If they acknowledged things like this, it would ruin the current narrative of "Our Troops Are Hapless Victims," maybe of the terrorists, but mostly of the president and Rumsfeld's nasty WarState. Troops as Victims allows them to appear solicitious, not of the military so much as the common GI, which can keep people from having flashbacks to the 'babykiller' stuff of thirty years ago.

The one and only time, so far as I can tell, that they lauded someone as a hero for courage and whatnot was Private Lynch(?) the photogenic young women ambushed and captured with her unit in the early days of the war. Why her? Well, because she is cute, was captured and wounded (Troops as Victims) and by portraying her as 'going down fighting' it is possible to advance a political agenda regarding women in the military & combat, even when it was later shown not to have been the case.

Nice post, Ace. I linked to it and offered my own supporting comments here -- not sure why the trackback didn't work.

"We support the troops", indeed.

saw this on the corner-thought it was kinda neat:

http://www.gluck.net/jesus/

The only things reported on, in this country, by the large media outlets, are those things that are important to them. I've never heard any outrage, comment, derision or need to know anything about anyone but what they deem important. We're all reading Pravda and watching TASS.

"senseless slaughter leaves American boys dead, and for what?" This is the heart of the Liberal Medias world view on war and the military, unless it is to save Moslems from "ethnic cleansing" or to "save AIDS vitims." Their world view was formed during Vietnam. Like flies in amber they are frozen in time, incapable of change. But Iraq is not Vietnam which did not matter geopolitically to us. The middle east and Iraq in particular are vital to the security of the US, and if we lose, the consequences will be so catastrophic for us over the long term that I shudder to think about them. And so do the brave boys who do the fighting and dying, despite being unsung heroes.

The msm is THE enemy - it is not anti-war, it's on the other side.

Rafael Peralta? Man, the MSM is getting just plain lazy.

I mean there is a GOLDMINE about a brown man giving his life up for Rich White Kenneth Lay and Halliburton.

"The msm is THE enemy" - Goddam right! Along with Liberal academe and politicians, they must be all be defeated and removed from public life if this nation is to survive!

Another reason for the MSM blackout is that it was Sergeant Peralta. Sgt Peralta was the first through that door, a leader of men. Then, badly wounded, Sgt. Peralta's last living act was to hug that grenade. Sgt. Peralta's last living thought was to care for his men.
Sgt. Peralta did not just fall outside the narrative the MSM wants to peddle, the courage and self-sacrifice he showed for the men he was responsible for is inconceivable to the average self-absorbed journalist.
Some of us know, though. If the Marine Hymn is true, there's a new Sgt. of the guard in Heaven's streets. His name is Peralta.

The only thing I can say is Thankyou for this Post.
Outstanding.

I posted on this incident two days after it happened, I'm gratified to see that the story hasn't been allowed to die in the 'sphere, as it has in the MSM.

Sgt. Peralta represents what is the nobler side of military service, self-sacrifice for the good of the whole, something that the Left will never understand.

Amen.

This Marine deserves the CMG lets get it going !!!

Sorry was frustrated I ment the CMH.

That's MoH.
I don't know where the Congressional got attached, but its not in the name of the medal, popular lexicon notwithstanding.

their is nothing he can get to that would ever replace him. he was just the best of the best. and he will never be forgotten in the heart of the friends he left behind stationed in hawaii. the only thing that keeps us happy is that we know he is happy in heaven . we love you rafa.

There are no words that can describe how much I miss him. I not only had the previlage to have had him as a friend but also as boyfriend. Rafa was a very caring, funny, happy and loving guy. He loved his job more than anything and everyone that knew him knows that to him being a Marine was always his priority. He always had the words to help me face my problems with my head up, there were times when I would cry and he would say "Suck it up babe, suck it up"what he forgot was to teach me how to face the reality of not seeing him or hearing his voice again. It makes me happy to read articles or watch the news about him as the hereo he is, but it hurts because he's not here to see for himself what he has accomplished. Rafa loved soccer. When we were both younger we used to be in the church choir in San Diego, he enjoyed singing. He was the kind of guy that was always dancing and wanting to hit the clubs when ever he had the chance to. He was also the biggest flirt a girl could have ever met. He was certainly one in a million. I MISS U AND I LOVE U BABY!