PFC Jessica Lynch, former soldier, is getting a million bucks for telling "her story" in a forthcoming book. She says she doesn't remember the attack on her convoy, the accident that caused her massive injuries, or much of her captivity. Considering she's only 20 years old, that ought to be a short biography.
The father of one soldier killed in the convoy attack, Randy Kiehl, doesn't think Lynch should be profiting from her comrades' deaths. At last, someone in his position is willing to question the canonization of Jessica Lynch. As I wrote before, I wish her well, but I don't think her experiences were more praiseworthy than others.
Lynch ought to donate that money to charity, or better yet to the dependents the dead soldiers left behind. May God rest the soul of your son, Mr. Kiehl, and comfort you.
For what it's worth, I don't think Jessica Lynch is exactly walking away from this unscathed.
Her injuries aren't financial. She'll get free medical treatment and a disability paycheck for the rest of her life. I could point to several dozen soldiers and Marines who suffered combat-related injuries as serious as Lynch's. They're not getting anything extra. The only reason she's getting rich is because she's female. In my opinion, the honorable thing to do is keep enough money for her time spent writing the book, and give away the balance.
I have no problem with her telling her story and getting paid for it, and to be honest it sounds a little meanspirited here. Can't you rejoice in her good fortune? It's not a zero-sum game here, her good fortune in having a story people want to hear doesn't take anything at all away from the bravery and courage shown by others.
My home state has chosen to name a peak and a freeway for Pfc. Lori Piestewa. Does that bother you too? No one is claiming that she was particularly brave or heroic, but she died for her country and we wanted to honor that in a special way.
I realize (and appreciate) that you have personally sacrificed in a way that most of have not, but I don't know why you are seemingly so against her.
I have no problem rejoicing in her good fortune. People should roll with their breaks and take their blessings as they come.
However, that doesn't excuse the disingenuousness of what Mr. Johnson calls the "canonization of Jessica Lynch." What made her a celebrity is, undoubtedly her sex. She got the million dollar check not particularly because she did anything noteworthy, above and beyond her male counterparts, but because she is a she. And in a country where the justification for women soldiers in combat hinges upon the notion of equality and equal ability, lifting her up beyond her fellow soldiers precisely because of her gender seems counter-intuitive.
At the least, half of the book has to focus on her beatification and elevation amongst the masses, inevitably concluding in the declaration, "Hey, I'm a star! That's why you're reading my book!"
But hey... If you need a co-author, Jessica, give this writer a call (See? I'm shameless too, and I'll take any break that comes my way). ;-)
Well put, Josh. I was just about to make the same point you did. Not only does it not bother me when somebody comes into a large sum of money, I hope lots of people get rich.
Gordon, my problem is the reason she's earning the money, which is entirely due to her sex. I'm not at all "against her," as if she's a political candidate. As I said, I wish her well. At the time she was captured, I prayed for her safe delivery and I rejoiced when I heard she was all right -- because I wanted a fellow American saved, not because I thought she was anything special. We were completely cut off from the American media, and we had no idea her capture was a big deal at all.
Now that you've brought it up, I think the Piestewa issue is very similar, with two differences: 1) she made the ultimate sacrifice; and 2) she was an Indian, and so the diversity-mongers pounced on her. There is no Arizona terrain feature named after Ira Hayes, a genuine war hero from Arizona and a Pima Indian. He's one of the guys who raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi at Iwo Jima. Yet a woman who died tragically -- but not heroically -- has not one, but two major features named after her.
That Piestewa served her country, going in harm's way without complaint, is to her eternal credit. That our country placed a single mother of two young children in a combat zone is, in my personal view, tragic and unconscionable.