I thought “silly bitch” was exactly what I was looking for, emotionally. I wanted a dig. “Bastard,” too. And since the child was born out of wedlock, that one was accurate.

I admit that I ought to have mentioned the brave stuff Jessica did after her experience, but it didn’t occur to me at the time.

It was the Army that suggested the weapons of Jessica’s patrol failed due to poor maintenance, which renders three of your paragraphs needless and irrelevant.

So I was glad to see that an article was written about what really happened with Jessica Lynch (and her weapon.)

Too bad the title & contents of this article also contain needless, irrelevant and nasty name calling. You could have simply presented objective data and drawn reasonable conclusions, from which we could learn something important.

Instead, you called Jessica Lynch a “bitch,” and you called her baby girl a “bastard”. (WTH??) There’s no excuse for that!

Jessica Lynch survived. She never lied about her conduct, & she never pretended to be anything other than who she was. In fact, she came forward to correct flattering but untrue information spouted from the military about her. Not everyone would have done that. While I don’t think she earned a Bronze Star w/V, I also know she did not seek it out. So I don’t hold it against her.

Jessica consistently referred to herself as “just a survivor,” “Not a hero”, and she frequently credits others with actual heroism, never herself.

You failed to note that she DID do something brave; no, not IN battle, but afterwards, and to the whole world. She refused credit for actions she had not taken, she came forward with the truth VERY publicly, and much of it was terribly personal & embarassing for her. )

As for your claim that she failed to fight or to keep her weapon clean enough for it to function, I can only HOPE that is the cause, b/c many of the soldiers there claim the very same thing about jammed weapons. I’d hate to think we have inadequate equipment. Even if the powdery sand conditions there create the problem, then more needed to be done in training AND that has happened. But many complaints about misfires and jamming weapons, come from very reliable sources.

Might it be possible that the weapons then were lower grade for the non infantry? It would not be the first time that Congress & the Pentagon have made cuts that cost lives. Some of the original Kevlar vests were defective, & did not perform as expected. Lives were lost before improvements were made.

Did you consider the possibility of badly made weapons? Finding out if there’s any truth to it could save lives.

In sum, you wrote an otherwise decent article with some good research. But then you went out of your way to personally insult Jessica Lynch, and you called her newborn baby girl a “bastard.”

Vicious name calling discredits yourself and this article, sullies an innocent baby, and insults a soldier for surviving an ordeal you did not experience.

I’m disappointed you could not just tell the facts you learned, and leave out the vicious comments. It reflects very poorly on you.