Jessica's True Story Lynched

I believe Jessica Lynch went through a horrible traumatic event. War is not easy on anyone who is involved, and those injured in battle deserve great respect. Especially on this day I have to question what kind of respect the media machine (and a complicit White House?) is showing by “spinning” the story of Jessica Lynch.

Lynch’s convoy was attacked after it left it’s designated route in Iraq. The humvee she was riding was struck by a rocket propelled grenade and it crashed into another vehicle. Eleven of her companions died in the attack. Lynch had a broken arm, leg and ankle along with a moderate head wound. This alone is a harrowing story. Throw in a member of Western civilization facing hospitalization in a foreign country and it’s even more frightening.

The writers of Lynch’s book and the producers of the Lynch movie want to add to that story. The want to punch up the color to make it more exciting. They want to extend the legend of war with lies of varying degrees in hopes of glamorizing the Iraq conflict. I have yet to bring myself to see the NBC made-for-TV movie and I don’t know if I’ll be able to read the book, but already the creators of myth are being hounded for this fable presented as truth.

Jessica Lynch herself has decried the way the military portrayed her before she even made it home. Now, the doctors who treated her in Iraq are speaking out against the book’s reports that she was raped during her ordeal.

Jessica’s true story is one that holds a lot of power on this day. It is through every veteran’s sacrifice that we enjoy the wonderful world we live in today. The best respect we can show them is by not exaggerating their triumphs, but boldly showing the truth of war — why it is so hard on the people who fight in it, and why it was so important to our history and our continued efforts for a free world.

Posted by etrigan at November 11, 2003 10:42 AM