Rescued U.S. soldier put up fierce fight - Wash Post

Reuters | 4/03/03

[kattracks]

Rescued U.S. soldier put up fierce fight - Wash Post

WASHINGTON, April 3 (Reuters) - Rescued U.S. soldier Jessica Lynch shot several Iraqi soldiers prior to her capture, firing her weapon until she ran out of ammunition, The Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing U.S. officials.

The 19-year-old Private First Class continued firing at the Iraqis even after she sustained multiple gunshot wounds and watched several other soldiers in her unit die around her, one official told the newspaper.

"She was fighting to the death," the official was quoted as saying. "She did not want to be taken alive."

Lynch arrived in Germany early on Thursday for treatment at an American military hospital. She was held as a prisoner of war by Iraq for more than a week until U.S. special forces freed her on Tuesday.

Lynch, who has two broken legs and one broken arm, was with a U.S. Army maintenance convoy ambushed by Iraqi forces on March 23 in the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya.

One official said Lynch was stabbed when Iraqi forces closed in on her position, the newspaper said.

U.S. defense officials said they were aware of the report, but could not immediately confirm the details of Lynch's capture.

Officials told the newspaper that the precise sequence of events was still being determined and further information would emerge as Lynch is debriefed.

The report said the information about Lynch's ordeal was based on battlefield intelligence which officials said came from monitored communications and from Iraqi sources in whose reliability has yet to be assessed.

Lynch, from Palestine, West Virginia, arrived at the U.S. Ramstein air base in southwestern Germany early on Thursday aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane.

The special forces also recovered the bodies of two U.S. soldiers in the raid at the Saddam Hospital north of the Euphrates river which runs through Nassiriya.

Lynch was one of 15 soldiers listed missing, captured or killed when a 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company convoy made a wrong turn and came under attack from Iraqi tanks and fighters.

Five of the captives, but not Lynch, were shown on Iraqi television as well as the bloodied bodies of up to eight men, prompting President George W. Bush to warn that anybody mistreating U.S. prisoners would be punished as "war criminals.

04/03/03 05:57 ET

[johnb838]

instead, it looks like she took down a fair number of the cowards who attacked her unit.

Possibly saving the lives of some of her fellows? Who knows. She now reminds me of my cousin Rita, a sweet little daddys girl who could kick the tar out of either of my other cousins, or most of the boys in town.

[Marysecretary]

that's funny. My husband said he would have signed up too, and he's 68 soon. M

[Poohbah]

I'm only 37...but I work with sailors and Marines, and I'm starting to get the earnest "Yes, sir, Mr. Poohbah" responses that I reserved for the old geezers when I was 19 years old and invincible.

[johnb838]

She may not turn out to be a 'real' hero if she's conservative, as she likely is given where she's from. You know, like Estrada isn't 'really' Hispanic, and Powell & Rice aren't 'really' black.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Gosh, should we take you on your word that you served time "in a combat zone" (conspicuously, you don't say that you were in combat, just in the zone)? Applying the standards of all who have smeared and denigrated the efforts of this fine young soldier, I'll say that I need independent confirmation of your claims of prior service.

[johnb838]

Ignatius Reilly, it's YOU!

[johnb838]

Does she WANT to be a teacher? Or is this political crap? Does WV give ANY person wishing to be a teacher a free ride? Wouldn't surprise me. This sounds fishy.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Here is another.

[MizSterious]

Thank you for the ping. I was unaware that any of this was going on. There are some people that should be ashamed of themselves--and it appears that a few are Freepers. Very sad, indeed.

[William Terrell]

Ignatius Reilly, it's YOU!

Huh?

[William Terrell]

Running short of justification for your liberal/socialist policies?

[hchutch]

"Oh, but if we had but ten thousand of those men who do no work to-day!"

[A2J]

Translation: “We are still concocting this story for maximum heroism, and Lynch still doesn’t have it straight.”

Bingo!

Who says propaganda is only an Iraqi characteristic?

[A2J]

Bingo! That's why I cc'd the AM's.

Just because someone questions the report of the young lady's ordeal and alleged heroism without substantiation, you "cc'd" the moderators?

Is the tin from which your heroes are fashioned so thin that such a question bothers you?

[Chancellor Palpatine]

No, not at all - just applying the standards that you apply to Ms. Lynch to your claims of service in a combat zone. I think I'll wait to see more proof before I give them credence.

Normally I'd give you the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise, but since you are a complete unknown and made your point earlier about what we can and should believe, I'll assume you're just another couch warrior.

[A2J]

Of course she is injured and may not recover sufficiently to be on active duty, but if she does recover, does she still go straight into civilian life after this?

Or, by the posts of some here, does she just ascend to heaven and sit next to Jesus?

[A2J]

after all, she was in a HOSPITAL, being cared for by a pharmacist.

Excellent point.

Considering how the Iraqi cared enough to risk his life to inform the U.S. special ops of her location, you would think that he would have slipped her a little food and water.