the saga of Saving Private Lynch.

Toronto Star ^ | May 4, 2003 | Mitch Potter

[bert]

CYA Alert !!!

[tet68]

Platinum plates? Some obscure hospital in the middle of Iraq has platinum plates?

[jlogajan]

I believe the only report of mistreatment was the laywer who saw a fedayeen slap her.

Nine of her comrades were killed in the ambush, so we presume they all didn't just fall out of their trucks. Two of the POW's had less serious injuries as well.

So Lynch's injuries were likely sustained in the initial ambush environment.

There would be little reason to suppose that the health workers at the hospital would mistreat her, and we've had no actual witnesses suggest that beyone the slapping incident by a fedayeen, which occurred several days before her rescue.

So the hosptial staff could be telling the true, or polishing it up a bit.

Lynch and the other POW's are still heroes -- they put their lives on the line in a combat zone.

[jlogajan]

At one time the soldier would have been a MAN and as such would have been EXPECTED to provide data in a debriefing. The data would then be examined to ascertain whether he conducted himself properly, his training served him as expected ETC. (Thank God for "amnesia", huh?).

Oh give it a rest. All three women in that unit were either killed or injured in combat -- in service to this country. Go soak your head.

[FITZ]

then why is it hard to believe that doctors and nurses would have treated Jessica well?

I'm quite sure some of them had compassion ---it's not like they found Jessica lying on a cement floor ---she was in a bed and receiving some level of medical care. I think there was a question about her leg being amputated ---but that often is done when bones are too smashed or to keep an infection from spreading.

[Tinman]

"Until such time as she wants to talk — and that's going to be no time soon, and it may be never at all — the press is simply going to have to wait."

Everyone will have to wait and speculation will do no good.

I'm a bit closer to this entire situation because the 507th is my son-in-law's unit. He did not deploy due to medical reasons. Those who were lost and all that made it home, were/are his friends and comrades. I also know the CSM who had the sad duty of calling the roll, which went unanswered, at the memorial service for those who did not make it home.

Additionaly, I had the great honor and pleasure of spending a few hours with one of the POW's, in the relaxed atmosphere of a cookout, in my son-in-law's backyard. Sgt. Jim Riley is a fine young man who told me point blank that all involved are under orders not to speak about what happened over there, until such time that all investigations are complete.

Eventually, the truth will come out. Until that time, everything is nothing but rumor and speculation.

Regards to all

[postal_andy]

'I believe the only report of mistreatment was the laywer who saw a fedayeen slap her.'

In fact some other doctors at the hospital told CNN April 20th that the Fedayeen would beat Pfc Lynch and tried to prevent the doctors from seeing her more than twice a day-
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/04/20/sprj.irq.lynch.hospital/index.html
They also imply that the Fedayeen were trying to starve her, but they smuggled food in to her.
Take your pick how much of each version you believe...the more I read the more confused I get. Obviously a lot of CYA going on by everybody.
I think someone from Walter Reed and/or the Lynch family should issue a statement about the Iraqi doctors, no need for medical details, just say "we are satisfied that the doctors treated Pfc Lynch correctly and to the best of their ability" assuming that is the case. That would clear up a lot of this speculation.
I have seen an article on http://www.herald-dispatch.com where a Lynch cousin says that Mr Lynch has told her that the doctors and nurses in Iraq were very good to Jessica.

[TalBlack]

"Give it a rest"? Nope. This is my country too and if it's military is setting itself up for a BEATING I'm going to say so and not stop just because someone's tired of hearing it. Sorry genius.

[Ranger]

The 3 organized groups, the Iraqi soldiers the Fedayeen and the hospital workers probably cover the full spectrum of humanity. All of them tramped through that building. I see no reason not to pour on the assistance to the medical personnel there trying to do good works. As for the Fedayeen, bullets are too good for them.

[Republican Party Reptile]

<<< That's true, but the war was just about over when that happened. >>>

Well, "just about over" in a one month war is a relative term :-), the U.S. forces were already at the door step of the town - close enough for the good lawyer to walk to and forth to help the U.S. forces setup the rescue effort.

There are obviously a lot of confusion and details that hasn't been made public - yet (you would think we would KNOW whether she was or wasn't shot after we have already rescued her, yet even that piece of data changed several times in the reporting following her rescue). I think there is likely room for all parties to be "right" about their particular side of the event:

The lawyer who saw the beating and the presence of Iraqi military at the hospital and walked the (what was it? 12 miles? 16 miles?) distance, round trip, twice, to get in touch with the U.S. military and set the rescue effort in motion.

But how long would it take someone to walk 12 to 16 miles in a deser combat zone? A good half day or more? Were there other time lags between the alwyer's last visit to the hosptial and when he started off to get in contact with the U.S. forces the second time? It's possible that by the time the U.S. forces got the lawyer's "latest" information, draw up the plan for the rescue, and actually carried out the rescue, things at the hosptial could have changed quite a bit - the Iraqi military and Fedayeens having abandoned the place in the face of advancing U.S. forces, the doctors and nurses left on their own may have even actually tried to return pfc Lynch on their own.

At the same time, the U.S. military has no "real time" knowledge of what, if anything, has changed at the hospital, so they go in with full might of the force they can bring to bear to neuturalize the hospital and rescue the POW.

So, it's possible that everybody was right.

[El Gato]

TalBlack
Since Mar 26, 2003

[Wolfstar]

It is also curious that shortly after this story appears, the news this morning is that Jessica has amnesia and doesn't remember anything from the point the convoy was attacked.

[agrandis]

What a refreshing rely yours was! Thank you for cutting to the heart of the problem.

[agrandis]

Eventually, the truth will come out.

But probably not until Judgement Day.

[postal_andy]

Another reason for the cameramen is that war crimes are suspected and they were there to gather evidence.
Similarly the bed was "trashed" when samples were taken for forensic examination. (One of the earlier reports quoting this doctor makes this clear.)