Initially the story of the heroic rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch from her captors in Iraq in the early days of the Iraq war stirred the hearts of a nation. Her courage in the face of death, and her actions as a well-prepared soldier, were impressive. But soon the reports began to draw a different picture, one with a very political smell, and eventually the incredible rescue unravelled as a staged event for media benefit. Pvt. Lynch subsequently denied the heroics attributed to her in the fire-fight following the disabling of her transportation. It turned out the entire story was all a flat-out lie and the result of media manipulation by our President and other top-level officials in the White House and the Pentagon. Our leaders lied about these events, and deliberately deceived the American people for political gain. One is directed to the following for a clarifying account of the deceptions, and the truth behind them: Opinion: Robert Sheer. San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, May 23, 2003: page A29, and a follow-up column in Robert Sheer: San Francisco Chronicle, Friday, May 30, 2003: page A27.
In the initial flush surrounding the rescue, columnist C.W. Nevius wrote a piece about a father's relationship with his daughter - how protective a father feels towards her - and it resonated with me, so I asked permission to post it in this section on "Portraits of Courage." It accompanied a short piece I wrote about the heroics of Pvt. Jessica Lynch. Upon learning that the basis for the story was a lie, I decided to remove the story of Pvt. Lynch - I want to assure anyone who read my initial response here when the story of Pvt. Lynch first aired, and the response of C.W. Nevius in the San Francisco Chronicle of Sunday, April 15, 2003, that I do not doubt or question the valor of Pvt. Lynch or her colleagues, nor do I call into question her patriotism and committment to the ideals of our country. Further, my removal of Pvt.Lynch's story in no way impugns Mr. Nevius, his motives, his journalistic insights, or especially his perceptive observations as a father. In fact, because I admire and still appreciate the sentiments he expressed in his column of that date, I have decided to leave it accessible here, and place it in the middle of my commentary about the handling of the Pvt. Lynch story. In all of this I am deeply saddened that the Fathers who are leading our country didn't exemplify the moral character Mr. Nevius expressed in his column...
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