Posted on 04/25/2007 5:48:58 AM PDT by Kaslin
TODAY, THE HOUSE Committee on Oversight and Government Reform chaired by Henry Waxman (D-CA) conducted a hearing into "misleading military statements" that followed the death of Pat Tillman and the ordeal of Jessica Lynch. I cannot speak of the Pat Tillman incident, but I can speak to the story of Jessica Lynch.
I spent more than two years of my life studying the battle of An Nasiriyah. I read thousands of pages of government reports and personally interviewed nearly one-hundred of the participants of the battle, including four survivors of the 507th Maintenance Company's ambush, several Marines who came upon the scene of the ambush, a young Marine who worked in the regimental intelligence shop and was responsible for the safekeeping of Jessica's personal effects, and several of the soldiers, sailors, and Marines who were actually involved in her rescue. The results of my research were published last year in Marines in the Garden of Eden.
Following her rescue, unsubstantiated reports abounded, the media made a variety of assertions: Jessica Lynch was a pretty teenage girl who had been subjected to the ravages of an unjust war. She had been sent into battle with inadequate equipment and protection. After taking a wrong turn, Iraqis feigning surrender had ambushed her unit. Yet, she bravely fought off the enemy until she could resist no longer. Because of the incompetence of the leadership in Washington, D.C., she had been taken prisoner by evil Iraqis who did unspeakable things to her.
This was the type of story that had "legs." Every news producer in America salivated when they read the first copy. They knew that their ratings would skyrocket when the story of this fragile American girl was told. This was the type of story that would go down in history. There was only one problem--most of the story wasn't true.
The 507th Maintenance Company didn't simply make a wrong turn. Iraqis did not feign surrender. Lynch's unit had machine guns, rocket and grenade launchers and, while their M-16s were old, the reason most failed was that they were improperly maintained.
America's news media did not seem to care. They repeatedly ran every story they could about America's new princess-prisoner. At the same time, the U.S. military was trying to play down the story. They knew Jessica was being held captive and they immediately started plans for her rescue. Many Iraqis had come to Marines and embedded reporters to tell of a female soldier being held captive in a Nasiriyah hospital. Kerry Sanders of NBC was asked to not speak of Jessica's captivity. The commanders in the field feared that if word leaked of her captivity, she would be moved, or worse, before they could get to her.
Here is what really happened in Nasiriyah:
At midnight on March 22/23, the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Marine Regiment was preparing to move into Nasiriyah to secure the bridges over the Euphrates River and the Saddam Canal. They had stopped for a short rest only hours earlier at the intersection of Highway 1 (a major Iraqi highway) and a small two-lane road. This Cloverleaf was a modern freeway intersection with on and off ramps to/from the six-lane highway.
South of Nasiriyah, the U.S. Army was using Highway 1 as its ONLY supply route through Southern Iraq. Several Marines described the Highway as looking like I-95 on a Friday evening. The thoroughfare was jammed with thousands of supply vehicles. To the Marines' amazement, the Army vehicles all had their headlights on. In the Iraqi night, a stream of American vehicles could be seen off to the horizon.
The 507th Maintenance Company commander had accurate maps, a computer disk with his orders and more maps, and a handheld GPS device. He could plainly see the convoy on Highway 1. The 507th Maintenance Company was behind schedule and, by the time they reached the Cloverleaf, the Marines were moving up the two-lane road to assume their attack positions. The Marines were hoping for capitulation but expecting a fight.
Lynch's company commander led his vehicles through the intersection and raced past the heavily-armed Marine mechanized infantry battalion. He led his company up the deserted road, over a railroad bridge, which was defended by a company of dug-in Iraqi tanks, through an Iraqi military checkpoint, over the Euphrates River Bridge, through a four-kilometer stretch of the inner city of An Nasiriyah, over the Saddam Canal Bridge, through the northern outskirts of the city, past an abandoned military headquarters, and then past the operational military headquarters. Finally, he decided to turn around.
On his trip north, he had awakened every Iraqi with a gun. At that point, the sun was just starting to rise. The 507th's flight to safety was fraught with gunfire. The company commander got lost again and as his beleaguered convoy was forced to turn around a second time. The vehicle that Brandon Sloan and Sergeant Donald Walters were riding in got stuck in the sand. Sloan jumped from the vehicle into another truck; Walters began to lay down covering fire as his comrades turned their vehicles and fled to safety. In the confusion, Walters was left fifteen miles behind enemy lines.
Sergeant Donald Walters was the Real Hero
Walters resisted for as long as he could. He probably "fought to his last bullet." He was captured alive and taken to an Iraqi stronghold and later murdered. When I last spoke to my source, a criminal investigation was still under way. Our government was helping the Iraqis collect evidence against Walters' murderers in an ongoing effort to bring them to justice.
Meanwhile, the rapidly shrinking convoy raced south. Several kilometers south of the Euphrates River, Shoshana Johnson's flatbed semi-tractor trailer jackknifed and Lori Piestewa could not react fast enough. Her Humvee slammed into the rear of the jackknifed truck, instantly killing the company First Sergeant, Robert Dowdy. Lynch and the other two occupants in the trucks' bed (George Buggs and Edward Anguiano) were tossed about like rag dolls, and Piestewa was critically injured. She and Lynch were pulled from the vehicle and taken to the Tykar Military Hospital, which was only a kilometer or two from the scene of the crash. Piestewa succumbed to her wounds soon thereafter, leaving Lynch alone and near death.
As Jessica lay bleeding in the Iraqi hospital, the Marines were moving up the road to secure the same two bridges the 507th had first blundered over then fled back across. When the first Marine vehicles crested the Euphrates River Bridge, all hell broke lose. The Marines of 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment became heavily engaged with an ever-increasing enemy. They battled the Iraqis for the rest of the day, losing eighteen Marines during the fight. The battle was chaotic and communications were terrible. The Regimental and Brigade headquarters had extreme difficulty keeping up with the number of Marine casualties. At one point during the fighting, the Commanding General and the Regimental Commander thought that over one hundred Marines had been lost. By sunset, the Marines had achieved their objectives. The two bridges were in their control and still standing. There was little time to check on the 507th casualties and vehicles. The Marines had their hands full with sorting out their own casualty count.
During the battle, the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marine Regiment had moved up behind 1/2 to secure the southern bridge over the Euphrates River. They were involved in skirmishes with the enemy all night and by morning Iraqi civilians were venturing up on the bridge to tell the Marines of a young female soldier being held captive in Nasiriyah's hospital. The Tykar military hospital was within eyesight of the bridge, just south of the river. So, the Marines turned their attention toward the hospital.
Shortly after sunrise, an Iraqi in a white lab coat came out of the hospital and asked to speak with the American commander. He gave 2/8's Fox Company commander a letter, which he said was from the head of the hospital. He told the Marine captain that they were treating patients and wanted nothing to do with the fight. As the morning progressed, more and more civilians came up to the Marines to tell them about Jessica's captivity.
Finally, a Marine infantry company was sent to search the hospital. As they approached, gunfire erupted. The hospital was an armed camp. The main buildings had sandbagged fighting positions on their roofs and fighters in nearly every window. A fighting trench completely surrounded the hospital. It took an entire Marine Infantry Battalion more than an hour to silence the Iraqi gunners and three more days to completely clear the hospital of the Iraqi fighters. As it turns out, it was Chemical Ali's headquarters, complete with hundreds of gas masks, protective chemical suits and even a torture chamber.
Some of Jessica's uniform was found in that hospital, along with pieces of other soldier's uniforms. More of Jessica's uniform and some of her personal effects were found hidden in a nearby farmhouse. Jessica had been at the Tykar Hospital, but she had been moved to the main hospital in downtown Nasiriyah sometime during the first day of fighting.
The story of the Marines' battle to secure Nasiriyah is an amazing saga that everyone should read. The battle was filled with individual acts of heroism. A Distinguished Flying Cross, two Navy Crosses, a handful of Silver Stars, and a larger handful of Bronze Stars were awarded for valor in the battle. Sergeant Donald Walters was awarded a Silver Star, as well. Donald was a sandy-haired young man. Some believe that it was an intercepted Iraqi radio report of his ordeal that was somehow attributed to Jessica Lynch, the only blonde female in the unit.
I do not recollect hearing an official military press release stating that Jessica "fought to the last bullet," but I do remember every news channel broadcasting the story day and night for at least a week. No one, absolutely no one, knew what happened to Jessica, for she was the only survivor of her vehicle and she lay close to death for a week in the Saddam Hospital in downtown Nasiriyah.
The military soon knew she was in the Saddam Hospital and quickly began planning her rescue from the center of a war-torn city. While the Special Forces planned the rescue, the 2nd Marine Regiment fought for days to secure the city. Fanatics continued to resist. At the same time, civilians continued to approach Marines and newsmen to tell of Jessica's captivity behind enemy lines.
The commanders of the rescue mission wanted no repeat of the failed attempt to rescue hostages in Iran. They would have been remiss had they not planned for every contingency. Remember, the Marines had fought a bloody battle to secure the Tykar Hospital and armed fanatics continued to roam the streets of southern Nasiriyah, attacking Marines at every opportunity.
Nasiriyah was a very dangerous place. So, a massive rescue operation was planned. If the Iraqis were setting a trap, the rescuers would be prepared. Their goal was to rescue a frightened nineteen-year-old soldier and bring her home safely. The rescue plan, diversion and all, was expertly executed. Lynch's shattered body was on a helicopter headed for much-need medical attention within seven minutes of the first American boots hitting the ground in the downtown hospital complex.
This was the first successful rescue of an American POW since WWII. It was precisely executed with not a single casualty inside the hospital, American or Iraqi. As it turns out, the last of the resistance had fled only hours before the rescue, but that doesn't change a thing. Weeks after the rescue, there were still armed Iraqis shooting at Marines. The rescue force needed to be prepared for a fight and they were. Apparently, some Iraqis complained that the rescue force yelled at them. I guess our troops should have been more polite.
It seems to me that Congressman Waxman and his committee should be investigating how the media perverted the story to build its ratings. It is appalling how little regard some of today's journalists have for the truth. CENTCOM immediately announced Jessica's rescue. It was good news. But, it was the American media that ran the 15-second video of her rescue over and over and over and over again. It was the American media that turned her rescue into a propaganda event. And they did it for the worst of reasons.
Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden. He is currently working on his next book, The Surge, which will tell of General Petraeus' attempt to win the peace in Iraq.
Even in WV, we have wonderful spas that are capable of coloring hair, cutting it very nicely and doing make up makeovers...
“Even in WV, we have wonderful spas that are capable of coloring hair, cutting it very nicely and doing make up makeovers...”
Never suggested otherwise.
If I said what I really think of Waxman, I’d be banned from this site. He’s reinvestigating all this stuff that’s already been investigated up the yin-yang - Plame, Libby, Iraq war intelligence, Lynch. These are all 100% partisan fishing expeditions, all done at taxpayer expense, and all done for the sole purpose of benefitting the Democratic Party. Hell, why doesn’t he reopen the Watergate investigation while he’s at it? I think the White House should subpoena Waxman’s emails and staff memos, play his own partisan game.
Women dont belong serving beside men in the military.
You can thank the Nags for this, as Rush calls them
So what happened to him? It seems he should have been punished for stupidity.
Great pictures of Laura Bush. She must be the prettiest First Lady since Dolly Madison.
class act of what?
His brother has drank the Code Pink/Move-on.org/Daily Kos kool-aid.
Open Letter To The American People
From the Brother Of U.S Army Ranger And Former Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman
http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/g/ccc247ee-9869-417e-ab10-fcab4bbe2d4f?comments=true#commentAnchor
Posted on Oct 19, 2006
By Kevin Tillman
Editor’s note: Kevin Tillman joined the Army with his brother Pat, (an Arizona Cardinal) in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, has written a powerful, must-read document.
It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.
Much has happened since we handed over our voice:
Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.
Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.
Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.
Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.
Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.
Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.
Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.
Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.
Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.
Somehow torture is tolerated.
Somehow lying is tolerated.
Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.
Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.
Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.
Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns
everything that it is.
Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.
Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.
Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.
Somehow this is tolerated.
Somehow nobody is accountable for this.
In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.
Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.
Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman
I don’t remember exactly, but I think he got his command taken away. Other Freepers might know more
Some of the journalists? Most of the journalists have little regard for the truth
And now the Democrats are ready to surrender.
Thanks, I have several more I need to upload to my home page
I absolutely do not understand Pat Tillman’s parents. Ok, he was killed by friendly fire. They want the truth. But to deliberately torch the legacy of their son and his legend-—who would want that for their son? If a legend had sprung up that my son was a hero, and gave inspiration to others, no matter what I knew to be the truth, I’d encourage that view.
bttt
The perfect story will be tonight's PBS airing of Bill Moyers program of how the MSM unknowingly started the war and now are trying to end it.
All Bush’s fault, of course.
Next we will see how 9/11 really didn’t happen. It was just made of TV movie.
The whole democRatic party should be investigated. Not just Henry Nostril Waxman
It seems to me no one forced him to join. He and his brother Pat volunteerd to join
I’ve been waiting for the counter coup to the 68 democrat party....for a very long time.
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