# A Hero!



## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, so move it if you like.

Personally, I want to meet this guy, shake his hand and buy him a beer or 12.

Maybe you'd like to hear about something other than idiot Reservists and
naked Iraqis.

Maybe you'd like to hear about a real American, about someone who
honored the uniform he wears.

Meet Brian Chontosh.

New York's Churchville-Chili Central School class of 1991. Proud
graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Husband and father about-to-be . 1st Lieutenant in the United States
Marine Corps.

And a genuine hero.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps said so last Thursday.

At Twenty-Nine Palms in California, Brian Chontosh, now promoted to
Captain, was presented with the Navy Cross, the second highest award for
combat bravery the Naval Service can bestow.

And that's a big deal.

But you probably won't see it on the network news, and all you read in
Brian's hometown newspaper was two paragraphs of nothing. Instead, most of
what we heard was more blather about some mentally defective MPs who acted
like animals.

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 really
doing.
Oh, sure, there's always the body count. We know how many Americans have
fallen. And we see those casket pictures day in and day out. And we're
almost on a first-name basis with the pukes 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 are getting a non-stop diet of gloom and doom. How many
different ways can Teddy Kennedy say "Viet Nam quagmire"?

But we don't hear much 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.

The ones we completely ignore.

Like Brian Chontosh.

It was a year ago on the March to Baghdad. Brian Chontosh was a platoon
leader rolling north up Highway 1 toward Ad Diwaniyah in a Humvee.

Then all hell broke loose...........Ambush city.

The young Marines were being cut to ribbons. Mortars, machine guns,
rocket propelled grenades. And the kid out of Churchville was in charge. It
was do or die and it was up to him.

So he moved to the side of his column, looking for a way to lead his men
to safety. As he tried to poke a hole through the Iraqi line his Humvee came
under direct enemy machine gun fire.

It was like shooting fish in a barrel and the Marines were the fish.

So 1st Lt Brian Chontosh gave the order to attack. He told his driver to
floor the Humvee directly at the machine gun emplacement that was firing at
them. And he had the gunner on top of the Humvee with the .50 cal unload on
them.

Within moments there were Iraqis slumped across the machine gun and
Chontosh was still advancing, ordering his driver now to take the Humvee
directly into the Iraqi trench that was attacking his Marines. Over into the
battlement the Humvee charged and out the door Lt Brian Chontosh bailed,
carrying his M16 and a Beretta 9mm and 228 years of Marine Corps pride.

And he ran down the trench full of its mortars, machineguns, infantry
and grenadiers.................And he killed them all.

He fought with the M16 until he was out of ammo. Then he fought with the
Beretta until it was out of ammo. Then he picked up a dead Iraqi's AK47 and
fought with that until it was out of ammo. Then he picked up another dead
man's AK47 and fought with that until it too was out of ammo.

At one point he even fired a discarded Iraqi RPG into a cluster of the
enemy, sending the Iraqi attackers flying with its grenade explosion.

When he was done, Brian Chontosh had cleared 200 yards of entrenched
Iraqis from his platoon's flank. He had killed more than 20 and wounded at
least as many more.

But that's probably not how he would tell it.

He would probably merely say that his Marines were in trouble, and he
got them out of trouble.

UUURAH!! and drive on.

"By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in
the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, 1st Lt. Chontosh
reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the
Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service."

That's what the citation says.

And that's what few will hear.

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 half-truths.

But I guess it doesn't matter......We're going to turn out all right.

As long as men like Brian Chontosh wear the uniform.

:beer:

huntin1


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Great Post! MT what Huntin 1 said is exactly what I've been harping on the media is so liberal they are intentionally show only the bad to discredit George Bush and our soldiers. WE as citizens should get after our politicians both DEM and REP to show unity on this issue or we should vote the out period.


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## MSG Rude (Oct 6, 2003)

We all know that in today's sick society that bad news sells. It will never change. If downtown Fargo two guys come out of the Empire Bar and stab each other, people in Topika KS probably will not see it on CNN. Two soldiers come out of the Hidden Door, Ft. Benning GA and stab each other and CNN and other left-winged liberal commi's will stubmle all over themselves trying to be the first to air it. Hell, good ol' Wolf Blitzer could get another first crack like he did in the Gulf War the first time and get another promotion out of it.

(Side note: I was there in the same KKMC that ol' Wolfy was in when he went live on CNN to don his protective mask. We were on the second balcony above him and were laughing at this media moguel getting his thing on for the folks back at home! What a joke!)

It is _*our*_ job to get stuff like this out to the rest of the people so they can see and hear of the 'good stuff' too!

I salute you 1LT Brian Chontosh!

*HOOAHHH!!*[/b][/i]


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## win4win (Sep 8, 2003)

It is indeed a great story and yes it was covered by the media by the Associated Press and shown on television including in his home area of upstate NY. It didnt get the coverage it deserved but did get covered none the less.

He certainly qualifies as a hero in my book! :beer:


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## Leo Porcello (Jul 10, 2003)

thanks for the great post huntin1 !!!! :beer:


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

DRIVE ON.... 8)


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

More Heros....second from the left is mini-brute, he was in many battles and was awarded a bronze and many other medals. He was in the fight that helped Hooper get one of his Congessional Medals of Honor. Mini-brute was not allowed to enter any public areas in Viet Nam, major attitude concerning the eneny. I am very proud of him and all others who have risked their lives for the freedom of the world.

Alpha Avengers- Airborne Assassins.... say a prayer for them.


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

Didn't mean to take anything away from anyone by posting this, as far as I am concerned all combat vets are heros, no matter what war they served in. THANK YOU!

huntin1


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## Bobm (Aug 26, 2003)

Read this article, read the last paragraph twice
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/paul ... 0531.shtml


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## huntin1 (Nov 14, 2003)

Great article Bobm, we sit here at home in our lazyboys *****ing about the government, the price of gas or whatever and all too often forget about those who gave and are giving right now, the ultimate sacrifice so that we can sit in comfort. I can not say it enough, to all past, present and future servicemen and women:

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SACRIFICES

huntin1


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Nicely put. I agree!


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