I really wish more people would understand this...
...And The Media Says: 'We Support Our Military'
By Thomas D. Segel
July 14, 2004
Their names are Mark E. Mitchell, Jason Dean Cunningham, Joseph B. Perez and Stephen Bass. Chances are you have no idea of who these men are or what they accomplished. You can look them up on the Internet. A Goggle search will show you Cunningham's name on 5 entries. Perez will appear 4 times, Mitchell 3 times and Bass twice.
Now try these names...Lynndie England, Charles Graner Jr., Jeremy Sivits and Ivan Frederick II. They may seem very familiar...and they should. According the Kate O'Beirne, writing for the National Review Online, ABC, NBC and CBS combined have run more than 200 stories on them and the other three abusers of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib Prison. In addition there were more than 40 Pg. one stories about them on the front page of the New York Times and their names made headlines in almost every major daily publication in the country. Using the Google search engine to scan the Internet will show you another 377,000 entries about their deplorable activities inside the walls of that prison. All of this combines to make their names and faces the only recognizable pictures of how the world now sees the men and women of America's armed forces.
That quick review of press coverage should dispel any doubts people have about the built-in bias of the media. Electronic and print media alike can protest loudly that no such bias exists, but the numbers shown here are stark testimony to the falseness of such statements.
It is true that Abu Ghraib Prison and its abuse perpetrators make an important story, but the disproportionate weighting of that happening against the actions of Bass, Cunningham, Mitchell and Perez are impossible to understand. What these men did was praiseworthy at every level...and remember that Google search showed their names were only in print a combined total of 14 times.
Navy Chief Petty Officer Stephen Bass, a member of a rescue team was sent to locate and recover two missing American citizens at the Quala-I-Jangi fortress in Afghanistan. Once he moved toward the fortress, Bass was constantly fired upon by the enemy. He was forced to walk through an anti-personnel minefield to gain entry. He then had to crawl through withering fire to reach the uninjured citizen. He was forced to withdraw, but reported his findings to his team, which then went in search of the second man. As darkness fell, he again tried to make the rescue. Without fear for his own personal safety Bass moved into the heart of the fortress, under constant enemy fire. His own ammunition gone, he used the weapon of a fallen enemy to return fire. Chief Bass finally was able to locate and verify the condition of the injured citizen.
In the same operation, Army Major Mark E. Mitchell was the ground force commander of the rescue team. He showed unparalleled courage under fire, decisive leadership and personal sacrifice, which were directly responsible for the success of the rescue mission and instrumental in ensuring the city of Mazar-e-Sharif did not fall back into the hands of the Taliban. His actions contributed to American forces holding their objective even while under heavy enemy fire. By his engagement of the enemy, he assured the freedom of one American and the posthumous recovery of another.
Senior Airman Jason D. Cunningham was a Search and Rescue medic assigned to the Quick Reaction Force. Sent to rescue two American servicemen who were evading capture in terrain occupied by Al Qaida, his helicopter was hit by enemy fire and disabled, causing it to crash land. A hasty defense was formed, but his force quickly received three fatalities and five critical casualties. Despite heavy enemy fire Cunningham remained in the burning fuselage of the aircraft treating the wounded men. He then exposed himself to enemy fire as he moved the wounded to a more secure location. When that protected position was compromised, Cunningham braved enemy fire seven times to relocate his wounded to a third collection point. Even after being mortally wounded he continued to direct patient movement and transferred their care to another medic. In the end, his efforts resulted in saving the gravely wounded Americans, but at the cost of his own life.
Marine Lance Corporal Joseph B. Perez was the point man for the lead squad clearing Route 6 during the advance into Baghdad. His squad came under intense enemy fire, the majority of which was aimed at his position. Without hesitation he returned fire with his rifle and directed the fire for others in his squad. He then led the charge down a trench to destroy enemy combatants. Perez next fired an AT-4 rocket into a machine gun bunker, completely destroying it and killing four enemy combatants. His actions allowed his squad to capture the enemy position. Perez continued to fire on enemy troops as he and his squad continued to move forward. He was wounded in both the torso and shoulder, but despite the serious injuries Lance Corporal Perez continued to give his squad accurate fire direction, allowing them to destroy the enemy.
The president of the United States presented this nation's second highest award for valor to these four servicemen. Joseph B. Perez and Stephen Bass were each presented The Navy Cross. Mark E. Mitchell was presented The Distinguished Service Cross and Jason Dean Cunningham was posthumously presented The Air Force Cross.
These men served in the highest tradition of our United States Armed Forces, yet their names are unknown to most of their countrymen. In fairness, there were wire service accounts of their actions. Still, with the exception of hometown newspapers and a few military service publications their heroism went unheralded.
Our media has been shamefully remiss in reporting the valor of our young Americans. In fact, about the only time the word hero in placed in print, is next to the word fallen. But, we need not be concerned about bias. After all, Television, radio and newspapers alike all claim support for the troops....And the media always says ,"We support our military."
http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/tse.../ts_0714.shtml