American heroes

Rantingprofs posted this about the disconnect between what our brave young men are doing in Iraq and what the press wants to talk about. There are many stories of bravery that are not being told. Why does it require bloggers to get this information exposed? I'm so disgusted by the "I support the troops, I just don't support the cause" crowd that I could barf. If you really supported the troops, you'd be talking about what they've done.

Within minutes, 100 to 150 heavily armed insurgents attacked in waves. At times, the Marines and the enemy were only 25 yards apart.

The hardest hit Marines were on a rooftop where they were swarmed from three directions by insurgents throwing scores of grenades and firing at least 30 RPGs within the first 15 minutes of fighting. Thousands of bullets peppered the area.

Nine of the Marines were wounded almost immediately.

Aaron C. Austin and Carlos Gomez-Perez, both lance corporals, were on that rooftop and have been nominated for high honors, Austin posthumously.

After the initial barrage, Austin, a machine gunner, evacuated the wounded and then rallied the Marines to counter-attack.

"We've got to get back on the roof and get on that gun," Austin, from Sunray, Tex., is reported to have said, referring to a Marine machine gun.

The Marines returned fire, but as Austin started to throw a grenade, he was hit several times in the chest by machine gun fire.

Although mortally wounded, Austin threw his grenade, which hit the enemy and halted their attack.

A memorial to him - a cement bench - sits outside the Echo Company barracks at Camp Baharia. Austin was 21.

Gomez-Perez was hit in the cheek and shoulder by machine gun fire while dragging a wounded comrade to safety.

"Ignoring his serious injuries . . . Gomez-Perez, in direct exposure to enemy fire, continued to throw grenades and fire four magazines from his M-16 rifle. Still under fire and with his injured arm, he and another Marine gave CPR (to Austin) and continued to fire on the enemy," read his medal nomination.

Gomez-Perez is recuperating stateside. His age and hometown weren't immediately available.

It's a national disgrace that you have to go to local newspapers and military websites to find out what our brave men and women have done.

And what about the British? The Aussies? The Poles? These people are defending freedom and hardly anyone even seems to notice.