Oliver North: What Are They Thinking? (SSgt. Giunta, MOH Recipient)

Creators Syndicate ^ | November 18, 2010 | Oliver North

[jazusamo]

MIDLAND, Texas — A decade ago, I was hunting not far from here with my now-departed friend Joe Foss, the World War II Marine fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient. I made an impatient long-range shot at a fast-moving deer — and missed the target. Joe shook his head, looked at me and said, "What were you thinking?" Joe's challenge came to mind repeatedly this week during interviews about my new book, "American Heroes in Special Operations." Almost invariably, young reporters asked a question or two about the best-selling book and then shifted to queries about events during the Reagan administration. Finally, they got around to what was really on their minds, the hot story of the day: "Do you have any comment on Prince William's engagement to Kate Middleton?" Now, I have to admit that I suffer from what my kids call "cultural-deficit disorder," or CDD. The first time I was asked about the royal nuptials, my feeble response was: "Who?" When the reporter explained that Princess Diana's eldest son, William, had just announced his betrothal to a "commoner," my response was even worse: "Who cares?" It didn't take long to learn that was the wrong answer. Apparently, everyone in the media cares about it. By the time we re-boarded the book tour bus, the royal engagement was the lead story on every network and newswire. It dominated the blogosphere. And the next day, it was in every newspaper — local and nationwide. Photos of the attractive couple were everywhere. It all brought to mind the question Joe Foss put to me: "What were you thinking?" "If it bleeds, it leads" is a canon of today's mass media, so bad news usually trumps good news for editors and producers. But this week proves there is an even more powerful maxim: "Trivial celebrity news beats all." The carefully choreographed royal pronouncement pushed at least two other events — far more important to Americans — well into the background of U.S. print and broadcast media. The English engagement eclipsed coverage of the Medal of Honor presentation for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta. He's but the eighth recipient of our nation's highest award for valor "above and beyond the call of duty" in the war against radical Islam. The Iowa soldier's combination of courage, humility and self-sacrifice make a compelling narrative. Yet, thanks to our media's infatuation with the rich and famous, we now know more about a British prince's fiancee than we do about one of our bravest and brightest countrymen. Those who want to know more about what Giunta did to become the only living recipient of the Medal of Honor in this nine-year war should visit http://www.FreedomAlliance.org. The masters of the mainstream media also chose the British monarchy over another all-American story: the successful extradition from Bangkok of notorious Russian Viktor Bout, an accused gunrunner. The former Soviet air force officer is accused of running a high-tech illicit arms delivery service for despots and terrorists around the world. For two years, Moscow waged a sub rosa fight to prevent the Thai government from turning Bout over to U.S. justice. How he was apprehended in a Drug Enforcement Administration sting operation, was taken into custody and arrived here Tuesday night to face U.S. justice is more exciting than a John le Carre novel. But it lost out to the sappy story of how William toted around Princess Diana's ring before popping the question to his soon-to-be. This week's shallow coverage of a living Medal of Honor recipient and the intriguing story of how brave DEA agents captured a major crime figure accused of aiding and abetting murder and mayhem on a global scale doesn't come as a surprise. What passes for "reporting the news" these days would shame any real newsman. Perhaps that's the principal reason newspapers lose circulation every day and viewers have largely turned off the evening news on the "big three" networks. The inability or unwillingness of the mainstream media to cover and report that which really matters to Americans begs the question: "What are they thinking?" Maybe they aren't.

[miele man]

Ooops. The wings on his right pocket with the parachute is a foreign parachutist award.

[rockvillem]

God bless SSgt. Giunta. It bothered me to see Obama place that medal - given his upbringing (and my proximity in age), I know that there is no way he dreamed about being that recipient, unlike the vast majority of the rest of us around his age.

It’s probably not a fair comparison (living vs. posthumous) but the contrast between Obama’s presentation and Bush’s one to the family of Michael Monsoor (where Bush choked up, realizing the magnitude of the sacrifice/accomplishment) . . .

[Pan_Yan]

... I only counted three threads about SSgt. Salvatore Giunta's Tuesday ceremony where he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

37 replies (I put it on Front Page News)

Don't judge your fellow FReepers too harshly. These things are cyclic. During the run up to the midterm elections very few people responded to any threads about foreign affairs. When the election news dies down they will pay more attention to Afghanistan, North Korea, etc. In a lot of ways I think there is a herd, pop culture mentality here like everywhere else. It's a conservative, herd, pop culture mentality, but a herd none the less.

I usually post foreign affairs articles that interest me and don't care much who responds. I just hope people have read them so they aren't surprised when little dark corners of the world become big news. If I wanted 'hits' (and I've done it on occasion just to watch the results) I'd post a Palin thread or a thread about the latest drunk guy in Florida who was arrested naked someplace bizarre. But lack of replies doesn't necessarily mean no one is reading the article. I miss the 'views' stat that we had before the last big server crash.

[red irish]

my husband and I were both wondering what the truth really was about that contrail story?

[Candor7]

If you go to Wikipedia and search,”SALVATORE GIUNTA”
you will see a full layout summary of the medals you are curious about.

[tiki]

I think it was probably because there was nothing controversial about the Giunta’s threads. I read them, I watched him get his medal, I cried, I was proud to be an American and proud that he accepted the medal in what appeared to be pure humility.

[Shooter 2.5]

Calling someone an expert marksman is like saying someone is an expert beginner.

The Army has three levels of proficiency. Marksman, Sharpshooter and Expert. The medal is for being an expert. I can’t tell what the bar says but it probably is for Rifle.

[buccaneer81]

That does sound interesting. Did anyone hear even a peep about that in the news?

Fox had it several times, both on cable and top of the hour radio news.

[yarddog]

I have known a lot of soldiers who had the expert badge. I suspect it wasn’t that hard to earn but my Father was truly an expert marksman.

I believe I was the best all around shot in my gun club but Daddy could always beat me. When I was a kid, he would tap a nail into a tree and get back around 25 yards.

Using an old Remington model 513 Scoremaster .22, he would hit the nail every time, driving it into the tree. That is actually better than most rifles are capable of shooting, much less by a guy shooting off hand with iron sights.

[onona]

I was fortunate to catch Sergeant Giunta’s comments.....

“I would give this medal back in a second if I could have my friends back”

Tear duct malfunction followed thereafter.

[upstanding]

Have you watched this interview with Giunta?

http://restrepothemovie.com/

Absolutely humbling.

[jazusamo]

Yes, and there’s no doubt that he meant it too!

[jazusamo]

Thanks for linking that!

[rockinqsranch]

MSM Priorities funded by Soros Priorities. Thanks for the ping jaz.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Fawn Hall got married to Danny Sugerman, became a crackhead, hit bottom and crawled her way back to sobriety. She was working in a bookstore called Book Soup in West Hollywood in 2008.

[VeniVidiVici]

Meanwhile here on FR, thousands and thousands of replies have been made to daily 'That Contrail Was A Chinese Missile!' threads, yet I only counted three threads about SSgt. Salvatore Giunta's Tuesday ceremony where he was awarded the Medal of Honor. The most active Giunta thread had 17 replies.

Actually, there were about 8 threads and probably over 200 replies with one thread I saw had 38 replies.

A hundred aircraft in and around LA and there was one contrail. Yeah, buddy.

[Lancey Howard]

I just now watched SSgt. Giunta get interviewed on the Stephen Colbert show and it was simply outstanding. Colbert basically played it straight and seemed genuinely honored to have the soldier on his program. SSgt. Giunta is one of the most humble and sincere people I ever heard. I was floored - - words fail me. He gave credit to everybody but himself.

If there is any way to watch the tape of this interview, I highly recommend it. Maybe it will show up on YouTube.

[jazusamo]

Thanks much for the heads up, I’ll definitely look for it.

[advance_copy]

What ever happened to Fawn Hall?

According to Wikipedia:

In 1991 she married Danny Sugerman, former manager of The Doors. The two were married until Sugerman's death in 2005. Hall underwent drug rehabilitation for an addiction to crack cocaine in the mid-1990s, it being reported at the time that Sugerman first exposed Hall to the drug.

[hershey]

The whole point with this and other Afghan or Iraq/Yemen/ Middle East war stories is to downplay them at all costs. It’s deliberate because Zero isn’t going to admit he can’t tell his rear end from his elbow and furthermore would like to see the US lose. And the media licks his boots.