Destroyer named for Medal of Honor SEAL christened Saturday

The Navy will christen its next Zumwalt-class destroyer Saturday, whose name  honors the fallen Navy SEAL who leaped on a grenade to save his teammates.

The destroyer Michael Monsoor will be christened at Bath Iron Works, Maine. Sally Monsoor, Michael’s mother, is the ship’s sponsor and will break a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow, according to a Navy release.

A ship is officially is given its name at the christening ceremony, and is usually a celebration or solemn remembrance of the ship’s namesake.

Monsoor, a SEAL-qualified master-at-arms second class, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in the 2006 Battle of Ramadi. While providing sniper overwatch with two other SEALs and several Iraq soldiers, an insurgent closed the position and threw a fragmentation grenade at them. Monsoor, recognizing the danger to his teammates, threw his body on top of the grenade, absorbing the impact and saving the lives of two teammates.

Read More- Navy Times

Image courtesy Monsoor Family