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

[Poohbah]

Kindly note that the twit in question got banned.

The mods do that when they find out that someone is coming back under a new name after banishment.

[A2J]

Remember, this is the Washington Post. Every phoneme out of that source should be treated with cynicism.

Rare are the times when you and I agree, but here's a "kudo" to you.

[gridlock]

Don't say something like that on a return post to me!

I don't know A2J and I deplore his statement.

[Poohbah]

Take it easy...A2J and bimbo are just members of the FR Seagull Brigade.

[Poohbah]

Just out of morbid curiousity: are you accusing serving officers in the US Army of lying about this event?

Just give a "yes" or a "no" answer, I'm not in the mood for Clintonian tapdancing.

[mac_truck]

We need another 911 fund for the families of military casualties!

Here's one Warrior Foundation

[Marysecretary]

Why, Poohbah, you're jest a kid! One thing I always liked about servicemen was that they were respectful (at least when they were in uniform). I admire our troops more and more.

[bimbo]

Does it occur to your bimbo brain that we don't want to inadvertantly give away operational details of our SpecOps team? That doing so might endanger their lives, and reduce the capacity for doing this sort of thing in the future? In that case a simple: " We will not comment on the rescue" would suffice. It sounds like you want them to lie to you.

"bimbo brain" ? ... a nice Ad Hominem always detracts from whatever validity your arguement might have.

[Marysecretary]

We sure do get them now and then. They don't last long, though, do they? Heh heh.

[A2J]

Just out of morbid curiousity: are you accusing serving officers in the US Army of lying about this event?

No.

But I do question the reporter who wrote the story.

Shouldn't you?

[Poohbah]

bimbo posted the following:

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

And you repled:

Bingo!

Who says propaganda is only an Iraqi characteristic?

I asked:

Just out of morbid curiousity: are you accusing serving officers in the US Army of lying about this event?

And you replied:

No.

Thank you for revealing yourself to be less than honest.

[bimbo]

Your comments fit your screen name well.

mama, is that your whole argument - my screen name? ... Do you have any comment besides your little Ad Hominem?

[Poohbah]

Let me ask you this question:

Are you accusing serving US Army officers of lying, and of seeking to suborn lies from PFC Lynch?

Please answer "yes" or "no."

[FreedomPoster]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/883729/posts?page=106#106

[bimbo]

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

... Good Point!
Many people NEED to have this girl be a larger-than-life heroine, and they will accept any lie to that end. I just want to hear the unvarnished truth.

[FreedomPoster]

You picked the username, not me.

[Poohbah]

One more time: are you accusing serving US Army officers of lying, or suborning false statements from PFC Lynch?

[Poohbah]

Notice the deafening silence?