Posted on 07/26/2003 9:13:30 AM PDT by NonValueAdded
5.56mm
The third link (to an LA Times piece which references a Washington Post report) you have this:
The Pentagon dismissed the BBC piece as "void of all facts and absolutely ridiculous." Spokesman Bryan Whitman said the Pentagon "never released an account of what happened to Lynch because it didn't have an account. She never told us." Contrary to the BBC report, the Pentagon never claimed that Lynch was slapped in captivity, nor that there were firefights inside the hospital. As for "making a show" of it, Whitman said special operations did not use rubber bullets but did exercise "the right resources, sufficient to get the job done."
which appears to be the closest thing to answering my question that you provided, however is does not discount her heroics, only adds to it.
I will stick with comments by former military officers who spoke with her rescuers and unit members.
Where are you getting that information? That is not in any of the links you provided. How about just pasting a direct quote from the military leader who made this statement? Thanks!!
But getting on point. I never once disputed any first hand accounts on here of drug smuggling during the Vietnam war. But you stated that the market was flooded with "Thai Stick" supposedly smuggled from G.I.s, tell me how this is cost effective from a farmer in New Hampshire growing a 9th or 10th generation breed in his greenhouse (probably a lot better) to smuggling Thai Stick halfway across the world, changing hands many times to get on the street! In my area, people go to NYC and Boston all the time and shell out hundreds of bucks to get these fancy sounding names. I know for a fact it is grown locally (but maybe im a just "feeling" my first hand experience in the matter). I have no reason but to "postulate" that it was the same scenario 30 years ago. Can you tell me one reason why this wasnt true beyond just stating it?
You can Chide me as a child all you want. But your statements merely reflect your eccentric bellicoseness.
"Back when i was your age an automobile was AUTOMOBILE and men were MEN, and WE KNEW HOW TO DO DRUGS GODDAMIT!"
In the 60's and early 70's, there were no NH farmers to compete with.
The whole homegrown thing was in its infancy, as were you.
It is here in MS Word .doc and Adobe .pdf:
http://www.army.mil/features/507thMaintCmpy/
Short version...Pfc. Lynch was riding in a HMMWV and got into a serious accident and was captured.
It seems she was confused and praised over the true hero of that ambush:
Mom says killed son mistaken for Lynch in Iraq (Sgt. Walters was the true hero)
Pvt. Lynch deserves her Purple Heart and her POW medal but she does not deserve at all the Bronze Star.
What is odd is they mention how all the others either died, surrendered/captured or returned safely. Nothing about Lynch (unless I missed it) except that she was injured in the truck crash. That's it, period. No capture, no surrender, no weapons, nothing AFTER the truck crash. But obviously something did happen in order for her to be captured. But they didn't even mention her capture. So that makes me ask: "What else was not included?"
With that, is it possible that the (what I would call) disclaimer at the beginning may apply to the ongoing investigation which mayb include her part of this story? The "disclaimer" is
This report does not answer all questions. In particular, in order to ensure the integrity of war crimes investigations, this report does not address in detail the conduct of Iraqi combatants during the battle, provides only a brief description of the death or wounding of each U.S. casualty, and does not address Iraqi treatment of U.S. Soldiers held captive. All these matters are under separate investigation. This report presents but does not assess decisions made and actions taken. These are matters for the unit’s chain-of-command and for “lessons learned” reviews. This report does not address possible recommendations for decorations for valor. These types of recommendations are initiated by the unit chain-of-command according to Army regulations, and require substantiation. This report is intended to be an objective presentation of facts corroborated by multiple sources. Variances in individual perceptions, particularly during the intense strain of combat, make a perfect reconstruction of events impossible. The Review Team had access to the extensive work of trained experts and scrutinized a great deal of information. Finally, ongoing investigations may discover additional relevant information. This report should be read with these factors in mind
From the report:
...Once engaged in battle, the Soldiers of the 507th Maintenance Company fought hard. They fought the best they could until there was no longer a means to resist. They defeated ambushes, overcame hastily-prepared enemy obstacles, defended one another, provided life-saving aid, and inflicted casualties on the enemy. The Soldiers of the 507th upheld the Code of Conduct and followed the Law of War....THANK YOU very much for posting the link to this. I appreciate it.Group 3 This group consisted of the following vehicles: #8- a 5-ton tractor-trailer, driven by PFC Howard Johnson with PVT Ruben Estrella-Soto in the passenger seat, #9- a 5-ton truck with trailer, driven by SPC Jamaal Addison with SPC James Kiehl in the passenger seat, #12- a 5-ton wrecker, driven by PFC Patrick Miller, with SGT James Riley and PVT Brandon Sloan as passengers, #13- a HEMTT wrecker towing a 5-ton tractor trailer (vehicle # 18), driven by SPC Joseph Hudson with CW2 Johnny Mata in the passenger seat, #15- a HMMWV with trailer, driven by PFC Lori Piestewa with 1SG Robert Dowdy in the front passenger seat, and PFC Jessica Lynch, SPC Edward Anguiano and SGT George Buggs in the rear, and #16- a 5-ton tractor-trailer, driven by SPC Edgar Hernandez, with SPC Shoshana Johnson in the passenger seat. At the point north of the city on Highway 16, where CPT King ordered the convoy to turn around and go back to the missed turn (south on Highway 7/8), this group had difficulty turning around, probably due to the large size of vehicles and the fact that all were towing a trailer or disabled vehicle.
At about 0720 hours, the 5-ton tractor-trailer, occupied by SPC Hernandez and SPC S. Johnson, came under heavy fire. SPC Hernandez tried to avoid hitting an Iraqi truck blocking the road in front of him and lost control of the vehicle, veering to the right and off the road. To their rear, 1SG Dowdy, in the HMMWV driven by PFC Piestewa, reached Miller’s 5-ton wrecker and ordered him to increase speed and keep moving. The 1SG’s HMMWV was then hit by direct or indirect fire and crashed at a high rate of speed into the rear of the stopped tractor-trailer, still occupied by SPC Hernandez and SPC S. Johnson.
There were five Soldiers in 1SG Dowdy’s vehicle: 1SG Dowdy, his driver PFC Piestewa, and three Soldiers in the back—PFC Lynch, SGT Buggs and PFC Anguiano. 1SG Dowdy was killed on impact. Piestewa survived the crash, but was seriously injured and died in captivity. Lynch was also seriously injured and captured. The circumstances of Buggs’ and Anguiano’s deaths remain under investigation.
PFC Miller’s truck, with SGT Riley and PVT Sloan as passengers, was disabled by enemy fire about 400 meters north of where 1SG Dowdy’s HMMWV hit SPC Hernandez’s tractor-trailer. PVT Sloan was killed by enemy fire before the vehicle came to a stop. PFC Miller and SGT Riley dismounted from their truck and moved to assist the occupants of the HMMWV and tractor-trailer just ahead of them. The occupants of the HMMWV appeared to be dead or beyond help. SGT Riley attempted to secure 1SG Dowdy’s M16, since his own rifle had malfunctioned, but was unsuccessful. SGT Riley then directed SPC Johnson and SPC Hernandez to take cover. Riley also attempted to fire Johnson’s and Hernandez’s M16s, but both jammed. Johnson and Hernandez were both wounded.
Consistent with the Code of Conduct, with no means to continue to resist, SGT Riley made the decision to surrender the two Soldiers (Hernandez, and Johnson) and himself. PFC Miller moved beyond the crash-site, engaged the enemy, and was captured after being surrounded. Although unconfirmed, Miller may have killed as many as nine Iraqi combatants.
In the HEMTT wrecker towing a 5-ton tractor-trailer, SPC Hudson attempted to fire his M249 SAW while driving, but it malfunctioned. After he had driven past obstacles and debris, including an Iraqi tank blocking the road, his vehicle was disabled on the southern edge of the city. Iraqi forces continued to fire on the vehicle after it stopped. CW2 Mata, in the passenger seat, was killed, having sustained multiple wounds. Hudson, also wounded, was immediately surrounded after the shooting stopped, and was pulled from the vehicle by Iraqis and captured. (FIGURE 8 shows the final disposition of the convoy).
The 5-ton tractor trailer (#8), crewed by PFC Howard Johnson and PVT Ruben Estrella-Soto, and the 5-ton truck (#9), crewed by SPC Jamaal Addison and SPC James Kiehl, attempted to drive out of the city. After both vehicles maneuvered several miles under fire, and nearly out of the city, both were destroyed. There are few details to describe what happened to the Soldiers in these vehicles. Both vehicles were stopped: #9 overturned at the Highway 8-7/8 intersection, possibly hit by direct or indirect fire, and #8 was disabled south of the intersection. There is some evidence to suggest that vehicle #8 struck the barrel of an Iraqi tank. All four Soldiers were killed in action.
Yes, she was near death from the crash suffering internal truam and her legs were crushed.
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