"PROUDER BY THE HOUR" - The Jessica Lynch Story

(04/04/2003)
The Jessica Lynch story is becoming "prouder by the hour," according to a letter writer to The Hur Herald.

One report says it reads like a John Wayne movie.

The Washington Post quoted military sources yesterday, saying Lynch and her comrades vigorously fought their attackers after they were ambushed. The Post quotes an unnamed military official as saying the 19-year-old West Virginia native was fighting to the death and didn't plan to be taken alive.

The Post story said Lynch fired her weapon until running out of ammo, killing several Iraqis as they closed in. The report could no be confrmed.

Military officials say the story is based on battlefield intelligence, and it may take some time to sort out.

Jessica's parents said yesterday afternoon their daughter came through her initial surgery in good shape in a German hosipital.

During a phone call, a doctor told them he found no evidence of gunshot nor stab wounds on their daughter. She does have two broken legs and a broken forearm. A second surgery is scheduled today to set the bones.

Yesterday's surgery was to relieve pressure from a disc which was pushing on her vertebrae. Jessica has had no feeling in her feet, they said.

The 19-year-old Lynch talked with her folks yesterday, apparently wanting to know if the local paper had covered her rescue. A Wirt resident said "If she only knew" as dozens of satellite TV trucks and hundreds of reporters put Palestine, West Virginia on the map.

Her mother, Dee Lynch says if the reports of her daughter firing on Iraqi soldiers are true, she would not be surprised. She says Jessica is a fighter.

There is little doubt that the dramatic rescue of Jessica Lynch is a story being talked about around the world.

The headline in today's edition of the London Times says "Saving Private Jessica." The LA Times reports, "Tips Lead To POW Rescue."

Other newspapers are focusing on Jessica's current condition. The headline in the Baltimore Sun reads "Rescued POW arrives in Germany," while the Washington Times says "American POW Leaves Iraq After Rescue."

The New York Times headline said "Rescue In Iraq and a Big Stir in West Virginia."