Jessica Lynch Awarded Bronze Star !

Kansas City Star ^ | 7/22/2003 | Gavin McCormick

[ex-Texan]

Jessica Lynch Awarded Bronze Star

Lynch Gets Medals Ahead of Homecoming

ELIZABETH, W.Va. - Former POW Jessica Lynch was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart in Washington Monday as she prepares for her homecoming.

Lynch, who returns to the hills of West Virigina Tuesday, also received Prisoner of War medals at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. The Bronze Star is given for meritorious combat service, a Purple Heart is most often awarded to those wounded in combat, and the POW for being held captive during wartime.

"The Purple Heart ... was not necessarily about being wounded or injured in action initially, but that's what it has come to symbolize," said Lt. Gen. James B. Peake, the Army Surgeon General, in presenting the medals. "It's a special award and not one you choose to get."

Four members of the West Virginia Army National Guard's aviation support unit in Parkersburg were chosen to staff the helicopter that she will ride home in.

"Minus all the hype, this mission is about being able to participate in the homecoming of one of our own," said Chief Warrant Officer Robert McClure, who will co-pilot the Black Hawk helicopter with Chief Warrant Officer Jim McPeak. "It's a real honor."

Lynch, still recuperating from multiple broken bones and other injuries, and her parents are scheduled to fly from the medical center to Elizabeth. The 210-mile trip should last two to three hours, depending on the weather.

Also on both legs of the flight will be Lynch's cousin, Dan Little, a first sergeant in the Parkersburg National Guard unit.

"Jessi trusts him and wanted him to be with her because he's been through most of it with her," said Wyonema Lynch, Lynch's grandmother, noting that Little traveled to Germany when Lynch was recuperating there.

Little, who has spoken twice with Lynch in the past week, said her spirits have been buoyed by her imminent trip home.

"She's a strong, disciplined young lady," Little said. "Her injuries are long healing, and that can be hard if you dwell on it. But she's not allowed that to happen."

With hundreds of news media and others descending on this Wirt County seat of about 1,000 for Lynch's first public comments about her ordeal, area residents have been painting, pruning and preening for weeks.

"We are excited just to see her, just to be able to give her hug. To Jessi, home is in the hills. She has been wanting to get here," her grandmother said.

Regina Ray of Elizabeth said she is glad Lynch is coming home "because there is no place like home to recover."

American flags and yellow bows line the route Lynch's military motorcade will take from Elizabeth to her home in Palestine, a community of about 300 residents some five miles away.

Lynch is scheduled to make a brief statement in Elizabeth before riding in a Ford Mustang convertible in the motorcade.

Lynch's convoy was ambushed near the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah after it made a wrong turn. Eleven soldiers from the convoy were killed and Lynch, a supply clerk, was severely injured.

U.S. forces recovered Lynch at a Nasiriyah hospital April 1. Five other 507th Maintenance Company soldiers who were captured and held apart from Lynch were freed April 13.

The influx of hundreds of visitors, including many journalists here to report Lynch's first public words since her March wounding, capture and rescue in Iraq, is bringing needed cash to Wirt County, which has West Virginia's highest unemployment rate - 15.1 percent.

The economic benefits dampen the annoyance many residents feel at the intense media interest in Lynch.

"They're anxious to see you come, and they'll be anxious to see you leave," said Keith Burdette, Gov. Bob Wise's legislative liaison and the county's former state senator.

Also on the flight will be the crew chief, Sgt. 1st Class Vernon Cosner of Washington, and flight medic, Sgt. Paula Tucker of Morgantown.

[SLB]

Bronze Star Medal

a. The Bronze Star Medal was established by Executive Order 9419, 4 February 1944 (superseded by Executive Order 11046, 24 August 1962).

b. The Bronze Star Medal is awarded to any person who, while serving in any capacity in or with the Army of the United States after 6 December 1941, distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service, not involving participation in aerial flight, in connection with military operations against an armed enemy; or while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing armed force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.

c. Awards may be made for acts of heroism, performed under circumstances described above, which are of lesser degree than required for the award of the Silver Star.

d. The Bronze Star Medal may be awarded for meritorious achievement or meritorious service according to the following:

(1) Awards may be made to recognize single acts of merit or meritorious service. The lesser degree than that required for the award of the Legion of Merit must nevertheless have been meritorious and accomplished with distinction.

(2) Award may be made by letter application to Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200 (enclosing documentary evidence, if possible), to each member of the Armed Forces of the United States who after 6 December 1941, has been cited in orders or awarded a certificate for exemplary conduct in ground combat against an armed enemy between 7 December 1941 and 2 September 1945, inclusive, or whose meritorious achievement has been other wise confirmed by documents executed prior to 1 July 1947. For this purpose, an award of the Combat Infantryman Badge or Combat Medical Badge is considered as a citation in orders. Documents executed since 4 August 1944 in connection with recommendations for the award of decorations of higher degree than the Bronze Star Medal will not be used as the basis for an award under this paragraph.

(3) Upon letter application, award of the Bronze Star Medal may be made to eligible soldiers who participated in the Philippine Islands Campaign between 7 December 1941 to 10 May 1942. Performance of duty must have been on the island of Luzon or the Harbor Defenses in Corregidor and Bataan. Only soldiers who were awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (Presidential Unit Citation) may be awarded this decoration. Letter application should be sent to the Commander, ARPERCEN, ATTN: DARP-VSE-A, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63132-5200.

[rabidralph]

I'm not female, however, and any female soldier should be aware that she will almost certainly be assaulted by whoever captures her.

I am female, and every day I am aware that I don't need to be in a combat zone in order to be assaulted.

[Terp]

I'm sure that most of those who are b$tching about Lynch getting a Bronze Star don't have a clue. If you see "Combat Action" the award is almost an automatic thing. Now if she had received a "Bronze Star" with a "V" which I'm sure most don't have a clue as to what that means, then they may have a b$tch. She didn't get the "V" with her award and you may ask what the differance is? Well do a google search before you open your mouth's or should I say post on FR.

[NMFXSTC]

BOTH!

[nicko]

this is correct...the two awards (the Bronze Star, and then the one with V device) are very different- the former doesn't carry all that much weight because of it's political nature- we awarded some in Somalia, but it was linked to rank- my motor sergeant, SGT Ronnie Bowers absolutely deserved a Bronze Star for his conduct in that theater- he displayed courage countless times, but I couldn't even get him an MSM- I had to settle for getting him an ARCOM, which bothered me much more than it bothered him...

[GirlShortstop]

Shoshana Johnson, the only other female POW was reported to have received a bronze star, but no description of why.

The vagueness of the awards reads to me like this:

• politics is involved, and
• "We effed up, here ya go gal".

[DH]

Like everything else today that is PC, our battlefield medals and awards are now awarded simply to increase one's SELF-ESTEEM! Now you get them if you are in a car wreck.....but only if you are a woman!

[NMFXSTC]

Right you are! To succeed and be decorated in this force all you have to do is:

- fail to maintain your weapon and don't return fire

- fail to know land nav, map and compass and basic infantry skills

- Accept an assignment to a ptrol or op that you are clearly not trained nor qualified for (and that goes particulalry for the NCOs and OIC!)

- Operate equipment you are unqualified to operate (running out of fuel, geting stuck repeatedly, and crashing the damn thing!)

- Accept the celebrity ststus bestowed (knowing it a flasehood)

- Conveniently develop "amnesia" and spend months recovering from injuries that would have placed the run of the mill troop back on duty within four to six weeks

Yep...it's an Army of One!

On panel 05-E are the names of 44 of my Brothers...there are a couple of Bronze Stars associated with that list, all "with 'V""...I am sure my Brothers are turning in their hallowed graves.

[Pern]

Accept an assignment to a ptrol or op that you are clearly not trained nor qualified for (and that goes particulalry for the NCOs and OIC!)

I wonder why the Sr. NCO/OIC wasn't brought up on charges. I've seen guys face Dereliction of Duty charges for far less minor offenses. In today's world, with GPS available, there is no excuse for getting lost.

[myrabach]

Is it so impossible for men to comprehend that we women carry the awareness of rape around with us daily? We don't need Jessica Lynch to "confess" to being raped to make all the women in the armed forces aware of this possibility!

Makes me wonder the true motives of those men calling for the detailed description of her "rape"... for the sake of forwarning all military women... when perhaps they might be getting some vicarious pleasure from the details?

[RaceBannon]

Anyone who genuinely got injured from an authentic combat wound deserves the PH, you especially.

Corpsmen Rock!

USMC 77-81

[GreatOne]

I hope she has enough honor and courage to not accept the award, or to give to one of her fallen comrades posthumously at the very least. This PC/feminazi crap is really pissing me off these days. It gives credence to Rumsfeld's total disregard of the top-ranking generals, who were all appointed by the former scumbag-occupier of the White House, and who share their destructive philosophy.

[jaykay]

- fail to maintain your weapon and don't return fire

Some members of the 507th who have broken their silence say they were given improper lubricant for desert conditions. The mother of one of the KIA from the ambush said he had writen home requesting spaghetti noodles to clean his M16. Is it their fault they weren't provided proper maintenance materials?

- fail to know land nav, map and compass and basic infantry skills

The Army is at fault for failing to teach these.

- Accept an assignment to a ptrol or op that you are clearly not trained nor qualified for (and that goes particulalry for the NCOs and OIC!)

Do they have the option of refusing their orders?

- Operate equipment you are unqualified to operate (running out of fuel, geting stuck repeatedly, and crashing the damn thing!)

Again, Army's responsibility to train soldiers to operate that equipment and to make sure they are qualified before ordering them to war with it.

- Accept the celebrity ststus bestowed (knowing it a flasehood)

From what I can tell, Lynch has avoided celebrity status like plague.

- Conveniently develop "amnesia" and spend months recovering from injuries that would have placed the run of the mill troop back on duty within four to six weeks

Have you seen the reports of how extensive her injuries are? she may never walk without a walker or crutches.

You seem to be taking out frustration at political manipulation of military policies out on the soldier(s).

[twowilliam]

This almost makes me want to return my Bronze Star Medal
earned during WW11. The certificate with it reads "for meritorious achievement in ground operations against the enemy". Then you had to do something...now, it appears
that you just have to be there. Oh well, that's life.

[yonif]

distinguished himself or herself by heroic or meritorious achievement or service,

Wouldn't it be heroic by suffering beatings, etc. from the enemy and not telling them the info they wanted to hear?

[GATOR NAVY]

What!? She only got a Bronze Star!? She should have got a Medal of Honor!!</sarcasm>

No sh*t, more than a few Freepers were saying she should get the MOH when her rescue story first came out.

[verity]

You have saved me the task of explaining the nature of the BSM. Goddam media seldom is right about anything.

My two biggest gripes are references to the CONGRESSIONAL Medal of Honor and the Army ACCOMMODATION medal.

[WestPacSailor]

Two very important things to remember:

1) PFC Lynch is an American Soldier, in a combat zone, performing her duty. None of us was there, we don't know what happened, save that she was injured in combat. PERIOD.

2) I worked for an officer who recieved a Bronze Star for doing nothing more than manning a desk as the office manager for a senior flag officer during the Kosovo Campaign in 1999. The Bronze Star medal has been cheapened beyond belief and the policy of awarding it is an insult to those who earned it the hard way...in REAL combat. Don't judge PFC Lynch's award until you know all the facts.

POW/MIA - THEY'RE STILL OUT THERE...NEVER FORGET!

[GATOR NAVY]

Army ACCOMMODATION medal.

Hahahaha...that's the one that goes to the best barracks managers, right?

[rabidralph]

My thoughts, exactly.