Jessica Lynch
 Jessica Lynch    (Soldier) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 26 April 1983 |
| Nationality | American |
| Subpage | •Jessica Lynch/Rescue |
Female US soldier who was rescued with with much fanfare during the 2003 invasion of Iraq | |
Jessica Dawn Lynch is a former United States Army soldier who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a private first class. She was serving as a unit supply specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi troops during the Battle of Nasiriyah. Lynch was seriously injured during the offensive and captured by Iraqi soldiers shortly afterwards.
Her subsequent recovery by U.S. special operations forces on April 1, 2003, received considerable media coverage as it was the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since World War II and the first ever of a woman.
In the 2003 BBC documentary, “War Spin”, John Kampfner asserted that the special forces rescue was made like a Hollywood movie and was actually unnecessary, with blank rounds and everything arranged for good camera effects; he also mentions Hollywood director Jerry Bruckheimer, who suggested an action TV series in a theater of war to the Pentagon in 2001.[1][2]
Iraqi doctors tried to turn Lynch over to the Americans two days earlier, but were turned away by gunfire at a checkpoint. The documentary claimed the Americans knew that Iraqi forces had already left the hospital.[3]
