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West Virginia
Charleston - The Charleston Gazette-Mail named former POW Jessica Lynch West Virginian of the Year. The newspaper honored Lynch, 20, of Palestine, for representing the state with dignity, grace and humility.
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West Virginian Of The Year Charleston Gazette names Jessica
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Posted 29 December 2003 - 08:16 AM
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Posted 29 December 2003 - 08:18 AM
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Lynch named West Virginian of Year
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Former POW Jessica Lynch has been named West Virginian of the Year by the Sunday Gazette-Mail.
The Charleston newspaper honored Lynch, a 20-year-old Palestine, Wirt County, native and former Army supply clerk, for representing the state with dignity, grace and humility after her capture and rescue in Iraq became a source of inspiration for many and gave her uninvited fame.
"I would much rather have had a peaceful couple of years in the Army, with none of this happening,'' Lynch has said about the past nine months.
Lynch, who joined the Army to serve her country, see the world and have the means to attend college and become a kindergarten teacher, suffered broken bones lacerations and spinal injuries when her 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed in Nasiriyah on March 23.
Early reports had Lynch fighting her attackers Rambo style and suffering knife and bullet wounds. Military officials later said Lynch wasn't shot but was hurt after her Humvee utility vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle. Lynch has said she didn't fire her weapon because it jammed.
Her rescue from a hospital on April 1 by special forces quickly made an American hero out of the petite blonde.
But Lynch never claimed to have been a hero.
"They used me as a way to symbolize all this stuff,'' she told ABC's Diane Sawyer in a Veterans Day interview. "It's wrong. I don't know why they filmed it, or why they say these things.''
"I'm not a hero,'' Lynch said in her biography. "If it makes people feel good to say it, then I'm glad. But I'm not. I'm just a survivor.''
Her limbs and spine are now held together with screws and rods, and she still walks with the aid of crutches and undergoes physical therapy five days a week.
In her book, "I Am a Soldier, Too,'' Lynch and former New York Times journalist Rick Bragg write that she cannot remember three hours between the ambush and waking up in the hospital.
In that time, according to medical records cited in the biography, Lynch was raped. Iraqi doctors have disputed the sexual-assault allegation.
Lynch answered difficult questions in several media interviews following her rescue, and maintained a plainspoken honesty and grace throughout.
"Like so many who have survived the unspeakable horrors of war, suffering personal injury and the loss of friends and comrades, Jessica's quiet dignity brings honor to those she served with,'' said U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. "Jessica has conducted herself with remarkable poise, and has met unimaginable pain and adversity with ferocious tenacity. Like most West Virginians, I am both proud and humbled by the remarkable character exhibited by this young woman. Her pluck and perseverance have made her a great ambassador for West Virginia, and for America.''
Lynch also addressed her welcome-home crowd in July with a message of gratitude, thanking those who sent messages of support, the soldiers who took part in her rescue and several Iraqi citizens who helped save her life while she was hospitalized.
She also expressed sadness over the members of her company who were killed, including Spc. Lori Piestewa.
"I miss Lori,'' she told the crowd. "She was my best friend. She fought beside me, and it was an honor to have served with her.''
Lynch's speech also introduced the world to her boyfriend, Sgt. Ruben Contreras, whom she met at Fort Bliss.
Since her homecoming, Lynch has undergone strenuous rehabilitation sessions, worked on and promoted her biography and conducted various media interviews.
She also created the Jessica Lynch Foundation to help the children of dead and retired military personnel cover their education costs, with funding from a portion of her biography's proceeds.
And Lynch also became a celebrity, with her picture appearing on the cover of Newsweek, Time, Parade and People magazines.
Lynch said she plans to take advantage of her high-profile status to go places and meet people, but she also looks forward to a time when interest in her story begins to fade.
Many people are likely to remember that Lynch was a POW, she said.
"But, hopefully, one day they'll forget about it enough so that it's just another story in history books, and I can start following my dream of working with kids,'' she said.
And she says that no matter where life takes her, "I'll always be a West Virginian.''
Lynch named West Virginian of Year
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Former POW Jessica Lynch has been named West Virginian of the Year by the Sunday Gazette-Mail.
The Charleston newspaper honored Lynch, a 20-year-old Palestine, Wirt County, native and former Army supply clerk, for representing the state with dignity, grace and humility after her capture and rescue in Iraq became a source of inspiration for many and gave her uninvited fame.
"I would much rather have had a peaceful couple of years in the Army, with none of this happening,'' Lynch has said about the past nine months.
Lynch, who joined the Army to serve her country, see the world and have the means to attend college and become a kindergarten teacher, suffered broken bones lacerations and spinal injuries when her 507th Maintenance Company was ambushed in Nasiriyah on March 23.
Early reports had Lynch fighting her attackers Rambo style and suffering knife and bullet wounds. Military officials later said Lynch wasn't shot but was hurt after her Humvee utility vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle. Lynch has said she didn't fire her weapon because it jammed.
Her rescue from a hospital on April 1 by special forces quickly made an American hero out of the petite blonde.
But Lynch never claimed to have been a hero.
"They used me as a way to symbolize all this stuff,'' she told ABC's Diane Sawyer in a Veterans Day interview. "It's wrong. I don't know why they filmed it, or why they say these things.''
"I'm not a hero,'' Lynch said in her biography. "If it makes people feel good to say it, then I'm glad. But I'm not. I'm just a survivor.''
Her limbs and spine are now held together with screws and rods, and she still walks with the aid of crutches and undergoes physical therapy five days a week.
In her book, "I Am a Soldier, Too,'' Lynch and former New York Times journalist Rick Bragg write that she cannot remember three hours between the ambush and waking up in the hospital.
In that time, according to medical records cited in the biography, Lynch was raped. Iraqi doctors have disputed the sexual-assault allegation.
Lynch answered difficult questions in several media interviews following her rescue, and maintained a plainspoken honesty and grace throughout.
"Like so many who have survived the unspeakable horrors of war, suffering personal injury and the loss of friends and comrades, Jessica's quiet dignity brings honor to those she served with,'' said U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. "Jessica has conducted herself with remarkable poise, and has met unimaginable pain and adversity with ferocious tenacity. Like most West Virginians, I am both proud and humbled by the remarkable character exhibited by this young woman. Her pluck and perseverance have made her a great ambassador for West Virginia, and for America.''
Lynch also addressed her welcome-home crowd in July with a message of gratitude, thanking those who sent messages of support, the soldiers who took part in her rescue and several Iraqi citizens who helped save her life while she was hospitalized.
She also expressed sadness over the members of her company who were killed, including Spc. Lori Piestewa.
"I miss Lori,'' she told the crowd. "She was my best friend. She fought beside me, and it was an honor to have served with her.''
Lynch's speech also introduced the world to her boyfriend, Sgt. Ruben Contreras, whom she met at Fort Bliss.
Since her homecoming, Lynch has undergone strenuous rehabilitation sessions, worked on and promoted her biography and conducted various media interviews.
She also created the Jessica Lynch Foundation to help the children of dead and retired military personnel cover their education costs, with funding from a portion of her biography's proceeds.
And Lynch also became a celebrity, with her picture appearing on the cover of Newsweek, Time, Parade and People magazines.
Lynch said she plans to take advantage of her high-profile status to go places and meet people, but she also looks forward to a time when interest in her story begins to fade.
Many people are likely to remember that Lynch was a POW, she said.
"But, hopefully, one day they'll forget about it enough so that it's just another story in history books, and I can start following my dream of working with kids,'' she said.
And she says that no matter where life takes her, "I'll always be a West Virginian.''
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Posted 29 December 2003 - 10:11 AM
Jessica's someone who ALWAYS HAS and will ALWAYS be a DEFINING SYMBOL of HOPE for the future and all that is TRUELY GOOD and CARING in this crazy, mixed-up world we live in!!
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Posted 29 December 2003 - 05:49 PM
Thanks for the links Lanieer, wonderful articles
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Posted 31 December 2003 - 11:15 AM
[[FONT=Optima]COLOR=blue]I think that Jessica is the epitome of Integrity. This is an appropriate and deserved award for her. I have heard some in the media give her a hard time. As a West Virginia resident myself; it is quite refreshing to see this young woman honored for her strength as well as many other attributes. I extend my prayers and well wishes to her and her family.
Vantoindio![/COLOR][/FONT]
Vantoindio![/COLOR][/FONT]
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