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Nov 17, 2003 We’ve all heard about her. We’ve all read about her in our Newspapers…We’ve all seen broadcasts about her on TV but I am convinced She’s NO HERO! Sure Jessica Lynch represents the US Army and our Armed Forces and wears the Uniform proudly like any other American soldier who joined the military knowing they would be part of this War in Iraq. How ever, the Media portrays Jessica Lynch as a Hero. The term Hero has been extremely overused ever since 9/11 and I feel that it should be defined right. A Hero to is someone who fights for what’s right, a Hero is someone who does what they can to protect themselves and others in situations that no one ever wants to be in, and a Hero is someone who fights back much like those people who were on Flight 93 on 9/11. The people on flight 93 refused by any means to give control of the plane to the terrorists. They fought for their life, and for what they believed is right and they fought in their own realm up in the sky to try and save the plane as well as to save everyone who was on it. Jessica Lynch didn’t do the same thing. She got lost, her weapon jammed and she was captured. That’s how any soldier becomes a POW! Jessica Lynch was captured, how can someone that’s been captured be a hero? She was no hero, and the people who saved her are NO Hero’s either. Reason why Jessica is and was no Hero is because she didn’t do anything that makes her a hero for her unit. She didn’t do anything that makes her a hero for America, she just did what she was taught and trained to do at Boot camp, which is trying to fight back with her M-16, but it just ended unsuccessfully with her capture. The people that came to Jessica Lynch’s rescue are in no means Hero’s either. Reason for that is because they too, were just doing their job. They just followed orders that they were given like any other American soldier in any other branch, they received their orders and were told to go in there, execute their orders which was only one thing “FIND JESSICA AND GET HER OUT”. The guys that rescued Jessica are rescuers not Hero’s. The term Hero is only supposed to be used for someone really significant someone who makes an impact on other people but through selflessness even when they think their own life doesn’t matter. The term Hero is rightfully defined by the people on flight 93 on 9/11. Sure the Media has over exposed Jessica Lynch but then you have to remember that’s what the media does. The Media overexpose everyone that’s been in the news and has done something really shocking, or meaningful, examples of that are OJ Simpson, Scott Peterson, Martha Stewart, but I wouldn’t necessarily put Jessica Lynch in the same category as those people. The Media is the Media, it their job to keep juicy news updated and going for people to tune in, they ever expose everything and they put a new spin on hundreds and thousands of things that they feel is worth talking about too. It’s their job, its what they get paid to do. But for Jessica Lynch to say she’s been taken Advantage of by the Media as well as the US Army I would say is quite harsh. Why is it harsh? Well for one, she’s a young woman in the US armed forces and I doubt the media would make such a big huge deal about this like they did about her capture and rescue verses the capture and rescue of the other seven POWs, among them the two US Army pilots, Chief Warrant Officer Ronald D. Young Jr., 26, Lithia Springs, Ga and Chief Warrant Officer David S. Williams, 30, Orlando, Fla. The other reason, why I would say it was harsh of her to say that the Army took advantage of her is this. The Army has their own reason for good media exposure, its called “recruitment” every other branch would do the same, by hoping the people that represented them would represent them well in front of a news hungry media, even after they would come home as POWs. Even with Jessica Lynch having come out with a book as well as her presence on the current cover of Time Magazine, and her previous interview with Diane Sawyer, I still say that Jessica Lynch is no Hero! Get it right! Jessica Lynch was a P.O.W much like Senator John McCain who was a P.O.W during the Vietnam War. Now that Jessica is home, she should be left alone by the Media to spend time with family and friends and catch up on things that she’s missed out on during her capture, as well as focus on her recovery instead of being portrayed as this Hero that she never was. ------------ About the author: Kimberly Nguyen is a full time college student / Journalism Major. She has 3 Years of Print Journalism experience, having worked as a Staff Writer, covering all aspects of a Student Newspaper, as well as having been Sports Editor twice on her College Newspaper. Email Kimberly Nguyen: kimmyluvscoffee@yahoo.com Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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