THE NATION'S PULSE: Where Are the Heroes of Iraq?
Yost, Mark
THE NATION'S PULSE Where Are the Heroes of Iraq? E VER HEARD OF SGT. BENNY ALICEA? D o n ' t feel bad; most Americans couldn't tell you who he was or what he did. On November 13, 2004,...
...Part of the answer lies in a clear and blatant media bias...
...Audie Murphy and Gen...
...When it was all over, Captain Chontosh had cleared more than 200 yards of enemy trench and killed more than two dozen enemy combatants...
...Stars and Stripes, the Gannett-owned military newspaper, has done a good job of telling some of these stories...
...soldiers who have done incredibly heroic things in fighting the war on terror with little fanfare or recognition from the media or the citizens of the country they're fighting--and dying-to protect...
...People today are not only not ashamed to admit that they're victims (of abuse, addiction, etc...
...I was just doing my job," said Chontosh, who was nominated for the Medal of Honor...
...Mathew Zedwick of Corvallis, Oregon, and Spc...
...These soldiers often talk about the buddies they left behind, not themselves...
...Mark Yost is a writer in Lake Elmo, Minnesota...
...And today's scribes generally don't believe there's anything worth dying for in battle...
...JULY/AUGUST 2006 THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR 47...
...Even my own stepson, who I thought could talk to me about anything, is just now opening up about what he experienced--three years later," Asman said...
...Alvin York and World War II's Lt...
...As a result, it is hard for the average American to consider practically that our nation is at war, or that we have people sacrificing 'over there' when there is no sacrifice 'here.'" "Like President Johnson during Vietnam, President Bush has asked us to go about our business as normal...
...Instead of viewing heroes as role models to look up to, a cynical 'there really are no heroes' outlook took hold," he said...
...I just kept firing my weapon, just shooting, waiting to get hit," Alicea told Stars and Stripes...
...With the exception of small, local papers, their stories are mostly being told on the Internet and in military press releases...
...Even when reporters do get it, these soldiers are sometimes reluctant to open up...
...But you couldn't find their stories in the New York Times or the Washington Post...
...Certainly it should be the average American's responsibility to want to know more, but it should also be the responsibility of the administration and media to want to tell that story more often, and better...
...Brian R. Chontosh...
...When he ran out ofammo, he grabbed magazines from the wounded soldiers and continued firing as enemy rounds pinged all around him and his fallen buddies...
...But unlike World War I's Sgt...
...Plug Brian Chontosh into Google and you get hundreds of hits from military blogs like www.blackfive.net, www.talkingproud.us, and www.homeofheroes.com...
...Would that the same were true for USA Today, the newspaper chain's flagship publication...
...I think the average American never really thinks about our heroes, although he has deep respect for them," Seiple said...
...For his bravery, Alicea was awarded the Silver Star, the nation's third-highest award for valor...
...It's also important to note that these heroes don't seek the spotlight...
...That message, unfortunately, has been sent loud and clear...
...There's also a bit of guilt at work here...
...Was it carried live on C-Span or even mentioned on the CBS Evening News...
...I'd pretty much figured at any given point, it was all over...
...q ERGEANT ALICEA, CAPTAIN CHONTOSH, and others are the heroes of the war on terror...
...Eventually, a Bradley fighting vehicle came to their rescue...
...Thankfully, the Internet has stepped in to fill this void...
...Asman's right...
...At one point, he picked up an RPG and fired it into a group of enemy soldiers...
...It manifests itself in reporters not writing about it and readers not being interested in reading about it...
...George S. Patton, house46 THE AMERICAN SPECTATOR JULY/AUGUST 2006 MARK YOST hold names during their time, we know little about the heroes of today...
...In addition to being incredibly brave, they're also incredibly humble...
...What I've learned about war heroes is they don't like to talk much about what they've done," said David Asman of Fox News, whose stepson, Marine Cpl...
...To learn about him you had to read the Marine Corps press release or one of a handful of military blogs that are thankfully telling these sobering stories of bravery and heroism...
...But I think that a second factor plays an even larger role in the media's dereliction ofdutyin this area...
...You have people who see troops in Iraq do absolutely heroic things and they feel guilty because they didn't do as much...
...blogspot.com and unvw.iraq-heroes.blogspot.eom...
...I did the same thing every other Marine would have done, it was just a passion and love for my Marines...
...When his leg gave out from his wounds, he shielded three wounded soldiers from intense enemy fire...
...While serving in Iraq he ordered his Humvee into an enemy trench, got out, and began mowing down enemy fighters with his M-16 rifle and 9ram pistol...
...Like President Johnson during Vietnam, President Bush has asked us to go about our business as normal," said Chris Seiple, a former Marine captain who's now president of the Institute for Global Engagement (www.globalengage.org), a Christian-based foreign policy think tank...
...These men, by any measure, are all heroes...
...I just kept firing my weapon, but I didn't think I was going to make it through it...
...With the exception of the media in his hometown of Rochester, New York, Chontosh's incredible story went largely unreported...
...On November 13, 2004, Sergeant Alicea was serving as a rifleman in CompanyAofthe Army's 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Task Force in Fallujah, one of the terrorist strongholds in Iraq...
...And they're not alone...
...He's a young, disciplined warrior who's willing to give his life in the protection of his comrade s." Unfortunately, Alicea also epitomizes hundreds of U.S...
...By contrast, the response on the New York Times website reads, "Your search for Brian Chontosh in all fields returned 0 results...
...I believe there's a misguided notion among many reporters that holding service people up as heroes and telling their stories somehow'glorifies war' and endors - es the war in Iraq," said Chad Doughty, who blogs as Chad the Elder at www.fraterslibertas.com...
...Michael W. Hagee during a ceremony at the Marine base at Twentynine Palms, California...
...For his heroism, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest award for valor, by Marine Commandant Gen...
...Most mainstream media stories focus only on the negatives of the war on terrorism, not the positives...
...It takes scribes like us to pull it out of them and write it down...
...And our society now celebrates victims (real or imagined) and, in a perverse twist, even has turned them into heroes...
...When his amino ran out he picked up enemy weapons and continued his attack...
...they're proud of their victim status...
...His unit was ambushed and, despite being hit by shrapnel from two grenades, Alicea moved through a courtyard and out into the street...
...Along with that came the rise of the culture of victimhood...
...But the scribes have to believe in the importance of the struggle to present heroic images from the battlefield...
...Velez's commendation was posthumous-a sniper killed him as he stood overwoundedbuddies in much the same waythat Sergeant Alicea protected his fallen comrades...
...He b logs about the war on terror at www.the-home-front...
...I think sometimes there are people who resent those who do more," said Tom Linn, a retired Marine colonel...
...Just look at Captain Chontosh's comments above...
...Ever heard of Marine Capt...
...Consequently, there is a disconnect between "over there" and "here...
...Two other 27 Cavalry soldiers from his unit were also awarded Silver Stars: Sgt...
...But the broader cultural problem isn't a soldier's unwillingness to talk about his daring deeds, but the level of interest we've shown in wanting to hear about them...
...Jim Rainey, the 2-7 Cavalry commander...
...Jose A, Velez of Lubbock, Texas...
...Felipe Sanchez, was part of the initial invasion force into Iraq...
...Another former Marine believes part of the problem is that the American people have been asked to sacrifice little in the war on terror...
...Sergeant Alicea epitomizes what's great about our Army," said Lt...
...Our culture is far more enamored with victims than heroes" Indeed, Doughty notes a profound change in American culture between World War II and today...
...Moreover, they have consciously chosen not to do as much...
Vol. 39 • July 2006 • No. 6
