USING Jessica Lynch

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Using Jessica Lynch

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: August 26, 2003 1:00 a.m. Eastern

Jessica Lynch recently was awarded a Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart and the POW Medal. The BSM citation reads: "For exemplary courage under fire during combat operations to liberate Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Private First Class Lynch's bravery and heart persevered while surviving in the ambush and captivity in An Nasiriya."

The Army's official After-Action Report said she was in a vehicle that crashed while hauling butt trying to escape an enemy ambush. She was knocked unconscious and woke up at a nearby Iraqi hospital receiving special attention from some super-caring Iraqi doctors and nurses.

This was probably the first incident in U.S. military history in which an American soldier was awarded our country's fourth-highest ground-fighting award for being conked out and off the air throughout a fight.

BSMs citing bravery typically read: "Moving his machine gun to a forward vantage point, he covered the advance of the infantry with a heavy volume of effective fire. Repeatedly exposing himself to a devastating small-arms automatic weapons and mortar barrage ..." Or: "He voluntarily acted as point man and ... when the platoon was fired upon ... charged the enemy position ... Through his courage, determination and devotion to duty, he saved his patrol from suffering casualties and captured a prisoner who later provided important information."

It's no big surprise that I've been bombarded by thousands of angry e-mails from vets protesting this assault on our country's sacred award system.

"She wasn't wounded in action, nor did she do anything to deserve a Bronze Star," writes Arch McNeill. "We have hundreds of valiant soldiers here in the 3rd Division who far more deserve more than she received but in many cases didn't receive anything."

"I'm going to send all my awards back to the president and tell him where he can shove them," says a genuine war hero, Jack Speed, a former Army Raider.

So I rang the Pentagon and asked Col. Jeff Keane, "Why the bravery bit?" Finally, when the standard Army propaganda drill wasn't going down, Keane told me, " It was for her bravery in the hospital."

But all this flimflam wasn't Jessica's doing. She was used right from the first – a frail prop in the Pentagon's public-relations campaign to sell the war to the American people and to encourage their daughters to join up and be heroes.

To keep the truth under wraps, the Army concocted another whopper: "She suffers from amnesia."

A senior officer from V Corps (the unit that eventually awarded her the BSM), who has asked to remain anonymous, comments that there was "tremendous pressure right from the get-go to award Pvt. Lynch a Silver Star. But the high brass here concluded, 'There was no evidence of heroism on her part,' and told the pushers to back off."

But when the propagandists conned the highly respected Washington Post into reporting on how Lynch was shot and stabbed but continued to kill Iraqis until her last round was spent, heroic stuff that would make Audie Murphy look like a slacker – which the Post then took several months to correct – other media were fast to pick up the fairy tale, and the Army was besieged by proud Americans demanding that Jessica be awarded the Medal of Honor.

Of course, many of us now know that a high-priced flack in Tommy Frank's headquarters came up with this tall tale and then duped the Post.

According to retired Marine Lt. Col. Roger Charles: "There's nothing they won't stoop to spin. The Army needed a female hero to boost female recruiting and PR efforts, so they went and invented one."

And that's the root of the problem. The elevation of Jessica to Joan of Arc status is to recruit more women, even though thousands of female soldiers couldn't deploy with their units to Iraq because of pregnancy, no sitters for single moms' multiple kids and other problems.

And poor Jessica Lynch has become the unwitting poster girl for an Army of One that's fast becoming an Army of Two – since apparently more than half of the women deployed to Iraq are now pregnant.

You're unhappy that the first POW rescued since WW2 is getting media attention (showing your whiny pettiness). Where's my mistake?

Let me amend that remark to reflect the sentiment in your first flame: "You're unhappy that the first pretty blonde POW rescued since WW2 is getting media attention..."

Pretty much shows where you're coming from.

I said I didn't blame her. Learn to read.

While I might agree with you there, this writing is just another indication of what an amazingly arrogant twit this guy has become. ("And, of course, many of us know....") And, by the way, how does he know that troops - past and present - are unhappy? And what is his proof that "more than half" of female soldiers in Iraq are pregnant?

To all you whiners complaining of Jessica's medals: This has been going on with Bronze Stars since Vietnam (40 some years), why is it all of a sudden an issue with you? Why have you never complained before about it? You people have another agenda and are using this issue for political purposes.

Just supposin you didn't read my profile before you called me that...BTW not complaining or whining...just bringing this out to the forefront for discussion.

And yes, mine were earned, and do have the "V" device FYI...

Let me amend that remark to reflect the sentiment in your first flame: "You're unhappy that the first pretty blonde POW rescued since WW2 is getting media attention..."

I'm going by your own words when the Jessica story first broke out in March or April. You said she's only getting attention because she's pretty. You made clear you pettiness with this issue from the beginning.

Pretty much shows where you're coming from.

Hey, you said it. I'm repeating what you said.

I said I didn't blame her. Learn to read.

That's what you claim but it's funny that you're so worked up about Jessica getting attention when there are thousands of people getting media attention in place of other soldiers. Were you angry that Terry Anderson got so much media attention? He didn't do anything but sit in a hostage house for six years (or however long it was). We remember Terry's name but do we remember the names of the 200 and some that were bombed in Beirut? You complaint is petty and dumb and you're doing it for other reasons obviously.

(And I have to say this every time I post on the subject, so no one has a coronary - I don't blame Lynch for this. I never have. But I think it sucks.)

But thinking this sucks, and in doing so, it doesn't mean that someone is automatically placing blame on Jessica, or that it's something that folks are "suddenly" getting upset about, or that they don't understand that it has happened before and will most likely continue to happen. But all of those things being true doesn't mean this "sucks" any less because just it's not the first time.

Just supposin you didn't read my profile before you called me that...BTW not complaining or whining...just bringing this out to the forefront for discussion.

I'm going to have to go over some basics with you. When you post an article you will get many replies as responses to post #1. Since you are the one that put the article up you will get post #1. When someone replies to post #1, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are responding to you directly, but that they are responding to the article or to the posters on the thread in general. Another clue that I wasn't responding to you directly was the fact that my word "whiners" had an "s" at the end of it signifying that it's aim was elswhere. Plus I said "to all you..." before it. So my post was directed to the whiners on this thread up to my post which was in the 30s. If you haven't whined, then it's not to you. If you was post #2 then it'd be a different story.

And yes, mine were earned, and do have the "V" device FYI...

I didn't ask and don't see what it has to do with the article or my post.

Looks like the above statement was either not read or ignored. LOL. I agree it sucks. I don't know what everyone's posting history is on this subject, but I agree with that statement based on what I am reading on this thread. But thinking this sucks, and in doing so, it doesn't mean that someone is automatically placing blame on Jessica, or that it's something that folks are "suddenly" getting upset about, or that they don't understand that it has happened before and will most likely continue to happen. But all of those things being true doesn't mean this "sucks" any less because just it's not the first time.

Jessica sacrificed a lot for her country. Do you think that it's respectful to this soldier to heckle her medal? If you want to complain about the way medals are being awarded, there are much worse examples to go by with awardees not even seeing the enemy and being awarded. I've never seen combat and I don't want to see combat and I'll guess that almost all of those here complaining haven't suffered for their country like Jessica has and will the rest of her life. Jessica saw combat and was beaten up with permanent injuries for her country (which includes us individually). It's the height of disrespect to use her for these petty agendas.

It does kinda reek, when you think of Shoshauna Johnson, who was in worse shape. Wonder what happened to her medals? What about the other POWs? The one's who lived and died? Kinda makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I love it when people open their mouths and show their complete ignorance. Shoshana Johnson (whose name you couldn't be bothered to spell correctly) received the same medals as Lynch. And yes, the other POWs received medals. In fact, two MALE soldiers received higher awards -- one Silver Star, and one Bronze w/ the Valor device. I found this with a 10-second Google search, so I guess you weren't "wondering" very hard.

I'm not sure you notice this, but you alone have have brought us back down to the level of baseless personal insults.

Just like Washington et al brought relations with Britain down the level that they were. Some things you just have to make a stand on to right a wrong. It's wrong to heckle Jessica exclusively for something that has been going on for 40 years. It proves the whiners have a different agenda. Jessica sacrificed much for her country which includes me and therefore it's the least I can to do point out the hypocrisy of those that trash her.

I believe some of the old threads on this topic are still around. Why don't you take that sort of talk back there?

Wrongs should be righted wherever we may find them.

Jessica sacrificed a lot for her country. - Do you think that it's respectful to this soldier to heckle her medal?

1. Where did I say Jessica didn't sacrifice much?

2. And if your implying I am heckling a medal, could you direct me to the post in which I am doing this?

If you want to complain about the way medals are being awarded, there are much worse examples to go by with awardees not even seeing the enemy and being awarded.

There is a big difference between coming to an agreement, and complaining. But I won't waiste my time explaining that to you. And yes your right, there are worse examples, but that doesn't mean it's ok because it's "not as bad" as other examples.

1. Where did I say Jessica didn't sacrifice much?

Where did I say you said she didn't?

2. And if your implying I am heckling a medal, could you direct me to the post in which I am doing this?

Where did I say you were heckling? I certainly said Daughter was heckling on a thread about her medal. You said I ignored part of Daughter's post. That is not true.

Yes it is very wrong to trash a person that has sacrificed so much for you. Pick someone else besides Jessica to attach to this issue of medal awardship.

Then if your not implying that I am downgrading Jessica's sacrifices, or that I am heckling, then don't lecture me in a post directed to my screen name on these things, and take up with who ever your really "implying" it towards.

I have an issue, and an opinion in regards to the way in which medals are issued "at times". If Jessica's name is unfortunate enough to be connected with this issue now, oh well & tough. I don't control when, how or why this happens.

Perhaps you should stick to the people who are actually attacking soldiers around here... we have enough of them. </ sarcasm>

I reponded to a heckler. You said that I ignored part of the heckler's post. If you don't want to get involved in this debate, don't post assumptions about me because I will answer them.

And it's tough that I will call you on it. What goes around comes around. If you whined about Jessica receiving her medal, then you are one of the hecklers since there are much better examples to use. You have a different agenda and you are being very disrespectful to a soldier that sacrificed much for her country and us in using her for your agenda.

Perhaps you should stick to the people who are actually attacking soldiers around here... we have enough of them. </ sarcasm

I guess that includes you now that you're using this POW instead of much better examples. You're doing that because you have other issues connected to this. This has been going on for 40 some years, why did you wait till now before you try to rip medals off of veteran's jackets?

Is "her heart persevered while surviving" really customary language in military awards?

LOL. I doubt it. But I've seen some pretty amazing/dumb stuff written on evalution reports and award citations. I've seen the Army go from pretty much "free form" citations to boilerplate citations where you can't tell what the award was for anymore. I've seen LTs all grouped together to assembly line award submissions.

Bottom line is Lynch didn't write her awards, she hasn't in anyway dishonored herself or the military as a 19 year old under great media pressure, and perhaps opportunistic "senior official(s)."

Honestly, her demeanor since returning has impressed me even more than I already am by the young men and women that serve and fight in the finest force this world has ever seen.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.