Former POW Jessica Lynch Receives Teaching Degree
Jessica Lynch, who became famous after her capture by Iraqi forces and rescue in 2003 by U.S. Special Operations Forces, will now have a new title of Teacher.
Lynch became a household name in 2003. She was a member of the United States Army, who was injured and captured by Iraqi forces and finally rescued by the U.S. Special Operations Forces. Her story gained much attention because of Lynch’s young age of 19 and incredible rescue.
She was the first female successfully rescued, and the first living POW rescued since WWII. Lynch was injured and spent time in Kuwaiti and German hospitals before coming back to the U.S. She was given an honorable discharge by the Army and has since returned to civilian life.
Lynch enrolled at West Virginia University and will receive her teaching degree in a ceremony tonight. Friends and family, including partner Wes Robinson and son Dakota, will be there to cheer her on.
Though Lynch has been scheduled to walk across the stage during the ceremony, she told the Associated Press, “It’s tough to walk, but I look at is as, At least I’m walking. At least I have my legs. They may not work. I have no feeling in the left one. But it’s attached, at least. At least I’m alive.”
Her positive attitude is what helped keep her alive during captivity and the death of friend, Army Member Lori Ann Piestewa, who was killed in the same accident Lynch was in. “You’re just thankful for what you’ve been given, even if it’s not what you wanted,” she told the Associated Press.
Lynch published her story, I Am a Soldier, Too with the help of Rick Bragg in an effort to tell her side of the ordeal. The Pentagon, it is believed, embellished Lynch’s captivity in order to receive more publicity.
Today, though, Lynch said that she is glad to be a public figure because she is able to remind people of the dangers soldiers face on a daily basis.
“And that’s good because they (soldiers) still need our prayers just like they did nine or 10 years ago,” Lynch said.
