[byteback]

Oh Please. A medal of honor for being captured? There are other medals that are highly regarded that more aptly fit her bravery.

[Mike Darancette]

Don't they need a witness for the MoH?

[Support Free Republic]

---

He Pledges his Allegiance to the Left
	Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD- It is in the breaking news sidebar!

[SkyPilot]

Ummmmm...no.

[spodefly]

West Virginia Supreme Court Justice Warren McGraw is sending letters to President Bush and the state's congressional representatives to encourage the awarding of the Congressional Medal of Honor to Pfc. Jessica Lynch ...

Warren: we all love her and think her story is incredible, but we are talking Purple Heart and Bronze Star here, not CMOH.

[Iwentsouth]

She is hero yes. Medal of Honor no. Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and POW Medal.

[capitan_refugio]

Purple Heart - yes - "wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy."
Bronze Star - likely - "For heroic or meritorious achievement of service, not involving aerial flight in connection with operations against an opposing armed force."
Congressional Medal of Honor - unlikely - "bestowed on those who have performed an act of such conspicuous gallantry as to rise above and beyond the call of duty"

There are only about 140 living recipients of the CMH. The threshold to be awarded the medal is extremely high. This is to take nothing away from the brave Private Lynch. She is a hero in my book. But, if one reads the citations of the previous winners, one will conclude that her actions did not meet the threshold.

[Arkinsaw]

Purple Heart, Bronze Star, POW Medal. Those are the awards she has earned unless something amazingly new comes up. Why do people want to give her something she hasn't earned? It just lessens her real actions.

[TheLooseThread]

Do we even know what happened with her? MOH?

I read the description of people who have received MOHs in the past. Jumping on a grenade to save fellow soldiers is an example.

Being a girl who fired her weapon before being captured was not listed anywhere.

[a4drvr]

Reports said Lynch fired on her attackers and fought fiercely before being captured.

I've seen that claim before, but... No one who was with her has yet been debriefed, and I don't believe she has been debriefed. (I believe the Doctors said "she may not remember details of her capture for some time".

So I ask, what "reports" and what facts are these reports based on.

I smell an attempt by some liberals and feminists to ram something through congress that is probably not deserved, particularly based on what we now know.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

You are not going to believe this.

[judgeandjury]

Reports said Lynch fired on her attackers and fought fiercely before being captured.

This is what a soldier is trained to do. Why anybody thinks that this qualifies Lynch for a Congressional Medal of Honor is beyond me.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

I was afraid of this.

The Medal of Honor should be reserved for the truly extraordinary act of valor and self-sacrifice. It is almost an insult, in my mind, to those who threw their bodies on grenades to save others to even suggest such a thing.

Ugh.

It's not Pfc. Lynch's fault - but damn, this makes me mad.

[river rat]

I have yet to hear an OFFICIAL account of what happened...
It is a bit premature to be thinking about MoH...

Semper Fi

[rightisright]

Are West Virginia Supreme Court Justices elected? And if so, is this an election year?

Just asking :-)

[Ajnin]

The last warriors I remember revieving the MOH was Sgt's Gordon and Shughart of Delta Force. Despite knowing they would surely die they went to help a wounded comrade. They knowingly and willingly gave up their lives to save a downed helo pilot. They killed numerous enemy personnel before they themsleves succumbed to their wounds. I can't even fathom how the hell they made that decision. As brave as PFC Lynch is I don't think her actions in Iraq qualifies for a MOH.

[Keith in Iowa]

The team that rescued her should get the MoH...

[Polybius]

Only one woman has ever been awarded the Medal of Honor. Mary Walker, the first American woman to be a military doctor and a prisoner of war, received the medal in 1866 for her service during the Civil War.

Mary Walker's Medal of Honor was revoked in 1917 and so were the Medals of Honor of 911 other individuals.

Great care must be taken when comparing Civil War era "Medals of Honor" with the current Medal of Honor.

Prior to the Civil War, the United States armed forces awarded no medals. During the Mexican-American War, a "certificate of merit" was established to honor those who distnguished themselves in action but no medal went with the award.

At the start of the Civil War a medal for individual valor was proposed to General-in-Chief of the Army Winfield Scott. However, Scott felt that medals smacked of European affectation and nixed the idea.

The Navy, however, established a medal of valor in December 1861. The Army followed suit with a medal of honor in July 1862 and the measure provided for awarding a medal of honor "to such noncommissioned officers and privates as shall most distinguish themselves by their gallantry in action, and other soldierlike qualities, during the present insurrection."

Therefore, during the Civil War, the "medal of honor" was the only medal that the U.S. Army handed out.

It was given out for "gallantry" with great risk to life.

It was given out for "soldierlike qualities" to individuals that never heard a shot fired in battle.

For example, in June, 1863, approximately 300 of the 864 members of the 27th Maine agree to remain to guard Washington, DC after their enlistment had expired. In return Secretary of War Edwin Stanton submitted the entire group of volunteers for Medals of Honor. Later, Medals of Honor were awarded to members of President Licoln's Funeral Guard. The Civil War era "Medal of Honor" was therefore America's first "Gedunk Medal" too.

In later years, more U.S. medals were created and a certain pecking order was established. The Medal of Honor was no longer given out like Halloween candy. It became reserved for the highest acts of bravery in the U.S. Armed Forces. For example, not a single American fighter ace in the entire European Theater was awarded the Medal of Honor. They were deemed worthy of only the Distinguished Service Cross which ranked below the Medal of Honor in the gallantry pecking order.

This change came about with America's entry into World War One when strict criteria were instituted.

During the "Medal of Honor Purge of 1917", a commission was formed to review the awards of all Civil War era Medals of Honor to determine if they met the new criteria. In all, 911 individuals had their "Medals of Honor" revoked.

The Medals of Honor handed out to the 27th Maine and Lincoln's Funeral Guard as "Gedunk Medals" were revoked.

Mary Walker's Medal of Honor was also revoked. (Feminists usually leave this part out.) However, Walker refused to turn the Medal of Honor back to the Army as requested.

So, yes, it is true that "Mary Walker, the first American woman to be a military doctor and a prisoner of war, received the medal in 1866 for her service during the Civil War". However, the Medal of Honor did not mean the same in 1866 as is does today.

Is Pfc. Lynch a hero? Yes.

Would Pfc. Lynch meet the criteria for a Civil War era Medal of Honor? Yes. Three hundred members of the 27th Maine got a Civil War era Medal of Honor simply for re-enlisting to stay in Washington, DC. Pfc. Lynch certainly did much more than that.

Does Pfc. Lynch meet the criteria for a current Medal of Honor? No.

How about a Bronze Star or maybe even a Silver Star. That is a more realistic ballpark assuming that the stories of her fighting back during the ambush are true and not media hype.

[strela]

Which brings up a related question - other than a few Purple Hearts (which have been documented elsewhere), have there been any other medals, awards, etc. handed out so far for heroism in this particular war? I've heard of almost none.

[lawgirl]

Reports said Lynch fired on her attackers and fought fiercely before being captured.

Her story needs to be corroborated first please.