Jessica Lynch Is Spinning Into Semi-Reality

Opinion Journal ^ | 06/20/03 | DANIEL HENNINGER

[Pokey78]

Even if we could handle the truth, how would you recognize it?

Under the Pepper and Salt cartoon in this newspaper yesterday, a doctor says to his patient: "Before I can put you in touch with reality, you'll have to sign this release form." Where do I sign?

[Fred Mertz]

The real Jessica Lynch story will never be told. Of that I'm certain.

There are some elements of truth to the story, but don't try to look behind the curtain.

[bart99]

The jist of the article - about the blurring of truth - is fairly well written. I read the Washington Post's article about Lynch and didn't come close to what he stated here. It was bascially an affirmation of the military's position as a 'potentially' dangerous mission...... and there was fighting, not at the hospital, but in the area.

Poor Jessica however..... let her heal and be at peace. Her story will never be told. Some actions will never be spoken of.... at least not in the mass media. I suspect a movie might perhaps be made of the "rescue", but not of Jessica's ordeal. I hope and pray they let her alone.

[ex-Texan]

BS spins more BS and more BS and more BS. Jessia is a hero. That is the truth and the only truth.

[u-89]

How do you define heroism? We seem to have had a cultural drift in definition recently. In wars of old we had Alvin York and Audy Murphy as heroes. Now we have a girl who's vehicle comes under fire, crashes, she gets busted up and lies in a hospital and we call her a hero. What about the Special Ops guys - they don't count?

[DoughtyOne]

As far as I am concerned the people who are going after Lynch are even worse than those going after Bush, WMDs having to be proven before they'll put a cork in it.

This isn't of Lynch's doing. She's strung together using rods and cast, trying to rahabilitate. None the less the media is going after the nearest thing they can get to her, her reputation. This doesn't stop where the petal meets the metal, the military end of it runs together with what Lynch acually did to wind up like this.

Did she resist? Did her gun jam? Did she even come under fire like the rest of her unit which was exterminated, save her? And yes there's even an underlying question not asked but on the tip of the media's tongue, "Why did you survive when nobody else did? Did you do something wrong? We'll find out my little missie, and your little dog too!"

F every one of the naysayers on this.

It amazes me the need to screw with the events surrounding Private Lynch. It's as if she were awarded the Nobel and didn't deserve. Well she didn't deserve what she actually did get out of this. And she doesn't deserve the veiled second guessing either. How friggen low can people go?

[Fred Mertz]

This isn't of Lynch's doing.

Nobody's going after Lynch. She's just a pawn (and a good kid). It's the little himmlers within our goobermint that seized the opportunity with her predicament that bothers me most.

[DoughtyOne]

Why does calling a wounded busted up soldier a hero seem to bother people who claim special ops are the greatest? I don't have a problem with SO forces being thought of as heros. That doesn't exclude others from being called a hero too?

This woman had her unit wiped out around her, she was seriously screwed up and spent a week in captivity. I think it's remarkable that she is alive. The man who told our troops about her was concerned that she was in danger.

Enough already.

[BobbyK]

The real Jessica Lynch story will never be told. Of that I'm certain.

There are some elements of truth to the story, but don't try to look behind the curtain.

You are right on Fred!

[LPStar]

I hate what people are doing to Ms. Lynch also. Hasn't she suffered enough? Any misrepresentations there may have been are not her fault. The latest Washington Post article says she was mistreated by her captors. Leave the young woman in peace. I doubt she is interested in whether or whether not some people think she qualifies for "hero" status or not.

[DoughtyOne]

Thanks guys. I appreciate your differences of opinion. I'll leave my comments at that. Take care.

[jd777]

Lynch has now been kidnapped by the goverment/media complex... Looks like she needs to be rescued again!

[2rightsleftcoast]

I got flamed if I remember correctly for saying how does anyone know what happened if shes not talking? I agree with you, Special Ops are heroes. God Bless Jessica, glad she is safe and in good hands now. She was in an auto accident I think.

[justshe]

I agree 100%. Additionally, this author wrote:

If the Pentagon and the press feel obliged to spin each other as hard as possible in the opposite direction--and in our time both sides carry formidable weapons of opinion-formation--the public is left as dazed, cynical onlookers.

If the Pentagon was really interested in spinning "...the press as hard as possible in the opposite direction," would they have EVER conceived of, and allowed the embeds to be put in place?

This piece says very little, but certainly keeps the pot stirred.

[Fred Mertz]

D1, thanks for weighing in with your POV.

I had a fifteen minute discussion about Lynch today with 5 military people. 80% of us came to the conclusion that the real story is not being told.

[gcruse]

Artistically, the false photo was a better picture

Artistically, yes it was.  Message wise, it changed the
message from "American soldier helping Iraqi civilians"
to "American soldier preparing to fire on Iraqi civilians."

Using art to create a lie is...not important enough to
mention, apparently, even though the author denounces
the failure of media to project the truth.  What a sicko
article.

[DoughtyOne]

Thank you Fred.