Jessica Lynch

Jessica Lynch (born April 26, 1983) in Palestine, West Virginia. Lynch, a Quartermaster Corps Private First Class (PFC) in the United States Army, was a prisoner of war of the Iraqi military in the 2003 invasion of Iraq who was rescued by United States forces on April 1, 2003. Lynch's rescue was the first of an American POW since World War II and the first ever of a woman.

Departure from Iraq

From Kuwait, she was transported to a medical facility in Landstuhl, Germany, where she was expected to recover fully from her injuries. On the flight to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, the military medics kept her sedated and hydrated. She didn't say much, they said, but she opened her eyes. Her family flew to Germany on April 5 to be reunited with her. In a statement, the hospital said, "Lynch had a big smile on her face when her parents arrived."

Related Topics:
Kuwait - Landstuhl - Germany - Ramstein Air Base - April

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Lynch underwent back surgery on April 3 to correct a slipped vertebra that was putting pressure on her spinal cord. Since then, she has undergone several more surgeries to stabilize her fractures.

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Eleven bodies were recovered at the same time as Lynch's rescue, and, following forensic identification, eight were identified as fellow members of her company, including her best friend, Private First Class Lori Ann Piestewa. All were subsequently given posthumous Purple Hearts. Details of their deaths are unclear.

Related Topics:
Lori Ann Piestewa - Purple Heart

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Private Lynch was not shown during a controversial display on Al Jazeera television of four other supply unit POWs, among whom was New Zealand-born James Riley. That video showed a number of dead soldiers from that unit with gunshot wounds to the forehead.

Related Topics:
Al Jazeera - New Zealand - James Riley

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After learning of Mohammed's role in Lynch's rescue, Friends of Mohammed, a group based in Malden, West Virginia, was formed to fight for Mohammed's U.S. citizenship and to bring him to West Virginia. On April 29, 2003, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge announced that Mohammed Odeh al Rehaief, his wife, and their 5-year-old daughter had been granted humanitarian parole on April 28. Al Rehaief and his family were brought to the United States at his request April 10. Al Rehaief published a book, ' in October 2003, which reportedly netted him around US$300,000. http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=03/10/17/1530239

Related Topics:
Malden - West Virginia - April 29 - 2003 - Secretary of Homeland Security - Tom Ridge

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