Rescued POW Put Up Fierce Fight

CBSNews.com ^ | April 3, 2003 | CBS

[rockinonritalin]

The 19-year-old Army supply clerk rescued in Iraq shot several Iraqi soldiers during the March 23 ambush that resulted in her capture, newspaper reported Thursday. She kept firing even after she had several gunshot wounds, finally running out of ammunition, the newspaper said, citing unidentified U.S. officials.

Spirited but hungry, Pfc. Jessica Lynch arrived in Germany for treatment of two broken legs and bullet wounds reportedly suffered in a fierce gun battle she waged against her Iraqi captors.

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

"Talk about spunk!" said Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., who was briefed by military officials on the rescue.

Pentagon officials and family members contacted late Wednesday declined comment on the report.

Lynch's daring nighttime rescue used virtually every asset the U.S. had, reports CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan, from a battalion of Marines who drew fire as a decoy to U.S. Special Forces, who ran through a hail of gunfire for a stranger — not once, but twice.

"There were fire fights outside of the building, getting in and getting out," said Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks at Central Command in Doha.

The former POW left Iraq on a stretcher with an American flag folded across her chest, and arrived at a U.S. air base in Germany late Wednesday for treatment at the U.S. military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. She was the only patient aboard the 10-hour flight, reports CBS News Correspondent Stephan Kaufman at Landstuhl.

From Germany, she spoke with her family at their home in Palestine, W.Va., in a 15-minute telephone call.

"She's real spirited. She hasn't eaten in eight days and she's hungry," said her father, Greg Lynch. "She wants some food."

Randy Coleman, a military spokesman in West Virginia, said Lynch had fractures in both legs, and her family said she also injured her arm. U.S. officials in Kuwait said earlier she had two broken legs, a broken arm and at least one gunshot wound.

According to the Post account, she was also stabbed when Iraqi forces closed in on her.

Landstuhl spokesman Capt. Norris Jones would not comment on Lynch's injuries other than to say she was in stable condition.

"She's weak, she knows she's injured and they're doing the best that they can to get her so she can travel," said her brother Greg Lynch Jr. Her father said she will be transferred to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington as soon as possible.

However, it may be some time before she is reunited with her family, since soldiers taken prisoner often need time to "decompress" and meet with medical and psychological experts.

The U.S. forces who rescued her also found 11 corpses — some believed to be Americans — in and around Saddam Hospital, and the military was trying to determine whether any of them were captured members of her unit.

Lynch and as many as 12 other members of the 507th Maintenance Company were captured after making a wrong turn in Nasariyah. She watched several soldiers in her unit die in the ambush, the Post reported.

Not long after the fighting, five of Lynch's fellow soldiers showed up in Iraqi television footage being asked questions by their captors. The video also showed bodies, apparently of U.S. soldiers, leading the Pentagon to accuse Iraq of executing some POWs.

Lynch joined the Army after graduating from high school in 2001. Her brother Greg enlisted the same day. Her 18-year-old sister Brandi will report for duty in August.

"I still want to do it even more. It's the Lynch blood," Brandi Lynch said.

To help Lynch reach her goal of becoming a kindergarten teacher, West Virginia and Marshall universities and Liberty College in Lynchburg, Va., offered her competing packages Wednesday.

And West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise said the state would finance Lynch's education at a state public college or university of her choosing.

"She wants to become a teacher, and we are going to see that she becomes one," he said after visiting the Lynch family at home.

[ewing]

If that ain't the face of a hero, I don't know what is..

[HairOfTheDog]

I have no reason to doubt that *if* she is awarded a medal or public award, it will be because it was investigated and she was deemed worthy. Why are you stating the obvious? Of course. A military medal has nothing to do with people praising her here.

I hope she and the guys who went in to get her, and the guys that were lost in the fight all receive consideration for their effort and their performance under fire.

The heros who went in to get her will at least not have to deal with naysayers who start out believing them unworthy of anything. After all, they are guys. We can assume they are the best.

You hope she doesn't measure up to the standard for recognition, because you don't want her as proof that women can measure up. I hope she does measure up because I hope all the troops over there measure up when pressed. Because I support them.

[A2J]

A2J is already denigrating her to the level of just another GI.

So why are you inferring that "just another GI" is any less worthy of praise and honor than Lynch?

I've done quite the opposite by establishing that Lynch is no different than "just another GI."

How is that "denigrating" her?

[MineralMan]

"I believe that if the military honors Lynch with more than the other soldiers who were sent home with Purple Hearts for being injured in battle, it should ilicit a strong response from conservatives because it would be a decision made along what is PC and not what is truth."

And I believe that you were not there, and do not know whether this young soldier deserves more than the Purple Heart. Since you were not there, your opinion is noted, but disregarded. If she is awarded some other medal, then it will be because the military decided she deserved it. You will still not have been there, and have no input into any citation she may or may not receive.

Had you been there, your opinion would be of some value. Since you were not, it is of no value whatever, since you know no more than any of the rest of us about what happened that day.

[bandleader]

She sounds to me as if she's a regular"Molly Pitcher"!God Bless Her and Her Family and The United States of America!!!

[MineralMan]

"I've done quite the opposite by establishing that Lynch is no different than "just another GI."

You have established nothing whatever, except that you are eager to dismiss the very real possibility that this young soldier may have exceeded what is expected of that ordinary GI.

I don't know what happened there, and I'm quite certain you do not. In another message, you state clearly that she does not deserve any more than a Purple Heart. You do not know that, since you were not there.

I do not know, either. Unlike you, however, I'm willing to wait until the military decides. I don't discount the possibility that PFC Lynch might well have shown heroism in that battle.

You apparently have already decided.

[fatrat]

exactly, and that is the way it should be. if jessica had immediatley thrown down her weapon and put her hands in the air, she could have been called a coward. the fact that she resisted by firing her weapon at the enemy takes her to a level above that but there are people here advocating the congressional medal of honor. there are several steps between being a coward and a superhero. Jessica may be deserving of some sort of medal, possibly even the medal of honor, but the facts so far reported "fired her weapon until she was out of ammo" do not justify anything above the level of a bronze star, assuming that the facts are as reported.

[A2J]

What evidence do you have that she has made any claims at all.

Where else could the story have come from? Was it the embedded journalist? The special ops crew that rescued her? Her dead comrades?

Someone put out this story and, considering she was alone and alive when rescued, who else could have said anything?

[CyberAnt]

And ... she won't be teaching them how protest war

And ... she won't be teaching them GOD doesn't exist

And ... she won't be teaching them how bad America is

I hope Mel Gibson does this story. If the leftists get to put their spin on it - it will be totally distorted. The family needs to demand editorial license - AND payment from GROSS RECEIPTS and not profits.

[Cyber Liberty]

I hereby nominate you for the quote and post of the day!

Well, I dunno. We'll let RJJ take a lookie....

Link.

[MineralMan]

"Someone put out this story and, considering she was alone and alive when rescued, who else could have said anything?"

She has, no doubt, been debriefed, and has said what happened. That does not consitute a claim on her part. She related the circumstances. The word "claim" is the wrong one to use here.

Of course the story came from her. How it has been reported is another matter. I'm sure she didn't tell any reporters, so it must have been some military spokesperson who passed the information to the press. What they did with it is anyone's guess.

I doubt that she has "claimed" anything. She was questioned about what happened, and I assume she told what happened.

[A2J]

However, even the Bronze Star is awarded for valor. I don't think there is any doubt of this young soldier's valor, do you?

Only if those who went home injured or in coffins receive it, as well.

Nothing more, nothing less.

[bandleader]

I agree!I wonder if he will be in full KKK regalia??

[pyx]

Even if she did all that is claimed, she would only be a soldier, not a hero.

(Don't get me wrong, I'm glad we're kickin' major Iraqi ass and I'm pleased Pfc. Lynch is now safe... HOWEVER...< sarcasm mode on >) How dare you suggest that Pfc. Lynch is just a regular soldier ! Give the newspapers a couple of more weeks. Why, we'll be reading how Pfc. Lynch singlehandedly took out an Iraqi machinegun nest armed only with a penknife ! Don't you know that when it suits us, we should actually believe what the Washington comPost prints ?
After all, the Washington comPost has never lied to us before and what possible agenda could the orginator of this story about Lynch have other than motives pure as Christmas snow ?
You'd better don your asbestos longjohns. The ballbusting feminists on FR will be out for blood if anyone asks questions about this rescue such as, Why was an entire Marine battalion used as a decoy aling with an entire Navy SEAL team and an entire Army CAG team used to rescue one Pfc female POW. And should we expect the same resources to be used for say the black woman who is now a POW ? And if not, why not ? And should we expect the same expenditure of resources for a male POW who is a Pfc ?

[A2J]

You hope she doesn't measure up to the standard for recognition, because you don't want her as proof that women can measure up.

Anyone who has seen a woman give natural birth to her five children, as I have done, know that woman can "measure up" when it comes to enduring pain.

However, there is much recent and needed discussion as to whether women should be in combat situations and I'm concerned that this story, which is questionable as to its veracity, is going to be used to substantiate the claims of liberals and the PC crowd.

Are you a member of one of those groups?

[MineralMan]

"Why was an entire Marine battalion used as a decoy aling with an entire Navy SEAL team and an entire Army CAG team used to rescue one Pfc female POW. And should we expect the same resources to be used for say the black woman who is now a POW ? "

Because we take care of our own, pyx. When it was discovered that an American POW was alive and where she was located, we went in and got her. If we find out where the others are located, we will no doubt go in and get them as well.

Since you were not there, you do not know what happened. Yet you seem perfectly willing to make assumptions, and to let us know that you're not going to believe anything you hear about this soldier in the future. Never mind.

[HairOfTheDog]

Why was an entire Marine battalion used as a decoy aling with an entire Navy SEAL team and an entire Army CAG team used to rescue one Pfc female POW. And should we expect the same resources to be used for say the black woman who is now a POW ? And if not, why not ? And should we expect the same expenditure of resources for a male POW who is a Pfc ?

The report was that they were there to get the "chemical Ali" guy, and they received a tip - a written note - about the location of a POW that was alive, and maybe others, so they went.

I think they would have gone in to get any of our own that we could locate. Yes.

[A2J]

Since you were not, it is of no value whatever, since you know no more than any of the rest of us about what happened that day.

Since you were also not there, then why should your opinion count more than mine?

[MineralMan]

"Since you were also not there, then why should your opinion count more than mine?"

But, you see, I have not formed an opinion. I do not know what happened there, nor whether this soldier exhibited heroism at not. I do not dismiss the possibility.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Your social agenda is crap, and is now out the window. Completely.