Jessica Lynch

In all fairness I don’t suppose it matters whether you consider her to be a hero or not or indeed what the extent of her injuries
are . She obviously hasn’t had a good time and I think rather than speculate at the exact course of events it’s probably better to view the events which lead to her rescue which are
quite fascinating .

That was only one lesson…

… hence you both should not have used the plural form of ‘lesson’ (being: ‘lessons’), neither should you have resorted to the ‘some’ which also indicates multiple lessons. I guess we’re even?

Care to back up the gunshot wounds which according to you she did have? The most recent reports i could find indicate that she didn’t…

One of many dated April 4th:
_________________________________________

Jessica had no gunshot wounds: father
April 04, 2003

THE father of rescued prisoner of war Jessica Lynch today said she suffered no gunshot or knife wounds at the hands of her Iraqi assailants, contrary to reports quoting a US official.

In a televised press conference from his home in Palestine, West Virginia, Gregory Lynch said he and his wife had spoken to her after she underwent surgery at a US military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

An examination revealed the 19-year-old private had “no multiple gunshot wounds or knife stabs” Mr Lynch said, adding that there had been “no entry whatsoever”.

The Washington Post, citing a US official, reported that Jessica Lynch had “continued firing at the Iraqis even after she sustained multiple gunshot wounds and watched several other soldiers in her unit die around her in fighting (on) March 23”.

Mr Lynch said: “The doctor has completed one surgery on her back. They have released the pressure on a nerve and realigned all the discs and put plates and stuff in it.”

The surgery was performed “because she didn’t have any feeling in her feet”, Mr Lynch said, and doctors were confident they had corrected the problem.

He said she would undergo further surgery for fractures to her legs and right forearm, adding: “She’s in real good spirits.”

A supply clerk with the 507th Maintenance Company, Ms Lynch was rescued in a pre-dawn raid on an Iraqi-held hospital in Nasiriyah, where she had been held for more than a week.

Iraqi forces ambushed Ms Lynch’s company after it took a wrong turn last month near Nasiriyah, a city in Iraq’s south.
____________________________________________

Arthur, some English lessons…

“And, funny how now they reported that she did receive two gun wounds…..”

Notice i used “….now….did…”, in that case, it’s suggesting something like originally they said it happened, then didn’t, then “…now…did…” so unless they retract that story again (which is updated late last night US pacific time) i don’t see how your assumption is up to date.

“There’s been so many excuses put forward for “friendly fire” but why does it only seem to be one way, nobody has been killed or injured by British “friendly fire”?”

Different training regimens and different tactics. British Army are trained to make every shot count. Not so American – more a suppression by weight of fire. There’s something about it on the flypast board, with a couple of examples.

Re: DCfly…

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Vortex
maybe from where you come from “hero” is left to people like Alexander the Great…but Americans usually have “Heros” who they look up to personally or identify with…so, maybe not your Russian “Hero of the fatherland” type i guess.

And, funny how now they reported that she did receive two gun wounds…..the point is, before you disrespect other people, think about how you would act in the same situation. Otherwise that says much about yourself doesn’t it? And as for how American soldiers are all show…well, it’s better if our enemies believe that…the more the better. [/QUOTE
…how would I act in the same situation? probably the same as Jessica, Id be firing that gun for all I was worth, and I dont have disrespect for her, remember, to me she is only a kid, Ive got a daughter the same age, and for someone that age to be in that situation and to fight their way out of it (almost) has nothing less than my respect.

Dave

British journalists injured and Kurds injured and killed by US bomb, I wonder if the pilot that dropped that bomb will be hailed a “hero”, probably get the Congressional Medal of Honour.
There’s been so many excuses put forward for “friendly fire” but why does it only seem to be one way, nobody has been killed or injured by British “friendly fire”?

Dave

Re: DCfly…

Originally posted by Vortex

And, funny how now they reported that she did receive two gun wounds…..

Even funnier that they later reported that she didn’t…

DCfly…

maybe from where you come from “hero” is left to people like Alexander the Great…but Americans usually have “Heros” who they look up to personally or identify with…so, maybe not your Russian “Hero of the fatherland” type i guess.

And, funny how now they reported that she did receive two gun wounds…..the point is, before you disrespect other people, think about how you would act in the same situation. Otherwise that says much about yourself doesn’t it? And as for how American soldiers are all show…well, it’s better if our enemies believe that…the more the better.

Steve

Thats very near the point Im trying to make, the Brits go in and do their job without making a fuss about it, not so the Americans, it wouldnt surprise me if they decorated some unknown private just because he farted

I was watching the news a couple of days ago and a US gun battery was being shown in the background while the news was being read and the soldiers manning the gun were making more noise than the gun was, each seemingly shouting out orders, to each other , arent they trained very well these people ? shouldnt they know what they have to do? or were they just playing to the cameras?

Dave

Re: well…

Originally posted by Vortex
took hits into her legs, continue fighting until she ran out of ammo and took a knife wound by the enemy

I don’t have an opinion one way or the other on this episode but none of the reports of how she received her injuries are true, as has been confirmed in a statement made at Landstuhl today.

I do notice there was almost no coverage whatsoever of the two MoD-contracted Kenyan drivers that were released from captivity by British forces near Basra.

Best regards

Steve ~ Touchdown-News

I think in this case it’s worth pointing out that you join the Army as a soldier and then train to do your trade. In this instance the action’s of Jessica can only be described as those of a well trained
soldier. The fact that she was rescued is a vivid demonstration to the Iraqi’s of the ability of the U.S to undertake covert operations
with success.
A number of years ago I had the opportunity to listen to an
RAF navigator about his experiences in the hands of the Iraqi
military after his Tornado was shot down during Desert Storm.
For three days after his capture the broken leg he received on ejection was hit with a stick by his interrogators .
All in all nobody who is captured by the Iraqi’s is going to have a comfortable time – three cheers for the Delta force guys.

Vortex.

Your vitriol as usual does you no credit.

However, I, like Dave, had not seen the press reports of the part she played in the initial ambush and as such was not aware of her considerable courage. For that, I offer my apologies to Jessica Lynch and my heartfelt wishes for a speedy recovery.

As usual you try to inflame every thread you populate. If you took the time to read and understand what people are saying you would have seen that I was not doubting Jessica Lynch’s plight, just the language surrounding it before the information was completely disseminated.

As to your last comment, I cannot imagine how I would have felt or behaved in Jessica’s situation. I never will know, the military doesn’t have a great deal of use for 42 year olds who can only walk with crutches and who have just ordered their first wheelchair. Peeing myself isn’t out of the question either.

Regards,

kev35

Since I posted this thread Ive read more of the incident (if thats what it is) and I retract some of what I wrote, as you say Vortex, she did everything to fight off the ambushers getting badly wounded in doing so and her 9 days as a prisoner was no holiday, she certainly was a courageous young lady, I just hope the American press dont make her out to be some kind of a female Rambo.

I wish her a speedy recovery from her wounds and injuries.

Dave

well…

maybe not a hero to you but i find her courageous if the story just came out was true. She was a “clerk” i should remind you….she tried her hardest to fight off the ambush, took hits into her legs, continue fighting until she ran out of ammo and took a knife wound by the enemy….what you call that? YOU probably would pee in your pants and die crying.

Sauron.

“IT also shows (once again) that the US military values it’s members enough to put in the effort and takes the risks necessary to conduct such rescues. “

In this case, yes, it is true. But remember the Americans abandoned Vietnam without a full accounting of their missing personnel.

“I also think people in the US are just as aware as you are that the folks who rescued her are the real ‘heros’. It dosn’t cost anything extra to call her a hero considering what she went through.”

And there you may have a point. I know I wouldn’t like to have spent the last nine days in Jessica’s position.

Regards

kev35

Re: Jessica Lynch

Hi, Dave.

“Although Im glad for Jessia and her family that she was rescued,”

Indeed, we should all be. She is a servicewoman who placed herself in harms way at the request of her Government. It can only be a good thing that she was rescued and is returning home.

“but why do the American press need to make such a big deal out of it by calling her a hero.”

A campaign that has not gone as envisaged from its political inception to it’s eventual military end, the capture of Americans, the loss of military equipment, escalating losses and the increase in friendly fire incidents? A good news story to counteract any one of the above.

“Her unit took a wrong turn and was captured by Iraqi soldiers, she sustained a broken arm and two broken legs and while being held prisoner was more than likely scared sh*tless, and now shes probably seroiusly traumatised, so what the hell did she do that was so heroic, the “heros” are the guys who got her out.”

The traditional definition of heroism applies to those involved in her rescue. But, maybe, the term can be applied to Jessica as she’s spent her time as a prisoner alone, afraid and feeling abandoned, yet she has managed to stay alive. It is possible many people in that situation would have given up and succumbed to their injuries.

Regards,

kev35

Sauron

I understand what you’re saying but maybe Im just a bit to pragmatic to understand why Americans seem to want to make a drama out of a crisis.

Dave

Dave

The answer is simple. Her experience allows people to get past the broader issues about the war and see how it effects someone who could be from next door or just down the street. It gives people in the US a lift and whats wrong with that?

IT also shows (once again) that the US military values it’s members enough to put in the effort and takes the risks necessary to conduct such rescues. Can’t see a downside myself.

You suggest as much yourself. It has all the elements of a drama but instead of phony Hollywood crap, it’s real and people respond. I also think people in the US are just as aware as you are that the folks who rescued her are the real ‘heros’. It dosn’t cost anything extra to call her a hero considering what she went through.

Regards

Sauron

Hero is the politically correct word for victim-on-our-side.
A hero-on-the-other-side is either a terrorist, or a coward.