|
|
|
 |
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
|
Posted on 04/13/2003 8:14:56 AM PDT by kattracks
Dr.: Lynch to Be Hospitalized for Weeks
By LARRY MARGASAK .c The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - Rescued POW Jessica Lynch will stay at the Army's premier medical facility for at least a few weeks and, like others there who were wounded in Iraq, will have mental and emotional evaluations, the medical center chief said Sunday.
``She seems to be in good spirits,'' said Major Gen. Kevin Kiley, a physician, commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
The 19-year-old private first class and some four dozen other wounded soldiers arrived Saturday in the United States after leaving a hospital in Germany. She was admitted to the Washington medical facility in satisfactory condition.
Kiley said that when he told Lynch that he was glad to have her at Walter Reed, she said: ``I'm glad to be here, too, sir.''
Lynch, from Palestine, W.Va., was rescued from an Iraqi hospital by U.S. forces in a daring commando raid April 1. She was treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for a head wound, a spinal injury, fractures to her right arm, both legs, and her right foot and ankle. Gunshots may have caused open fractures on her upper right arm and lower left leg, according to the hospital.
Kiley would not elaborate on her injuries or how they occurred. Asked when she might be released, Kiley said, ``I will assume that it will at least be a few weeks.''
Lynch is staying in the same ward as almost all the other soldiers injured in Iraq who are recuperating at Walter Reed. Kiley said 46 service members wounded in Iraq are being treated at Walter Reed.
He would not say whether Lynch is aware of the media attention surrounding her capture and rescue. He said she has a television set by her bed, but he was not sure if she has watched any television coverage of the war.
He said there are specific procedures for treating prisoners of war, and Lynch along with other POWs would go through the standard decompression process to speed their recovery.
All soldiers admitted into the medical center for battle wounds have an initial evaluation for their emotional and mental states. ``Private Lynch is undergoing the same evaluation,'' Kline said.
Seven missing U.S. troops were found Sunday in Iraq, said Army Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of the war effort, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. The rescued personnel were said to be in good shape, but two had gunshot wounds, military officials said.
Lynch and her family said in a statement that they were ``rejoicing over the news of the safe return of seven brave heroes.''
``To the families of these great troops, we'd like to offer you our assurances that they will receive the best care imaginable. To the media, we hope you'll be as supportive and respectful to these GIs' privacy as you have to ours.
``And, most of all, to America's great sons and daughters who continue the fight around the world, we'd like you to know your country's support for you will not waver.''
Lynch, an Army supply clerk, was captured March 23 after her 507th Maintenance Company convoy was ambushed in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah. She was rescued from an Iraqi hospital in that city by U.S. commandos, reportedly after a tip from an Iraqi lawyer.
When U.S. commandos staged their daring rescue in Nasiriyah, they found a frightened woman who hid under a sheet when they stormed into her hospital room.
Nine other members of the 507th Maintenance Company were killed in the ambush and were posthumously awarded Purple Hearts.
04/13/03 11:10 EDT
|
|
|
|
|
FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
|
|
It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
|
I would request that the Doctor put in the chart notes: "Steady diet of FOX news. Absolutely NO CNN."
Not sure I'm following you here, c.
PFC Lynch's family seems to be warmhearted and I noticed they (the father and son) have a very dry sense of humor. Hopefully Jessica is the type to sort things out logically which would speed up her emotional recovery.
I'm SO thrilled other POW's have been found! Wow!
Laughing out loud?
If you can explain where you find the humor in any of that, please let me know. It escapes me.
This could also be because of her spine injury. Surgeons did spine surgery before other surgeries for her broken bones.
The Lynch family doesn't seem to be seeking publicity ---I wonder if they'd rather be just left alone. People sometimes act like celebrity status is some kind of privilege ---I know for myself, I wouldn't want it. The lucky ones are those who don't have cameras going after them all the time.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.