First Girl Lost in War

The Sun ^ | 24 March 2003 | Will Barker

[Plainsman]

A PRETTY 19-year-old country girl who joined the US Army to escape unemployment was feared to be the first woman soldier to die yesterday.

Blonde Jessica Lynch was among 12 soldiers in a US supply convoy ambushed by Iraqi troops. Her parents were left weeping like others in America and Britain as more Coalition victims of the war were identified.

Supply clerk Jessica was feared dead after five survivors from the ambush were paraded before Iraqi TV cameras in sickening footage beamed around the world on Sunday.

Also shown were the bodies of the other seven members of the 507th Maintenance Co convoy, but Jessica’s parents could not identify her among them.

Her father Greg Lynch said: “The only thing they can tell us is she’s missing.

“I just want them to bring her back safely — her and all the rest of the kids.”

Private Jessica — known as Jessie — only joined up because she could not find a job in her farming community home town of Palestine, West Virginia.

Lorene Cumbridge, a 62-year-old cousin, said: “She’s just a West Virginia country girl. Warm-hearted. Outgoing. I really thought growing up she would become an elementary school teacher.

Missing ... supply clerk Jessica

But for West Virginia children in some of the more rural areas, the military is the one good chance of getting an education and making something of themselves.”

Lack of jobs and the military service of her older brother, Gregory Lynch Jr., led Jessica into the Army, her father said.

She signed up before graduating from Wirt County High School in Elizabeth, where she played basketball and softball.

Greg said: “The Army offered a good deal.” Jessica’s brother is stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Locals have been supporting Greg, Jessica’s mother Deidre, and her 17-year-old sister, Brandi Renee.

A yellow ribbon was tied to a tree near the family’s mailbox and two others were attached to posts on the front porch.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Well, my dad was one of those guys (a Navy Corpsman attached to the Fourth Marine Division) - he was very protective of the females in his life. My brothers - neither of whom served - modeled that behavior.

I just know other males whose instinct definitely does not lean toward chivalry. I always thought it was a generational thing, but now that I think about it, it seems to have more to do with the older male they're modeling. I'm really not sure.

If you're telling me that Marines tend to be real men, you won't get an argument from me. : )

[norcalvet]

The Marine Corps has it's share of jerks, but when you realize where a lot of these guys have come from (before they became Marines), and what they go through as Marines, I think our behavior is quite good.

Thanks for the accolade :)

[rwfromkansas]

It pisses me off that this article only focuses on why she initially joined up, not that her parents supported her and that Jessica went into this mission knowing the dangers......she didn't run away like a certain former occupant of the WH.

They could have done a story where they did mention that she joined due to tough economic times, but in this war, she was a proud soldier serving her beloved country with courage.

No, they chose to make it sound like she died in vain and against her will. Simply reprehensible. Reprehensible and an intentional attack on this woman's character.

We should Freep the bastards that wrote this article...it does not honor this girl's memory.

[dandelion]

I appreciate what you're saying. This girl even LOOKS like my daughter. It's hurting me. And I know that many men are wired to protect a female, I know that it's NOTHING compared to what a mother (or father) is wired to do for their child. It's killing me to think of anyone's child going through this, male or female. I wonder if it would kill me.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Thanks for the accolade :)

You're quite welcome! Semper Fi!

[rwfromkansas]

I hope by some miracle she is alive. God enfold this soldier of yours...literally if she is with you in paradise this day.

[Maximum Leader]

Whoa, that's a disturbing image. I didn't understand why their pants were undone. If the Iraqis were just stealing their clothes, the corpses would have been left in their boxers.

I respect any person wililng to defend this country. I don't have a problem with a woman choosing to accept a military job if she is aware of the risks involved and accepts them.

I imagine aircrews, having gone through SASE training, know the score. Wonder if these support troops, male or female,had any idea what they could be in for when they signed up, or when they surrendered.

[rwfromkansas]

news@the-sun.co.uk

Make sure to put "For Will Barker" in the subject when addressing the slant to this article.

[diamond6]

I noticed that too.

[cyborg]

In the Sudan they do. In the Sudan, Arab men are raping the black slaves from the south to make them convert to Islam. Oh right shoot! I forgot... they don't count. They're not blonde. And does anyone even recall the Sudan anymore?

[First_Salute]

Oprah Winfrey sent her.

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Huh?

[norcalvet]

Something else to think about: marriages. Men and women working together are bound to hook up and get married. What happens when something happens to one or both of them? There was a female in my unit, great person BTW, who just had a baby girl with her husband, a Huey crew chief. Their little girl wasn't even a month old when he died in a crash. They gave her a hardship discharge after that. What if something like this happens in the field? What if this concern for your significant other affects your combat decision-making? Note, this is also a good argument against gays in the military, regardless of what you think of homosexuality.

BTW, SASE training? We called it SERE (Survival, Escape, Resistance, Evasion) training in the Marines. Based on combined experience from several wars including the first Gulf War and Somalia, current air crews are very well trained in these types of situations (although even with the best training, it can still be an extremely harsh experience).

[cyborg]

:sigh: dare I ask you what Oprah has to do with this thread?

[norcalvet]

forgive my earlier dyslexic typing:
SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape)

[laz17]

Go ahead, tell us how wimmin are defective, handicapped, inferior to real people (men).

Boy, some of you people are really touchy on this thread. Yours is a knee-jerk response, and you completely missed the point of my post. I haven't said anywhere that anyone is inferior to anyone. What I'm doing is condemning the liberal philosophy that everyone and anyone must be allowed to do something even if they're not capable of it. And by not capable, I don't mean being inferior.

For example, I remember a case about a man who weighed 300 pounds and wanted to be a fireman. The fire department rejected him. It wasn't discrimination, and it wasn't because he was inferior. It was because at 300 pounds, he simply didn't meet the physical requirements. That's just plain common sense. A 300 pound man CANNOT be a fireman, wear heavy equipment, carry hoses, and run up stairs. The man got a lawyer and sued for discrimination, however, and he won. Ridiculous.

Ditch the attitude, and try to understand what someone is actually saying before you jump to the wrong conclusion.

[farmfriend]

I see not allowing women in combat as sexist towards men. They are not disposable and should not be treated as such. If we only sent blacks it would be seen as racist but when we only send men, somehow that is OK? Equal rights for men.

[norcalvet]

As of '96, the physical fitness standards for women were about half that in the Marines. This was not equality.

When it's about winning wars or saving lives, political correctness, people's feelings, and "fairness" go out the window. Being able to do the job in a reliable, measureable manner is the order of the day.

[norcalvet]

"equal rights" as an issue here is irrelevant. Military service is not an entitlement like fair housing. It is a deadly serious function of government to protect the security of the nation. Whatever doesn't directly serve that purpose does not matter.

[dandelion]

That is a legitimate concern. Before my daughter signed up, I asked her to make duty to her country her first concern. But I also asked her, starting with her very first paycheck, save up her money NOW. In the event that she should fall in love and get married (a real possiblity with all those handsome men in uniform around) that the money will be there to help with the children that invariably follow.

I also made a decision myself; that, if my daughter has chosen to serve her country in a time of war, I could choose to serve my country with her by keeping her future children should she be called to serve. I'm not ready to be a gramma (I'm only 40 for cryin' out loud) but those babies are MINE.

Ahem... I mean, Mimi would love to keep you while Mommy saves the world. Kewl. Where the HEY did that come from?????