Last weekend, schlockumentary film maker Michael Moore waded into the discussion about the mega hit movie American Sniper, a film about the life of Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle. Moore called Kyle a “murderer,” eliciting a wave of condemnation. But one reply posted this week from a Marine who served in Afghanistan has become one of the most shared posts on Facebook.
The reply to Moore’s scurrilous attack on our troops was written by Marine Sgt. Sean Johnson (medically retired) on the Facebook of Representative Paul Gosar (R, AZ). Johnson, who is Gosar’s Wounded Warrior Military and Veteran Liaison, effectively countered Moore’s libel against our soldiers.
In a post that has already gotten over 5,000 shares and nearly 12,000 likes, Johnson said that he had worked with American snipers during his service in Afghanistan. He feels that they would be “amused” by being called cowards by “a soft, Hollywood leftist like Michael Moore.”
Johnson points out that snipers are often sent out as an advance force to clear the way for the rest, that they take perilous missions behind enemy lines, and that their jobs are “incredibly dangerous.”
“During operations they protect our troops who are conducting sweeps and other activities,” Johnson wrote. “They keep an eye out for enemies, suicide bombers, etc. They have saved the lives of countless soldiers. One good sniper taking out a suicide bomber can save dozens of troops.”
Snipers help keep the enemy pinned in place, Johnson says, and they save countless lives by pin-point targeting of enemy positions.
“Far from being cowards, these are some of our best men,” the former Sgt. wrote. “They operate in the worst circumstances often alone in the elements. And they don’t complain. They do it because it’s right, it’s their job and they believe in protecting their fellow soldiers and protecting our way of life granted to us by the Constitution.”
“I thank God for these brave men,” Johnson said as he ended his post. “They save lives every day. I hope you join me and Congressman Gosar in praying for the health and safety of all of our snipers, and maybe pray for Michael Moore to one day understand that his liberty to attack snipers like Chris Kyle is only possible because of these brave patriots.”
Johnson didn’t mention it, but Michael Moore is far from the only “soft, Hollywood leftist” who attacked our troops in general and Chris Kyle in particular. On Monday, comedy actor Seth Rogen Tweeted that the movie American Sniper is exactly the same as Nazi propaganda.
The denizens of Hollywood were widely criticized. Congressman Ryan Zinke (R, MT), for instance, said Moore and Rogen’s comments were “despicable.”
“The tweets [by Seth Rogen and Michael Moore] are equally despicable. They have no understanding of what real sacrifice is, they’ve never spent a day in their lives engaged in sacrifice,” Zinke told Breitbart News on Monday.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com