Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Give Jessica room to breathe and heal

Friday, June 27, 2003 | 5:39 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

June 28-29, 2003

Mike O'Callaghan is executive editor of the Sun and a columnist for the Henderson Home News, where this column originally appeared.

Are we ready to give PFC Jessica Lynch and her family time to heal and quit using and abusing her experiences for possible profit and legendary tales? Americans who have compassion for this badly injured soldier believe a little less noise and publicity would have been appropriate a couple of months ago. The feelings of those Americans have been put aside by some media members and reality television promoters attempting to interpret Lynch's story to meet their own financial and publicity needs. None of these stories have been verified by Lynch, who was involved in a Humvee wreck during an Iraqi ambush.

Lynch was badly injured and taken prisoner March 23, while serving with the 507th Maintenance Co. The first information about the incident released by the Department of Defense and added to by some eager reporters resulted in several misleading headlines across our nation. The Washington Post headlined its story with "She was fighting to the Death; Details Emerging of W. Va. Soldier's Capture and Rescue." The story touched our hearts and one Las Vegas songwriter soon had it recorded and released. He did a beautiful job with the information he had read in newspapers and heard on national television.

Equally dramatic was the original story of her rescue by a combined Special Forces operation. The entire operation was filmed by military photographers with night-vision cameras. The soldiers performing the rescue did an outstanding job and documented it. The film eventually released by DoD was doctored, according to some later reports, to make it look like the forces had to fight their way into and out of the hospital where they found Lynch. Again these stories came from different sources and not from the mouths of the troops who did the work.

Some people supporting the invasion of Iraq used the story as a morale booster. Later, cynics used the altering of the facts as an example of deception by the Pentagon. It now appears that both groups may have overplayed their hands. Recently The Washington Post ran a story, later published in the New York Post, which brought a new light to what happened. She had not been stabbed nor shot and her own weapon had jammed after the accident. Eleven of her comrades were killed and five were taken captive and later released.

The first three paragraphs of the latest version should be the most important to most of us. "Jessica Lynch, the most famous soldier of the Iraqi war, remains in a private room at Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center -- her door guarded by a military police officer.

"To repair the fractures, a spinal injury and other injuries suffered during her ordeal, the 20-year-old private first class undergoes a daily round of physical therapy.

"Lynch has been in the hospital now for 68 days and her physical condition remains severe. But she also appears to suffer from wounds that cannot be seen -- and the story of her capture and rescue remains only partly told."

Here we have a soldier who volunteered to be in harm's way and is most fortunate to be alive. She hasn't claimed to be a modern Sgt. York or Audie Murphy. Like thousands of other soldiers she did her job to the best of her ability and for that she deserves our thanks. Is there a story about what took place during and after her unit was ambushed? Yes, every soldier in a combat situation has a story to tell. If later she can recall what happened, and wants to tell it, then we will listen. In the meantime, let's give her the opportunity to tell us if and when she wants to discuss it.

We have been told Jessica wants to become a kindergarten teacher. That's a job that demands patience. Her long hospital stay and several years of pain to be suffered will be a test of both her strength and patience.