THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VI, Issue # 105, May 23, 2004
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
THE WAR IN IRAQ: PAYING TRIBUTE TO
THE VALIANT EFFORTS OF COALITION SOLDIERS
By Thomas G. Tancredo
FULL STORY:
The mainstream news media outlets and personalities are quick to provide gratuitous coverage of antiwar protests in Europe and elsewhere. They
are quick to provide a forum for critics of U.S. policy in Iraq and even quicker to highlight the problems, misfortunes, and missteps of our coalition
forces in Iraq. What they rarely do, however, is to highlight the contributions and valor of our coalition soldiers.
Take, for example, the case of Salvadoran Corporal Samuel Toloza. According to a recent Associated Press story, "One of his friends
was dead, 12 others lay wounded, and the four soldiers still left standing were surrounded and out of ammunition. So Toloza said a
prayer, whipped out his ..... knife and charged the Iraqi gunmen.''
The story goes on, "In one of the only known instances of hand-to-hand combat in the Iraq conflict, Toloza stabbed several attackers
who were swarming around a comrade. The stunned assailants backed away momentarily, just as a relief column came to their rescue.''
According to the reports, Toloza and 16 other members were trapped by members of Muqtada al-Sadr's al-Mahdi militia. They initially
did not fire their weapons for several hours, for fear of inflicting civilian casualties, despite the fact that insurgents were peppering the
group with small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Finally, after fighting back, the group, comprised of Salvadoran and American
soldiers, ran out of ammunition. Faced with mounting casualties, they placed wounded soldiers on transports and tried to make their -
way back to the base. Unfortunately, they ran into a contingent of about 10 insurgents on the way. That is when Toloza, out of
ammunition, rushed the insurgents with nothing but his knife, buying enough time for reinforcements to arrive.
"We never considered surrender,'' Toloza reportedly said, "I was trained to fight until the end.''
Phil Kosnett, who heads the Coalition Provisional Authority in Najaf, also has nothing but praise for the nearly 400 Salvadoran troops
fighting shoulder to shoulder with American troops in Iraq. In fact, he is so impressed with their valor and dedication to duty, he has
nominated six of them for the Bronze Star, and for good reason. The AP story goes on to explain that Kosnett himself believes he owes
his life to them. Salvadoran troops, the story continues, "repelled a well-executed insurgent attack on Kosnett's three-car convoy in
March.''
Let us pay tribute to the sacrifices and heroism of our soldiers, as well as those of our allies, like Corporal Toloza, for their efforts and
contributions to protecting freedom and for their efforts in the war on terrorism.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
The Middle East & the Problem of Iraq
Page Two
Page One
The Problem of Rogue States:
Iraq as a Case History
The Middle East & the Arabs
Islamism & Jihadism -- The Threat of Radical Islam
Page Three
Page Two
Page One
War & Peace in the Real World
Page Two
Page One
Islamist Terrorist Attacks on the U.S.A.
Osama bin Laden & the Islamist Declaration of War
Against the U.S.A. & Western Civilization
Islamist International Terrorism &
U.S. Intelligence Agencies
U.S. National Security Strategy
Thomas G. Tancredo is a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the Sixth Congressional District
of Colorado.
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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