Jessica Lynch condemns Pentagon

BBC ^ | Friday, 7 November, 2003, 18:11 GMT | BBC

[KQQL]

US woman soldier who shot to fame after being taken prisoner during the Iraq war has accused the military of using her for propaganda purposes.

A video of US commandos carrying a badly injured Private Jessica Lynch from a Nasiriya hospital was released at the height of the conflict.

But the 20-year-old criticised the release of false information about her capture by Iraqi forces.

She also said there was no reason for her rescue to be filmed.

In her first interview about what happened to her, the former prisoner-of-war told ABC television that medical reports indicated that she had been raped.

They used me as a way to symbolise all this stuff. It's wrong.

She said she had no recollection of the attack. "Even just the thinking about that, that's too painful," she told interviewer Diane Sawyer.

Miss Lynch, who was serving as an Army supply clerk, suffered broken bones and other injuries when her convoy was ambushed after taking a wrong turn near the Iraqi town of Nasiriya on 23 March.

The Pentagon initially put out the story that Private Lynch - a slight woman who was just 19 at the time - had been wounded by Iraqi gunfire but had kept fighting until her ammunition ran out.

But she told Sawyer that she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that her gun had jammed during the chaos.

"I'm not about to take credit for something I didn't do," she said.

"I did not shoot - not a round, nothing. I went down praying to my knees - that's the last thing I remember."

Initial reports also suggested that Miss Lynch had been abused after she came round in the hospital. She says that again was untrue - there was no mistreatment, and one nurse used to sing to her.

She said she was grateful to the American special forces team which rescued her but, asked whether the Pentagon's subsequent portrayal of her rescue bothered her, she said: "Yes, it does. They used me as a way to symbolise all this stuff. It's wrong."

Injuries

Miss Lynch was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Prisoner of War medals while still in hospital in Washington DC.

Months later, she is receiving treatment for her extensive injuries.

Earlier this week, it emerged that medical evidence suggested that Miss Lynch had been raped during her capture.

The assault was revealed in extracts from Miss Lynch's authorised biography - I am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story - to be released by publisher Alfred A Knopf on Tuesday.

[pepperhead]

Maybe should do the right thing, if she didn't do anything to earn one of her medals she should give it back.

[Iwo Jima]

Jessica really did need saving. She have grievous injuries which the Iraqi doctors, despite their best efforts, could not treat. They were getting ready to amputate her leg/legs due to fear that gangrene would set in. Mohammed really did save her life, but not because she was being tortured --which Jessica made clear she was not. She would likely have died from her injuries had Mohammed not done what he did so that our guys could do what they did.

I'm confused by what you refer to as my "argument." It's not my argument, it's Jessica's words and that of her three Iraqi doctors. Why do you disbelieve them?

[Fighting Irish]

Didn't this girl get a Medal for her bravery?

If so......then get it back.

[MizSterious]

Why do you disbelieve the lawyer? Jessica also admits she doesn't remember everything. It's my understanding that this is common with people who have been physically traumatized.

[TrueBeliever9]

You got that right!

[submarinerswife]

Grip gotten a hold of here Dr. Dog.
Now it's time for you to get one too. How could you possibly justify your "respect" for this girl unless you are looking at this situation like a touchy feeely shallow LIB? Would you garner the same amount of "respect" for a homely pimple face male from Oklahoma who went through the same ordeal? Oh wait, lets be sure to include the slamming of the military too. (I have a feeling that slamming the military is a major factor in your respect standard)

[VOA]

bump

[winker]

HER 15 MINUTES OF FAME IS JUST ABOUT UP!

[InvisibleChurch]

i forget, do i like her or dislike her this week?

[Wondervixen]

>>She's becoming something of a backstabbing shrew in the Hillary! style and America is being VERY put off by her.

Sweet, innocent, naive girl from WVA meets SOB, c*cksucking, mother trampling leftwing media swarming to "get her story out" (the way they drool over telling it) is more like it.

Comeonnnnn, who BETTER to use for your communistic propaganda than a doe in the headlights from WV? These bastards couldn't care less that they're using her. She'll be old news to them in a year and they'll have made their nickel off her and gotten all the milage out of their "propaganda princess" they can get.

[HairOfTheDog]

You don't know anything about me. Nothing. And you haven't bothered to find out before saying this. You haven't even bothered to click my profile.

My history... and history of supporting the troops ~and~ this war ~and~ this president is very public here. I just know that there are some here on FR who cannot and will not be pleased if a woman in the military gets even the respect an American who served on our side should get.

Your 'feeling' that slamming the military goes over big with me shows really bad perception about people, and I keep that in mind in how you assess her.

[Iwo Jima]

Jessica has said that she remembers everything from the time that she awoke in the hospital three (?) hours after she was injured. She states flat out that what Muhammed said did not happened. She had very good things to say about how she was treated in the hsopital. The big problem was that they had such crude facilities and lacked supplies/drugs (and maybe skill).

Mohammed lied. Maybe he did so because he knew that Jessica would die from her injuries if she did not get U.S. medical care so he decided to paint a picture that he thought would prompt our troops to rescue her. Maybe he wanted to be seen as a bigger hero than he was so that he and his family could come to this country and he could get a cushy job and a book deal. Who knows.

[VOA]

There was a soldier that during that ambush, took out a mortar nest and shot several
Iraqis to save the lives of the "other POW's" that day

That would be Patrick Miller. One of the better threads on him is at this URL
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1013102/posts

The archive of threads on Miller can be accessed by using patrickmiller as the
keyword search term on the "latest posts" page.

[FITZ]

thought the media was the one who made the story of her capture up

That's true --- and if it's publicity and a lot of money she's after, high book sales she wants --- then saying what the media wants to hear would be worth her while. I liked her better when I thought she and her family just wanted to be left alone and get on with their private lives. If she wants to be a famous celebrity of some kind writing books and all the rest ---- then she should be prepared for criticism too.

[Wondervixen]

ping!

[LouD]

Who do you think brings the supplies to the men with combat MOS's

Absolutely irrelevant to my point, which was that an E-3 supply clerk is not in the loop regarding strategic decisionmaking, nor is she equipped by training, education, position, or knowledge to evaluate or criticize the decisions of those who planned the rescue mission.

From the article: She also said there was no reason for her rescue to be filmed.

How the hell does she know? Is she making a judgement based upon her vast knowledge of Special Operations? Her in-depth military experience? Or her obvious intellect, as evidenced by her choice of CAT-3 ASVAB score MOS?

[nmh]

"I am pretty disapointed with this little hollywood darling. She needs to sell a book, get ratings for the interview and movie and what better way to do it then to be indignant towards the fact that the military taped her rescue?"

Not only is she a living *itch and won't thank who saved her life, the Iraqi lawyer but now she has the brass ones to hurl hatred at the govenment who orchestrated her rescue.

I also find it amusing that here she is, the rescued *itch who now wants to CAPITALIZE on her rescue. Talk about a STUPID, selfish HYPOCRITE!

Truthfully, we shouldn't have rescued her.

[mass55th]

"Who had as much business being placed in a combat zone as a pig being taken to church."

Bill took Hillary to church...does that count?

[FITZ]

You're right --- it's her choice --- if she prefers being in the limelight --- then I hope she's prepared for what all goes with it.