs and
support personnel who operate and maintain the SDVs and Dry Deck
Shelters (DDS). SDVs are wet submersibles that are designed to conduct
clandestine reconnaissance, direct action and passenger delivery
missions in maritime environments. DDS deliver SDVs and specially
trained forces from modified submarines.
Special Boat Teams. NSW platforms include the 11-meter Rigid Inflatable
Boat, MK-V Special Operations Craft, Special Operations Craft -
Riverine. Special Boat Units are located in San Diego, California;
Little Creek, Virginia; and Stennis, Mississippi. Special Warfare
Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) operate and maintain these state-of-the
art, high performance boats used to conduct coastal patrol and
interdiction and support special operations missions. Focusing on
clandestine infiltration and exfiltration of SEALs and other special
operations forces, SWCC provide dedicated rapid mobility in shallow
water areas where larger ships cannot operate. Some Special Boat Team
assets can be operational anywhere in the world within 72 hours.
Recent Operations
Naval Special Warfare has proven to be America's force of choice to
combat terrorism by conducting advanced special/force operations,
gathering perishable intelligence, providing eyes on target for positive
identification of the enemy, exploiting tactical intelligence and
conducting timely operations to either capture or kill the enemy. Naval
Special Warfare forces were instrumental in numerous special
reconnaissance and direct action missions including the first successful
POW rescue since WWII and the securing of the vital port city of Umm
Qasr and oil sites in southern Iraq, thus preventing sabotage and
environmental catastrophe. Whether it is conducting on-ground special
reconnaissance, engaging in direct action missions in the snow-capped
mountains of Afghanistan, performing boarding operations in the Arabian
Gulf aboard ships carrying terrorists or contraband cargo, or training
the Philippine armed forces looking to disrupt terrorist networks, Naval
Special Warfare forces demonstrate the versatility that makes them
uniquely suited to prevail in unconventional environments
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