[iron-bound]

Hmmm. An incredible amount of information here. Some of it may be true, some of it may not be. Disturbingly, the Iraqi doctors seem to be slowly reneging on their claims that Jessica was treated well throughout. Their observations concerning Jessica's broken bones are an example.

Man, she's in a bad way. But as it's been said a thousand times, she's alive, and ultimately that's all that matters. If there's only one thing that the Jessica Lynch story has reminded me of, it is the value of human life.

On a side note, it's nice to see the Washington Post doing some serious investigative work. I was never annoyed with them as I was the BBC and LA Times, but that early report concerning her actions during the ambush caused many of the problems in subsequent coverage.

[SKS_Lover]

Good story from the Post. Now if only those BBC, Toronto Star, and LA Times idiots had done their homework on this, a lot of confusion would have been avoided.

[david_2000_13206]

Great find, redfalcon, the best article I've read on this topic. The Washington Post did well with this one, very well researched and no jumping to wild conclusions and especially the use of multiple sources, unlike the BBC, where one guy says something, so it must be true, especially if it's anti American. It's a good thing you found the article since, actualy being good journalism, chances are no one will pick it up and it will be buried. I'm saving the full text and I would recommend doing the same if anyone ever wants to refer to this article in the future.
I was afraid that Pfc. Lynch was hurt more severely than we were told, but I didn't think it was that bad. An hour to go from her bed to her wheelchair! I wonder if she will ever walk again? Is there anyone in this forum with a medical background who can comment on this? Anyway, she still needs everyone's thoughts and prayers now as much as ever.

[cody evans]

Thank you, Redfalcon. I really hope this is the right story. While being in a bad accident is no fun either, at least its a whole lot better than some other scenarios that have been hinted at. And it does explain why she has no memories of what happened after the RPG explosion. Accident trama will do that. I will continue to pray for her healing.

Other reports:

http://www.military.com/NewsContent?file=F...FL_lynch_061703
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/primeti...030617_pt1.html
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/primeti...030617_pt2.html
http://msnbc.com/news/927609.asp?0sl=-41
http://www.post-gazette.com/World/20030617...brief0617p2.asp

[FIREMAN]

Welll, I read all of them. Certainly more details will come out.

Does anyone else find it morbidly interesting that almost half of the fatalities (4 of the 9) from the 507th came from Jessica's vehicle?

I'm also wondering who the soldier was that took cover and found the mortar pit. Taking out 6 soldiers by himself before being killed certainly is grounds for one of the top combat medals.

[papags46]

It is pretty interesting. Especially how now the doctors are saying that she was mistreated. The Washington Post did a pretty good job about the whole thing. They actually used facts.

[FIREMAN]

QUOTE (CAcowgirl32 @ Jun 17 2003, 11:57 AM)

It is pretty interesting. Especially how now the doctors are saying that she was mistreated. The Washington Post did a pretty good job about the whole thing. They actually used facts.

*knock, knock* Hello? BBC/LA Times/NY Times? Is anyone there???

[cody evans]

hols, I hear you.

On another thread Canuck1000 mentions articles 199 and 200 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. I looked for those articles on some links and couldn't find them. I asked Canuck if he could find them and he has not responded to my post. And yes, we do have someone using the private mail function to send to people some supposedly 'inside information' on 'what really happened' to Pvt. Lynch. These missives have been known to greatly upset their receipents. But they are now exposed as flights of evil fancy mixed in with a few facts. They should be ignored as such.

[strawberryaw]

Thank you redfalcon for bringing this story to our attention. It is certainly the most comprehensive story so far and has helped to fill in some of the gaps that may have happened. There is probably some truth to what some of the Iraqi medical personnel have said. I'm sure they wanted to put their hospital in the best possible light. I work in a hospital myself and our goal is to take care of our patients regardless of who they are. One has to wonder though, how they can defend the fact that their hospital was turned into a military post. They spoke of how much they feared the Americans when the rescue took place. Did they also fear the Fedayeen and senior Baath officials using their hospital as a base? Why was a guard posted outside her room if all they wanted to do was help her? It’s hard to believe that at some point, Jessica was not interrogated. Perhaps the doctors turned their heads the other way at such times.
The different accounts still do not mesh and there are certainly ommissons and embellishments to the story. It is likely the whole truth will never be known.
The accounts of the ambush sound so desperate. I can't help but feel sorrow for those who gave their lives that day and for Jessica. Thanks again for letting us know about this article. Steve