Kevin Drum links a Guardian story that contends Jessica lynch never had any combat wounds but rather suffered her injuries as a result of a vehicle accident; that contrary to the propaganda, she received excellent medical care from the Iraqis; and that the commando rescue operation was a publicity stunt, as the hospital was essentially unguarded.
I was very, very skeptical of the Lynch story from very early on and tend to believe some of this. That Lynch suffered her injuries when her vehicle crashed during the ambush strikes me as infinitely more plausible than the idea she was some sort of G.I. Jane fighting off the Iraqis to the last bullet. I also am quite certain that the rescue was at least partly a publicity stunt. That wouldn’t be unusual and, in the midst of a war, maybe not even a bad thing.
That said, I find this story somewhat problematic. The sources are Iraqi medical staffers who would, presumably, have an interest in bolstering their reputation. There appears to be no independent corroboration here.
