“Chattanooga Five” Memorial Event Ignored by National Media

An estimated 100,000 people showed up at a memorial event last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee to honor and remember the four Marines and one Navy Sailor who were assassinated at the hands of a Muslim jihadist in July. The national news media chose to ignore this massive outpouring of gratitude and remembrance for these fallen American heroes. However, while the local media provided ample coverage, they took exception to remarks by Admiral James “Ace” Lyons (ret), who was invited to be one of the principal speakers. So what were Admiral Lyons’ offensive words that so upset the local officials who organized the event, and the local media who reported on it? Specifically, Admiral Lyons laid the blame for the assassination on the “evil of radical Islam.” Among other things, he said, “This tragedy never had to happen. They weren’t cut down on a battlefield. This was not workplace violence,” a clear reference to the Obama administration’s characterization of the attack by Major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 and wounded 32 at Ft. Hood in Texas back in 2009.