Iraqis raped Lynch during her captivity, book reveals

NY Daily News ^

[saquin]

BY PAUL D. COLFORD AND CORKY SIEMASZKO New York Daily News

NEW YORK - (KRT) - Jessica Lynch was brutally raped by her Iraqi captors.

That is the shocking revelation in "I Am a Soldier, Too," the much-anticipated authorized biography of the former POW. A copy of the book was obtained by The New York Daily News on Wednesday.

Best selling author Rick Bragg tells Lynch's story for her, often using her own words. Thankfully, she has no memory of the rape.

"Jessi lost three hours," Bragg wrote. "She lost them in the snapping bones, in the crash of the Humvee, in the torment her enemies inflicted on her after she was pulled from it."

The scars on Lynch's battered body and the medical records indicate she was anally raped, and "fill in the blanks of what Jessi lived through on the morning of March 23, 2003," Bragg wrote.

"The records do not tell whether her captors assaulted her almost lifeless, broken body after she was lifted from the wreckage, or if they assaulted her and then broke her bones into splinters until she was almost dead."

The 207-page saga published by Knopf hits bookstores Tuesday, which is Veterans Day.

In it, America's most famous G.I. - for the first time since her dramatic rescue on April 1 - dispels some of the mystery surrounding the blistering battle that resulted in her capture, her treatment by the Iraqis in a hellish hospital, and the searing pain that is her constant companion.

A 20-year-old from the hollers of West Virginia, Lynch knew what could happen to her if she fell into Iraqi hands. A female pilot captured in the Persian Gulf War had been raped.

"Everyone knew what Saddam's soldiers did to women captives," Bragg wrote. "In (Lynch's) worst nightmares, she stood alone in that desert as the trucks of her own army pulled away."

The nightmare became real in the dusty and dangerous city of Nassiriyah, when Lynch's unit got separated from its convoy and was ambushed by Iraqi fighters.

Bragg, a former New York Times reporter who quit after admitting he had a legman do some of his reporting, gives a cinematic account of the desperate firefight that mortally wounded Lynch's Army buddy, Lori Piestewa, and 10 others in the convoy.

But while early Pentagon reports suggested the young Army private heroically resisted capture, Lynch told Bragg she never fired a shot, because her M-16 jammed. "I didn't kill nobody," she said.

Lynch also denied in the book claims by Iraqi lawyer Mohammed Odeh Al-Rehaief, who said he saw one of former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein's black-clad Fedayeen slap her as she lay in her hospital bed.

"Unless they hit me while I was asleep - and why do that?" she said.

Lynch described to Bragg how Iraqi doctors were branded "traitors" by Saddam's henchmen for helping her and how they tried to treat her wounds in a shattered hospital where painkillers were scarce. She said one nurse tried to ease her agony by singing to her.

"It was a pretty song," she said. "And I would sleep."

Lynch also confirmed reports in the book that Iraqi doctors tried to sneak her to safety in an ambulance but turned back when wary U.S. soldiers opened fire on them.

But eight days after she was captured, Lynch found herself face to face with a savior.

"Jessica Lynch," he said, "we're United States soldiers and we're here to protect you and take you home."

"I'm an American soldier, too," Lynch replied.

Lynch's painful recovery from an ordeal that left her barely able to walk, unable to use her right hand or control her bowels is vividly described. So, too, is Lynch's discomfort with the spotlight - and with being called a hero.

"I'm just a survivor," she said in the book. "When I think about it, it keeps me awake at night."

---

© 2003, New York Daily News.

[PeyersPatches]

I'll let someone else set you straight. The level of your posts is such that my blood pressure won't allow me to bother corresponding with you any more. I can even understand (to a small degree) a male making the callous comments you have made, but I damn sure can't understand those comments being made from a woman, particularly one who has admitted she has no clue of what she is talking about. You're dismissed.

[CMAC51]

>> There were 15 soldiers killed in a helicopter shootdown not 2 days ago. In 2 more days it will be old news. What makes Jessica's situation any more newsworthy than that story? Because she is a female? <<

The events surrounding the rescue of Jessica Lynch captured the spirit of the moment that the American people wanted to feel at the time, triumphant. She became a symbol. It has nothing to with the little details, any suffered attrocities, or the a comparison of her story to that of any other soldier. The timing and emotions of the moment were right for her to be burned into the psyche of the nation. It is actually a burden she will carry for many years to come because the symbolism is larger than any one person. It just happened that she is the face of that symbol.

Nobody chooses who or what will become symbolic as history unfold. History unfolds and it happens. Jessica had nothing to do with her becoming the symbol and people can carp about it all they want, they will not change the fact that she is the face of the emotion on that day. How many people know the story behind Patrick Henry? They only know that he said, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country." That one line was symbolic of the the spirit of the time, Patrick Henry happened to be the one that got to say it. If I told you a bunch of things that made Patrick Henry less heroic, it would not diminish one bit the spirit and emotion embodied in that one line.

[Chief_Joe]

Jessie failed to take care of her vehicle during this mission. Failed to take care of her vehicle?

 Is this another thing you guys made up out of thin air?

How so? Do you men that she failed to prevent it being harmed in an ambush?

According to the official report, the vehicle Jessie was driving became disabled in route to one of the check points. The key word here is "disabled" vs. broken down, as some have led us to believe -though breaking down would also be indicative of improper maintenance. Military vehicles become disabled when not driven properly, like by driving into or over things. Jessie failed to maintain her vehicle by allowing it to become "disabled" during the mission. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, this failure caused lives. I don't like saying this and I don't blame her, but the policies that put her there caused a lot of good men to lose their lives.

[#3Fan]

I don't like saying this and I don't blame her, but the policies that put her there caused a lot of good men to lose their lives.

Yes you are blaming her on no evidence like the typical Lynch-basher you are.

[pawdoggie]

War is Hell but there are some things that are not "permitted".

True, but you see the problem is: we don't fight "good guys" who follow the "rules".

[Chief_Joe]

How does getting the hell beat out of her play up the heroism angle?

If you read the official report, you will find that it says nothing about her "... getting the hell beat out of her ..." Besides the rape wounds, the report clearly states she was injured in the crash.

Thanks for the links to story about the enlisted women vs. officers. This is what I've been trying to get people to realize. It takes a real man, or person for that matter, about a half of a second to look at Jessie and figure out what she's best suited for: a Girl Scout troop leader, a teacher...a nurse, but NOT a SOLDIER. Our society is better served if this woman is a wife and mother, and it is troubling and shameful to put such a woman on a battlefield. I'm not PC, so I don't care about trying to advance the careers of feminist officers.

[Chief_Joe]

She did no worse than the men in that Humvee, they were all incapacitated

Just by repeating this lie over and over again does not make it so. You can take advantage of people who are not familiar with the details of the report, but I KNOW what happened. The actions of the First Sergeant, Buggs, and Aquino were heroic.

[R. Scott]

I guess we didn't learn much from Vietnam in regard to arming support troops, did we.

Not a thing.

[R. Scott]

Sorry, I wasn't aware that Lynch was the assigned operator of the vehicle or was driving it.
You may be right. Male drivers never do wrong, only weak little girls </sarcasm>

[#3Fan]

Just by repeating this lie over and over again does not make it so. You can take advantage of people who are not familiar with the details of the report, but I KNOW what happened. The actions of the First Sergeant, Buggs, and Aquino were heroic.

Why don't you tell us all about it, then? Is this anything like blaming Lynch for the breakdown of vehicles in that convoy? You lost a lot of credibility with me when you made that claim. It proves that you only mean to bash, not discuss truth.

[#3Fan]

Sorry, I wasn't aware that Lynch was the assigned operator of the vehicle or was driving it. You may be right. Male drivers never do wrong, only weak little girls /sarcasm

Vehicles should never break down in desert conditions either despite being driven all day, every day. /more sarcasm

[Rubber_Duckie_27]

I know a few enlisted women in the Navy and Marines. Obviously the female Marines don't serve in combat units, one is an aircraft mechanic and another is involved in some sort of public relations unit. The girls I know in the Navy are mostly hospital corpsmen, with a few who are in more traditionally male ratings (machinists mate, engineering aide, etc.). All of them sort of gravitated towards more of a support role. Not one female enlisted friend of mine WANTS to be in the infantry, or a Navy SEAL. And they do complain about female officers and their scheming and conniving to get promotions and advance in their careers! Apparently a lot of female officers tend to be extreme femi-nazis.

I have no problem with women serving in any capacity in the Coast Guard, and most Navy ratings as well. When it comes to the Air Force, Army, and Marines, I feel differently. I don't feel that women should be assigned to units likely to see direct combat. I'm OK with a woman serving on an aircraft carrier, being a nurse or medic, being an aircraft mechanic, or being in an intel unit. Women served well during every war of the 20th century and I believe they have an important support role to play in the military today. I am just not OK with women in combat support roles where they're likely to be attacked, and NO women should be in combat units at all.

[irishlass]

What a silly thing to say. I have been raped and I have given birth to two wonderful sons. Take a guess which was easier! Rape is horrible-period, but to be raped by Islamist Pigs-this is unthinkable!

[TheCrusader]

"Puzzled, the other hunter asked, "What's he saying now?" The owner replied, "He says there are more quail in that bush than you can shake a stick at".

LOL , thanks I needed a chuckle.

[William Terrell]

The 1999 number of Americans in the armed forces was 1,490,000. Even if it doubled for 2003, that would be only 2,980,000. That leaves 25,000,000 men yet to be tapped. A media sustained call for volunteers would certainly yield a 100,000 or so men to replace the 100,000 women (we still don't know how many of that number serve in traditional rear echelon and clerical duties).

There is absolutely no reason to put women in or near combat.

Because of the hardwired male response to women (not culture specific) and the physical charateristics of women, not to mention the relaxed physical standards to which they are held, I can't buy that an entirely voluntary force toploaded with women would be more efficient, save more lives, and win more wars with less casualties.

A "button pusher" in line for contact with the enemy calls into play the three considerations above, albeit less frequent than active front line work.

There have been incidents in each conflict, in which women were used in active confrontation, where they were captured and raped, or otherwise savaged. Articles on that topic were posted here on FR during the conflicts when such cases came to light. The statement of only one such incident in 12 years, besides being the span between the first Gulf war and this one, fails.

There have been also articles posted here during these conflicts where women were discharged for reason of pregnancy. This doesn't not happen with men.

List the reasons against women serving in capacities that bring into contact with the enemy in one column and those for in another. See which is longer.

Using women in harm's way in armed conflict is not a conservative concept; it is a liberal concept. It has been tried before in other places and abandoned.

But thank you for posting your beliefs on FR. Liberal concepts can't be refuted unless there is a dialog.

[#3Fan]

Having female soldiers do button-pushing jobs frees up a better choice of men for the infantry. A volunteer force is better than a drafted force, female soldiers make an all-volunteer force more attainable. Extra money would have to be spent on recruitment instead of weapons and preparation if we got rid of female soldiers. There have been only two incidents of women getting engaged in combat over the last 12 years. During this time many other soldiers lives were saved because of the better choice that having female soldiers in less-physically-demanding jobs provides. Our military has proven itself vastly superior to all others with this set-up. A strong military and personal choice and responsibility are conservative ideals, so my position definetly isn't liberal.

[Destro]

Truth or war's truth?

Best selling author Rick Bragg tells Lynch's story for her, often using her own words. Thankfully, she has no memory of the rape.

Bragg, a former New York Times reporter who quit after admitting he had a legman do some of his reporting

Lynch also denied in the book claims by Iraqi lawyer Mohammed Odeh Al-Rehaief, who said he saw one of former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein's black-clad Fedayeen slap her as she lay in her hospital bed.

[Chief_Joe]

Sorry, I wasn't aware that Lynch was the assigned operator of the vehicle or was driving it.
You may be right. Male drivers never do wrong, only weak little girls

Why don't you tell us all about it, then? Is this anything like blaming Lynch for the breakdown of vehicles in that convoy? You lost a lot of credibility with me when you made that claim. It proves that you only mean to bash, not discuss truth

You both have it wrong. I don't want to just "bash" Jessica. I've avoided getting into the details because there are so many areas where there are problems with her performance and how she was treated out there in the battlefield. Over and over again it can be shown that her Commander and NCOs treated her differently because she was a woman, and her actions/inactions/failures cost lives. I'm somewhat amused you all can't see them, but my amusement is tempered quite severely by the reality of the consequences of having Lynch in that unit.

The story of the "Jessica's" unit in the 507th in this operation covers roughly three days. The ambush battle itself actually lasted over 2 hours. During the 507th's journey to various check points, Jessica's vehicle was disabled. It became disabled after days of driving with little or no sleep and when she was fatigued. The fatigue was not limited to Jessica or females, all experienced it, but I think it can be safely said that it was much more difficult for this 110 lb woman to wrestle with this fatigue and a 5-ton truck then it would be for a man. Nonetheless, the First Sergeant was ordered to recover this and any other vehicle that broke down as the convoy headed to various checkpoints. The First Sergeant, through all kinds of tricks, skill, chicanery, will, and with a no-failure attitude, carried out this order dutifully and arrived at each check point without abandoning any vehicles. To accomplish this, he had to get soldiers from another unit to tow Jessica's broken-down vehicle, Buggs and Aqino -who themselves had fallen behind their assigned unit to fix their own vehicle. This is were fate comes in. By towing this broken vehicle, it made it more difficult for the convoy to maneuver, and they had to find big open spaces to turn the towed vehicles around. This is the reason the convoy had to go deep into Nasiriyah when they got off track. The convoy actually made it through the city the first time without receiving fire, but the commander knew they were in for some action when they had to turn around and go back through the city the second time to get back on the right track. Jessica was ordered to lock and load as others had to manually refuel their vehicles. During the second trip through the city, the unit was attacked, and they missed their exit again, but the smaller vehicles were able to turn around quickly and get back to the exit and escape. However larger vehicles had to go further past the exit, about 3 miles, before they could turn around, and the Buggs and Aqino had to go the furthest because they were towing Jessie's vehicle. This turned out to be their downfall. As they were turning around, their vehicle became jammed and stuck because of vehicle they were towing, Jessica's. During all this, the vehicles in the convoy were taking fire. The First sergeant made combat pickup after combat pickup of all soldiers who needed picking up, and this is what he did for Buggs and Aquino. After Buggs and Aqino were picked up, they immediately begin returning fire from the assault rifle in the vehicle as it sped off. Very sadly though, Piestawaw was wounded as she drove away and crashed into another vehicle that had become stranded. The First Sergeant was killed on impact with his weapon in his hand, Piestawaw would later die from her injuries, Buggs and Aqino were said to have been "executed" by the Iraqis because of the battle they put up until they ran out of ammo. Jessica was injured in the crash, but she was spared. If it were not for her disabled vehicle, Buggs and Aqino, the First Sergeant, and Piestawaw could have turned around sooner and made it out of there, FATE.

[#3Fan]

I'm not going to disparage our military or the people that serve our country in uniform because of some agenda, so you might as well give up. What's good enough for the Army brass that I am in philosophical agreement with is good enough for me.

[GraniteStateConservative]

We don't have enough troops to support our foreign policy aims without having women volunteer soldiers. You really want to draft the turd-for-brains 18 year-olds this country is producing to defend you?