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Ex-POW Lynch gets VIP treatment in Germany
News Observer ^
| April 05 2003
| AP
Posted on 04/05/2003 12:09:53 PM PST by knighthawk
LANDSTUHL, Germany -- Jessica Lynch has a new pair of eyeglasses and a close friend by her bedside. She has also made her first order from the hospital kitchen: turkey, apple sauce and steamed carrots. America's best-known POW was getting VIP treatment Friday at the military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, but officials still aren't releasing many details of her ordeal or saying how she received a head wound and fractures in her right arm, both legs, her right foot and ankle, and an injury to her spine.
She had a back operation Thursday and surgery for other broken bones Friday, said the hospital commander, Col. David Rubenstein. He said she was not shot or stabbed.
But Dan Little, a cousin in West Virginia, said Friday night that he had talked with her doctors and that they had determined she had been shot. He said they found two entry and exit wounds "consistent with low-velocity, small-caliber rounds."
They also found shrapnel, Little said. Rods and pins had been placed in her arms and legs, and she had responded well to treatment for a fever and an elevated white blood cell count. Her heart rate also was high. He said she was in the intensive-care unit, purely for observation.
Lynch was ambushed on March 23 with other members of the 507th Maintenance Company.
A close friend from her unit is with her, Rubenstein said. She will need "extensive rehabilitative services" but was expected to recuperate completely, he said.
"Her emotional state is extremely good. She's jovial. She's talking with staff," he said.
Today her family will fly from Charleston, W.Va., to Germany to see her, the West Virginia governor's office said.
The Army supply clerk, 19, a private first class, was being fed intravenously but had drawn up a list of favorite foods. The military also replaced the eyeglasses she lost in Iraq.
Lynch and the other soldiers were ambushed when she and other members of her company made a wrong turn in Nasiriyah. U.S. commandos rescued her Tuesday.
An Iraqi lawyer reportedly tipped U.S. forces to Lynch's location in a Nasiriyah hospital.
TOPICS: Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: germany; jessicalynch; landstuhl
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To: Diddle E. Squat
Any idea who the reporter is and what news agency he/she works for? Inquiring minds want to know...
To: gcruse
**What's irritating is that there are plenty here on FR who do the same thing. **
Sadly, true.
To: virgil
All who have served this country are heroes. I think the public view of veterans will improve after this, as it becomes clear that our cause is just, and as our brave men and women are seen in action with a media that is closer than ever to the war. Of course only a few "celebrity" veterans will get famous, but hopefully publicity for people like Lynch will help increase the level of respect for all who have served.
To: StoneColdTaxHater
I agree with both parts of your post. On the one hand, I applaud her service. On the other hand, I also wonder what makes her so special. We may never know the truth of what happened to that unit. Jessica may or may not have acted with courage, or may just have done what she needed to do to survive. (For those who are quick to misunderstand, I am simply making it clear we do not know what happened; not criticizing.) But it sounds to me like the Iraqi lawyer who helped her was extraordinarily brave, as were the special forces guys who went in and got her. Why aren't they being celebrated?
And one of the dead is the first, and so far, only American woman soldier killed in action in Iraq. She was a Native American, and may well be the first/only Native American woman in history killed in action with the U.S. Army. Why isn't she being held up as a true American hero? And what about the African-American woman? As far as I know, she is still listed POW. If she is eventually rescued, will she become a big media celebrity? Or does it take a pretty face and blonde hair for that to happen?
44
posted on
04/05/2003 4:11:12 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Why war in Iraq? Answer: ANTHRAX.)
To: gcruse
What's irritating is that there are plenty here on FR who do the same thing. Ain't that the truth.
45
posted on
04/05/2003 4:13:56 PM PST
by
wimpycat
('Nemo me impune lacessit')
To: gcruse
What's irritating is that there are plenty here on FR who do the same thing. Ain't that the truth.
46
posted on
04/05/2003 4:13:56 PM PST
by
wimpycat
('Nemo me impune lacessit')
To: Wolfstar
I don't think all the attention has anything to do with Lynch's race, although I don't think such a fuss would have been made if they had rescued a male POW. I feel as if Shoshana Johnson's or Lori Pechawa(?)'s rescue would have gotten just as much attention, if they had been so lucky. I also think Lynch's parents' unsophisticated, down-to-earth nature was appealing to the sophisticated media-types and made for "good press" (from the media point of view). Of course, I'm sure most FReepers know people just like the Lynches, and don't see anything special about them, but to the media, they are a curiosity.
I would like to take a strap to the reporter who blurted out the news about Lynch's comrades being confirmed dead, by the way.
47
posted on
04/05/2003 4:21:25 PM PST
by
wimpycat
('Nemo me impune lacessit')
To: Wolfstar
The woman killed was not an Afro American, she was a Native American. She hasn't gotten much attention so far because they only just now determined that she is dead. In fact, tonight NBC Evening News did a moving piece on her and her family (she was 3rd generation military; dad fought in WWII & dad fought in Vietnam).
48
posted on
04/05/2003 4:24:16 PM PST
by
Amore
(I hate tag lines)
To: Wolfstar
I apologize; I read your post too fast, I see you have it quite straight who is whom. But I did think it's important to note that the woman who died, Lori Piecwa (sp) was NOT being overlooked.
49
posted on
04/05/2003 4:27:13 PM PST
by
Amore
(I hate tag lines)
To: All
50
posted on
04/05/2003 4:37:40 PM PST
by
sav95667
To: Amore
Thank you for reminding me of Lori's last name. I didn't use her name in my post only because I wasn't sure of it. However, compared to the instant celebrity status being accorded to PFC Lynch, ALL of the members of that unit, and ALL of those who died or were wounded in Iraq are being overlooked.
Call me a Scrooge or an oddball, but I am very, very uncomfortable with the instant celebrity status being heaped on PFC Lynch. What has she done to deserve it other than get caught in an ambush and survive to be rescued? Are the families of other wounded soldiers getting personal assistance from the SecDef and a U.S. Senator to get to Germany to see their loved ones?
51
posted on
04/05/2003 4:52:12 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Why war in Iraq? Answer: ANTHRAX.)
To: StoneColdTaxHater
I guarantee you that all wounded GI's are getting similar treatment. Heck, the guys from my National Guard that got sprained ankles and bruised ribs at JRTC were treated like conquering heroes by the field hospital. (of course, my unit killed more OPFOR than any other in that iteration) PFC Lynch is just getting more media attention than anyone else right now, I doubt she's getting any different treatment by medical staff. (well maybe a little, she is pretty cute!)
52
posted on
04/05/2003 5:06:25 PM PST
by
Tailback
To: Wolfstar
It's human nature to want to focus on the happy story of recovering one alive (in a daring recovery) than it is to dwell on the deaths of those other fine young men and woman. It's just too sad. So I think the attention paid PFC Lynch is an understandable reaction.
Beyond that, I think you should pose that last question to the Senator who offered his wife's plane to the Lynch family. I'd love to see his response.
53
posted on
04/05/2003 5:11:19 PM PST
by
Amore
(I hate tag lines)
To: Amore
As I said in another post, call me a Scrooge or an oddball, but the issue for me is that the media (and politicians eager to jump on the bandwagon) are not focusing on the happy story. They are focusing on Ms. Lynch, herself. Other than survive (which is no small thing for her and her family), what has she done to deserve such over-the-top instant celebrity treatment?
Maybe the following will make my point better than I can:
From the Associated Press via the Pentagon, as of Friday, April 4, 2003. U.S.: 75 American service members died, eight were missing and seven had been captured.
British: 27 dead, according to the British government.
DEATHS:
- Air Force Maj. Gregory Stone, 40, Boise, Idaho, grenade attack
- Army Capt. Christopher Scott Seifert, 27, Easton, Pa., grenade attack
- Army Capt. Russell B. Rippetoe, 27, Colorado, combat
- Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Eric A. Smith, 42, Rochester, N.Y., helicopter crash
- Army Chief Warrant Officer 4th Class Erik A. Halvorsen, 40, Bennington, Vt., helicopter crash.
- Army Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Villareal Mata, 35, El Paso, Texas, combat
- Army Cpl. Michael Curtin, 23, Howell, N.J., suicide attack
- Army Master Sgt. George A. Fernandez, 36, El Paso, Texas
- Army Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, Cleveland, combat
- Army Pfc. Diego Fernando Rincon, 19, Conyers, Ga., suicide attack
- Army Pfc. Howard Johnson II, 21, Mobile, Ala., combat
- Army Pfc. Lori Piestewa, 22, Tuba City, Ariz., combat
- Army Pfc. Michael Russell Creighton Weldon, 20, Palm Bay, Fla., suicide attack
- Army Pvt. Brandon Sloan, 19, Bedford Heights, Ohio, combat
- Army Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, 18, El Paso, Texas, combat
- Army Reserve Spc. Brandon S. Tobler, 19, Portland, Ore., vehicle accident
- Army Sgt. 1st Class Randy Rehn, 36, Longmont, Colo., combat
- Army Sgt. Donald Walters, 33, Kansas City, Mo., combat
- Army Sgt. Eugene Williams, 24, Highland, N.Y, suicide attack
- Army Sgt. George Edward Buggs, 31, Barnwell, S.C., combat
- Army Sgt. Jacob L. Butler, 24, Wellsville, Kan., combat
- Army Sgt. Roderic A. Solomon , 32, Fayetteville, N.C., vehicle accident
- Army Sgt. Todd J. Robbins, 33, Hart, Mich., combat.
- Army Spc. Brandon Rowe, 20, Roscoe, Ill., combat
- Army Spc. Donald S. Oaks Jr., 20, Harborcreek, Pa., combat
- Army Spc. Gregory P. Sanders, 19, Hobart, Ind., combat
- Army Spc. Jamaal R. Addison, 22, Roswell, Ga., combat
- Army Spc. James Kiehl, 22, Comfort, Texas, combat
- Army Spc. Mathew Boule, 22, Dracut, Mass., helicopter crash
- Army Spc. Ryan P. Long, 21, Seaford, Del., combat
- Army Spc. William A. Jeffries, 39, Evansville, Ind., illness
- Army Staff Sgt. Nino D. Livaudais, 23, Utah, combat
- Marine 2nd Lt. Frederick E. Pokorney Jr., 31, Tonopah, Nev., combat
- Marine 2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, Harrison County, Miss., combat
- Marine Capt. Aaron J. Contreras, 31, Sherwood, Ore., helicopter crash
- Marine Capt. Ryan Anthony Beaupre, 30, St. Anne, Ill., helicopter crash
- Marine Cpl. Brian Matthew Kennedy, 25, Houston, helicopter crash
- Marine Cpl. Evan James, 20, La Harpe, Ill., drowned in canal
- Marine Cpl. Jorge A. Gonzalez, 20, Los Angeles, combat
- Marine Cpl. Jose A. Garibay, 21, Costa Mesa, Calif., combat
- Marine Cpl. Mark Evnin, 21, South Burlington, Vt.
- Marine Cpl. Randal Kent Rosacker, 21, San Diego, combat
- Marine Cpl. Robert M. Rodriguez, 21, New York, combat
- Marine Gunnery Sgt. Joseph Menusa, 33, Tracy, Calif., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. Brian E. Anderson, 26, Durham, N.C., non-hostile accident
- Marine Lance Cpl. Brian Rory Buesing, 20, Cedar Key, Fla., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. David K. Fribley, 26, Fort Myers, Fla., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. Eric J. Orlowski, 26, Buffalo, N.Y., machine gun accident
- Marine Lance Cpl. Jesus A. Suarez Del Solar, 20, Escondido, Calif., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. Jose Gutierrez, 22, Los Angeles, combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. Joseph B. Maglione, 22, Lansdale, Pa., non-combat weapon discharge
- Marine Lance Cpl. Michael J. Williams, 31, Yuma, Ariz.
- Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick R. Nixon, 21, Gallatin, Tenn., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. Patrick T. O'Day, 20, Santa Rosa, Calif., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas A. Blair, 24, Broken Arrow, Okla., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. Thomas J. Slocum, 22, Thornton, Colo., combat
- Marine Lance Cpl. William W. White, 24, New York, vehicle accident
- Marine Maj. Jay Thomas Aubin, 36, Waterville, Maine, helicopter crash
- Marine Maj. Kevin G. Nave, 36, White Lake Township, Mich., vehicle accident
- Marine Pfc. Chad B. Metcalf, 20, Coahoma, Texas
- Marine Pfc. Christian D. Gurtner, 19, Ohio City, Ohio, non-combat weapons discharge
- Marine Pfc. Francisco A. Martinez Flores, 21, Los Angeles, combat
- Marine Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 29, Davenport, Iowa, drowned in canal
- Marine Sgt. Brian McGinnis, 23, St. Georges, Del., helicopter crash
- Marine Sgt. Michael E. Bitz, 31, Ventura, Calif., combat
- Marine Sgt. Michael V. Lalush, 23, Troutville, Va., helicopter crash
- Marine Sgt. Nicolas M. Hodson, 22, Smithville, Mo., vehicle accident
- Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May, Jr., 31, Richmond, Va., combat
- Marine Staff Sgt. James Cawley, 41, Layton, Utah, combat
- Marine Staff Sgt. Kendall Damon Waters-Bey, 29, Baltimore, helicopter crash
- Marine Staff Sgt. Phillip A. Jordan, 42, Enfield, Conn., combat
- Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Michael Vann Johnson Jr., 25, Little Rock, Ark., combat
- Navy Lt. Thomas Mullen Adams, 27, La Mesa, Calif., helicopter collision
CAPTURED:
- Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 David S. Williams, 30, Orlando, Fla.
- Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald D. Young Jr., 26, Lithia Springs, Ga.
- Army Pfc. Patrick Miller, 23, Park City, Kan.
- Army Sgt. James Riley, 31, Pennsauken, N.J.
- Army Spc. Edgar Hernandez, 21, Mission, Texas
- Army Spc. Joseph Hudson, 23, Alamogordo, N.M.
- Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson, 30, Fort Bliss, Texas
MISSING:
- Army Sgt. Edward J. Anguiano, 24, Brownsville, Texas.
- Marine Cpl. Kemaphoom A. Chanawongse, 22, Waterford, Conn.
- Marine Lance Cpl. Donald J. Cline, Jr., 21, Sparks, Nev.
- Marine Pfc. Tamario D. Burkett, 21, Buffalo, N.Y.
- Marine Pvt. Jonathan L. Gifford, 30, Decatur, Ill.
- Marine Pvt. Nolen R. Hutchings, 19, Boiling Springs, S.C.
- Marine Sgt. Brendon Reiss, 23, Casper, Wyo.
- Marine Sgt. Fernando Padilla-Ramirez, 26, Yuma, Ariz.
BRITISH DEAD:
- Capt. Philip Stuart Guy, helicopter crash
- Color Sgt. John Cecil, Plymouth, England, helicopter crash
- Cpl. Stephen John Allbutt, Stoke-on-Trent, England, tank hit by friendly fire
- Flight Lt. David Rhys Williams, jet shot down by friendly fire
- Flight Lt. Kevin Barry Main, jet shot down by friendly fire
- Lance Bombardier Llewelyn Karl Evans, Llandudno, Wales, helicopter crash
- Lance Cpl. Barry Stephen, Perth, Scotland, combat
- Lance Cpl. Matty Hull, in combat; death is being investigated possibly as result of friendly fire
- Lance Cpl. Shaun Andrew Brierley, road accident
- Lt. Antony King, Helston, England, helicopter collision
- Lt. James Williams, Falmouth, England, helicopter collision Lt. Andrew Wilson, helicopter collision
- Lt. Marc Lawrence, helicopter collision
- Lt. Philip Green, helicopter collision
- Lt. Philip West, Budock Water, England, helicopter collision
- Maj. Jason Ward, helicopter crash
- Marine Christopher R. Maddison, combat
- Marine Sholto Hedenskog, helicopter crash
- Operator Mechanic Second Class Ian Seymour, helicopter crash
- Sapper Luke Allsopp, London, combat
- Sgt. Les Hehir, Poole, England, helicopter crash
- Sgt. Steven Mark Roberts, Bradford, England, combat
- Staff Sgt. Chris Muir, Romsey, England, killed while disposing of explosive ordnance
- Staff Sgt. Simon Cullingworth, Essex, England, combat
- Trooper David Jeffrey Clarke, Littleworth, England, tank hit by friendly fire
- Unidentified soldier, killed in accident involving light armored vehicle.
- Warrant Officer Second Class Mark Stratford, helicopter crash
"THAT THESE HONORED DEAD SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN..."
54
posted on
04/05/2003 5:56:13 PM PST
by
Wolfstar
(Why war in Iraq? Answer: ANTHRAX.)
To: Wolfstar
"THAT THESE HONORED DEAD SHALL NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN..." Thank you for helping us remember those who will not be getting a new car or a college scholorship. Prayers for these heroes and their families.
To: Wolfstar
I don´t care much about dead Iraqi soldiers - although it´s horrible, though. But when I read the list of US/British victims of the war, I feel as if I had lost my brothers!
Thank you for posting that list. We shall not forget what these brave soldiers have done for all of us!
56
posted on
04/07/2003 12:32:59 PM PDT
by
Michael81Dus
(Proud to be German! Proud to stand for this great country!!)
To: cryptical
It wasn't like the news broke minutes before. How long should the reporter wait before he assumes they've heard the news, which had been out for 10-12 hours at that point? And out of that 10 to 12 hours, how much of that time were the Lynches en route to Germany? It is entirely possible that they would not have heard the news at the time the scummy reporter sucked all the joy out of finally seeing their daughter.
To: iceskater
0 hours. They were getting on a plane in WV to go to Germany.
So how long should the reporter have waited?
Really, it's good to get outraged sometimes, but I'd argue that this time it's not really warranted.
To: cryptical
Really, it's good to get outraged sometimes, but I'd argue that this time it's not really warranted. Maybe. If they were getting on the plane in WV when the story broke, then they very well may not have known prior to the unthinking reporter's question. I'm not outraged - just disgusted that this reporter didn't think before he spoke. Maybe reporters are so used to dealing w/politicians, CEO's and the like that they forget what "regular" people are like.
To: Michael81Dus
You are most welcome. I also don't care about the Iraqi soldiers. Dubya did all he could to give them fair warning. As for our men and women, that list has unfortunately grown. Although, in the big picture, our number of casualties are remarkably small, each drop of their blood is more precious than all the material wealth on the planet.
60
posted on
04/07/2003 2:19:07 PM PDT
by
Wolfstar
(Why war in Iraq? Answer: ANTHRAX.)
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