An American Story

Here's an American story well worth the short read - with several images of the fighting in Iraq.

Comments

[peggy]

Dan
Awesome site, Thanks for the link. I think AMerica gets wrapped up in what is reported and forgets about what our awesome guys are doing over there day in and day out.

God Bless the Soldiers who make it possible for all of us to have the Freedom that we love soo much.

[proudredneck]

Great story, two real heroes.

[frenchymom]

Thank you for this link Dan! What a wonderful tribute. I am sending it to my family right now! It's a shame that MSM doesn't more "marketing" of the positive side of what our guys are doing while fighting for what they believe.

[Michael_adj]

Dan,
Thank you for that. Unfortunately you are probably right, it will not be covered by any of the networks. I don't know that Captain Chontosh will get the chance to read this here, but, God bless you and keep you safe. We Americans are so VERY, VERY grateful to you!Thank you so very much for your service to this country.

[Not a Hand Wringer.]

I'm sorry.

Where are all the mainstream media stories that are suggesting that US soldiers are pussies, or cowards?

Of course, some of these guys are exceptionally brave, and the rest....simply brave.

They may all have good hearts.

It doesn't excuse the President from being a calloused liar, who sent these brave soldiers to war under false pretences.

Bush is a chicken-hawk. When it came to his turn to show individual bravery...well, can we say Loophole?

Being against the War doesn't mean that folks are blind to the bravery of those who serve in the military.

The big story is this. Should America be in the War or not. Is the War going well or not. Is it worth the cost.

These are the questions we need the media to probe because God knows, the Bush admin isn't going to tell you the truth.

They wouldn't know the truth if it hit them, they've repeated their lies so many times.

The site you posted isn't there to promote bravery. It's to take a slap at what the site-creator considers to be a media bias against the war. Let's be honest ok.

[celene46]

That site is wonderful, I cried all the way through it. My 23 year old grandson just served a year in Iraq. They are all heroes!!

[GrannyToad]

Thank you Dan, I'd likely not have found this for myself. I've passed it on, too.

[New Creature]

Thanks Dan.

[celene46]

From Greta on Fox:

We agreed that the prosecutor may have an impossible case but that she is "playing with fire" by not making sure that she talks to Beth Holloway Twitty (search) daily. If she talked to Beth daily, she would have her "under control" which may sound terrible but the last thing a prosecutor wants is for a family member to be mad. It creates all sorts of problems when a family member gets mad — e.g. the family member starts doing his or her own investigation and can get the press fired up, etc. A family member can understand the problems a prosecutor can run into in an investigation — but if the prosecutor does not explain it, imaginations run REAL wild... real wild. Jim and I wondered how this prosecutor could allow herself into this situation since we assume she is experienced — "Just call Beth! Meet with her every day for 10 minutes!"

[Michael_adj]

Calloused liar, chickenhawk, loophole.I am just so sick and tired of the hatred spewed at our President.Saddam did have weapons of mass destruction. He had used them.The whole world believed he had them.Now there either in Syria or Iran.
I remember the pictures of the Iraqis voting for the first time.The risks these people took to get to the polls to vote.Giving people freedom is a noble thing and we are right to be there.

[Cindi in PA]

Thanks Dan

Celene, GOD Bless your grandson and his service. I am sure he is more aware of the facts of this war than many Americans. I have a nephew serving in Iraq.

HandWringer It is a message
that has been given to us, and we have no
right to reconstruct it as we like or choose. Facts are facts, nothing to do with an attack on the MSN.

[OhioMom]

Dan, Thank you. This is a great story. Capt. Chontosh was featured on Fox News' this past weekend in "A Company of Heros," the story of the cleaning out the terrorist rats nest in Fallujuh last November.

Thank God for all of the brave men and women in the military who serve so many, giving so much and receiving so little in return.

Ohiomom

[MoonShadow]

Wow....thanks Dan

[Brianna]

Thanks, Dan. My fiance is a huge supporter of our troops, and he is always disgusted at how the media chooses what they cover. I immediately sent him this link, and we are both grateful that you are helping to spread this soldier's (and others) story.

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS!!!
We are proud of our men and women in the armed forces. Thank you, and we pray for you each and every day. For those who are too misguided to thank you, I offer you apologies on their behalf...

[!]

LIGHT A CANDLE HERE TO SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.

http://www2.postcards.org/go2/candles?1602732

I am so proud of our troops. Thanks for the great story Dan...!!!

[Isanah]

Whether you agree with President Bush or not, we need to support our troops.

Thank you, Dan. This post was truly captivating to see the what soldiers give of themselves for us sitting home living our every day lives.

Keep the faith.

[Not a Hand Wringer.]

{{ HandWringer It is a message
that has been given to us, and we have no
right to reconstruct it as we like or choose. Facts are facts, nothing to do with an attack on the MSN. }}

Respectfully...

did you watch it? If you did, how can you ignore the obvious statements it makes regarding the media not covering stories of bravery while covering stories of troop deaths, or Fallujah for example.

I'm perfectly fine with a tribute to a brave soldier. But, that piece was political in that it used the soldiers bravery to make a statement about media coverage, and if you can't see that, I can't make you see it.

[joanne]

I can not believe that the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle had NOTHING listed on 1st Lt. Brian Chontosh on their internet edition, past or present. I am going to call Jim Memmott, Sr. Editor, who also tells the story of Roch. area people, tomorrow.
The guy who wrote the story, Bob Lonsberry, has a radio show on WHAM-AM, in Rochester, a Clear Channel station that also hosts Rush and The Savage Nation.
Here is a young man who is cleary a Hero, A home grown Hero and nothing in the D&C....WHY? WHY?

[Not a Hand Wringer.]

Cindi In Pa.

I've lifted this text from the presentation.

Now, are you seriously going to suggest to me that this piece is not an attack on the mainstream media?

I counted 3 big Media logos in the piece and here's the real message of that presentation.

{{ That's a big deal. But you won't see it on the network news tonight

And all you'll read in Brian's hometown newspaper is two paragraphs of nothing.

The odd fact about the American media in this war is that it's not covering the American military. The most plugged-in nation in the world is receiving virtually no true information about what its warriors are doing.

Oh, sure, there's a body count. We know how many Americans have fallen. And we see those same casket pictures day in and day out.

And we're almost on a first-name basis with the jerks who abused the Iraqi prisoners.

And we know all about improvised explosive devices and how we lost Fallujah and what Arab public-opinion polls say about us and how the world hates us

We get a non-stop feed of gloom and doom.

But we don't hear about the heroes.

The incredibly brave GIs who honorably do their duty. The ones our grandparents would have carried on their shoulders down Fifth Avenue.

That's what doesn't seem to be making the evening news.

Accounts of American valor are dismissed by the press as propaganda, yet accounts of American difficulties are heralded as objectivity.

It makes you wonder if the role of the media is to inform or to depress - to report or to deride. To tell the truth, or to feed us lies. ))

See, you fall for the Audie Murphy stuff...and eat up the propaganda.

I don't let the Audie Murphy stuff sway me, and I spot the anti-media propaganda from a mile away.

[calista]

it made me cry.....please pray all our troops and the innocent people within Iraq will have peace and an end to this very very soon..............I pray that God would touch our presiden's mind and heart and guide him to do the right thing...

[calista]

you guys...don't fight about this....all that matters is our troops come home SOON and SAFE - no matter what you feel about the president and this war let's all just pray for an end to t his

[stellartrack]

Thanks for that reminder Dan. I remember when that happened, and it was on Fox News channel. Brian also receiving the Navy Cross Medal for his act of heroism.

[FloridaPatty]

HOOAH!

[Cindi in PA]

I've lifted this text from the presentation.
Posted by: Not a Hand Wringer. | August 17, 2005 06:27 PM

Funny you bring up Audie Murphy, my 17yr old son was here tonight, sharing some Murphy stories.

I saw the same things you did, but in a different light perhaps, I did not take it as a dig against MSM. Let's face it though, we are not going to see stories like this on the evening news, we will find them places like RWV, other bloggs, stories brought home by the soldiers. After all, GOD forbid if the American people would see the good being done. Some might even learn the enemy are terrorist not insurgents

[clintcarter]

If Brian (good name!) lived anywhere near this part of Conn. he'd be half the Weekly's front page. I can't believe that wouldn't be the case most places in America.
"Accounts of American valor are dismissed by the press as propoganda..." The irony in this is that the tale Mr. Lonsberry tells, sans media judgements, is so straight-forward, unembellished, and without prejudice that he hardly need fear it's being reduced to propaganda.
OK, maybe you need to keep the sound off. ;-)

Brian's is a classic tale of heroism; Bob Lonsberry should look at it for what it is, and claim this Warrior for all of us, not fear that which he Guesses is in the hearts of others.

It is not the MSM which has forbidden pictures of the returning War dead, even of their flag-drapped coffins presented for honor unknown. It is not the MSM which has never been to a soldier's funeral or acknowledged individual deaths. To salute heroes publicly the Administration must talk of Death, as in the tale of Brian Chontosh, and that it will not do.

Hopefully Mr. Lonsberry will look again at the lack of hero worship that so rankles him; and wonder about the non-participation of those with the most power to make a difference. I'm not talking about the Media.
Kind of makes you wonder about the Agenda, doesn't it?

[Yukker]

Don't worship this cold blooded killer and murderer (because that's what he is) Brian Chontosh! Think about the mothers of those poor Iraqi soldiers he slaughtered who only defended their own country against an illegal US invasion.

[clintcarter]

Yukker, these soldiers were attacked and Must defend themselves. By the time it gets to this kind of combat it is no longer about ideals and politics; it is about supporting and protecting the soldier next to you. That is what Brian was a hero in doing.

If you read my posts (I'm supposed to be on a break from this...) you'll see how steadfast I have been against THIS war. The men who attacked Brian's unit were not the noncombatant civilians whose deaths I and others have deplored; Any soldier is duty bound to protect themselves and their mates, regardless of the ambitions of distant leaders who put them in harm's way.

The 'action' in Iraq will not stop terrorism, Ever. But your harsh judgement does Nothing to help the situation and only serves to mobilize those who view opposition as unpatriotic and a threat to our forces. Your judgement is as strident and illogical as the many who want to be over there exacting revenge for 9/11.

Extremist viewpoints fuel oppression; on the left or the right.
Tell me, what can you do to help?