Rich Lowry retells this underreported story from Iraq:
The Marines entered a house and kicked in the doors of two rooms that proved empty. But there was another closed door to an adjoining room. It was unlocked, and Peralta, in the lead, opened it. He was immediately hit with AK-47 fire in his face and upper torso by three insurgents. He fell out of the way into one of the cleared rooms to give his fellow Marines a clear shot at the enemy. During the firefight, a yellow fragmentation grenade flew out of the room, landing near Peralta and several fellow Marines. The uninjured Marines tried to scatter out of the way, two of them trying to escape the room, but were blocked by a locked door. At that point, barely alive, Peralta grabbed the grenade and cradled it to his body.
His body took most of the blast. One Marine was seriously injured, but the rest sustained only minor shrapnel wounds. Cpl. Brannon Dyer told a reporter from the Army Times, "He saved half my fire team."
Lowry points out that the guardsman who asked Don Rumsfeld about armor for humvees gets far more MSM coverage than Sgt. Peralta.
Sunk in political correctness, educated in a feminized school system, are we embarassed by heroism? It was in vogue for about six months after 9/11. The vogue, apparently, didn't last. Sgt. Peralta should be honored in song, story, and street names.
Don't hold your breath.
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