Jessica Lynch says US used her as Iraq war symbol

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Ex-POW Jessica Lynch says US used her as Iraq war symbol

Former prisoner of war Jessica Lynch, whose capture and rescue in the early days of the Iraq war turned her into a US icon, said in an interview that the US government had used her as an upbeat symbol in the conflict.

"I think I provided a way to boost everybody's confidence about the war," Lynch told Time magazine.

"I was used as a symbol. They could show the war was going great because 'we rescued this person.' It doesn't bother me anymore. It used to," she said.

Lynch, who has previously criticized the official US government portrayal of her rescue, said her book "I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story," written by Rick Bragg, allowed her to "set the record straight" about her March 23, 2003 capture and rescue nine days later.

Lynch, 22, who still uses a cane as she recovers from the injuries sustained during her capture, will attend West Virginia University. The tuition is being paid by her homestate of West Virginia.

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I saw her on Extreme Home Makeover - she was helping a friend out who died in her unit by having a house bult for thier friends family.

It is too bad she is feeling used.

TTF

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typical. The armed forces have a full fledge marketing and PR departments. it's being run like a corporation now.

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I'm glad the little gal from W. Va. finally spoke up. I had been wondering about just how naive she was, whether she realized that she had been used shamelessly by the government to spread an upbeat message. The story of her rescue was a hoot from day one. Descriptions of the efforts launched to rescue her from an unguarded hospital were so at variance with other eyewitness accounts, it's a wonder anybody except the most rabid war hawks believed them.

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Me too. She knew what the deal was and that's a good thing. It was quite the tightrope she walked and laying low, letting it blow over, was the smartest way to go for her to survive it all.
Bush & Co really stink.

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Really!?! I would have never guessed!!

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http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0780622561.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

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While she claims to be a soldier she wasn't really much of one. I met Drill Sergeants who knew her in basic and she got out of basic just barely. They all claim she was a *itch.

She didn't fire a round because she didn't keep her weapon clean (bad soldier) and when her weapon jammed she wasn't able to clear it (bad soldier).

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Baldimo, you can be a total ass.

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Baldimo wrote:

While she claims to be a soldier she wasn't really much of one. I met Drill Sergeants who knew her in basic and she got out of basic just barely. They all claim she was a *itch.

She didn't fire a round because she didn't keep her weapon clean (bad soldier) and when her weapon jammed she wasn't able to clear it (bad soldier).

So, you are saying that the American military actually sent a ill trained, foul up soldier into the jaws of Iraq? Shame on them.

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Baldimo wrote:

While she claims to be a soldier she wasn't really much of one. I met Drill Sergeants who knew her in basic and she got out of basic just barely. They all claim she was a *itch.

She didn't fire a round because she didn't keep her weapon clean (bad soldier) and when her weapon jammed she wasn't able to clear it (bad soldier).

Even if so, what does that have to do with anything? What is it with you, Baldy? How does an ad hominem argument like that justify the headline-grabbing behavior of the army and the US government, which is what this thread is about?

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I'm sure it'll be a breeze for you to keep all the friggin sand out of your weapon when you get over there, Baldimo. It's not like you'll have anything to do besides sit around cleaning your weapon, right?

Gee. And to think the government chose such a horrible soldier to make into a hero. What were they thinking? Rolling Eyes

I'm almost more sorry that she knows she was used. She deserves a White House make-over even more than the rest of us do.

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hmmm 3 similar posts at the exact same time.

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Coming from someone (Baldimo) who loves to attack those that "don't support our troops" I feel the three similar posts in a row were quite appropriate.

Though, Little K probably said it best.

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Baldimo wrote:

While she claims to be a soldier she wasn't really much of one. I met Drill Sergeants who knew her in basic and she got out of basic just barely. They all claim she was a *itch.

She didn't fire a round because she didn't keep her weapon clean (bad soldier) and when her weapon jammed she wasn't able to clear it (bad soldier).

At least she was over there fighting though huh Baldy?
To me that qualifies her as more of a soldier than those in a perpetual state of waiting.

Besides, don't most men in the army have that opinion of a women in combat...both incompetent and a b*tch?
Nothing new on that front.

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I believe Baldimo's claim that he met her DI about as much as i believe him when he says he's white . . . no wait, when he says he's not white and proud of it. About as much as i believe him when he says he's in the military and waiting to be assigned overseas . . . been waiting a long damned time, and frankly, the rest of us are getting tired of it . . .

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Baldimo wrote:

While she claims to be a soldier she wasn't really much of one. I met Drill Sergeants who knew her in basic and she got out of basic just barely. They all claim she was a *itch.

She didn't fire a round because she didn't keep her weapon clean (bad soldier) and when her weapon jammed she wasn't able to clear it (bad soldier).

I've heard her husband was a CIA agent who pulled strings to get her over there and set up her "capture" so that she could come home and criticize the administration...

Oh wait... Who are we trying to discredit again???

Rolling Eyes

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Take yer pick, Boss . . . slander all of 'em, and we'll sort out the details later . . .

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Setanta wrote:

I believe Baldimo's claim that he met her DI about as much as i believe him when he says he's white . . . no wait, when he says he's not white and proud of it. About as much as i believe him when he says he's in the military and waiting to be assigned overseas . . . been waiting a long damned time, and frankly, the rest of us are getting tired of it . . .

We both went to Ft. Jackson in SC for basic. There is a small amount of people there who train soldiers.

I'm Italian /Sicilian (giving me dark skin) and I've already told you that, take it for what it is.

I start deployment Oct 1. It didn't happen in January because the HHC(Head Quarters Company) wasn't looking for people in Aviation, they were looking for paper pushers. I work on helicopters not paper work. I got told no to Iraq. My whole battalion is being sent to Afghanistan. Got an issue?

I'm sure you wouldn't mind me not coming back and I hope to disappoint you.

A bad soldier who doesn't remember what they are taught is a bad soldier. I feel bad that she was caught, but there were a number of things that led to her being caught. I can't help it that she couldn't keep her weapon clean. To clean it twice a day doesn't take much more then 10 minutes at a time. To clear your weapon during a weapons jam only takes about 5 seconds at most. She forgot how to do it.

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This young lady was the "prop" in "propaganda". Not her fault she was used.

Baldimo, you know not a single person here would wish ill on you and we wish you to come back safely.

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Jessica Lynch says US used her as Iraq war symbol

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