POW claims military manipulated her story
Advance press of former POW Jessica Lynch�s biography includes the shocking revelation the 19-year-old Army supply clerk was raped and sodomized by her Iraqi captors.

In �I Am a Soldier, Too,� the authorized biography written by best-selling author Rick Bragg, Lynch offers for the first time brutal details of her treatment as a prisoner of war following the ambush of her 507th Maintenance Company convoy in Nasiriyah on March 23 and before the heroic Special Ops rescue operation that swept her out of harm�s way in the middle of the night nine days later.

�Jessi lost three hours,� Bragg wrote, according to the New York Daily News, who obtained a copy of the book. �She lost them in the snapping bones, in the crash of the Humvee, in the torment her enemies inflicted on her after she was pulled from it.�

According to Bragg, Lynch�s medical records indicate she was anally
raped.

�The records do not tell whether her captors assaulted her almost lifeless, broken body after she was lifted from the wreckage, or if they assaulted her and then broke her bones into splinters until she was almost dead,� the Daily News quotes from the book.

Lynch and her parents also shared the grim details of her ordeal in an interview with ABC News� Diane Sawyer, which will air on a special edition of �Primetime� Tuesday. The parents say they rejected any notion of being selective about revealing the details because they want the book to accurately reflect what happened.

WorldNetDaily reported Lynch�s father, Greg Lynch, earlier alluded to a gag order apparently placed on the family during a press conference outside their Palestine, W.Va., home.

�We�re really not supposed to talk about that subject. It�s still under investigation,� he said when asked what Jessica had relayed to them about her POW experience.

Lynch�s 207-page book, published by Knopf, is scheduled to be released Tuesday, which is Veteran�s Day.

Pulitzer Prize winning Bragg has written several books, including the
memoir �All Over but the Shoutin�.� He resigned from the New York Times in May following his suspension over a story that carried his byline but was reported largely by a freelance writer.

News of the assault disturbs military advocate Elaine Donnelly, who has pressed the Pentagon for such details to no avail.

�I�m kind of surprised that the news of rape is coming out so late. We should have learned about this sooner,� Donnelly told WorldNetDaily, adding she suspected Lynch was brutalized after hearing reports that her dogtags were found on the nightstand of one of Saddam Hussein�s Fedayeen fighters.

�I�m so sorry about what happened to Jessica Lynch and my heart goes out to her. I don�t like to be right on these things, but I feared this happened,� Donnelly said.

Donnelly, who heads the Center for Military Readiness, an independent public-policy organization that specializes in military personnel issues, and is a member of WND�s Speakers Bureau, blames Lynch�s tragic experience on what she calls �social engineering� policies instituted in the military over the last decade by �Pentagon feminists� seeking to advance the careers of servicewomen at the cost, she says, of military morale, efficiency and readiness.

Donnelly has called on Commander in Chief Bush to give direction to the Pentagon on rolling back Clinton-era policies such as females serving in combat roles, gender quotas, co-ed basic training, the deployment of single mothers and pregnant servicewomen and �overly generous pregnancy policies that subsidize and therefore increase single parenthood.�

Donnelly�s CMR launched a petition drive to gather electronic signatures of like-minded supporters. More than 15,000 people have signed so far. Donnelly hopes to present the petition in a personal meeting with President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. No meeting is yet scheduled.

Meanwhile, Army spokesperson Martha Rudd scoffs at the idea the American public should have been told about the rape.

�It�s her business. If you were raped, would you want us to put out a press release?� asked Rudd, after noting Lynch was �free to talk about her experience.�

�We�re very careful here about protecting soldiers who have been injured,� Rudd continued, explaining officials only release information if the injured soldier has given consent. Rudd could not say whether Lynch had specifically declined consent to the release of the rape details by military officials or whether she had consented to the release of other information about her medical condition that surfaced shortly after her rescue.

WorldNetDaily has reported the Washington Post, citing an unnamed Pentagon official, erroneously reported Lynch �sustained multiple gunshot wounds� and also was stabbed while she �fought fiercely and shot several enemy soldiers � firing her weapon until she ran out of ammunition.� The paper quoted this official as describing her as �fighting to the death.�

Nearly two weeks after its initial report, the Post essentially retracted this story, this time quoting a physician at the Iraqi hospital in Nasiriyah as saying Lynch had sustained a head injury and arm and leg fractures, but �there were no bullets or shrapnel or anything like that.�

In her book, Lynch sets the record straight, saying she never fired a shot because her M-16 jammed.

�I didn�t kill nobody,� she said.

�When we were told to lock and load, that�s when my weapon jammed,� Lynch told Sawyer, according to ABC. �I did not shoot a single round � I went down praying to my knees. And that�s the last I remember.�

ABC reports Lynch says she felt used by the military.

�It hurt in a way that people would make up stories that they had no truth about. They did not know whether I did that or not. Only I would have been able to know that, because the other four people on my vehicle aren�t here to tell that story. So I would have been the only one able to say, �Yeah, I went down shooting.� But I didn�t. I did not,� Lynch reportedly told Sawyer.

At the time of the false report, Donnelly suspected military officials were spinning the Jessica Lynch story to head off criticism for placing Lynch in a combat-support position in which she became a POW.

As for the privacy issue, Donnelly argues that once Lynch was captured, she became a public figure plastered all over television sets around the world. She stresses that the issue of whether war crimes have been committed against U.S. soldiers carries policy implications.

�If the Pentagon puts a happy face on the situation and describes her
injuries as only being broken bones, they�re not being honest with the American public and with women recruits.�

Col. Denise Dailey, spokesperson for DACOWITS, the advisory committee on women in the military for the Department of Defense, was not available for comment on Lynch�s revelation and associated policy implications.

This is not the first time the assault of a female POW in the Iraqi theater of war was kept under wraps. Flight surgeon Rhonda Cornum was sexually assaulted after being taken prisoner in the Persian Gulf War, but didn�t admit it until a year later, despite giving repeated interviews and testifying before a congressional panel.

During the time of her silence, the role of women in combat was heavily debated. By the time she confessed the depths of her torture, the Department of Defense had eliminated the �Risk Rule,� which held that women could not be placed in combat-support units that had �significant risk of capture.�

For Cornum�s part, she accepts the added element of risk facing women in combat as �just another bad thing that can happen to you.�

In an interview with the women�s news network, WeNews, Cornum downplayed her rape.

�While I was subjected to an unpleasant episode of sexual abuse during my captivity,� she said, �it did not represent a threat to life, limb or chance of being released, and therefore occupied a much lower level of concern than it might have under other circumstances.�

Cornum offers pre-deployment advice for female soldiers, recommending
birth-control methods such as the IUD or implants and suggests they be commenced before deployment �to avoid problems for monogamous women whose spouses might not understand the risk issue.�

Donnelly and other military advocates question the nonchalance afforded to the sexual assault of female soldiers.

�This is an opportunity to search our souls as a nation and determine whether we want this to continue,� she said. �And I think the policies need to be changed.

Women in combat. Brilliant. Deft.

Not to minimize this at all, but the camel scum rape the men too.

Right. There's no way a male POW could have been anally raped by Iraqis.

And she reports attempting to clear the jam how? And did she take up a weapon from a comrade? Praying on her knees.

This news is 10 years old--November 2003 ??

Woman soldiers, it's a package deal and goes with the territory. Women better have the balls to deal with it if that's what they want.

That was the first things I thought of too.

Yeah, but is that what they want? The politicians, MSM and the military spin it, leaving out the realities of combat in order to sell gender-equality to women and the public, when the truth of women in combat is far different than the spin. Give Lynch credit though, she could have ridden to glory the lie that she was spraying lead, fighting like a warrior right to the end, but she did not. The reality apparently is, her rifle jammed, there is no indication she even tried to clear it (I'll lay dollars to donuts, she didn't even know how), and she immediately goes to her knees praying. That is the reality of women in close quarters battle folks. They can't fight. And its not their fault. They simply don't have testosterone. Women have no place in combat. When the whole Lynch thing went down, is really pissed me off how the military lied about her emptying magazines on the enemy. That was a complete lie. The truth was, she all but curled up in the fetal position.

Jordan

Who would possibly know that, as she was taken prisoner?

Women in combat is pure unadulterated Marxism. Straight out of the playbook.

Why are we re-hashing this?
Good on her for serving her country. It's to bad she was abused. It's bad when any POW gets abused. I'm glad she's honest. I'm mad our gov't d-bags are dishonest.

Women on the front line will make the enemy happy , something new to screw . Do you really want your daughter on the front line in a combat situlation ?

She went to her knees praying. The point is the same: she didn't fight 'cause she didn't have the stomach for it.

I agree she is to be commended for her service and also her honesty. She is a victim of circumstances---and politics.

You are an ignorant kkunt. If they were captured, how the [bleep] do you know what went down? Did her ask her friends?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Piestewa

No, go [bleep] yourself moron. Women can't fight. End of story. Yes, they can pilot a jet and pull a lanyard on a howitzer. But they aren't built for close quarters, infantry style combat. Its not my fault they don't have testosterone, you dick wad and its testosterone that makes all the difference. Don't believe me? Research it.

You have a daughter in the military? Is that your beef? Lay your cards on the table before you start talking schitt.

Jordan

I'm sure your daughter is a fine soldier. Maybe even a great one. Probably better than her male peers in many, many areas. But, she can't fight like a man and all the wishful thinking in the world won't change that. Ever heard of Kara Hultgreen? Look 'er up.
In their haste to wish away gender differences, the military (and leftism) killed Kara Hultgreen (and nearly killed Jessica Lynch). But like the philosopher said, nature, expelled with a pitchfork, always returns.


http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/women-in-combat-lets-get-real/article7879189/

You feel the need to run down female veterans with no facts; I feel the need to kick your nuts up in your throat. Hows that for philosophy?

Your daughter is either in the service now or a veteran---which has apparently blinded you to what I wrote and what Lynch herself said. Re-read what I wrote. I did not run down a female veteran, let alone with no facts. Jessica Lynch herself admitted she became incompetent as a combat asset when her weapon jammed. She did not fire a round, did not try to clear her weapon and went to her knees praying. She was then beaten almost to death and raped and Sodomized. Those are facts. Don't shoot the messenger 'cause you don't like the message. Jessica Lynch is herself criticizing the military because they are not being truthful with female soldiers and are setting them up for a lot worse than mere failure. Its not the fault of weaker, smaller testosterone lacking soldiers (females). Its the fault of the military enslaved to a political agenda, the well-being of the Jessica Lynches of the world be damned.

Jordan

P.S. You wanna come kick my nuts down my throat? PM me for my address you loud-mouthed bully.

And they gave her a Bronze Star with a "V" device. Decoration sort of lost all meaning to me then.... Oh and spot on. We all knew shs had been gang-raped as was those other females during the first Gulf War which we tried to work into the calculus about the idiocy of females in the combat arms and this, along with pregnancies, exaggerated claims of sexual harrassment, lower physical standards, sex, etc were all swept under the table.

There's a lot more to flying in combat that moving the stick and throttles. They don't belong there either..

What a surprise!


Not.

I remember when I read her original book thinking that it was kinda odd about her "missing 3 hrs. of captivity". I sorta read between the lines that things may have happened that she didn't want to discuss.
Personally, I respect the young lady. She signed up, she made it through Army basic training, and she served her country to the best of her ability on that day.
I don't think she should be condemmed for not properly clearing her weapon and engaging in a made-for-movies firefight until help arrived. I mean, her vehicle crashed into the truck in front of it hard enough that it killed the other people in the truck. How da [bleep] would YOU be able to function with your bell rung like that?
Maybe she didn't necessarilly deserve a Bronze Star w/ V, but she danged sure came closer to deserving one than myself.

You can make all the excuses in the world, but women or your daughters on the front line is a mistake and another politically incorrect blunder. For every one woman who can really handle combat as well as a man 100 more can't . If you want you daughters used as a political ploy for the Politicians then i hope she enjoys the free sex she will get from the Ragheads when she gives up like Lynch without firing a shot. Some people say she wasn't able to fight after being in a auto wreck , but i don't really believe that, since by her own admission , i racked the bolt on the M16 and that is when it jammed. If she was able minded enough to grasp her weapon and charge it or try charging it , then that alone goes to her state of mind . She was like most women and some men , scared chitless and it was easier for to give up and pray than to fight . Maybe we would have done the same thing, but will never know , because we wern't there. Don't get me wrong , women have their places in the Military , just not on the Front Lines as a Combat Soldier. Women on the Front Line is just one more thing the males soldier has to worry about and this alone will get more people killed.

It all starts in ROTC where you have lower PT standards for females. Lower standards equate to...lower standards, meaning you have inferior personnel. Inferior personnel mean troops that are always having to have somebody else carry their water. All this talk of equal treatment under the law and then you have this. Once upon a time I applied for a job where they hired a black guy with much lower qualifications than I had. This [bleep] is real and has been for a long, long time. It's not reverse discrimination, it's flat out discrimination. If a female can do the job equal to a man, that's fine, but when they can't then there it [bleep] is. I never liked the ideas of equipping the whole army with the black beret either. You don't raise morale by lowering standards you just lower the whole tone instead of vice-versa.

Spot on.

That gal did more to serve this country than you ever did. You are nothing but a coward.

No it is NOT fine if they can (sic) do the job and that is whay many of you just don't get. The ability to do a "job" is but a component of the "whole man" concept that makes up a true warrior. And woman just don't have it.

Plus one

I agree, but fear that many of the women in this country are never going to buy into that until they actually see a lot more Jessica Lynches come to grief. They won't believe it until they see it, and until they do, they'll continue making excuses for what happened in this one case.

Lynch could easily have been shot in the back of the head when the bastards were done with her. I suspect we'll be seeing more of that in the years ahead.

or beheading videos of American Women

I don't think you understand what I meant. I said "if they can do the job". I don't know what the stats are, if you could measure it and PT is one of the basic measurements. PT requirements would not be lower if most women could hang with men. They can't. That is a first measurement of who belongs in the military and who doesn't, let alone in combat. Somebody said one in a hundred. It could well be that low of a percentage that could hang with men in combat. I don't know. I just know that not many can. I don't have a problem with a woman who can, but there are not many of them. If you disagree I have no problem with that, but personally I don't discriminate against people. I have no problem discriminating between them and there are ways to differentiate between those who can and those who can't as I just demonstrated.

I gotta say that if you didn't misunderstand me then it's strange that you would post to somebody who is obviously in agreement with at least 90 and probably more like 99% of what you just said. Odd.

You are essentially saying then that there is no woman on earth that could kick your ass in a fair fight. I'm not effing with you when I say I simply don't believe that. You can talk all this warrior stuff you want but I believe that there are a lot of women who could kick your ass Jorge. No offense intended. Does that mean that maybe 99% of women on the earth couldn't? Maybe. But that still leaves a big number who could given the population of humans on the planet. Does being able to kick one guy's ass equate to combat? No. I'm sure that there are a large number who can do combat as well as men though. It still could be that 99% of them can't. Does this mean if those numbers are true that we should leave women out of combat? Maybe. I don't advocate discrimination against people of any sort though and if 1%, .01% or even less of them can prove they can do the job, I personally have no problem with it even though I believe the percentage to be very low.

Now you've put me at odds with you when I was trying to agree with you basically. Thanks.

Maybe you should read my post again.

When my son was an Army ROTC cadet, during their final field exercises and rating, one of the female cadets pretty much fell apart during a mock ambush. She still received a passing score, and higher than his. Lowered standards, for sure.

He is now a field grade infantry officer, and served in Iraq. He said it is very difficult to predict who will hold up when the bullets start flying, but he noted that in general, it isn't the "tough guys". He said that the scared skinny 18 y/o on a gun may prove to be the real warrior. Doesn't have a very high opinion of women in combat zones. Told of one female captain who was spending most of her time going at it hot and heavy with another captain from an allied nation's army.

Paul

In my opinion this whole women in combat is perpetuated by female officers who want to command and promotion.

We had a female lt. who lasted 3 weeks in Gulf go around 1.

Our female MP's were a joke, they couldn't carry combat loads resulting in equipment being left behind or one of the guys to carry extra.

They had no command respect in contact with indigenous or troops who had been in the desert for 9 months. Try breaking up a huge fight involving 20 plus combatants with just a 100 pound female as backup...not fun.

Watched three divorces and two pregnancies during one deployment from guys not controlling their peckers. Fights between guys for females attention. Special consideration for females for showing up late to formation, showers, laundry, meals etc. ruins morale.

Later had a female MP captain who was great in the office and kept the old guard senior NCO's in check. Ran a great patrol division and managed law enforcement operations really well. But out on the street or in the field she never left the tent of office.

I recall our Provost Marshall make sure that she always had two of us as "assistant and a driver" to make sure she was protected.

In Desert Storm the number of rapes on US females was thru the roof by both troops and indigenous personnel. Way to much down time with no stress relief, access to alcohol, and lack of women was in my opinion a major contributing factor.

I recall one night on foot patrol in Dammam, a female PIO officer and her camera crew were filming. They caused such a ruckus with the show owners, the Muhtawa, that we had to stand between them with the Saudi cops and locals after they tossed her and her crew around like rag dolls.

Love my girls but I don't want them anywhere near a combat oriented unit.

I can see that.

I hear you.

Our enemy isn't stupid, maybe uneducated in book sense, but not War and they know the American Public can't handle seeing Americans dead,bleeding or mutilated on the News and they will use the Bodies of American Women as a propaganda tool to get the wimps of this country to demand American Soldiers to be pulled out and sent home. You must remember we aren't fighting a Soldier in uniform, we are fighting Rebels or Tribal Cults that have no scruples or even know what the Geneva Convention means. They are in it to win or die and most don't really care which.. If I was them, i would use this tactic against a domesticated enemy like the USA .

It is a shame what happened to her, but I suspect it was her brain that jammed, not the gun.

Edited This is very true, and real for everyone.

watch4bear, and other like thinking individuals, think about this for a minute before replying.

I spent close to 4 years in the middle east and am familiar with things a little more than avaerage. I have combat service and have opinions like everyone else. Mine differ a lot from people who have never seen combat, never served, and know more because of the internet than because of life experience.

I have seen big bad-assed men fail miserably when under fire. I've seen them crying like a little bitch. I've seen people who froze up, and have seen some of the most unlikey turn into ass kicking machines. It is each person unto thier own when the chips are down. And yes that includes women.

Women in the military and in combat will not go away. I do think they should be treated equally at every step of training in order to give them an equal chance in combat. They will after all face the same situation as men when in combat. There will be no reprieve for them. They will have a higher wash-out rate than men but that should prevent them from having a higher percentage of the casualties on the other end. I've seen both functional and non-functional women. If that meens one of every 100 fine. When they know what they will face is equal to the men there will be far fewer trying for that MOS. I'd have them train together from dawn to dusk. Humility may become an issue but it wouldn't take long for the cream to rise to the top. Even if it is but one. Done correctly I would be able to count on that one having my back. That isn't how it is now. Unfortunatly I've had men with me that shouldn't have made it through basic either. It's a tuff world, reality should be ok to dole out as needed.

By the way, one of the best snipers I worked with was an Israeli woman.

If you paint all with the same brush you're either an ignorant fck with no experience, or an internet expert.

I'm aware of that and don't disagree. Everything I posted was true and didn't speak to what you are talking about here.

I agree completely.

When enough women get killed and mutilated then the public will demand a change until then, just live with it. Maybe the enemy will be confused when they capture enough Gay Soldiers and then sodomize them and they look around with a smile on their faces and ask them to do it again

That is exactly what my son said.

Thanks for your service.

Paul

Plus one.

The Dune Coons are not averse to raping men whether they are gay or not, that is for sure, so Jessica didn't endure things that some men haven't had to on that score either.

It seems this situation should speak to the power of prayer to protect her.

Jim

Contrary to popular belief there is no power in prayer. The power resides with God Whom most people in this country pray to. He does what He sees fit to according to His own ways. Every knee shall bend...

Nope, not saying that at all. Audy Murphy was all of 5'3" tall. It is the introduction of the cultural and biologic dynamics females bring into a group or social entity. EVERYTHING changes. As far as the physical goes, those standards, along with verbal "hazing" and psychological weeding out men went through as part of the "culling" process, all had to be downscaled in order for even 1% of females to make it through. Nature and life have a way of balancing out and believe me, had women had something to offer in order to turn the course of battle, the likes of Tsun Tzu & Clausewitz (to name just two) would have included them in their calculus. Nope, they need to stay home and away from ANY of the Marshall professions.

"Internet expert" here. I also worked on a PSD detail in Iraq. As a retired 18D, I was considered handy to have around but I was hired as a shooter. The company that I worked for did not hire medics, we were a sub-contractor. Our parent org hired the medics. Some dumbshidt decided to hire a female paramedic. Of course, no one wanted her lard ass, so they stuck her on my team, since they knew I could carry her slack azz.

Two weeks after she got there, the team ldr and one other team member were near fisticuffs over who was gonna pork her. Bad juju all around.

Do you think SFQC and Ranger should be open to females? Yes or no.

Nothing in my posts spoke to that. My posts were only about objective aspects of females serving and by and large I don't think they should, as I stated.

lmao

I will happily defer to your judgment on that issue. I've always been opposed to women piloting combat aircraft for the same reason as women in infantry combat, but I assumed the gender differences were not as great when it came to flying. I am happy to be wrong on that issue.

Jordan

Nailed it. (Not the female soldier; nailed the issue).

Name call is a poor excuse for argument Calvin. No one is disputing Lynch's suffering or sacrifice. That is not the issue. The issue is whether she should have been there in the first place.

Seals and Special Forces for women? No and Hell no!!

To many who voted to put women on the front line must have watched the movie GI Jane before voting.

I won't ever advocate for putting women in combat. It does complicate everything but the equal opportunity thing won't go away.

What I'm saying is put the standards back to what they were. I think the mental abuse, physical abuse, and rough treatment is but a taste of what dealing with combat is. Treat EVERY candidate equally. The weak in mind and body will fall out. It works. If the confidence course can't be passed then they won't be able to handle climbing a mud wall either. Should a woman desire combat she would have the opportunity before her as any male would have. If she made it through the training with equal treatment she would be as reliable as any male.

Nobody knows how they'll react to things they've not experienced. Explosions, IED's, shellings, sniper fire, death, blown off limbs, etc. all have an effect.

I'm ok with equal treatment, equal standards for all. I'm not ok with special treatment so they can "pass the course".

There are women that would make it I think. Not many but some.

bea175 - GI Jane! LOL!

Which isn't the point at all. The US military is not a goddam Outward [bleep] Bound program. It exists to "protect and defend". EVERYWHERE that females exist in military units they cause more [bleep] problems than they are worth. Hardship duty assignments exacerbate this. Ask any 1st Sgt of a medical company.

Hell, and office isn't even a good place for women. All they do is hen peck each other and stir up trouble. No man should have to work side by side with a woman, especially in combat.

They shouldn't even be allowed to vote, let alone be in combat.

Didn't read a dang thing I wrote did you. Or your ability to understand is limited.
P.S. I guess dogcatcher & ghostmachine are right there with ya.

'bout the second or third night of boot camp. our Senior DI had everyone stand up.

Then he told all the Blacks to sit down.

Then he told everyone under 67 inches tall to sit down.

Then he called out all the fat boys individually and had them sit down.

Out of the 39 total, there were maybe 8 or 10 of us left standing.

He said;" When I joined the Marine Corps, y'all are the only ones who would be here."

I wonder if there's any dirt left on Gunny Ramos's grave by now.

You may be joking, but I believe giving women the right to vote and hold office is when this country started circling the drain.

I'm not joking and agree.

If it weren't for women, the democrat party would have faded away long ago.

An honest evaluation of polling data could not offer any other conclusion. Jorge is right, and Ann Coulter agrees!

So, did all these guys eventually become Marines anyway?