Courage

As upsetting as the prison photos are i feel that the american public are too easily led by negative press.the rest of the world believe that you americans will cut and run the moment things get tough. i respect and admire the majority of american fighting men. but years of bitter experience have conditioned me to believe that your politicians and public do not have the stomach for a fight.i also feel that if democracy has any chance to survive we need more moral fibre from america.my feelings about the prison abuses are unchanged poor behavior is disgraceful at any time even in war. but investigate and punish then move on.but america and the free world are under serious attack and yet still you dither, deliberate hesitate and worry about stripping murderers and criminals whilst your enemy kill and torture for fun. Lastly allowing cameras inside military institutions is downright unprofessional.and i hope those who allow these pictures into the public domain realise the damage to your prestige is immense. and they have delivered a mighty blow for the enemy.

Posted by John McLennan at May 11, 2004 11:18 AM

John McLennan:

Until a couple of days or so ago, I was frankly wondering, like you, whether we Americans had the stomach to continue the war against Islamic fascism. I think the videotaped slaughter of that poor guy from Pennsylvania represents a tipping point in a couple of ways.

First, it proves beyond doubt that if the world's machinery ran on "stupid" instead of "petroleum", the Arabs would still have said market mainly cornered. Al Qaeda has the overt sympathy of the West's chattering classes and almost all of its mass media, and their "All Abu Ghraib, All The Time" coverage was beginning to erode public support not only for the Iraq campaign, but for the larger war on terror. Then, some nutbag with the strategic sense of a gnat gives mainstream Americans (as opposed to Americans who think the New York Times is written by the Oracle of Delphi) a forceful reminder of the savage nature of the people we're fighting.

Second, the media's treatment of Nicholas Berg's execution vs. that of the Abu Ghraib scandal has brought home to any reasonable person the fact that the media's selection of what to cover aggressively vs. what to try & flush down the Memory Hole is based on their desire to undermine the war effort and cause an American defeat. A good friend of mine - a dyed-in-the-wool liberal Democrat - admitted to me that she now believes this to be the case. If she's convinced, I have no doubt that many, many others are as well. The next rounds of scientific polling relating to Iraq and the war on terror should be VERY interesting.

Posted by Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) at May 15, 2004 4:32 PM

Captain Chontosh is an example of what is right with America. And he is a superb example of a fine Marine. Just when I thought I couldn't be prouder to call myself a Marine, along comes Captain Chontosh and his story of remarkable heroism. Marines everywhere salute you, Captain Chontosh. It's Marines like yourself that make the Marine Corps the finest fighting force the world has ever seen.

Semper Fi, Jarhead.

Posted by Dale Young at May 18, 2004 4:56 PM

Let's put a copy of this article up on all of our refridgerators and show our kids what a real hero is--someone who does what is right and necessary for the people he's responsible for, without thought of his own personal safety.

BZ Captain Chontosh!

Even if the politically slanted media refuse to show the world the good you've done, we've still got the internet, and email and instant messaging to spread the word that heroes still exist today who aren't called heroes simply because they have celebrity.

Posted by Bernadette Crumb at May 28, 2004 9:58 AM

Let's make a movie showing how brave is our hero, I think they should have waited till today to start shooting Rambo the movie, at least we could say that it was based on a true story!

Posted by A. RAMBO at June 2, 2004 10:29 AM

I'm creating an interactive video game mission for
KumaGames.com based on Lt Chontosh and March 25th., Anyone have really detailed information about the location this took place? Soldier photos or accounts of the event would be great!

Posted by Bob Hichborn at August 6, 2004 7:37 AM

Nothing but a bunch of bloodthirsty guys that have been brainwashed into believing the Iraqis are the enemy of 9-11!

Posted by Joe DeBosia at December 2, 2004 10:24 AM