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Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Medal of Honor Winner Largely Ignored by MSM

It really is too bad the way everything is politicized these days. We hear ad nauseum from folks who say they “support the troops” but don’t support the mission. Likely, they’ll lie about other things, too!

Recently, President Bush awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest military honor this country bestows, upon a Navy SEAL who gave his life so that his buddies might live.

AP-
Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor had fast thinking to do when a live grenade came out of nowhere to bounce off his chest: Take the clear path to safety that he had but his comrades didn’t, try to toss it safely away, or throw himself on top of it.

With barely an instant’s hesitation on that Iraqi rooftop, Monsoor took the last course, sacrificing his life to save the men around him. For that, President Bush on Tuesday awarded him the Medal of Honor.

In an East Room ceremony, Bush presented the nation’s highest military honor to Monsoor’s still-grieving parents, Sally and George Monsoor. About 250 guests, including his sister and two brothers, fellow SEALS, other Medal winners, many friends and GOP Sen. John McCain and other members of Congress, looked on quietly.

“The Medal of Honor is awarded for an act of such courage that no one could rightly be expected to undertake it,” Bush said. “Yet those who knew Michael Monsoor were not surprised when he did.”

Bush has awarded the medals to 10 people during his presidency. Monsoor is only the third from the Iraq war, and Bush’s lip trembled and tears streamed down his cheeks as the official citation was read with the details of his bravery.



The third Congressional Medal of Honor from the Iraq war. Young people making the ultimate sacrifice for their country and their friends...how many of these have you heard of? Of all the Hollywood movies made about the Iraq war so far, how many of them are about the heroism of our troops? (Crickets chirp.)
Monsoor became a Navy SEAL, the military’s most elite fighting force, in 2004.

... spring 2006, Monsoor was deployed to Ramadi in Iraq’s dangerous, then-al-Qaida dominated Anbar Province, as an automatic weapons gunner and communications operator—a double assignment that often landed him more than 100 pounds of gear to carry in the hot desert.

In May, Monsoor ran through heavy enemy fire to pull a wounded SEAL to safety. He earned a Silver Star, the third-highest award for combat valor, for that action.

... four months later, on Sept. 29, 2006, that Monsoor and his two American teammates, plus members of the Iraqi Army, were on a rooftop in a Ramadi residential area known as a stronghold for the Sunni insurgency. They were providing early warning and sniper cover for a mission aimed at trying to clear the neighborhood.

After a long day of back-and-forth engagement and evidence that the enemy was closing them off, Monsoor and the two other SEALS moved to a confined outcropping of the roof for a better lookout position. An unseen insurgent lobbed a grenade, which hit Monsoor in the chest and landed on the floor in front of him. He yelled a warning, but quickly saw that his fellow SEALS, not positioned near the exit like he was, wouldn’t be able to get clear in time. Monsoor fell onto the grenade just as it exploded, absorbing the blast with his body and dying from the injuries about 30 minutes later. Others suffered shrapnel wounds, but no one else was killed.


..."Mr. and Mrs. Monsoor: America owes you a debt that can never be repaid,” Bush said. “This nation will always cherish the memory of your son.”



Well, maybe… if they ever hear about it!

Cross posted at Proof Positive.

Update:I began the piece with

It really is too bad the way everything is politicized these days.
Case in point: read the comment section. Three of our resident leftists at this site have shown up to comment. Not one took the opportunity to say anything to honor this fallen soldier, to thank him or his grieving family for the sacrifice he made, or to recognize the bravery of what he had done.

Instead, they wanted to politicize the post and make it about how bad the Bush administration is or how bad America is or was, or to snipe at the author of the piece, as though he were more important than his subject.

Fair enough! It's a free country! These men can lay bare their shriveled souls as much as they care to. I, for one, have no problem putting forth examples of bravery, heroism and self sacrifice and letting the selfish, insecure and mindless fling their crap as they will.
It won't stick. It never does. That's one of the great things about America!

Comments

The true warrior, the hard fighting, self-sacrificing soldier is an anachronism, he belongs to another generation of Americans. The MSM and quite honestly most Americans of this instant gratification, me generation, simply cannot relate to the soldier of today. To make matters worse the Left has succeeded in demonizing the military and has worked overtime to portray all soldiers as paid killers, red neck morons, not worthy of our politically correct, appeasement, excuse me, appeacement minded world.

While this heroic American has not received the media attention or praise by our political candidates he deserves, the people of my generation, fellow warriors and a handful of patriotic Americans will remember and honor this man, and we will make sure his sacrifice was not in vain.


No matter the age or state of health, for a military man it is always glorious to tilt at windmills, rescue a fair Dulcinea and be a gallant knight in armor in a glorious cause.

Neiman on April 9, 2008 at 05:22 pm

Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor honors could have gotten more notice.

Just a coincidence.
The memory of the act of heroism that saved his comrades and charred his mangled corpse was chosen to be memorialized on the day Petraus and Crocker brought the Iraq dog and pony show to the hill.

He could have had his own day.

WOOF on April 9, 2008 at 05:31 pm

Neiman: Every November 11th, I and my students attend Veteran’s Day ceremonies at our state’s War Memorial. Invariably, each year, the crowd is a little smaller, a little older. It’s a sad disgrace.


"Here lies, in honored glory, an American soldier, known but to God.”

“As a conservative, I will not be overly enthusiastic about voting for John McCain on November 4 - but I will be sprinting to the polling place to do so!”
Matthew May, conservative commentator, The American Spectator

pparets on April 9, 2008 at 05:33 pm

It’s a sad disgrace.

Yes! But, he is still a true American hero, that fact notwithstanding.


No matter the age or state of health, for a military man it is always glorious to tilt at windmills, rescue a fair Dulcinea and be a gallant knight in armor in a glorious cause.

Neiman on April 9, 2008 at 05:35 pm
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Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor honors could have gotten more notice.

I first read about his heroism several days before. It was underreported then.  Your lame attempt to say that Bush and Petraeus upstaged him somehow won’t hunt!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 9, 2008 at 05:47 pm

Upstaged?
Bush stood on his coffin for political gain.

WOOF on April 9, 2008 at 05:55 pm
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Bush stood on his coffin for political gain.

WOOF: You win! You are the most contemptible person here. (And I used the word “person” advisedly!)



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 9, 2008 at 05:59 pm
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Pray tell us, from the fever swamp that passes for your mind: What “political gain” is there for a “lame duck” president in the last year of his presidency?



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 9, 2008 at 06:01 pm

You’re going with coincidence
Proof?

WOOF on April 9, 2008 at 06:01 pm

Proof: You are wasting your time with this hate monger, he just wants to shit on everyone.


No matter the age or state of health, for a military man it is always glorious to tilt at windmills, rescue a fair Dulcinea and be a gallant knight in armor in a glorious cause.

Neiman on April 9, 2008 at 06:04 pm

During the VietNam era, there was a story in the Pacific Stars and Stripes about a young Marine who had done the same thing as Monsoor: sacrificed his life for his comrades. The thing that makes it so startling is that had this brave soldier survived the war, he would have returned home and had to fight for his freedom. You see, he was Black.

watashiwa on April 9, 2008 at 06:27 pm

Woof: It is leftie haters like you who are using everything you can for political gain, without regard for the consequences to America.  Your boy John Kerry lied about our troops in Vietnam for political gain, and Clinton used our military throughout his regime for political gain.  You are beneath contempt.


If life doesn’t begin at conception, why do they call it birth control?

robert108 on April 9, 2008 at 06:50 pm

Woof: Look at the difference in the MSM coverage of the two events, and you will see the truth.  The left had nothing to gain from honoring Monsoor, but had everything to gain by grandstanding in front of the cameras in their desperate attempt to discredit our President and our military.  Disgusting.


If life doesn’t begin at conception, why do they call it birth control?

robert108 on April 9, 2008 at 06:56 pm
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WOOF: It’s not coincidence, but the sick spin you put on it is enough to make me think that the dog you chose for your avatar is apt.
BTW, thanks for dodging my question!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 9, 2008 at 07:08 pm
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what-a shit-wad: Thanks for adding nothing meaningful to the conversation. Both you and WOOF had the chance to honor a Medal of Honor winner here. You both chose to shit on his memory to try to make cheap political points. Lay down with dogs, get up with WOOF and what-a-shitwad!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 9, 2008 at 07:11 pm

Apparently WOOF attended the RBB Graduate School of Reasoning, Debate and Honor.


"Here lies, in honored glory, an American soldier, known but to God.”

“As a conservative, I will not be overly enthusiastic about voting for John McCain on November 4 - but I will be sprinting to the polling place to do so!”
Matthew May, conservative commentator, The American Spectator

pparets on April 9, 2008 at 07:20 pm

Tillman , Lynch, Monsoor.
you see a pattern of abuse.

WOOF on April 9, 2008 at 07:29 pm
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you see a pattern of abuse.

WOOF: I look at you, I see a pattern of self abuse!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 9, 2008 at 07:33 pm
Avatar for Lestat

I guess the AP is not MSM.

Lestat on April 9, 2008 at 11:32 pm
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I guess the AP is not MSM.

I’ve been waiting for some half wit to bring that up! Yes, child, AP is part of the MSM, but in the media, different stories are given different weight and emphasis and frequency of exposure.
Contrast and compare, dumbass, the exposure Paris Hilton got in going to jail, with the amount that an American hero gets for winning the Medal of Honor.
Which is the more important story? Which got more coverage?
A man who had already won the Silver Star for bravery, makes the ultimate sacrifice...which is more important, that story, or a story about Larry Craig tapping his foot in a men’s room? Which got more coverage?

You say AP in in the MSM. Fine! Here’s your cookie!
To use the example of a newspaper, what stories make the front page and which stories are “buried” back in C-23? It would be fatuous to say that because a story is “in the paper” that it was accorded the importance it deserved. Your comment is equally lame (and snide). But, thanks for playing!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 10, 2008 at 04:45 am
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Maybe it was that I said it was ”largely” ignored by the MSM? Lestat may simply have trouble with adjectives and adverbs(and other parts of speech). Had I said it was completely ignored, Lestat’s point would have been...a point!
And though a remedial reading class may be in order, remedial thinking is probably more what he needs!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 10, 2008 at 04:50 am

lestupid has zero reading comprehension skills, and merely spews America hate. Just like woofie and the pervert.

I mentioned Monsoor in a comment thread 28 days after his death. The front rank of milbloggers have kept the story front and center, and pushed for the awarding of the MoH whilst the Congressional representatives from Monsoor’s home district ignored it. They distanced themselves from it until it became politically expedient to publicly speak of it.


Una Salus Victus Nullam Sperare Salutem

2Hotel9 on April 10, 2008 at 05:26 am
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Our BDS afflicted genius WOOF put forth conflicting views that Bush was doing it for political gain after having told us that the reason more attention wasn’t given to Michael Monsoor was Bush’s scheduling the ceremony

“ on the day Petraus and Crocker brought the Iraq dog and pony show to the hill.”

Hmm! Which was it? Hide its importance by scheduling it alongside a more important event? Or somehow, turn the event into political gain for a “lame duck” president? If you were making “political gain”, wouldn’t you want more attention? As usual, WOOF makes no sense!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 10, 2008 at 10:18 am

Seems to me like you guys really hate dissent. Guess you think the conservative way is the only way for America. Had it not been for the lefties, your sicko bible-thumping conservative hypocrites wouldn’t be able to get their stash of porn.
2hotel9: You seem to be just the kind of hillbilly Obama was talking about in Pennsylvania. However, I doubt that you are capable of engaging in an intelligent dialog with your cat, much less a grownup.

watashiwa on April 12, 2008 at 12:21 am

Again, the pervert waits till after midnight to spew its anti-American crap. And does not even address the thread.


Una Salus Victus Nullam Sperare Salutem

2Hotel9 on April 12, 2008 at 02:07 am
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Seems to me like you guys really hate dissent.

Is English your first language? This post isn’t about dissent, it’s about honoring a fallen war hero. You can disagree with the war. You can disagree with the president.
But those who say they “support the troops” but “don’t support the mission” are conspicuously absent here.

And the ones that did show up, had NOTHING to say about the bravery or heroism of Michael Monsoor. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Null. Zero.

That’s not “dissent”, that’s a definite lack of class!



For any voter trying to choose between the two candidates for commander in chief, there is no better test than this: When American strategy in a critical theater was up for grabs, John McCain proposed a highly unpopular and risky path, which he accurately predicted could lead to success. Barack Obama proposed a popular and politically safe route that would have led to an unnecessary and debilitating American defeat at the hands of al Qaeda.

Frederick W. Kagan

Proof on April 12, 2008 at 07:22 am
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