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Bob Bird / AP
Jessica Lynch, who shot to fame as a POW during the Iraq war in 2003, is featured in the South Charleston, W.Va. Christmas Parade Saturday, Dec. 10.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.-- Jessica Lynch was just 19 when the world first saw her — a broken, blond soldier caught on combat video in Iraq, her face wearing something between a grimace and a grin.
The Army supply clerk was being carried on a stretcher after nine days as a prisoner of war. She had been captured along with five others after the 507th Maintenance Company took a wrong turn and came under attack in Nasiriyah on March 23, 2003. Eleven of her fellow soldiers died.
Lynch had joined the Army at 18 to earn money for college and become a school teacher. This Friday, at 28, she completes that mission.
She'll spend Thursday finishing her training as a student teacher at the same elementary school she attended in sparsely populated Wirt County. Then, on badly damaged legs and a right foot that still pains her, she'll walk across a stage Friday evening and get her education degree from West Virginia University at Parkersburg.
"It's tough to walk, but I look at it as, 'At least I'm walking,'" she says. "At least I have my legs. They may not work. I have no feeling in the left one. But it's attached, at least. ... At least I'm alive."
Nearly 4,500 Americans died and some 32,000 were wounded during the war in Iraq, winding down this month as the last American troops withdraw. The first woman lost was Lynch's friend and fellow soldier, 23-year-old Army Pfc. Lori Ann Piestewa of Arizona, killed in the convoy attack.
"Knowing she died right beside me and that could fairly well have been me brings a whole new perspective," Lynch said. "You're just thankful for what you've been given, even if it's not what you wanted."
Today, Lynch and longtime boyfriend Wes Robinson are parents to 5-year-old Dakota, whose name honors her fallen American Indian friend. Marriage, she says, is in the plan, but there's no rush. What matters is the comfort she finds in her family. They are there when she's overcome by stress or shaken by the nightmares that still sometimes come.
"By looking at me through a picture, you'd never know anything is wrong," she said. "I fake it. But my family, my friends ... they know when I'm really in pain."
When she was rescued, the U.S. government used footage of Lynch to spin a tale that exaggerated the truth. To make her seem more heroic and rally public support for the war, the military claimed she'd gone down firing — when, in fact, her rifle had jammed. She wrote a book, "I Am A Soldier, Too," with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Rick Bragg, and has repeatedly worked to set the record straight.
"The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes," she told Congress in 2007, "and they don't need to be told elaborate lies."
And the lies cost her. For a long time, she got hate mail. Some said she'd done nothing to deserve the attention or the title of hero. She once told Glamour magazine she felt like "the most hated person in America."
Every now and then, after a high-profile appearance, a hateful missive still arrives.
"They say things like, 'Who do you think you are? That was so eight years ago,'" Lynch said. "I just don't respond. It just doesn't bother me anymore. It used to, because I couldn't understand why people were hating me. I was just a soldier like the 100,000 others over there."
Literally and figuratively, she said, she now has a stronger backbone. "I just let things roll off."
Lynch said she'll take a semester off to travel and spend time with Dakota before the child starts school. Lynch hopes to start work soon on a master's degree in communications.
She'll also continue her speaking engagements with children and with veterans' groups. At those events, without fail, the most common question is whether she was shot.
"I can't answer because I don't even know myself," she says. "There's never been actual proof."
The crash of her Humvee is believed to have caused her injuries, which also included spinal fractures, nerve damage and a shattered right arm.
Sometimes Lynch is paid for her appearances. Often, she asks the audience to donate to Jessi's Pals, a venture she launched to provide blankets and stuffed animals to patients at WVU Children's Hospital.
Awkward questions aside, she thrives on the interaction of those three to five lectures a month. Four years ago, Lynch said she wanted to bow out of the spotlight and have a normal life. But now, attention is normal.
She is often recognized. Sometimes she's caught with a mouthful of food as people speak to her and try to touch her. She is no longer annoyed. She embraces it. She says hello and introduces herself to people who know her face but can't quite place it.
"Honestly, it does surprise me that so many people still are familiar with the story. I sometimes get taken aback when I hear people talking about it because it's like reading it in a book," Lynch said. "I forget, 'That's me.'"
If her fame has one benefit, it's the reminder that people are still thinking about U.S. troops, at home and overseas.
"And that's good," Lynch said, "because they still need our prayers just like they did nine or 10 years ago."
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Leave a Comment:
Unbelievable that this woman went to fight on behalf of our country and gets hate mail and insults thrown at her for almost losing her life in Iraq. Some people simply have no respect anymore. I am glad she finished her degree and that she's happy with her family life. It seems she has found a life of normalcy.
It's sad that eight years later, though, she cannot be left in peace and is still getting treated badly for speaking the truth and setting the record straight whenever she speaks about her time in Iraq.
Hot: I'm with you--despite all things, she's still there, reminding people that war is sometimes necessary--and that the sacrifice comes sometimes at a great cost.
I'm delighted that Ms. Lynch has accomplished what she set out to do--she got money for college, and she's a teacher. I can think of no better ending...
She was over there doing what she was told to do. She was shot at and she was injured in a combat zone and whatever it was that caused her injury does not matter. Just being there made her a hero, just like all the other heroes that were over there. It was certainly not her fault the Army embellished the facts.
I went to Iraq, woman have no combat role there.
She was a poster child for the PR people.
You want to continue to believe that she was some hero because she was ambushed and caught?
Go ahead.
Mary Ann,
I prefer to think that you all that were over there were heroes. In spite of the fact she was an incompetent nincompoop, whose gun jammed, half that unit had jammed guns, but a hero because she went in harms way. That unit appeared to be a cluster@!$%#, most of their weapons did work, they took a wrong turns and ended up where they were not supposed to be and got ambushed. They were not combat solders they were support personnel. I was in the Air Force, and was never shot at, no hero here.
Spoken like a true cave-woman! Me man, you woman!
The plural of woman (i.e. more than one) is women.
I think Terry is trying to say that everyone who served in a combat zone is a hero in some way, and that should not be diminished because some political jerks decided to spin Jessica's story.
The fact is her story is special to Americans because millions of us were glued to our TV sets watching as she went missing and was later rescued. This was the first time America had sent women into combat zones in large numbers and we were conflicted about how we felt about it. We were all relieved to get her back alive.
Jessica is a hero to me for the way she has fought to overcome her injuries and trauma and has gone on to have a purposeful life.
As a former member of the US Army from another era, I don't like seeing women in combat zones. But be that as it may, I commend her for serving her country and doing so with honor, conviction, and integrity like I would any other troop, male or female. Anyone who gives her crap about it should be horsewhipped and pilloried, then stripped of their citizenship and sent to live in Iran or North Korea.
As far as her weapon jamming, Terry -- it's easy enough to have happen. Sand and M4 rifles (like pretty much any other rifle) do not mix. In the dark, when it's FUBAR, and you're in the chit, things happen and can spin out of control. So you might want to think before you write or speak Terry. You're dismissed.
Terry, one more thing. Every single member of the armed forces is first and foremost a COMBAT SOLDIER. An MOS is only your day job and at the end of the day IF needs be, every single troop will function as a combat soldier and is trained to use a weapon to one degree or another. Not sure what Air Force you were in, but you'd better go re-read the fine print.
Yeah I love how author of this piece can barely contain their liberal slant by stating that "To make her seem more heroic and rally public support for the war, the military claimed she'd gone down firing". This is a complete fabrication. It should state, "To make her seem more heroic, the radical feminist factions of our political process claimed she'd gone down firing".
Nothing against women, but people need to realize that outside the combat arms, we really do pay TWO armies. One does the fighting, and one handles support. Both have an equally important role to play, but one is much better equipped to withstand an enemy attack. I get so sick of the radical feminist agenda,(which ironically Jessica Lynch personally despises), trying to sell their garbage.
THEY,(aforementioned radical feminists), are the ones who fabricated the original story, NOT the military, as this author would have you believe.
OK "hot in wherever"...the fact that she continues to be in the spotlight is because she thinks it would be better to land a job in a weak field...I really can't imagine news people so hard up as to follow her every move. I'm glad she was rescued (if that's what happened) but forgive me if I don't give her more credit than those that lost their lives and couldn't go to school...she's a regular person now...let her shut up and quit calling the press to further herself...Get real! And you're not that hot so stfu
I second the sentiments of hot in miami. But this woman has all the marks of a winner in life.I expect that she'll do well in life. Her detractors' remarks say more about themselves than about their target.
Congratulations and good luck to the Jessica Lynch!
Jessica CONGRATS and Thank You for being there.....
Hot - She is not getting hate mail because she was in the service or over in Iraq. She is getting hate mail because she burst the bubble the public had based on the military's exaggeration of events. She corrected the stories about her going down firing. She also corrected the stories about the extreme circumstances of her "rescue". The story that eventually came out was that the military rescuers were told where she was and then practically led there by hand.
This story, along with the Pat Tillman story, helps undermine the credibility of the propaganda put out by the military press releases. And the military wonders why the public doesn't support many of their efforts.
As for the status of hero, she does not consider herself as one. The defining qualities of hero are left up to each individual. Some people have lower standards. To me, a hero is one that goes extremely above and beyond the call of duty. Making a wrong turn and then merely trying to survive are not indicators of heroism.
Isn't it kind of funny that she was rescued along with some other people... and I could very well recall her name but not the names of the other POWs.
Might I say that it's because she was the only white blond in the group... it's sad because she was welcomed as an hero, but the others (white males and a black woman) just went on with their lives with zero celebrity status.
Like someone said, she was used as a PR by the administration...and she fit the bill (white blond woman).
You people fall for the game very well. Any soldier can and will tell you she was a blue falcon. She couldn't fire any shots to help her fellow men out because she never cleaned her weapon. She just hid. That's what gets her so much hate mail.
Every soldier out there fights and knows what could happen but they still do it for their brothers to the left and right. They are willing to die for them. She on the other hand was not. She's a disgrace and it falls on her shoulders, it's her burden to carry that her entire squad is dead. Had she done something it still may have ended up the same way but at least she would have tried.
I loathe that we even sent our Rangers and 10th Mountain in to rescue her. More soldiers putting their life on the line to protect this POS, why? Because that's what a soldier does - we don't hide like a coward. After I completed Ranger school and made it to my next duty station, guess what I saw inside the DFAC? A life sized cardboard cutout of her telling the troops how they should have her courage, bla bla bla..
Courage my ass. You people need to get off the PR bandwagon. POW or not, she's a buddy f**ker and it's no fault but her own she ended up in that position. How about the other POW's that were rescued along with her? They barely even go a mention.
Terry..."Incompetent nincompoop?" You are the incompetent nincompoop. Yeah, her rifle may have jammed and she had a broken arm, spinal injuries, and a severely broken leg. What did you expect her to do? What about that scenario makes her incompetent? I doubt there was much she could do but try to survive--which she did. She wasn't driving the humvee and she doesn't deserve hate mail from anybody. Would you have rather seen her dead? They made a wrong turn--and that has never happened to you? You must be a very lucky person not to have ever ended up in a neighborhood that you never intended--or maybe you just stay in your mother's basement most of the time and don't drive. She is as much a wounded hero as any soldier and deserves our gratitude and respect. Comments like yours make me want to file my teeth.
John Doe...A "buddy f ker". You are one piece of human waste. Her personal life is none of your business and has nothing do with her job. To my knowledge, she was not driving the vehicle that crashed and she was injured in the line of duty. When she was able, she told the truth as she knew it. What makes a hero to you--Spider Man? You make me want to puke. Spinal injuries, a broken arm, and a broken leg has nothing to do with the fact she could not fire? It was because she never cleaned her weapon and you have direct knowledge of that I'm sure--that you can produce. She was in shock and injured. When she could, she told the truth and still bears the scars of her injuries--not of which were self inflicted. She didn't shoot herself in the foot to get out of there now did she? Stop being a critical pos and give credit where credit is due. She did what she could under the circumstances, still supports veterans, and she has no control over who writes what about the other brave soldiers that were lost. There are many soldiers out there that have made mistakes and kill numerous soldiers via "friendly fire." Do you say the same about them? Never mind. You are too dense to get thru to--It would take a two by four to even get your attention.
Colorblind::: My late husband always told me that in order to get someone to understand you should do like they do to ackjasses-- hit them between the eyes with a 2x4. Your last sentence brought back memories.
It's reprehensible for any of our soldiers to get hate mail.Equally so for anyone to imply that she is trying to milk this or keep herself in the public eye for fame.She never said or implied that she was heroic or anything of the sort.She honered the dead in her squad by telling the truth as she did.She showed remarkable integrity.She was disabled in the service of our country.That should be enough to earn anyone's respect. Not name calling and venom.Most reprehensible of all the statement that you loathe that troops were sent in to rescue one of our own.
John Doe::: You asked what about the other POWs who were rescued with Jessica, that they were barely mentioned.
How often do you hear about the other POWs who were rescued along with John McCain? They went through the same kind of hell as he did yet who were they? What has happened to them? John McCain is mentioned as a hero-- so were the others.
In case you don't know it, people risk their lives to rescue POWs in any war. I guess you were/are a guy who is fighting a war from your easy chair in front of your TV. Get out and meet some people who went through hell like those people have had to do.
From a daughter of a former POW (39 months, WW2)
To all who write Jessica hate mail, I hope they burn just like the Westboro Baptist church people will. Usually people are captured when there is a cluster@#^&. It does not make them any less heroic. As a Navy veteran and with 30 yrs in Law Enforcement, I salute you Jessica. I pray your bad dreams recede and are replaced by memories of your children. I had many teachers from WWII when I was growing up and there was always something special about them. I believe you will have something for the ones you teach.
Very proud of you for serving, putting up with the propoganda BS, and for perservering and getting your college degree. You are a great person, no matter what some silly people who are probably miserable in their own lives and jealous of you would say. I am truly sorry your injuries have not healed better, but I admire your dealing with them in a positive way.
A proud Marshall grad who is proud of a younger WVU grad!
Mike Hyde
Mike your attitude is a little "preachy". I was in the Air Force for 4 years from 1972 to 1976, and I did what I was told. All airmen were given basic operational training for two days at Lackland AFB, using the M-16 rifle. We did not go to infantry training like Army combat troops. We were members of the armed forces and would have went where ever we were told. From your comments I can see that you know about as much about the air force as I do about the Army, which is damn little and fine with me, I will leave that to the Army guys. As far as getting your permission to make comments, I don't need it and I will do as I damn well please. So Mike as you said to me, you are "dismissed".
Her whole story was Hollywood style, not based on fact, story; and the story has been testified not true in the Congress and it was just to help former President Bush's election...
The true story is much less glorious. It's a story of driving recklessly into enemy controlled territory and failure to maintain weaponry, which resulted in many easily preventable casualties.
Neither of you know what you're talking about
She wasn't the commanding officer, was she? So when they were attacked, she went down honorably.
Billie et al.....It wasn't her story. It was the medias and the military's story. When she could, she told the truth as she knew it. Even if her gun had not been maintained properly and they took a wrong turn in the desert, they didn't deserve to die and she doesn't deserve hate mail. I doubt that she could have done much of anything with her injuries that will last a life time. It is so easy to find fault and be critical instead of celebrating the fact that she is moving on with her life and is a productive citizen that supports veterans. I bet is is wonderful being such a perfect specimen of a human being as yourself. Too bad so many of us are beneath you and deserve so little credit for the good we do in our lives, in spite of our mistakes. Merry Christmas!!
Educate me then Mike, if I know so little. Also excellent job of misinterpreting what I said, did I say she led the convoy into an ambush? No. Did I say she was the commander of the convoy? No. Did I say the casualties were PFC. Lynch's fault? Once again no.
Mike is just a loud mouth know it all. As I have heard, it is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and prove you are a fool.
Commendable as her service was, this was (and still is) one of those 'gag me' stories the media aggrandized and shoved up everyone's ass every night on the news. A lot of other people made 'wrong turns' and got shot at over there but, then, not all of them were attractive young blondes either. The media is selective because it's about sensationalism=ratings and also becomes a tool for some seeking re-election.
Don't just blame the media BLAME bush, cheney and rumsfield and the rest that made up the stories to promote their war and their buddies making money.
The service men and women trying to do the jobs given to them sometimes without the support they deserved are the ones that have suffered.
I am glad some have made it home safely and without continued problems, there are many many more like Jessica, that will be living with the hell they were put through for the rest of their lives.
If you know someone reach out to them, many are still hurting.
lighten up Ab, she didn't ask to be put in the spotlight, so chill dude
Doug..and other that support her achievements....Great posts and thank you for your kind and respectful comments for this good and very human woman. I appreciate your support of our troops and wish you a Happy Holiday Season--hopefully one filled with peace and surrounded by loved ones.
Colorblind::: I'm old fashioned, so I will say MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR to you also. I will be surrounded by loved ones-- the kind that are someone elses true loved ones. I volunteer at a vet center and I will have the love of all my vets (which I have all year).
And Merry Christmas right back at you, Susie. Please thank those vets for me....and thank you for helping them. Giving is such a gift; isn't it?
To clarify the story about going down fighting: it was reported that another soldier had "gone down fighting", and that someone decided to mix and match that particular incident with Jessica Lynch. In their defense, fog of war makes things hard to figure out, especially since Nasiriyah still hadn't been properly secured for some time.
I would give the government the benefit of the doubt, except for the disgraceful way the Pat Tillman incident was handled...
The person your thinking about is Sgt. Donald Walters, he did in fact fight to the last round and was also captured.
@winsettz - considering the magnitude of the government screwup of the Pat Tillman incident, why would you give them the benefit of the doubt on a different case of dishonest propaganda?
Jessica's heroic fight was first published on several women's group pages. It was then picked up by the media. To their dishonor, the military started pushing the story. believing the military, the media and public then grew to story.
Then Jessica told the truth. That she was honest is a testament to her integrity. She has not capitalized on her fame - she went to college as she planned, started a family, and supports herbrothers and sisters in arms. Seems like she leads a fairly normal life.
And I will bet anyone $10,000.00 she did not call the media to announce her graduation. OOOps, did I just get political?
Yeah I remember when Baby Jessica fell in that well pipe, It seems like yesterday...but I still think she was pushed..
Best of luck Jess, all of us former and current Patriot soldiers wish you and your family well.Take good care of yourself and your lil munchkin and we'll see you downrange one of these days.
former SFC 4/3 ADA Patriot and others
I'm as cynical as anyone and yes she's getting attention that others aren't because she's a pretty young blonde, but she seems to be handling it with class and dignity. I don't think she asked for the attention, she was just looking for a chance to get an education while serving her country- nothing wrong with that. She's also extremely honest about her role and what actually happened. Classy person.
mojo...Yep, you got some great mojo going for you and your comment was a breath of fresh air as are Doug's and others that have positive things to say rather than cast dispersions on this wounded soldier. Thank you.
Excuse me! This young woman was severely injured while in a combat zone. Whether careful driving was a factor or proper preparation also, I cannot say. However, I will say this: those of you who have been in combat may comment on her activities before wounding and capture. No one else may presume to do so. Until you have been there, shut your bleeping mouth! I get so sick and tired of the never-been-near-combat armchair experts that I want to puke all over them! Yes, I am a combat veteran, a 100% service-conected disabled veteran. You'll have to excuse me for venting my spleen, but I get so d#*n sick and tired of armchair experts who've never had the "pleasure" of actual armed combat, where bullets and rounds are flying around, trying to find - and kill - you, spouting off their total lack of expertise and knowledge that it makes me - as I said above - want to puke all over them.
Amen Fred!!
Fred..No "excuse me" necessary. I do comment and have nothing more than a short stint in the Kosovo refugee camps to my 38 years as a nurse. I also have family members that have served in combat zones and I believe (long story) that the military saved my life once when I was in Albania. A Blackhawk flew over at a time that I really needed it to be there and the Crew Chief/Door Gunner waived at me. Still, I am no hero, but I do think, as an American that I have the obligation and desire to support our troops. Thank you so much for your service and the sacrifices that you and your family made for our nation. A True Patriot--Mom.
People who have never been in a war zone have on idea of the horrors of war. Most people wouldn't even volunteer to go into the armed services because they are too afraid to die. However, they feel entitled to attack people who actually had the courage of joining the armed services for whatever reason. Everyone in the armed forces has a different role, some lead, some support and some fight and their roles don't make them less heroes. Every person who had a part in these two wars should be considered a hero. It mind boggling that over 4500 have lost their lives, over 4500 parents have lost their children and for people who don't have children, they have no idea of the lasting impact that losing a child has on a parent. A lot of thing really don't think before posting and it is a real shame.
Thought her heroism was overblown but she was horribly injured while serving her country. She deserves to be honored for her service, as they deserve. She does not deserve the hate mail.. Can't imagine why that is. I do remember that their was a complaint that she received more honors that a fellow female soldier who was black.
However it was the NYT that started the story about her going down fighting, not the government. The soldier who did fore until out of ammo was killed.
Guess some people will always find a reason to complain.
The situation where her fellow soldier, a Black female, receives less benefits, has to do with the determination of the extent of their injuries. It was determined Jessica Lynch's injuries were more severe than those received by the other soldier from her unit.
Jessica Lynch is still a hero, no matter the real circumstances of what happened. The fact that she fought so hard to set the record straight after the firefight makes her even more of a hero.
A soldier doesn't have to take out the entire North Vietnamese Army or the Iraqi Republican Guard to make a huge, postiive impact on the battlefield. Her actions to simply tell the truth of what happened forced our political leaders to reevalutate their strategy and led to policies that have, largely, ended the war.
In my opinion, she's one of the biggest bad*sses the US Army ever produced. Her actions embody the very principles of "Duty, Honor, Country" and I think we should all be proud of her. I also think she should be proud of herself.
Well said Sean. I, myself am a former combat soldier from the Desert Shield/Desert Storm campaign and I know the horrors of armed combat. Jessica Lynch was severely wounded by the crash during the ambush and was probably in a panic with everyone dying around her. When your in a rush to get your weapon sometimes they jam (M16's are really bad at jamming also). I couldn't imagine the pain she was in with all those injuries.
Those of you spewing hate towards her need to remember all that hate will come back on your 100 fold eventually. You get what you give in the end.
Thank you for your service Soldier
This is a person deserving of attention and help but the attention and help's been going to a politician that never served.
Jessica Lynch, thank you troop for your service! It doesn't matter if you were a clerk, a cook, an 11 bravo or an 18 alpha. You are loved and honored in this house by this American family.
Well said! I echo that statement!
Mike Hyde I agree completely...
Jessica is a hero.
She got herself hurt in a warzone regardless of the situation that started it and she had the balls to come back and tell the US Government I will not let you lie about what happened to me regarding what I did or didn't do.
Jessica will always be a hero in this family as well..
"She had been captured along with five others after the 507th Maintenance Company took a wrong turn and came under attack" Should have stopped and asked for directions. Just kidding. That's one of those male-female paradoxes we all enjoy. I want to thank Jessca and tell her I am glad she is getting better. Congradulations on your recovery and good luck in your future
This is what I don't understand:Why is she receiving hate mail when she told the truth of what really happened?
It shows that that this country is eally screwed up.
Damn! I iknow Two people who finished their degrees this year and are teaching...why the HOOPLA over jessica lynch? Good for her and Gratz and all that but NATIONAL NEWS?!! give me a break!!!
I had to think about who she was, not I'm thinking why is this something I need to know about, I am also thinking I should be looking at porn. This I do not care about, she had her moment in the sun now she can go away. She was not the only one there and not the only one who was shot at. I want my story posted too. "cept I ain't blond and white.
Old wolf-your attuitude is what is wrong with this country. She served, she was captured, she came home wounded, and " now she can go away"-- that's the same way we have treated all veterans since VietNam. It never changes. Do the dirty work for the politicians then go away so I can forget you. You stink to high heaven!!!
US Air Force 1968-1972
GI Joe1977278 - It still amazes me that people like yourself refuse to do your own research and deny the facts as stated. It was indeed the government who fabricated her story. In fact, Jessica testified to such before Congress. For the reason that you are far too lazy to do your own research, I am only too happy to assist you. Your first step would be to google the name Jim Wilkinson. He was the author of the fabrication directly out of the Bush Admin camp.
Your blame on the "radical feminist agenda" is a concoction of your own (delusional at best). If you hate your mother, just be honest and say it out loud. You should also take a course in 7th grade science as well as high school biology, the origin of the "radical feminist agenda" was male.
God bless you Jessica Lynch, and thank you for your service.
What happened to her "latino" boyfriend that was her "inspiration" and all that other happy horse manure???
Probably the relationship didn't work out which is not uncommon.
Who cares 8?? What does his latino heritage have anything to do with anything? Relationships come and go--some last a season for a reason and some last a lifetime. MYOB and quit trying to cast dispersions on this woman/soldier.
First, Jessica Lynch never tried to be the hero everyone made her out to be. She tried to tell the truth from day one. Second, if you believe the NY Times did the hero thing to her, I've got a bridge to sell you. The Bush administration was notorious for putting a seed to the NY Times and then later saying that if it was in the Times it must be the truth. The administration needed heroes and she just fit the bill. Unfortunately for them Jessica told the truth. Third, everyone who serves their country is a true American hero.
That Jessica has overcome so many obstacles shows what great character she has. You go girl and congratulations.
Jessica, dear- go your own way and follow your path. Try to ignore those legions who would push and pull and twist you to suit some agenda that isn't yours. You served well, you were injured, we owe you for that, and we thank you! Well done, soldier.
Now, go teach and find some peace. Hoo-wah!
I have few heroes. Pilot Sully Sullenberger is one of them. Soldier Jessica Lynch is another.
Jessica Lynch was a regular American female, much like others her age, who decided to join the military with hopes her service would be the key to her future. This decision separated her from her peers who start looking for a husband after they graduate from high school. Most other small town young ladies see no more of a future for themselves than an early marriage and a family.
Jessica Lynch is an inner-directed person who thinks for herself and lives her life according to her own sense of morality and her core values. It could be said that "she has a good head on her shoulders and uses it". Jessica Lynch always wanted to be a schoolteacher.
So far so good. These traits, while admirable, aren't exclusive. While not in the majority, there are many others who possess similar traits. What's special about Jessica Lynch is that she maintained herself and her values throughout the events associated with her service. She never lost herself or forgot who she is, what she wants, and what's important to her. Jessica Lynch turned her back on temptation and did "the right thing".
Jessica Lynch told America of the kindness of the Iraqis who treated her and tended to her injuries. She reported how they tried to return her to her American troops, risking their own lives to help her, a stranger, an enemy soldier, but a fellow human being. The Americans shot down these attempts, necessitating her return to the Iraqi hospital where one of her care givers sang her to sleep at night.
When Jessica Lynch was rescued and returned to safety, she remained the same honest ethical and loyal person she was before her traumatic service. Most amazing to me is how this young lady, still hurting from her recent experience, stood up to the greed and corruption of the military and the government when they tried to use her as a propaganda tool.
Time and again we've seen other Americans similarly thrust into the spotlight and given a role to play. They eagerly accept and internalize the numerous embellishments woven around their experiences until the truth is unrecognizable. The pressure on Jessica Lynch to accept the role of WOUNDED-LADY-POW-WAR-HERO manufactured for her by this government was tremendous. Instant fame and riches were offered to her and she needed to do nothing more but accept the role they came bundled with.
Jessica Lynch wouldn't stand for this! Acceptance of such a role meant betraying herself as well as the other men and women who served honorably beside her. Jessica Lynch remains honorable and true to herself and to others in her life. There are few people who can match her. This is heroic!
This is the most intelligent post I have seen online recently. You are speaking for 99% of America and it is great that once in a while there is a voice of reason in the forums.
Jessica, you went, you served, you were injured in combat, this Veteran salutes you.