SEAL Team Seven honors two fallen in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Photo By Staff Sgt. Brandon Pomrenke | Cmdr. Gary Richard, commander of SEAL Team Seven and Special Operations Task Force-West, addresses personnel at a dedication ceremony Sept. 5 for two sailors who gave their lives in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Petty Officer 2nd Class and Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor was killed in action Sept. 29, 2006, when he threw himself on a grenade to save his fellow sailors. Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler Trahan was killed while conducting combat operations near Fallujah April 30. SEAL Team Seven will now call the compound Camp Monsoor and the headquarters building Trahan Hall. "This is not a memorial to their passing, but a celebration of their lives," said Richard.  

RAMADI, IRAQ

09.05.2009

Story by Sgt. Brandon Pomrenke 

Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force - Arabian Peninsula

RAMADI, Iraq — Naval Special Warfare Squadron Seven, commonly known as SEAL Team Seven, dedicated its newest camp and headquarters building in Iraq to the memory of two sailors fallen in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"Today we take a building, just a mere building...and today we give it heritage, today we give it culture, and today we give it meaning," said Cmdr. Gary Richard, SEAL Team Seven and Special Operations Task Force — West commander. "This is not a memorial to their passing, but a celebration of their lives."

Petty Officer 2nd Class and Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor, from Garden Grove, Calif., gave his life to save his fellow sailors when he threw himself onto a grenade after it was thrown into his team's position in Ramadi Sept. 29, 2006. In recognition of his selfless act, Monsoor posthumously received the Medal of Honor from former President George W. Bush.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Tyler J. Trahan, from East Freetown, Mass., was killed in action April 30 while conducting combat operations in Fallujah with U.S. Marines and Navy SEALs. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with the "V" device for valor in combat.

In memory of these fallen sailors, the camp has been named Camp Monsoor and the Special Operations Task Force - West headquarters will now be called Trahan Hall.

"Naming the camp is a huge issue," said Petty Officer 1st Class Angel Molina, who knew Trahan. "Basically, it's a warrior hall in our eyes. Naming a camp after a fallen comrade is a huge symbol of what they put into the community. They have contributed the max that anyone could. This is the least that NSW can do for them."

When asked about the significance of the dedication ceremony, Petty Officer 1st Class Joel McQuire, who also knew Trahan, summed up the ceremony in three words, "Honoring the fallen."

Although the buildings may be old and worn, the names gave them new meaning to SOTF-W and the service members serving there. Those same structures will serve as a reminder of the costs of war and the men and women who serve while knowing the dangers they face.

"As we finish our dedication this evening, we will walk away with a responsibility to ensure that the names and faces in our hall of heroes do not fade into the background," said Lt. Commander Alan Wing, executive officer of SEAL Team Seven and SOTF-W. "Continue their work. Keep them close in your memories, and their family and friends in your prayers."

"If I was to say one thing to Tyler's family, he was probably one of the greatest men I've ever had the pleasure of working with," said Angel after the ceremony. "He made life at its worst bearable, and at its best, he made it better. He's one to encourage and inspire others."

Two sailors gave their lives so that others may live. For that, all who pass through SOTF-W will never forget their sacrifices. Some called them family, some called them friends, but all called them brothers-in-arms.

• Date Taken: 09.05.2009
• Date Posted: 09.15.2009 23:49
• Story ID: 38825
• Location: RAMADI, IQ