So is she a soldier or a "little girl," a "tough little cookie?"
She apparently fought bravely and hard to save her life, the same as many nameless other soldiers in Iraq have done. But patronizing her serves to puff up her circumstances beyond all objective measures.
The soldiers who launched a daring raid to save her placed their skins on the line to get it done. Do we say, "those little boys are ferocious little sweethearts"? No, we don't even know--or care--who they are. Why? Because this is considered routine for men. Yet your comment reflects an enduring wisdom, which is this: no matter how well PFC Lynch fought, no matter how bravely she endured torture, her response and circustances are unique to her and should not be allowed to make the argument that women in general should be in combat.
One should never forget that the liberal press hates this war and all the men associated with it. PFC Lynch is front-page positive news for the liberal press this morning not because she apparently shot a bunch of Iraqis (there are thousands of men who have done and are doing the same thing, and they get scant coverage let alone positive coverage) but because she is a woman and that fact sets the liberals' feminazi glands a' salivating.
Unfortunately, PFC Lynch will now become the centerpiece of a renewed feminazi strategy to place women in front-line combat positions. And many FReepers will have cheered that deadly and counterproductive result home.
I believe PFC Lynch should be honored for her amazing personal bravery and grit--as should the soldiers who rescued her. A Bronze Star, minimum. It's an inspirational, patriotic, heart-warming story for the ages. What I regret is the larger political weapon liberals are fashioning her story into with the able emotion-driven assistance of conservatives who ought to know better.