A Tribute To Jessica Lynch
An American Soldier (too)

Jessica "Jessi" Lynch, nineteen year old daughter of Greg and Deidre Lynch, wanted to be an elementary school teacher. But in Palestine, West Virginia there wasn't much to offer her. Located about 70 miles north of Charleston, Palestine is a farming community in the sparsely populated Wirt County, which has a 15 percent unemployment rate -- one of the state's highest. Her older brother, Gregory, is already in the West Virginia National Guard and is stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. "She knew the money was a little tight," says her father, Greg, who drives a tractor-trailer. "We might have been able to pay for college, but it would have been rough. The Army offered her what she wanted." So Jessie made plans to serve her country and then take advantage of the program to get her college education. Jessie enrolled as part of the Army's delayed entry program, and graduated from Wirt County High School in 2001. She enlisted in the Army on July 20, 2001 and departed for basic training two months later. She completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

Pfc Jessica Lynch was recently promoted and worked as a supply clerk with the Army's 507th Maintenance Co. She was due another promotion upon her return from duty in Iraq. Her next assignment would be in Hawaii. In a letter to the local kindergarten teacher a week after she arrived in Kuwait, Jessie offered to be a pen-pal for the 5-year-olds. She wrote of how much she wanted to come back and teach. She wasn't ready to return quite yet, though: She wrote "I can say I've been to places half the people in Wirt County will never see."

The 507th Maintenance Co. is based out of Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas. It was deployed in February with the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and is not considered a combat unit, officials said. But on March 23rd the supply convoy she was traveling with took a wrong turn in southern Iraq and was ambushed by Iraqi forces. Current information indicates the 507th Maintenance Co. was ambushed near An Nasiriyah in southeastern Iraq, approximately 230 miles southeast of Baghdad. About a dozen soldiers were either taken hostage or remain missing as a result of this attack.

Jessica's father and mother had seen the news on TV about a convoy from the 507th being ambushed and feared the worst. Iraqi TV carried graphic footage of some company POWs being cruelly paraded before the cameras, but Jessie was not among them. Late Sunday night an Army official, accompanied by the West Virginia State Police, came to the family's two-story white house, perched atop a hill along a one-lane road, and told them that their daughter was missing in action. It was the worst of days. The army knew nothing of Jessie's where-abouts, only that she was missing and they would do whatever they could to find her and get her back. Mr Lynch said he just wants her back, and the rest of the kids too.

Yellow ribbons and American flags now adorn many houses and trees in Palestine and all of Wirt County, West Virginia.

Jessie is the middle of three children, with an older brother named Gregory and a younger sister named Brandi Renee.

Jessica Lynch, a slender, 5-foot-4 woman was once named "Miss Congeniality" in a Wirt County Fair beauty contest.

Friends and teachers described Jessica Lynch as helpful and loving. Here is some of what has already been published:

Mr Greg Lynch called his daughter a jokester and a magnet for children. He now fears, he said, that she may never get the chance to have any of her own. "She really loved small kids," he said. "That's what makes it so bad."

Jessi's cousin Lorene Cumbridge: "She's just a West Virginia country girl. Warm-hearted. Outgoing. I really thought growing up she would become an elementary school teacher." "Every mother's dream of a teenage daughter."

Glenda Nelson, close family friend: "That smile is all you ever see. No matter what, she always had a smile on her face and loved kids to death."

Chris Joy, the Lynches' closest neighbor: "We are just waiting for any kind of good news and hoping for the best." He says Jessica knew no strangers. "She just liked being with people, just enjoyed her friends."

Staff Sgt. James Grady at the U.S. Army Recruiting Station in Grand Central Mall: "She is a great young lady. Jessie is petite, but full of spunk. She is energetic, responsible and full of energy, and I look forward to speaking with her in the near future", "She was making the most of her enlistment."

Wirt County Principal Ken Heiney: "She's a top-notch young lady. Everybody knew Jessie. She was here at Christmas time visiting with former teachers and friends before she was to leave again for the Middle East." Lynch was active at the small school of about 325 students, where she played on the basketball and softball teams and was a member of Future Farmers of America.

Ben Cummings, who teaches agriculture and mechanics classes at Wirt County High School: "Super young lady - one of the most pleasant attitudes in a student I've seen since I've been teaching." "I never remember her ever saying a negative word about anybody."

Softball coach Rodney Watson: "Our prayers go out to the family and Jessie and we pray for her safe ... and rapid return." Lynch was always helping with equipment for softball games. He called her a "jokester type" and a great person to be around. "She told me how much she was missing softball and how she loved what she was doing."
"If there is one word for Jessi, it is 'scrappy,' " Watson said of his former right-fielder. " . . . When she wasn't doing as well as she thought she could, she would hit herself in the helmet. There was no quit in her."

Softball teammate Jeccica Baileys remembered when Lynch won the title of Miss Congeniality at the Wirt County Fair. It was a name everybody agreed fit Lynch to a tee, Baileys said. "I hope she's safe, and I'm sure that God's taking care of her and He knows where she's at," Baileys said. "Even though it's a bad situation, He's got a plan."

Greg Lynch said Jessica would never let her brother outdo her at anything. "She just re-signed up for four more years, just like her brother." Jessi wrote letters, e-mailed and called often. Just before leaving for Iraq she called family friend Don Nelson for his birthday. He knew who it was as soon as he answered the phone. "She was giggling," he said, "and told me 'Happy Birthday, old man."' Jessica and Don also discussed her leaving for Iraq. She was scheduled to go to Hawaii before the start of the war. She said 'I've been trained and I'm ready to go."'

"She's everyone's baby," Don says. "She loved her country too and was ready to serve it. That is what my country wants, kids like her. She is a true hero in my eyes."

Pam Nicolais, a relative who is acting as spokeswoman for the family, said "Right now, they feel (that) the only thing they and Jessi need is everybody's prayers."

We are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina which hit the New Orleans metro area very hard. In its aftermath I took many photos. Here is a page that documents some of what we are living through. Each picture tells a story.