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| You Must Be Kidding, The Bronze Star? |
| 2003-07-21 |
| ELIZABETH, W.Va. - Former POW Jessica Lynch was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart in Washington Monday. Lynch, who returns to the hills of West Virigina Tuesday, also received the Purple Heart and Prisoner of War medals at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. The Bronze Star is given for meritorious combat service, a Purple Heart is most often awarded to those wounded in combat, and the POW for being held captive during wartime. What exactly did she do in combat that was meritorious? A Company Commander in my BN is currently nominated for a Meritorious Bronze Star. His summary of action has excerpts like" Entusted to plan, coordinate and execute combat operations as the lead element of the battalion, his performance under fire helped to ensure the BN’s success, minimizing casualties while engaged with the enemy. His performance during 4 weeks of sustained combat warrants special recognition...... "Minus all the hype, this mission is about being able to participate in the homecoming of one of our own," said Chief Warrant Officer Robert McClure, who will co-pilot the Black Hawk helicopter with Chief Warrant Officer Jim McPeak. "It’s a real honor." Lynch, still recuperating from multiple broken bones and other injuries, and her parents are scheduled to fly from the medical center to Elizabeth. "She’s a strong, disciplined young lady," 1stSgt Little said. "Her injuries are long healing, and that can be hard if you dwell on it. But she’s not allowed that to happen." She is definitely deserving of all the media and home front attention. With hundreds of news media and others descending on this Wirt County seat of about 1,000 for Lynch’s first public comments about her ordeal, area residents have been painting, pruning and preening for weeks. American flags and yellow bows line the route Lynch’s military motorcade will take from Elizabeth to her home in Palestine, a community of about 300 residents some five miles away. Lynch’s convoy was ambushed near the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah after it made a wrong turn. Eleven soldiers from the convoy were killed and Lynch, a supply clerk, was severely injured. U.S. forces recovered Lynch at a Nasiriyah hospital April 1. Five other 507th Maintenance Company soldiers who were captured and held apart from Lynch were freed April 13. The influx of hundreds of visitors, including many journalists here to report Lynch’s first public words since her March wounding, capture and rescue in Iraq (news - web sites), is bringing needed cash to Wirt County, which has West Virginia’s highest unemployment rate — 15.1 percent. "They’re anxious to see you come, and they’ll be anxious to see you leave," said Keith Burdette, Gov. Bob Wise’s legislative liaison and the county’s former state senator. I guess medals have lost their meaning. |
| Posted by:Annoyed |
| #4 PD: "Hoping to bask in a little reflected glory"? I am neither the nominator or the BN Cmdr. I was shown the SOA by the BN Adjutant. The Company Cmdr clearly influenced his BN's performance in numerous engagements during the war. The nomination states this and myself along with several others witnessed it. The Cmdr deserves the award and there is no "glory" in it. it states "minimized" casualties.....people were lost. Glory? You definitely wern't there, nor do I think you have ever been in combat. What impact did the PFC have on her units mission? Her fellow POWs did not receive Bronze Stars. Yes, the "PC BS machine" is running, afterall, the Army just gave the Bronze Star to a former POW for surviving battle and captivity. |
| Posted by: Annoyed 2003-7-22 10:30:57 AM |
| #3 Medals have lost some of their meaning. I know that this is mostly political but if it does something for the troops I am for it. I doubt that after PFC Lynch's HumVEE crashed she did too many heroic things. However, I do applaud the young woman's spunk to live through what had to be a very painful experience. I just hope she uses that PR for Military and not for herself. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2003-7-21 10:50:32 PM |
| #2 Let's not judge before we have read the citation, and had an overview of the awards given to others in the same action. |
| Posted by: Steve Ramsey 2003-7-21 10:30:30 PM |
| #1 Oh brother. The PC BS machine is in overdrive. Think the nominator is hoping to bask in a little reflected "glory"? |
| Posted by: PD 2003-7-21 10:17:00 PM |