thedrifter
10-06-04, 05:44 AM
10-04-2004
Guest Column: Exposing the Lies about Pfc. Lynch
By Thomas Way
I hate to say this, but Col. David Hackworth was way out in left field regarding the capture of Pfc. Jessica Lynch (“While America Slept,” DefenseWatch, Sept. 27, 2004). I know that he has had sources give him the party line, but the truth on this one has been kept so compartmentalized that it is very hard to find out what really happened.
Everyone who was involved with Jessica Lynch’s rescue, treatment and anything else has been read the riot act big time. Most have had their careers threatened if they said anything about what really happened to Jessica while she was a POW. Even the Marines who fought in the diversionary raid on the Ba’ath Party HQ were told to say nothing.
Why all of the secrecy if Jessica Lynch was a mere supply clerk who got her injuries in a humvee wreck and the entire rescue was a “milk run” for the SpecOps troops? The truth is not what the American public has been told. The rescue was very much for real. Jessica was subjected to horrific abuse that she did recount to military debriefers immediately after her rescue. Her silence is not due to amnesia but instead because she is still following orders.
For those people who saw the NBC broadcast of the Iraqi videotape with both Jessica and Lori Ann Piestewa in it – both very much alive, perhaps you asked yourself the question; Why did Lori not have any broken bones if she was the driver and therefore much closer to the point of impact than Jessica? Of course, few Americans outside of those troops in the Gulf in late March 2003 saw the entire Al Jazeera broadcast that showed not only the terrified faces of captured soldiers from Jessica's convoy but also the bodies of several murdered and mutilated US POWs to include a very revealing image of Lori Ann Piestewa’s disemboweled and mutilated body. So much for her dying due to head injuries.
The facts are that Jessica Lynch did not get her injuries in the wreck of the Humvee that she was in. She was quite capable of walking when she was yanked out of the disabled Humvee. It was at this point that the horrors really began for Jessica. Rape was perhaps the least horrific thing that the Iraqis did to her over the course of her nine days of captivity. Some of the aftereffects of the Iraqi abuse would end up making Jessica essentially “radioactive” for the current administration as well.
I have been investigating what really happened to Jessica Lynch for well over a year now. It is hard to find the information because of the fear of reprisal that so many involved with the incident still feel even over a year later, but I have been piecing together the information.
Over the course of my investigation, I have corresponded with a number of people involved with Jessica’s rescue as well as several high-ranking Military Intelligence officers who have had access to detailing information on her captivity and injuries. The pieces of information that they were able to give me quite extremely enlightening. To read the words of the Ranger physician who treated Jessica on site as he expressed his desire to “put a pair of rounds between the headlights” of the Iraqi doctors, spoke volumes of the real treatment of Jessica during her captivity.
While a great many veterans with no information beyond what the news media has provided harbor considerable resentment towards Jessica Lynch, the SpecOps operators who know what really happened have a great deal of admiration towards her. They feel that Jessica earned all of the awards and commendations that she was given after her rescue.
I have talked on the phone several times with Rick Bragg, the author of Jessica Lynch’s book, I Am a Soldier Too: The Jessica Lynch Story. The pain and horror in his voice was plainly evident as he talked to me. He had access to the entire Lynch family as well as to her medical records. I have no doubt in my mind at all that there was much that Rick Bragg was not allowed to put into that book. He knew for certain that Jessica had been subjected to horrors that few of us could even imagine.
The screenwriter of the Lynch movie had to operate within the straitjacket of what the Army was willing to allow her to put into the movie as well as what the network was willing to allow.
I have also met Jessica and her family and talked with her at length. While I had to take great care in the questions that I asked to avoid offending the family, I learned a great deal from what wasn’t said as well as what was said. I saw the extensive scarring on Jessica’s left leg up close. There is no way in hell that those came from a Humvee wreck. There was certainly much hidden behind those weary eyes of Jessica’s also.
Jessica is very shy in person. Her family was very down-to-earth and exceptionally gracious to me as well. Sure, she made some money from the publicity though not nearly as much as some would like for us to believe. I am absolutely certain that Jessica would give back all of the cash and all of the fame to have not been in that ambush on March 23, 2003 – to be whole and to not have experienced the incredible horrors that her captors had inflicted upon her and her fellow soldiers. Even so, she has carried herself well, never claiming to be a hero herself and doing work to help others to include creating a foundation for the education of the children of servicemembers who have died in action.
The million-dollar question is why keep all of this quiet? The bottom line is simple; Politics. The Pentagon is terrified of the effects of the truth being told, including the rage of our troops against the Iraqis, the possible demand by the U.S. public to pull all female servicemembers from the combat zone, and the negative impact on recruiting of females into the military. This is all political correctness run rampant in the Pentagon. This comes both from senior commanders and from politicians with an agenda and considerable influence in the Pentagon and the halls of Congress.
Of course, Jessica Lynch turned out to not be quite the poster child that the powers that be wanted. She didn’t quite fight to the last bullet since her weapon had malfunctioned. The real reason for her injuries would prompt a tremendous number of awkward questions for the proponents of a greater combat role for women. Of course, there were those nude barracks photos that Larry Flynt bought up to use at a later time. In the end, the brass decided to give Jessica a convenient cover story, find a way to make her to stick with it, then allowed her to sell her book, make a few bucks and disappear into the West Virginia hills.
Yes, there has been a lot of deception involved, but not necessarily in the way that some have portrayed it. No, Jessica Lynch did not fight to the last bullet as the original intel reports strongly suggested. However, she did not merely lie in a hospital bed and be pampered by doting Iraqi doctors until the Rangers showed up, either. Some select aircrew are already being briefed on what really happened to Jessica Lynch during her captivity. In some cases, they are merely being told that Jessica resisted her captors. That alone completely refutes the official Pentagon report of Jessica’s captivity.
However, things get a lot more interesting with what other military aircrew are being told. Some of the details of Jessica's treatment are so graphic that certain female naval aviators have long-term recurring nightmares from what they were briefed.
The bottom line is that the truth – the whole dirty, horrific truth about what really happened to Jessica Lynch and the murdered POWs from her unit like Lori Ann Piestewa and Sgt. Donald Walters, needs to be told. It was only after an extremely persistent effort by Sgt. Walters’ family that the Pentagon finally admitted that he was murdered by his Iraqi captors after being captured alive.
In published reports, Marines from Captain Douglas’ unit captured at least two Iraqis who admitted during interrogation that they assaulted Jessica Lynch. Why are they not being tried for war crimes right now? Along with Jessica Lynch herself, they already have an eyewitness to Iraqi war crimes. It is also highly probable that we have captured Iraqi videotapes showing US POWs being abused. Why is the U.S. government not eager to prosecute Iraqis for war crimes committed against U.S. POWs?
I do not want Jessica Lynch to end up like former POW Melissa Coleman who also followed orders and remained silent about the abuse that she suffered while a POW during Desert Storm in 1991. Today, Melissa Coleman fights in obscurity to obtain medical benefits for the long-term effects of her captivity. What will happened to Jessica when she is no longer in the public eye?
The coverups need to end. If women choose to join the military, they should do it with their eyes wide open, not only concerning their obligations when they put on the uniform but also what may happen to them in time of war. We will end up with a better group of soldiers in the end. The truth needs to be told for the sake of this country and for Jessi’s sake so that her true story can finally be told. She has nothing at all to be ashamed of.
*Thomas Way is the pen name of a military intelligence analyst who has pursued the story of the 507th Maintenance Co. ambush as a private research project. He can be reached by sending emails to dweditor@yahoo.com. Send Feedback letters to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=654&rnd=463.22134447601604
Ellie
Guest Column: Exposing the Lies about Pfc. Lynch
By Thomas Way
I hate to say this, but Col. David Hackworth was way out in left field regarding the capture of Pfc. Jessica Lynch (“While America Slept,” DefenseWatch, Sept. 27, 2004). I know that he has had sources give him the party line, but the truth on this one has been kept so compartmentalized that it is very hard to find out what really happened.
Everyone who was involved with Jessica Lynch’s rescue, treatment and anything else has been read the riot act big time. Most have had their careers threatened if they said anything about what really happened to Jessica while she was a POW. Even the Marines who fought in the diversionary raid on the Ba’ath Party HQ were told to say nothing.
Why all of the secrecy if Jessica Lynch was a mere supply clerk who got her injuries in a humvee wreck and the entire rescue was a “milk run” for the SpecOps troops? The truth is not what the American public has been told. The rescue was very much for real. Jessica was subjected to horrific abuse that she did recount to military debriefers immediately after her rescue. Her silence is not due to amnesia but instead because she is still following orders.
For those people who saw the NBC broadcast of the Iraqi videotape with both Jessica and Lori Ann Piestewa in it – both very much alive, perhaps you asked yourself the question; Why did Lori not have any broken bones if she was the driver and therefore much closer to the point of impact than Jessica? Of course, few Americans outside of those troops in the Gulf in late March 2003 saw the entire Al Jazeera broadcast that showed not only the terrified faces of captured soldiers from Jessica's convoy but also the bodies of several murdered and mutilated US POWs to include a very revealing image of Lori Ann Piestewa’s disemboweled and mutilated body. So much for her dying due to head injuries.
The facts are that Jessica Lynch did not get her injuries in the wreck of the Humvee that she was in. She was quite capable of walking when she was yanked out of the disabled Humvee. It was at this point that the horrors really began for Jessica. Rape was perhaps the least horrific thing that the Iraqis did to her over the course of her nine days of captivity. Some of the aftereffects of the Iraqi abuse would end up making Jessica essentially “radioactive” for the current administration as well.
I have been investigating what really happened to Jessica Lynch for well over a year now. It is hard to find the information because of the fear of reprisal that so many involved with the incident still feel even over a year later, but I have been piecing together the information.
Over the course of my investigation, I have corresponded with a number of people involved with Jessica’s rescue as well as several high-ranking Military Intelligence officers who have had access to detailing information on her captivity and injuries. The pieces of information that they were able to give me quite extremely enlightening. To read the words of the Ranger physician who treated Jessica on site as he expressed his desire to “put a pair of rounds between the headlights” of the Iraqi doctors, spoke volumes of the real treatment of Jessica during her captivity.
While a great many veterans with no information beyond what the news media has provided harbor considerable resentment towards Jessica Lynch, the SpecOps operators who know what really happened have a great deal of admiration towards her. They feel that Jessica earned all of the awards and commendations that she was given after her rescue.
I have talked on the phone several times with Rick Bragg, the author of Jessica Lynch’s book, I Am a Soldier Too: The Jessica Lynch Story. The pain and horror in his voice was plainly evident as he talked to me. He had access to the entire Lynch family as well as to her medical records. I have no doubt in my mind at all that there was much that Rick Bragg was not allowed to put into that book. He knew for certain that Jessica had been subjected to horrors that few of us could even imagine.
The screenwriter of the Lynch movie had to operate within the straitjacket of what the Army was willing to allow her to put into the movie as well as what the network was willing to allow.
I have also met Jessica and her family and talked with her at length. While I had to take great care in the questions that I asked to avoid offending the family, I learned a great deal from what wasn’t said as well as what was said. I saw the extensive scarring on Jessica’s left leg up close. There is no way in hell that those came from a Humvee wreck. There was certainly much hidden behind those weary eyes of Jessica’s also.
Jessica is very shy in person. Her family was very down-to-earth and exceptionally gracious to me as well. Sure, she made some money from the publicity though not nearly as much as some would like for us to believe. I am absolutely certain that Jessica would give back all of the cash and all of the fame to have not been in that ambush on March 23, 2003 – to be whole and to not have experienced the incredible horrors that her captors had inflicted upon her and her fellow soldiers. Even so, she has carried herself well, never claiming to be a hero herself and doing work to help others to include creating a foundation for the education of the children of servicemembers who have died in action.
The million-dollar question is why keep all of this quiet? The bottom line is simple; Politics. The Pentagon is terrified of the effects of the truth being told, including the rage of our troops against the Iraqis, the possible demand by the U.S. public to pull all female servicemembers from the combat zone, and the negative impact on recruiting of females into the military. This is all political correctness run rampant in the Pentagon. This comes both from senior commanders and from politicians with an agenda and considerable influence in the Pentagon and the halls of Congress.
Of course, Jessica Lynch turned out to not be quite the poster child that the powers that be wanted. She didn’t quite fight to the last bullet since her weapon had malfunctioned. The real reason for her injuries would prompt a tremendous number of awkward questions for the proponents of a greater combat role for women. Of course, there were those nude barracks photos that Larry Flynt bought up to use at a later time. In the end, the brass decided to give Jessica a convenient cover story, find a way to make her to stick with it, then allowed her to sell her book, make a few bucks and disappear into the West Virginia hills.
Yes, there has been a lot of deception involved, but not necessarily in the way that some have portrayed it. No, Jessica Lynch did not fight to the last bullet as the original intel reports strongly suggested. However, she did not merely lie in a hospital bed and be pampered by doting Iraqi doctors until the Rangers showed up, either. Some select aircrew are already being briefed on what really happened to Jessica Lynch during her captivity. In some cases, they are merely being told that Jessica resisted her captors. That alone completely refutes the official Pentagon report of Jessica’s captivity.
However, things get a lot more interesting with what other military aircrew are being told. Some of the details of Jessica's treatment are so graphic that certain female naval aviators have long-term recurring nightmares from what they were briefed.
The bottom line is that the truth – the whole dirty, horrific truth about what really happened to Jessica Lynch and the murdered POWs from her unit like Lori Ann Piestewa and Sgt. Donald Walters, needs to be told. It was only after an extremely persistent effort by Sgt. Walters’ family that the Pentagon finally admitted that he was murdered by his Iraqi captors after being captured alive.
In published reports, Marines from Captain Douglas’ unit captured at least two Iraqis who admitted during interrogation that they assaulted Jessica Lynch. Why are they not being tried for war crimes right now? Along with Jessica Lynch herself, they already have an eyewitness to Iraqi war crimes. It is also highly probable that we have captured Iraqi videotapes showing US POWs being abused. Why is the U.S. government not eager to prosecute Iraqis for war crimes committed against U.S. POWs?
I do not want Jessica Lynch to end up like former POW Melissa Coleman who also followed orders and remained silent about the abuse that she suffered while a POW during Desert Storm in 1991. Today, Melissa Coleman fights in obscurity to obtain medical benefits for the long-term effects of her captivity. What will happened to Jessica when she is no longer in the public eye?
The coverups need to end. If women choose to join the military, they should do it with their eyes wide open, not only concerning their obligations when they put on the uniform but also what may happen to them in time of war. We will end up with a better group of soldiers in the end. The truth needs to be told for the sake of this country and for Jessi’s sake so that her true story can finally be told. She has nothing at all to be ashamed of.
*Thomas Way is the pen name of a military intelligence analyst who has pursued the story of the 507th Maintenance Co. ambush as a private research project. He can be reached by sending emails to dweditor@yahoo.com. Send Feedback letters to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.
http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=654&rnd=463.22134447601604
Ellie