Jessica Lynch
| Jessica Lynch | |
|---|---|
Jessica Lynch at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center on April 28, 2004.
|
|
| Birth name | Jessica Dawn Lynch |
| Born |
April 26, 1983 Palestine, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 2001–2003 |
| Rank |
 Private First Class (PFC) |
| Unit | 507th Maintenance Company |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |
 Bronze Star Medal Purple Heart Prisoner of War Medal
|
| Other work | Teacher, actress |
Jessica Dawn Lynch (born April 26, 1983) is a former United States Army soldier who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq by U.S. and allied forces. On March 23, 2003, Private First Class Lynch was serving as a unit supply specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi forces during the Battle of Nasiriyah. Lynch was seriously injured. Her subsequent recovery by U.S. Special Operations Forces on April 1, 2003 received considerable media coverage and was the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since Vietnam and the first ever of a woman.
Initial official reports on Lynch's capture and rescue in Iraq were incorrect. On April 24, 2007, she testified in front of Congress that she had never fired her weapon (her M16 rifle having jammed), and that she had been knocked unconscious when her vehicle crashed. Lynch has been outspoken in her criticism of the original stories reported regarding her combat experience. When asked about her heroine status, she stated "That wasn't me. I'm not about to take credit for something I didn't do... I'm just a survivor."
In 2014, Lynch made her film debut as Specialist Summer L. Gabriel in Virtuous. Her role was loosely based on her own experiences in the Iraq War.
Lynch was born in Palestine, West Virginia, the second child and first daughter to Deidre Lynch and Gregory Lynch, Sr. Her family could not afford to send her to college; her older brother had to drop out due to financial reasons. Searching for a way to pay for the children's educations, the Lynch family met with an army recruiter in the summer of 2000 when Lynch was seventeen and still attending high school. "He did not lie to the kids," her mother said, "he said there was always the possibility of war in the future." "But at that time it was before September 11, and there was no terrorism," Lynch recalls, "so we were like, 'that would never happen to me.'" On September 19, 2001, Lynch entered basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. She later completed Advanced Individual Training for her Military Occupational Specialty as a unit supply specialist (MOS 92Y) in the Quartermaster Corps at Fort Lee, Virginia.
...
Wikipedia