SEALS are American heroes.

Now I was a Marine. Marines, while a division of the Navy, regard squids as their annoying older sibling. Someone you have to tolerate, because hey, they buy you beer and take you for cool rides in their boats, but for the most part, you'd rather not acknowledge their existence or your relationship to them.

However, SEALs are way different. I've trained with SEALs on the Arabian penninsula, I've taught them about explosives, they taught me about weapons. When I see a story like this, it tears my heart out, but it also reminds me why it is that I respect SEALs so much, and why it is that we're so lucky to have people like this in our military. From Foxnews:

CORONADO, Calif. — A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said.
Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor had been near the only door to the rooftop structure Sept. 29 when the grenade hit him in the chest and bounced to the floor, said four SEALs who spoke to The Associated Press this week on condition of anonymity because their work requires their identities to remain secret.
"He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it,"said a 28-year-old lieutenant who sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day."He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs'lives, and we owe him."
Monsoor, a 25-year-old gunner, was killed in the explosion in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. He was only the second SEAL to die in Iraq since the war began.
Two SEALs next to Monsoor were injured; another who was 10 to 15 feet from the blast was unhurt. The four had been working with Iraqi soldiers providing sniper security while U.S. and Iraqi forces conducted missions in the area

Fair winds and following seas sailor, may the good Lord keep a cold one on ice for you.