The real hero behind the 'bravery' of Private Jessica

The Daily Telegraph ^ | 27/07/2003 | Julian Coman

[protest1]

The real hero behind the 'bravery' of Private Jessica By Julian Coman (Filed: 27/07/2003)

America's most famous woman soldier owes her fame to a case of mistaken identity, reports Julian Coman in Washington

As she watched Private Jessica Lynch's emotional homecoming on television last week, Arlene Walters struggled to suppress her growing anger.

For millions of Americans, Pte Lynch's first faltering steps in her home town of Elizabeth, West Virginia, were a moment of high emotion, a happy ending to one of the darkest incidents of the Iraq war.

For Mrs Walters, however, the standing ovation and praise lavished on the young woman soldier, who was captured by Iraqi forces and later freed in a dramatic American raid, served only to highlight the contrasting treatment of her dead son, who fought in the same unit.

It was, fellow soldiers have told her, Sgt Donald Walters who performed many of the heroics attributed to Pte Lynch in the fanfare of publicity designed to lift the nation's morale, and Sgt Walters who was killed after mounting a lone stand against the Iraqis who ambushed their convoy of maintenance vehicles near Nasiriyah.

Yet few, if any, of the Americans watching Pte Lynch's homecoming last week have even heard her son's name. "The military tell us that everyone who was in her unit was a hero," Mrs Walters told The Telegraph. "In fact they have singled out Jessica Lynch as the hero, and they are not giving the recognition to my son that he deserves.

"The fighter that they thought was Jessica Lynch was Donald. When he was found he had two stab wounds in the abdomen, and he'd been shot once in the right leg and twice in the back. And he'd emptied his rounds of ammunition. Just like they said Jessica had done at first."

Sgt Walters, a 33-year-old military cook from Oregon, blond and slim but not a photogenic female warrior, had been serving with the ill-fated 507th Maintenance Unit, in which Jessica Lynch was a supply clerk.

In the days following the elaborately staged rescue of Pte Lynch from her hospital ward on April 1, a blizzard of American media reports told how the soldier had exhausted all her ammunition before capture, in an isolated and brave "fight to the death".

They suggested that it was only after a prolonged battle, in which she was shot and stabbed, that she was eventually taken prisoner. In all, 11 soldiers were killed and six captured. It subsequently emerged, however, that the young soldier's rifle had jammed and her injuries were caused by her lorry colliding with another vehicle as the convoy came under attack.

Last week, with no fanfare, the US Army released a detailed report into the incident which makes it clear that a lone American fighter did, indeed, hold out against the Iraqis - but that the soldier was not Pte Lynch. It says that following the ambush, Sgt Walters may have been left behind, hiding beside a disabled tractor-trailer, as Iraqi troops closed in. The report confirms that he died of wounds identical to those first attributed to Pte Lynch.

"There is some information to suggest that a US soldier, that could have been Walters, fought his way south of Highway 16 towards a canal and was killed in action. Sgt Walters was in fact killed at some point during this portion of the attack. The circumstances of his death cannot be conclusively determined."

Fellow soldiers who witnessed the ambush have been less guarded. "One told me that if I read reports about a brave female soldier fighting, those reports were actually about Don," said Mrs Walters.

"The information about what had happened had been taken by the military from intercepted Iraqi signals, and the gender had gotten mixed up. He was certain that the early reports had mixed up Jessica and Don."

Mrs Walters and her husband are now struggling to persuade the US military to acknowledge fully their son's bravery. Sgt Walters has been posthumously awarded the bronze medal, but his relatives argue that higher honours are deserved. The army says the investigation into the incident is now closed.

"I just can't imagine him being left out there in the desert alone," said Mrs Walters, who is still haunted by images of her son's lone stand.

"I'm not trying to take anything away from Jessica. We just want Don to get the credit he is entitled to for his bravery."

She has her own theories about the Army's reluctance to give him due credit. "Perhaps the army don't want to admit to the fact that he was left behind in the desert to fight alone," she said. "It isn't a good news story."

[OldCorps]

"Ignorance. At least I knew that most of the 507th received Bronze Stars or better."

lol, you must have me confused with someone else. i wrote:

Sounds like SGT Walters should be awarded a posthomus Silver Star, or even a Distinguished Service Cross. Like others, I'm sick of the hero worship of Lynch, just because she's pretty. Lets reward the real hero. Anyone know if he's been awarded anything?

Again, you show even more ignorance. You ascribe to me words I did not write.

Me: "Had you ever served in combat arms (not that you know what that means, lol), or even as a REMF, you would be talking different."

#3Fan: "I don't see CWO's position as being much different than mine."

The CWO's position is considerably different than yours. He has served his country honorably in uniform, like myself. You have not, thus you don't have any credibility on the issue.

[Sir Gawain]

hehe

[Destro]

Dude, that's retarded argument! In addition electroshock torture of the portable kind is done with hand cranked machines! Any Iraqi would tell you that!

[Destro]

Sgt. Walters was awarded the same bronze star Pvt. Lynch was-I don't remember if it was with the V for valor--it should have been at least.

[#3Fan]

That same article also said She'd been shot twice, but was said to be in stable condition Pvt. Lynch was never shot! So now I know what you speak of but the credibility of the report is now in question.

It's easier to mistake wounds from other devices as gunshot wounds than to mistake what is a car battery from not what is a car battery. But hey, if you think Jessica was getting good treatment by her captors, that's your judgment.

[Polybius]

Unless you are rather shallow, being "cute" or not being "cute" should have absolutely no bearing on a person's worth......Polybius

Then I'm sure you'll bring that up to fashion magazines who print pictures of beautiful women. And I'm sure that you're outraged that Hooters mostly employs women with physical attributes.......#3 Fan

Ummmmm,.....Genius, .......Fashion magazines and Hooters Restaraunts are shallow.

You and I seem to have different definitions about what a "person's worth" means.

Silicone implants in a Hooter's waitress may mean a lot to you. They don't mean much to me.

Look, 3# Fan, we can all take a wild guess by your chosen FreeRepublic name that you are a "Fan".

Some people are into that sort of thing. They will spend hundreds of hours of their lives reading People Magazine to find the latest scrap of news about what the cute faces of Hollywood are doing in their private lives and the only murder cases they memorize are the cute face murder cases such as Jon Bennet Ramsey and Laci Petersen.

I can somehow relate to that. I recall that, as an 8 year old boy, I had quite a crush on Annette Funicello although I had no idea that those Mickey Mouse Club shows on TV after school were 10 year old re-runs and that my 14 year old hearthrob was really a 24 year old "grown-up" making beach blanket movies with Frankie Avalon.

I don't object to Pvt. Lynch getting a Bronze Star because I have not seen any copy of the citation to know if it was awarded for something worthwhile such as conduct after her capture.

I do object to the Bronze Star being so cheapened (just as the Medal of Honor was cheapened by the end of the Civil War as I noted in Post 107) that many people on this thread now consider the Bronze Star as a meaningless garbage medal. That dishonors veterans of World War II, Korea and the early stages of the Vietnam War that truly earned the honor that the Bronze Star was original meant to signify.

I do not object to Pvt. Lynch recieving her due attention as every single servicemember that served or is serving in Iraq deserves that attention.

I do object to Pvt. Jessica Lynch, U.S. Army, through no fault of her own, being turned by the news media into "Jessica!", the media phenom, so that "Fans" like you can obsess about her and point out that men with adolescent minds also obsess over Hooters girls.

You claim to have no military experience but have stated in this thread that you have just followed the positions taken by CWOJackson.

I am sure that CWOJackson and I would both agree that it would have been much better for the honor of earlier World War II, Korea and Vietnam veterans if the Bronze Star had not been cheapened, as was the Medal of Honor was towards the end of the Civil War.

I am sure that CWOJackson and I, as veterans with with retirement certificates hanging on our walls, would both agree that "politics" often trumps honor when decisions are made by the PR guys at the Pentagon.

I am sure that CWOJackson and I would both agree that it is detrimental to both the military as a whole, to the families of other military servicemembers, to unit cohesion, to individual morale and to the servicemember herself to be singled out as "Jessica! The Gulf War II Babe!" while everyone else who is not cute is relatively ignored.

Private Jessica Lynch, United States Army is a soldier.

She deserves more respect than to be turned into the news media's latest Jon Bennett Ramsey for the titillation of adolescent-minded "Fans".

[#3Fan]

Obviously neither are true nor believable. If the tag were removed how did they know who it belonged to?

How many small soldiers were captured along with Lynch?

I can touch the positve and the negative posts of a car battery at the same time and nothing happens. I can hook a wire to the postive post and a wire to the negative post, clutch one wire in the left hand and the other in the right hand and still nothing happens. What's the secret to this primitive mode of torture?

Put a nine volt battery in you mouth and see if you feel anything. Why would a car battery be next to a hospital bed?

[#3Fan]

No you're not, you mouth off and make a claim and don't back it up. You're rude and a blowhard, but certainly not my slave.

Apparently erveryone on this forum now knows that almost all of Jessica's unit received medals but you. You just refuse to believe it and refuse to do a simple search. Oh well, live in your never never land. lol

[#3Fan]

So there is a location in the human body which serves as a conductor for car batteries?

Put a nine volt battery in your mouth. Both are DC voltage.

[takenoprisoner]

It's beginning to look more and more like her injuries where related to the vehicle in which she rode ramming another vehicle.

Time (and truth) will tell.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Just to set the record straight (since you are being somewhat misled), I have always been annoyed by the handling of this story by the media. For one thing, I was bothered by the fact that another female soldier, the American Indian Pfc. Lori Piestewa, was in comparison ignored. She left two children behind, yet I saw no "perks" (movie deals, scholarships, trips to Hawaii, etc.) being offered her family. (By now that may have changed.) Even when it was learned that she had given her life for her country, her story was ignored in comparison to this one.

God only knows why.

You know me pretty well, so I doubt you're surprised that I'm the type of person who would be bothered by such lopsided treatment by the press.

I don't believe it is Pfc. Lynch's fault.

In fact, I have said repeatedly in this forum, ad nauseum, that my problem has never been with Pfc. Lynch. It has always been with the media, and with those who are so caught up in this story that they would suggest the Medal of Honor is an appropriate thing to consider in this case. Having read a number of Medal of Honor citations, I find the notion absurd, and I am offended by it - for several reasons, not the least of which is that it (and this obsessive media coverage) puts Pfc. Lynch herself in a terribly awkward position.

[#3Fan]

I was linked to a story regarding this car battery. In the body of the story it also mentioned Pvt. Lynch was shot. Since she was never shot or stabbed then this account is also suspect. In addition-if a car battery was found in a hospital - could it be used to provide emergency lighting to a hospital suffering power shortages?

So you're convinced the bloody uniform meant nothing? The Army suspected this to be a place of torture, you think that can't be true either? Funny how you want absolute proof that Lynch was tortured but you assume she did nothing of merit without even knowing what her medal literature says.

[CWOJackson]

Rule Number 1, never make the CWOr blush.

Damned civilians.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Great post.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

; )

[#3Fan]

lol, you must have me confused with someone else. i wrote: Sounds like SGT Walters should be awarded a posthomus Silver Star, or even a Distinguished Service Cross. Like others, I'm sick of the hero worship of Lynch, just because she's pretty. Lets reward the real hero. Anyone know if he's been awarded anything? Again, you show even more ignorance. You ascribe to me words I did not write.

You don't know who received awards and who didn't.

The CWO's position is considerably different than yours. He has served his country honorably in uniform, like myself. You have not, thus you don't have any credibility on the issue.

Your posts prove that you don't know much about this stuff either. Lynch was awarded a medal for merit, not valor. In any case, I think she has shown heroism and valor, medal or no medal. Military brass considered a regular Bronze Star for her and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me. Sounds like it's in keeping with the way they do things the last few decades. By the way, do you think it's honorable to toot your own horn all the time? lol

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

You probably noticed that "everyone" became "most" - and honestly, I think "most" is the correct answer. The information is on a thread I participated in a few days ago - I'll see if I can find it for you.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Here is the information.

[CWOJackson]

Thanks Lady. I wasn't fooled by the characterization of your position on this issue; you've been consistent the whole time.

I did watch Private Lynch's comments when she got home...and she didn't forget to mention her friend who didn't make it. Watching her I was proud of the way she comported herself despite being in obvious pain when she didn't think the camera's were pointed at her.

I'm no fan of women in combat...hell, I'm even opposed to them serving on ships and isolated duty stations at any time, but I am repeatedly impressed by some of our young women in uniform. Given her choice I'm sure Private Lynch would just as soon be left alone to recover...but she just grits her teeth and keeps on trooping on. She is putting up with a lot more BS then most troops will see in a 30 year career.

I'm proud of the Private and how she's comporting herself.

[Destro]

Tortures are not conducted with car batteries. Go to your car touch the + and - and complete the circuit-and see if you get a shock. The Iraqis were masters of torture and in Iraq and the rest of the crummy world, torture with electricity is not done using car batteries but little hand cranked electric generators. See this example of an Iraqi electrochock torture device: Deep inside the building, there was a small room with no natural light with five tiny cells, all with heavily barred doors. In one, a wire was connected to a small hand-cranked generator and steel bar. Marines who searched the building said it had also been connected to a steel chair in what appeared to be a primitive electric chair.

I looked up the story on the internet. The battery was found next to a bloody uniform (conjecture on whose it is) nowhere near where Pvt. Lynch was held.

Late last week, Yarsinske said she had thought Lynch was probably dead after hearing reports last week that the young woman's bloodied uniform had been found by Special Forces soldiers inside a closed Nasiriyah hospital room -- not the same hospital where she was found Tuesday. It was thought that the Iraqis used the room in the shuttered hospital for torture and interrogation.

This article also said that "She'd been shot twice, but was said to be in stable condition.". Pvt. Lynch had no gunshot wounds. So what is to be believed if they even got that wrong?

I am not saying torture did not happen. I am sure IT DID happen. But no evidence is available for this to have happened to Pvt. Lynch beyond the Iraqi lawyer's (who helped rescue her) account of her being slapped around by an Iraqi officer.