Former prisoner of war and U.S. Army Veteran Jessica Lynch shared how she has turned her pain into her purpose in Aurora on Veterans Day.
Her heart wrenching yet inspiring story of her time as a prisoner of war in Iraq moved many in the crowd to tears and then cheers.
“They stripped me of all of my military gear and then proceeded to break my bones,” Lynch told the captivated crowd. “My back was broken, my left femur was broken, my left tibia was smashed by a metal pipe and my right foot was completely crushed.”
On March 23, 2003, Jessica was serving as a unit supply specialist with the 507th Maintenance Company when her convoy was ambushed by Iraqi troops. Lynch was seriously injured during the attack and taken prisoner by Iraqi soldiers. Ten U.S. soldiers were killed in the ambush. Seven other soldiers were captured and six subsequently rescued 21 days later. One of the seven, Lynch’s best friend and battle buddy, PFC Lori Piestewa, received a serious head wound and later died in an Iraqi civilian hospital.
Lynch’s subsequent recovery by U.S. Special Operations Forces on April 1, 2003, was the first successful rescue of an American prisoner of war since World War II and the first ever of a woman. On July 22, 2003, Lynch was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Prisoner of War Medal.
— City of Aurora government