Politics During Wartime

NY Times ^ | April 27, 2007 | Michael DeLong

[RDTF]

As the deputy commander at United States Central Command from 2001 to 2003, I represented the military in dealing with politicians regarding the capture and rescue of Pfc. Jessica D. Lynch in Iraq, and thus I can speak with authority about what really happened after her maintenance convoy got lost near Nasiriya in 2003 and she was taken prisoner. I feel compelled to respond to accusations that have been made in recent days by several politicians.

The initial reports from the field regarding Private Lynch stated that she had gone down fighting, had emptied her weapon and that her actions were heroic. Based on these reports, politicians from her home state, West Virginia, wanted the military to award her the Medal of Honor. Their request rose up the ladder until finally it reached me.

-snip-

when the request landed on my desk, I told the politicians that we’d need to wait. I made it clear that no one would be awarded anything until all of the evidence was reviewed.

The politicians did not like this. They called repeatedly, through their Congressional liaison, and pressured us to recommend her for the medal, even before all the evidence had been analyzed. I would not relent and we had many heated discussions.

-snip-

As it turned out, after a careful review of the facts, the military concluded that the initial reports were incorrect.

-snip-

Accusations that the military played up Private Lynch’s rescue for its own publicity purposes are also false.

-snip-

Hero-making in itself is not a bad thing. But hero-making without grounds is. In the case of Ms. Lynch, overzealous politicians and a frenzied press distorted facts. For these politicians to step forward now and accuse the military of capitalizing on the Jessica Lynch story is utter hypocrisy.

[RDTF]

Michael DeLong, a retired Marine lieutenant general, is the author, with Noah Lukeman, of “A General Speaks Out: The Truth About the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

[JimVT]

What a country.

A bunch of ragtag hippies can picket the White House, block San Francisco automobile traffic and invade legislative bodies with global warming crap without fear of retribution but....

...but a 36 year distinguished career Marine with 2 DFCs and a bunch of other medals has to retire and wait four years to get the truth out and silence the MSM and Congressional mutts.

[Thrownatbirth]

Seems a little revisionist. Didn’t the Washington Post first report the erroneous story of Jessica Lynch over Army objections?

[CharlesWayneCT]

Does anybody have quotes from the politicians at that time showing how they were calling her a hero? Especially democratic ones?

[Thrownatbirth]

Found an editorial on this subject. From Glenn Greenwald (boo!) in 4/25 Salon:

"The seminal article "reporting" the Lynch Fraud was published on April 3, 2003, from The Washington Post's Sue Schmidt and Vernon Loeb, which mindlessly and uncritically passed on one false claim after the next, beginning with this paragraph: "Pfc. Jessica Lynch, rescued Tuesday from an Iraqi hospital, fought fiercely and shot several enemy soldiers after Iraqi forces ambushed the Army's 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company, firing her weapon until she ran out of ammunition, U.S. officials said yesterday." If one's metric is accuracy, it goes downhill from there. That is the article that spawned virtually every other newspaper and network news program to repeat those lies."

[RDTF]

I wonder where they got that info in the first place

[CharlesWayneCT]

I presume the military DID say that at first. What would you expect them to say about a fallen comrade, that she cowered like a little girl in the corner?

We used to allow a little dramatic license when discussing our brave men and women who fight for our country. Apparently now it’s a crime to suggest that a person fought with honor.

[Dilbert56]

Probably leaked to the press from the same genius who gave Newsweak the Gitmo Koran-flushing lie.