Posted on 11/06/2003 7:29:27 PM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Army private Jessica Lynch, the badly injured U.S. prisoner of war who was rescued from a hospital during the Iraq war, said in her first interview that she is not the Rambo-style hero she has been portrayed as by American media and the military. Lynch, 20, told ABC network reporter Diane Sawyer in an interview to be aired on "Primetime" next Tuesday, the same day as her authorized biography is published, that she never fired a shot when ambushed. "My weapon did jam and I did not shoot, not a round, nothing. I don't look at myself as a hero. My heroes are Lori (Private Lori Piestewa, who died in the ambush of Lynch's convoy), the soldiers that are over there, the soldiers that were in the car beside me, the ones that came and rescued me," she said. Lynch is still recovering from injuries to her spine, and cannot walk without crutches. She has no feeling in her left foot and has other medical problems. Lynch, who became a symbol of U.S. heroism during the early stages of the war on Iraq, insisted, "I am just a survivor." In an advance, partial copy of the ABC interview, Lynch said she was hurt that other people had "made up stories" about her fiercely fighting her Iraqi captors. "I'm not about to take credit for something that I didn't do... It hurt in a way that people would make up stories that they had no truth about. Only I would have been able to know that because the other four people on my vehicle aren't here to tell that story." 'PRAYING ON MY KNEES' Lynch, a supply clerk who was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War medal, received an honorable military discharge from the Army in August due to her injuries, allowing her to sign the $1 million book deal. U.S. commandos filmed their rescue of Lynch from the Iraqi hospital on April 1, nine days after she was captured at the onset of the war. An early media report quoted unnamed U.S. officials as saying she "fought to the death" before being captured and suffered multiple gunshot wounds. The Army later concluded she was hurt when her Humvee crashed into another vehicle in the convoy after being hit by a grenade. Sawyer asked Lynch if she went down "like, somebody said, Rambo?" "No, I went down praying on my knees," she replied. Lynch said she was thankful to the soldiers who rescued her but said she was troubled by the way the incident was portrayed by the military. "It does (bother me) that they used me as a way to symbolize all this stuff ... yeah, it's wrong ... I don't know why they filmed it, or why they say the things they, you know." The full details of her story have yet to come out since Lynch said she suffered a loss of memory after her capture. ABC said that in the interview she discussed for the first time a report she was sexually assaulted during her captivity, saying that she did not remember such an incident but adding, "even just the thinking about that, that's too painful." According to Sawyer, the book "I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story," cites a medical record as indicating that Lynch was raped. The young private was captured by Iraqis on March 23 near Nassiriya. Eleven other U.S. soldiers were killed and nine wounded in the incident.
She will, in all likelihood, remember everything eventually. The subconscious has a way of bubbling up, in dreams, in flashes of memories, in sudden spurts.
Ask anyone who has been through a severely traumatic experience, particularly if it involved another person, repeated abuse, or a weapon of some sort. You would think they could remember every detail of such a horrible event, but their memory will be very selective, such as certain sounds, turns of phrase, specific acts. This is another coping mechanism.
As to the rape, that was confirmed by the doctors, not Lynch. She has no memory of it. Again, not a surprise.
Please remember that Lynch never asked for all the hype, never asked to have false stories circulated about her, never claimed to be a hero, and would most certainly trade all this "fanfare" for the full use of her legs again.
You may think her unworthly of all the praise; that is your perogative and many would agree...but she is certainly not worthy of such scorn.
Never with you.
Are they well?
Defend against what? You haven't said anything to defend against.
Evidently I said something you found worth commenting on. Now do you have something substantive to say? Expound upon theory that men are more apt to not report it and how this relates to military personnel matters.
You said 0% of male POWs have been raped. If I were a male POW and was treated in such a matter, there's no way anyone would ever find out about it. I'd take some vigilante justice if I could. A female rape victim is seen as a victim and someone to be defended. A male rape victim would be seen as an oddity and therefore males would be less likely to admit rape. It's a credit to Lynch that she took this upon herself so that maybe those with her that were treated in the same manner (if they were) may be able to get justice if we can find those responsible as this goes on.
Thats correct. Zero percent from Gulf War I.
"If I were a male POW...."
Its bad policy to make policy based on hypotheticals. The facts reported remain...0% men, 100% women. Thats a huge gap, even if it were 1% or 10% men, its huge.
"It's a credit to Lynch that she took this upon herself so that maybe those with her that were treated in the same manner (if they were) may be able to get justice if we can find those responsible as this goes on."
My comments do not pertain to Miss Lynch except that she should not have been put in such a situation. Pentagon brass should be ashamed of themselves. I wish Miss Lynch the best.
Read my post - I have no complaints.
If what you say was more widely known, there would be a world of "upset" coming down.
No clarification was necessary ... Jessica Lynch's Bronze Star was issued "for heroism" ... just like yours.
You're positive that the Baathists wouldn't stoop to such lows?
Its bad policy to make policy based on hypotheticals.
Who's making policy? I just don't think that men would report it as often as women.
Uh huh.
Actually, for meritorious service.
Generally, thats the way these things work. People do studies, they study the facts learned within those studies, and they draw conclusions. These are Pentagon studies. Rest assured new ones are being done on Gulf War II, although whether anyone wants to run with this political football is doubtful. You can be sure of one thing though, no one examining the facts gleaned discounts them because hypothetically men may not report being raped more opten than women. Hypotheticals can't be proven and make for sloppy work.
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