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| In the book, Mr. Bragg described Private Bunke as a "six-foot-six, blond recruiting poster of a U.S. Marine" who "fought a war he could not have imagined at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio." Over two pages, Mr. Bragg recounted Mr. Bunke’s memories of the war and concluded by discussing the emotions the Marines felt when they heard rumors that Ms. Lynch was being tortured. "The story they would hear made Seth Bunke want to kill, and made him proud to," Mr. Bragg wrote. |
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http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EWS28/112030100
Toledo native finds fame, friendship for his role in rescue of Jessica Lynch
Jessica Lynch and Seth Bunke visit at Ms. Lynch’s home in West Virginia. Private Bunke also met author Rick Bragg there.
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By JOE MAHR
BLADE STAFF WRITER
Toledo native Seth Bunke spent a month at home this summer recounting stories to his friends and relatives of his Marine Corps service in Iraq - including his part in the mission to rescue prisoner-of-war Jessica Lynch.
On his drive back to his North Carolina base in July, Private Bunke decided to see if somebody else wanted to talk about it as well: Ms. Lynch herself. She did.
And now he is mentioned in her best-selling book.
"I couldn’t believe it," he said yesterday from North Carolina.
Private Bunke, 21, was quoted over two pages of the biography I Am a Soldier, Too, which was released on Nov. 11 and immediately topped the New York Times bestseller list.
Private Bunke said he did not know of his recent claim to fame until staff sergeants approached him this week at their Camp Lejeune base and said, "You’re Seth Bunke. You’re in the Jessica Lynch book."
His mention in the book cropped out of a friendship they began since her return home that has included two visits and phone calls.
"The first time we talked, it felt like we knew each other for years," he said.
Before that, they had almost crossed paths twice.
On March 23 near the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, a 16-vehicle convoy of Private Lynch’s 507th Maintenance Company got lost and was ambushed by Saddam loyalists. Hours later, Private Bunke’s 600-member Marine battalion approached the city and began their own firefight, in part to rescue some members of the ambushed Army company.
On April 1, Private Bunke’s 30-man platoon was chosen to create a diversion and provide backup for a contingent of 30 Army, Navy, and Marine Corps special forces units sent in to rescue Private Lynch.
As special forces units converged on the Nasiriyah hospital, Private Bunke’s platoon crept into the city in personnel carriers, ended up near the hospital, and left after the helicopters whisked Private Lynch away.
When Private Bunke returned home on leave July 3, an article appeared in The Blade about his recollections of the war and the Lynch rescue. Private Bunke’s family and friends peppered him with questions about his role.
As Private Bunke was planning his return to Camp Lejeune, he had a thought: He was taking I-77 through West Virginia, and Private Lynch’s home was 20 minutes off the highway. Maybe he could visit?
Figuring it was a long shot, he said, he called the head of security at her house and told him of his role in her rescue. The family asked him to stop by so she could meet someone involved in the mission. He did.
He talked with the still-tired and medicated Ms. Lynch, her boyfriend, and Rick Bragg, a former New York Times reporter then researching the book.
Mr. Bragg asked Private Bunke some questions and left about an hour into the visit. Mr. Bunke said he did not know he’d be mentioned in the book.
In the book, Mr. Bragg described Private Bunke as a "six-foot-six, blond recruiting poster of a U.S. Marine" who "fought a war he could not have imagined at Central Catholic High School in Toledo, Ohio."
Over two pages, Mr. Bragg recounted Mr. Bunke’s memories of the war and concluded by discussing the emotions the Marines felt when they heard rumors that Ms. Lynch was being tortured. "The story they would hear made Seth Bunke want to kill, and made him proud to," Mr. Bragg wrote.
During his first visit with Ms. Lynch and a second one about a month later, Private Bunke had confirmed that the rumors he and other Marines had heard before their mission were largely untrue.
She did not remember much after she was captured. But from what she did recall, she was treated well by the Iraqis.
Although Mr. Bragg’s book cites military medical records saying there were signs of sexual assault, she has told Private Bunke and others that she does not remember anything.
She told him of her frustration at being the subject of exaggerated bravery claims. Press reports initially said she had waged a fierce gun battle before being taken captive. Later they conceded her rifle jammed, and her injuries occurred as her Humvee ran into the back of a truck.
"It kind of bothered her," Private Bunke said. "Her exact words to me were that she isn’t a hero; she’s a survivor. Her heroes are the people who went in and got her."
He said he has not seen her since, but has talked with her once and her mother several times on the phone. He said they’ve invited him to visit again, and he plans to stop on his way home for Christmas.
