Major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

Brian R. Chontosh (born 1974) is a retired

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

officer who was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his heroic actions during the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. At the time, he was a platoon commander for Weapons Company,

3rd Battalion, 5th Marines 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5, nicknamed Dark Horse) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps. The battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and consists of approximately 1,000 Marines and Fleet Marine ...

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine E ...

Heroism & career

On March 25, 2003, during an ambush while advancing upon

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

, Chontosh aggressively attacked an entrenched enemy position, resorting to using captured enemy weaponry when his

M16 The M16 (officially Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of assault rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine. In 1964, th ...

ran out of ammunition. He is reported to have killed at least 20 enemy soldiers during the incident. Chontosh returned to Iraq during the second half of 2004 as the company commander of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. During this time his company took part in

Operation Phantom Fury The Second Battle of Fallujah, initially codenamed Operation Phantom Fury, Operation al-Fajr (, ) was an American-led offensive of the Iraq War that began on 7 November 2004 and lasted about six weeks. A joint military effort of the United ...

, the second assault on

Fallujah Fallujah ( ) is a city in Al Anbar Governorate, Iraq. Situated on the Euphrates, Euphrates River, it is located roughly to the west of the capital city of Baghdad and from the neighboring city of Ramadi. The city is located in the region ...

in November 2004. Of the 158 Marines he commanded, 3 were killed in action and 25 were wounded. During this time his company was also the focus of a

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

documentary titled ''Breaking Point: Company of Heroes''. He also served as the 8th Company Officer at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

and the Officer Rep for the Naval Academy Women's Ice Hockey Team (2011-2013) There have been some news articles on the perceived lack of coverage that was awarded to this and other medal ceremonies. The controversy over the coverage or lack of coverage of Chontosh and several other servicemen is seen by the conservative political and some media as the latest cultural clash between pro-military and anti-war political camps.

Navy Cross citation

The President of the United States
Takes Pleasure in Presenting
The Navy Cross
To Brian R. Chontosh
First Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps For Services as Set Forth in the Following Citation:

For extraordinary heroism as Combined Anti-Armor Platoon Commander, Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines,

I Marine Expeditionary Force The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It i ...

in support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM on 25 March 2003. While leading his platoon north on Highway I toward Ad Diwaniyah, First 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 In military tactics, the kill zone, also known as killing zone, is an area entirely covered by direct and effective fire, an element of ambush within which an approaching enemy force is trapped and destroyed. The objective of the ambush force i ...

. He had his driver move the vehicle through a breach along his flank, where he was immediately taken under fire from an entrenched machine gun. Without hesitation, First Lieutenant 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 exited his vehicle and began to clear the trench with an M16A2 service rifle and 9 millimeter pistol. His ammunition depleted, First Lieutenant Chontosh, with complete disregard for his safety, twice picked up discarded enemy rifles and continued his ferocious attack. When a Marine following him found an enemy rocket propelled grenade launcher, First Lieutenant Chontosh used it to destroy yet another group of enemy soldiers. 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.Marine Corps News , Rochester, N.Y. Marine, receives Navy Cross
from

web archive The WARC (Web ARChive) archive format specifies a method for combining multiple digital resources into an aggregate archive file together with related information. These combined resources are saved as a WARC computer file, file which can be rep ...

website By his outstanding display of decisive leadership, unlimited courage in the face of heavy enemy fire, and utmost devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Chontosh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the

United States Naval Service The United States Department of the Navy (DON) is one of the three military departments within the United States Department of Defense. It was established by an Act of Congress on 30 April 1798, at the urging of Secretary of War James McHenry, ...

Honors

* Chontosh, a 2000 graduate of

Rochester Institute of Technology The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university, private research university in Henrietta, New York, a suburb of Rochester, New York, Rochester. It was founded in 1829. It is one of only two institute of technology, institut ...

(RIT) was honored as RIT's 2005 Outstanding Alumnus. *Honorary graduate of the

, Class of 2006. *On September 21, 2006, at the annual Keeper of the Flame dinner, Captain Chontosh was honored by

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: appointment; gra ...

General Peter Pace Peter Pace (born November 5, 1945) is a retired United States Marine Corps general who served as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Pace was the first Marine officer appointed as chairman and the first Marine officer to be appointed ...

for his actions in March 2003.

Big Fish Foundation

On January 1, 2020, Brian Chontosh conceptualized and founded the Big Fish Foundation (BFF), an organization with a mission "to enhance Veteran’s lives by reconnecting them to fundamental principles of service in order to reemphasize accountability towards each other through shared common purpose in a campaign to improve psychological wellness, effectively manage post traumatic/combat stress, and prevent suicide." The Big Fish Foundation became an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 2021. Each year, the BFF hosts its annual fundraiser at the Crooked Butterfly Ranch outside of Boulder, CO.

Other

* Brian Chontosh placed 2nd in the SoCal Regional Qualifiers for the

2009 CrossFit Games The 2009 CrossFit Games were the third annual CrossFit Games held on July 10–12, 2009 at a ranch in Aromas, California. The men's competition, with a field of 74 competitors, was won by Mikko Salo. The women's, with a field of 72, was won by Tany ...

. The Games were held July 10-12, 2009 in Aromas, CA.2009 Crossfit Games
/ref>

References

External links

* *
''Company of Heroes''
from

*BIG FISH FOUNDATION {{DEFAULTSORT:Chontosh, Brian 1974 births Living people United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Military personnel from Rochester, New York United States Marine Corps officers Rochester Institute of Technology alumni CrossFit athletes