Washington, D.C.
The true story of the capture and rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch is “far more complex” than first reported, The Washington Post said this week. When Lynch was rescued in Iraq, journalists reported that she had fought to the last bullet when her unit was ambushed, then endured torture in captivity. Then BBCnews.com reported that the spectacular rescue had been staged, complete with commandos firing blanks, to boost morale. Both versions, the Post said, are wrong. Lynch never fired a shot, and was severely injured when her Humvee crashed. After her capture, Lynch was initially “mistreated,” but Iraqi doctors gave her the best care they could. A U.S. colonel said it wasn’t the military that embellished the tale. Once reporters got the story, he said, “it took on a life of its own.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programsThe Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
Video games to curl up with this fall, including Ghost of Yotei and LEGO PartyThe Week Recommends Several highly anticipated video games are coming this fall
-
‘Peak consumption has become the Holy Grail of the energy debate’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
