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No iraqi soldiers at hospital Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/columnists/sue_hutchison/6168377.htm http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/columnists/sue_hutchison/6168377.htm http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/mercurynews/news/columnists/sue_hutchison/6168377.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp Posted on Wed, Jun. 25, 2003 Don't blame Private Lynch for holes in heroic story By Sue Hutchison Mercury News During the months Pfc. Jessica Lynch has been hospitalized since her infamous ordeal in the Iraqi desert, the arc of her war story has gone from the adventures that Hollywood blockbusters are made of to the stuff of exposé TV documentaries. And somewhere lost in the middle of it is a kid who was just trying to do the job she was trained for. The 20-year-old Army supply clerk from West Virginia apparently has little memory of what happened when she was captured on March 23. Probably no one is more surprised than she to find that she has been fashioned into a war hero, a symbol of feminism and a media pawn. The question is whether the current version of what happened will be twisted to use against her -- and other women in the military -- just as the earlier version was twisted to make her a poster girl for the war. The first reports of her story, as told to journalists by military officials, seemed too cinematic to be true. And they probably weren't. This month the Washington Post followed up on its original story, chronicling events from Lynch's capture to her April Fool's Day rescue, and found that key elements are in dispute: Military officials originally said she fought off Iraqis like Xena, Warrior Princess, despite her own battle wounds. Now officials are saying that, though she tried to fight, her M-16 rifle jammed. She was neither stabbed nor shot. Her injuries were most likely the result of an accident when the Humvee she was riding in crashed into a U.S. truck. By the time she was ``rescued,'' Iraqi soldiers had left the hospital where she was being treated. The doctors and nurses there said they were only too happy to turn her over to U.S. soldiers who came storming in when all the rescuers needed to do was ask for directions to her room. She stood her ground Hey, I admit I fell for it. In a column that appeared April 16, I mentioned Lynch as one of many female soldiers, including Air Force Capt. Kim Campbell and former POW Army Spec. Shoshana Johnson, who had proven themselves in Iraq. I wrote that Lynch ``stood her ground and emptied her rifle.'' But, even if her rifle wouldn't fire and her wounds were inglorious, no one is denying that Lynch tried to stand her ground. No one has said she's done anything wrong. She is no more or less a hero than any soldier who fought in the war. The mythmakers may not release their grip on her even now that so many holes have been punched in the tale of ``Saving Private Lynch.'' Network anchors and movie producers still are clamoring to talk to her. Her story has taken on a life of its own, and it's easy to keep a myth alive when the principal character can't remember what happened. Just doing her job In the end, Jessica Lynch may be remembered more for being a veteran of propaganda than a veteran of battle. But, if she's like any of the other military women I've spoken with over the past decade, the last thing she wanted was special treatment or special status -- just equal opportunity. She's not a Bambi Rambo. She's just a kid like thousands of others who was looking for a way to a better life by joining the military and ended up toting an M-16 through the desert. She did what she was supposed to do, and after she was ambushed she managed to survive. That doesn't mean she deserves star treatment, but it doesn't mean that she was a fraud. And it's not evidence that women shouldn't serve in the armed forces. When Private Lynch shipped out to Iraq, she may have feared being captured or killed. But no one told her that being fodder for a media legend was part of the job description. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sue Hutchison's column appears on Wednesdays and Fridays. Contact her at shutchison@sjmercury.com.

American rescue soldiers terrified lynch Bbc says lynch rescue staged { May 17 2003 } Doctor said no iraqi soldiers or militiamen { April 15 2003 } Im no hero says lynch { November 7 2003 } Injuries from humvee crash { November 7 2003 } Jessica disputes army account of dramatic rescue Jessica lynch criticizes us accounts of her ordeal { November 7 2003 } Jessica lynch operation staged { April 16 2003 } Jessica lynch raid unnecessary { May 16 2003 } Lynch cartoon [jpg] Lynch disturbed by exegerations { November 11 2003 } Lynch not shot or stabbed { May 15 2003 } Lynch unanswered questions { July 21 2003 } Military manipulated story says lynch Msnbc military manipulated story says lynch No iraqi soldiers at hospital Pentagon calls bbc allegations ridiculous Private disturbed that military overdramatized rescue Questions about lynch rescue { May 19 2003 } Rescue lynch no resistance Saving private lynch { April 6 2003 } Story turning into monster for bush administration Weapons records gone { September 17 2003 } Files Listed: 23

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