Not so heroic after all ...

[Vaxchoice]

So who really did save Private Jessica?

THE rescue of Private Jessica Lynch, which inspired America during one of the most difficult periods of the war, was not the heroic Hollywood story told by the US military, but a staged operation that terrified patients and victimised the doctors who had struggled to save her life, according to Iraqi witnesses.

Four doctors and two patients, one of whom was paralysed and on an intravenous drip, were bound and handcuffed as American soldiers rampaged through the wards, searching for departed members of the Saddam regime.

Beginning to sound like this was a major morale boosting exercise - which the cynic in me suspected all along. Sounded too much like a Lei Feng exercise.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/gen/apr03/133778.asp

"It was a road traffic accident," Gizzy said. "There was not a drop of blood. . . . There were no bullets or shrapnel or anything like that." At the hospital, he said, "She was given special care, more than the Iraqi patients."

Wonder which story will be in the movie? It would be nice to know just what her injuries were. I think every story I've read as had a different set of injuries.

Susan

[dreemn]

Do you guys even believe that people are crass enough to make a movie out of this???

And yeah, ITA, staged!

[JessicaS]

http://www.stripes.osd.mil/article.a...1&archive=true

Renuart said the Lynch's daring rescue began after military officials near Nasariyah received "indications from local contacts" that a U.S. soldier was being held hostage by Saddam Fedayeen guerrillas. The Washington Post reported this week that the tipster was an Iraqi attorney whose wife worked as a nurse at the hospital.

from their info they were walking into a hostage situation

http://www.stripes.osd.mil/article.a...0&archive=true

Her head was bandaged, her right arm was in a sling over a white blanket and she had what Mohammed thought was a gunshot wound to a leg. But her real problem then was the black-uniformed Fedayeen commander who everyone addressed as "colonel."

The man slapped her, Mohammed said. "One, two," he added, making single slapping and back slap motions with his right hand. She was very brave,

from this article you see that from their info they knew she was seriously injured and being beaten

http://www.stripes.osd.mil/article.a...4&archive=true

Contrary to some press reports, "She was not stabbed. She was not shot," Rubenstein added.

Now these articles as you notice are from a military paper. The military is being clear that she was not stabbed or shot.

But from what they were told by the gentleman who gave them their info.

A. she was being held hostage
B she was beaten
C She was seriously wounded

From their information this was a dangerous situation and acted accordingly.

[daylily]

I read in the Washington Post about how the Iraqi who helped to rescue her witness her being slapped twice across the face.

There are two sides to every story: there were probably Iraqi doctors who did try to give her legitimate care: any doctor will try to heal their patient no matter who he/she is. But, it's very likely that she was mistreated even as she was recieving medical care.

Jessica Lynch was a woman doing her job who got caught in an absolutely horrible situation. The horrific video that was released and stories of torture, were no doubt, a very strong motivator for American soldiers to use whatever means necessary to rescue her.

[JessicaS]

Oh, I didn't mean to imply the Drs were mistreating her just that the US forces knew there were military personel present that were hitting her.

[Jenmom]

actually..

Originally posted by abimommy
*snip*
Now these articles as you notice are from a military paper. The military is being clear that she was not stabbed or shot.

But from what they were told by the gentleman who gave them their info.

A. she was being held hostage
B she was beaten
C She was seriously wounded

From their information this was a dangerous situation and acted accordingly.

when she first arrived at Landstuhl they said she had not been shot. However, after exploratory surgery they said she may have been shot. They now believe that the open fractures in her upper right arm and lower left leg may have been caused by gunshots. From an AP story of the 13th:

Lynch, from Palestine, W.Va., was rescued from an Iraqi hospital by U.S. forces in a daring commando raid April 1. She was treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany for a head wound, a spinal injury, fractures to her right arm, both legs, and her right foot and ankle. Gunshots may have caused open fractures on her upper right arm and lower left leg, according to the hospital.

ETA: others in her company, caught in the same ambush, were also shot

The crowd waved and cheered for U.S. Army Spc. Shoshana Johnson, as she was carried onto the plane on a stretcher. Johnson, who was shot in both ankles during an ambush . . .

Two other soldiers suffered gunshot wounds: Spc. Edgar Hernandez, 21, who was shot in the elbow, and Spc. Joseph Hudson, 23, who was shot twice in the ribs and once in the buttocks, but both are able to walk.

[Els' 3 Ones]

T

Great sig, Jenmom!



El

[Tracy]

On tonight's abc's news...they ran a piece on "saving Private Lynch"

Basically, it appears that the iraqi troops had left, the hospital was unguarded.

The Iraqi doctor's tried to return her earlier to the US forces but our troops shot the ambulence.

Shebroke her leg when the truck rolled over.

She was about to go into surgery to have her leg reset when the soldiers broke in and put a gun to the doctor's head.

And a nurse brought her a sweatsuit and fresh underwear earlier so she would be more comfortable.

It seems like she probably wasn't beaten or stabbed.
She isn't saying anything.

And if it was made into a movie....well.... it might not be that good.

basically the whole thing reminds me of "wag the dog."

[frogertgrl]

OMG, Trabot! It is SO Wag the Dog with Kirsten Dunst as the poor girl with the backdrop and all...

Doesn't Private Lynch have 'amnesia' now, too?

Jeez.

[JessicaS]

Yes, it isn't uncommon when one goes through such a situation.

http://www.foxmarketwire.com/story/0,2933,85936,00.html

[Tracy]

It just seems like there is tremendous hype machine around Jessica lynch.

Here's a link for those who want more on her... it seems endless.

http://www.jessica-lynch.com/


Personally, I think there is smoke and mirrors around the 'hero' element of her.... fox getting on the bandwagon kind of makes sense.

Yet, one I feel tremendously connected to and very sad about is the first native american soldier female to die in a war...she left two children and was a buddy of Jessica's.
And of course I feel very bad for the african american woman with the broken feet (I think broken) we don't hear anything about her or what she went through...

but jessica...is endless..

[JessicaS]

You mean the first Native American female killed in a war that wasn't killed by American soldiers. I agree it is sad that she has been placed in the background.

[darlindeliasmom]

good (but sad) point, abimommy!

[Tracy]

yes. VERY good point.

and under the catch phrase..."the sun doesn't set on the jessica lynch empire".... Today her brother was on good morning america talking about her surgery and how she was doing....etc, etc, etc....

and Shoshanna Johnson continues to be in the background, almost as if she doesn't exist.... there is no hype machine for her.....and by the way I double checked it seems she was shot in the feet when she was captured........