First Black American female POW speaks out!

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**Empchild**

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_pow_memoir

personally I hate jessica lynch and think that she was a showboating B*$@h. She profited off lies and I will leave it at that. This women tells the truth and thank god because I remember her and she deserves some recognition.

**Gwar!**

If I may ask, why is being a Woman, African-American or the first of such PoW, make here any more newsworthy than a Male Caucasian who was the seventy second PoW?

**Empchild**

Gwar! wrote:If I may ask, why is being a Woman, African-American or the first of such PoW, make here any more newsworthy than a Male Caucasian who was the seventy second PoW?

history! Plus I hate jessica lynch.

**Altered_Soul**

Gwar! wrote:If I may ask, why is being a Woman, African-American or the first of such PoW, make here any more newsworthy than a Male Caucasian who was the seventy second PoW?

Its more about the fact that she was sidelined in place of Jessica Lynch because she was a black woman, and not a "cutesy thing" as she put it

.

Jessica Lynch was a PR propoganda stunt, which is shameful for the other POWs who deserved equal treatment, but didn't get it.

**Lord Demon**

And from reading her wiki it seems Jessica Lynch does not like beeing portrayed the way she is/was. It is once again all based on what the public responds best too.

Grtz
L.D.

**Empchild**

Lord Demon wrote:And from reading her wiki it seems Jessica Lynch does not like beeing portrayed the way she is/was. It is once again all based on what the public responds best too.

Grtz
L.D.

of coarse she doesn't yep she didn't so much when she allowed a parade inher home town. Yep she hated it whenshe recieved 1.3 million USD for appearing on OPRA, yes she really hated all the news interviews and the subsequent millions she made from them.. yep totally buy her crap.

**Lord Demon**

I wonder how much of that is her and how much of that is the media machine.

On April 24, 2007, Lynch gave congressional testimony before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that the Pentagon had erroneously portrayed her as a "Rambo from West Virginia," when in fact, she never fired a shot after her truck was ambushed.

Earlier in the day, Pat Tillman's brother, Kevin, also testified. She also met with the Tillman family and compared her incident in Iraq to Pat Tillman's in Afghanistan saying that "Our stories are similar." [31] She began her testimony by noting for the record that her appearance was not politically motivated.

In a prepared statement she said:[32]

* "I believe this is not a time for finger pointing. It is time for the truth, the whole truth, versus hype and misinformation.

* "I am still confused as to why they chose to lie and tried to make me a legend when the real heroics of my fellow soldiers that day were, in fact, legendary... [T]he bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate tales.

* "The truth of war is not always easy to hear but it is always more heroic than the hype."

It does not sound like an attention craving girl to me. But to each their own opinion.

Grtz
L.D.

**Empchild**

It does not sound like an attention craving girl to me. But to each their own opinion.

Grtz
L.D.

REally? your serious on that several years after the fact when the whole facts about her went away when we soldier forgot about the shame she wrought upon the army with her antics, and that craptastic movie deal about herself she did went away; she went before congress and spoke when they were talking about pat tillman. Yep doesn't sound attention hungry at all.

**jp400**

Gwar! wrote:If I may ask, why is being a Woman, African-American or the first of such PoW, make here any more newsworthy than a Male Caucasian who was the seventy second PoW?

Pretty much sums it up in this case.

Kinda reminds me of the girl from my 1st tour who got a Silver Star cause she manned a turret when her convoy came under indirect fire.

**Cannerus_The_Unbearable**

People, read the article. She's using her "status" (the attention she'll get) as a black woman to try and bring the treatment of veteran's mental health into light. I'm all for her taking stupid attention and aiming it towards something smart.

**Lord Demon**

@empchild
Yep because only after the fact after the whole media circus was done with her. She can speak her mind.

But to be brutally honest. I do not see the news value of a POW. That is the down side of enlisting. There is a chance that you become a POW or that you can die. But apparantly there is some news value in it. So from the POW's they seek out the one that most likely appeals to the masses. And use her to influence said masses. Then when she has done her job she is discarded considered spent.

It is basic propaganda at work. Do not hate the girl hate the people who used her as a tool

Grtz
L.d.

**Zad Fnark**

@ JP400:

Love your avatar. I couldn't stop laughing for a few minutes.

ZF-

**Ahtman**

Empchild wrote:
Gwar! wrote:If I may ask, why is being a Woman, African-American or the first of such PoW, make here any more newsworthy than a Male Caucasian who was the seventy second PoW?

history! Plus I hate jessica lynch.

Exactly. It is the same reason why we take note of everything. Much of history is mundane, not fantastic, but we record it and make note of it because it is our history. Noting that she is the first African-American female POW isn't putting her on a pedestal, it is taking note that it occurred.

**Empchild**

PLUS.....I hate jessica lynch

**Cane**

Ahtman wrote:
Empchild wrote:
Gwar! wrote:If I may ask, why is being a Woman, African-American or the first of such PoW, make here any more newsworthy than a Male Caucasian who was the seventy second PoW?

history! Plus I hate jessica lynch.

Exactly. It is the same reason why we take note of everything. Much of history is mundane, not fantastic, but we record it and make note of it because it is our history. Noting that she is the first African-American female POW isn't putting her on a pedestal, it is taking note that it occurred.

Thats a great point. I'm sure historians would love to have more mundane details, if only facebook was around back then

**Altered_Soul**

Cane wrote:Thats a great point. I'm sure historians would love to have more mundane details, if only facebook was around back then

He said mundane, not self-serving and banal

**Gwar!**

I just noticed, isn't the term "Black African-American" redundant?

Not being snarky, racist, rude or anything like that, but from my limited knowledge of you Yanky Doodle Colonials, do they not mean the same thing over there?

**Cane**

Altered_Soul wrote:
Cane wrote:Thats a great point. I'm sure historians would love to have more mundane details, if only facebook was around back then

He said mundane, not self-serving and banal

**Altered_Soul**

Gwar! wrote:I just noticed, isn't the term "Black African-American" redundant?

Not being snarky, racist, rude or anything like that, but from my limited knowledge of you Yanky Doodle Colonials, do they not mean the same thing over there?

That description is not anywhere here or in the article...

And it COULD be redundant. African-American denotes someone's heritage from Africa (in correct usage at least), not the persons skin color. "Black" is used to describe someone skin color, not heritage particularly. Though some people use them interchangeably, though it would still be incorrect.

**Gwar!**

Altered_Soul wrote:That description is not anywhere here or in the article...

You're right, I misread the Thread title >.<