Lynch, Jessica (1983–)

U.S. Soldier

Priv. Jessica Lynch was easily the most famous soldier of the 2003 invasion of Iraq and arguably the most celebrated [Page 432]female war hero since Molly Pitcher. Many aspects of Lynch's story were subsequently disputed or disproved, but her celebrity status remained intact. The saga of Jessica Lynch reveals not only that women are performing new roles in the military that challenge traditional gender roles, but also underscores the importance of the media in shaping public opinion about female soldiers and the war itself.

What is not in dispute is that Lynch served in a support unit that transported supplies to soldiers during the invasion of Iraq in the spring of 2003. With rare exceptions, U.S. forces faced minor resistance and raced past Iraqi troops, most of which disbanded. Sec. of Defense Donald Rumsfield deployed U.S. troops in a new way, pushing past enemy forces toward the capital of Baghdad in an attempt to force a surrender or collapse of the regime, rather than securing captured territory. Ultimately this revolutionary strategy resulted in a spectacularly quick collapse of the Saddam Hussein government, but it also left U.S. supply lines extended and vulnerable to attack. On March 23, Lynch's convoy made a wrong turn off the main supply route, itself subject to attacks, and into an area of fierce resistance. Her convoy took extremely heavy fire that killed many of her comrades. Lynch received extensive injuries, was captured by Iraqis, hospitalized, and rescued a few days later by U.S. forces.

By April 1, U.S. media reported that Special Forces had rescued Lynch and had filmed the dramatic rescue with night-vision technology. Relying on anonymous military sources, the electronic and print media reported that when Lynch was captured, despite being shot, she had valiantly fought off her attackers, firing her weapon until out of ammunition. The media also alleged that Iraqi forces had mistreated Lynch, perhaps even raped her.

Much of this reportage was subsequently disproven. Lynch was injured when the Humvee in which she was riding crashed. Her gun was clogged with sand; she never fired it. Iraqi doctors apparently gave her adequate care and at one point offered to turn her over to U.S. forces, but U.S. soldiers refused to allow the ambulance past a checkpoint, perhaps even firing at the ambulance that contained Lynch. The Iraqi military had abandoned the hospital hours before the rescue, thus calling into question the “firefight” recorded by the U.S. forces.

The U.S. military's version of her story held, despite some reports to the contrary, until mid-May, when British news stories, based in part on interviews with Iraqis, questioned the fundamentals of the story. A month later, the Washington Post interviewed unnamed U.S. military officials who agreed that key elements of the story reported to the press (that Lynch had fired her weapon, had been shot, stabbed, or tortured, and that the hospital was heavily guarded) were untrue.

The military honorably discharged Lynch, whose injuries prevented her from further duty. Lynch returned to the United States amid intense publicity. She immediately signed a book contract and received a $1 million advance.

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