[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 20645-20646]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN BRIAN CHONTOSH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOHMERT. I must say, Mr. Speaker, I appreciate our colleague from 
North Carolina briefing us on Hanes. I must say those briefs were 
uplifting. Cross my heart.

[[Page 20646]]

  But what I would like to address in the remaining couple of minutes 
we have here is something that keeps coming up. We keep hearing from 
people about we want to blame America first. That is not what we should 
be about. We even heard a former Marine common this floor and accuse 
current active duty Marines of being cold-blooded killers, without them 
being charged, without a trial, based on nothing but hearsay.
  So it is my deep pleasure, Mr. Speaker, to come and pay tribute to 
those who have won some of our Nation's highest honors.
  On occasion, events occur that become synonymous with the dates on 
which they occur; December 7, 1941, and September 11, 2001, for 
example. For Marine Captain Brian Chontosh, March 25, 2003, that is 
such a day.
  That day, while leading his weapons platoon for 3rd Battalion, 5th 
Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, north of Highway 1 outside of 
Baghdad, then 29-year-old Lieutenant Chontosh's platoon moved into a 
coordinated ambush of mortars, rocket propelled grenades and automatic 
weapons fire. With coalition tanks blocking the road ahead, he realized 
his platoon was caught in a kill zone.
  He had his driver move the vehicle through a breach along his flank 
where he was immediately taken under fire from entrenched machine gun. 
Without hesitation, Captain Chontosh ordered the driver to advance 
directly at the enemy position, enabling his .50 caliber machine gunner 
to silence the enemy. He then directed his driver into the enemy 
trench, where he jumped out of his vehicle and began to clear the 
trench with his rifle and 9 millimeter pistol.
  The citation for Chontosh's Navy Cross picks up the narrative: ``With 
complete disregard for his safety, he twice picked up discarded enemy 
rifles and continued his ferocious attack. When his audacious attack 
ended, he had cleared over 200 meters of the enemy trench, killing more 
than 20 enemy soldiers and wounding several others. By his longstanding 
display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of enemy 
fire and utmost devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Chontosh reflected 
great credit upon himself and upheld the highest tradition of the 
Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.''
  In effect since April 1917 and established by an act of Congress on 
February 4, 1919, the Navy Cross may be awarded to any person who, 
while serving with the Navy or Marine Corps, distinguishes himself or 
herself in action by extraordinary heroism not justifying an award of 
the Medal of Honor. The action must take place in one of these 
circumstances, such as while engaged in an action against the enemy of 
the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, that is one day where we cherish our freedom and 
remember the men and women who have risked so much to defend it, on 
July 4th, that is. Let us remember the heroes today and every day.
  Mr. Speaker, God bless America.

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