SakshiThe Truth
Jessica clarified about her actual experience that he underwent while being in the war and spoke to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about how Pentagon misled the public by blowing thing out of the proportion. Her part in the war had been exaggerated by the institution. She said “I had a good fortune and opportunity to come home and to tell the truth; many soldiers…did not have that opportunity. The truth of war is not always easy. The truth is always more heroic than the hype,”
Pain In All Its Forms
It is not easy to forget your past especially if it was subjected to so many horrifying incidents. Jessica’s past had strained her both mentally and physically. Jessica is yet to overcome the injuries that inflicted upon her at the same time. Lynch has undergone about 23 surgeries since 2003. She sometimes gets struck with post-traumatic experience, though this mental illness has dwindled comparatively. This is not all, sometimes the former military officer suffers the nervous breakdown and remains bedridden for a long while. And nothing was more aching than the fact that she had lost her friend Lori forever. She still missed her.
Nightmares
It was not over yet! Even after so many years of the Iraqi war, Jessica still dreams of Iraqi troops following and capturing her. Needless to say whenever she used to have this nightmare she would wake up bathed in cold sweat. She is desperately trying to not to get these nightmares. She explains “I try to dream about peaceful things, beaches, That is what I cannot understand. Why are they chasing me?”
Long-Term Effects
Now it has been about 15 years of Iraq war. Unfortunately, Jessica is still mentally scarred by the war. Though she is trying to forget her painful past, she fails to do so. And the fake media reports had made her efforts even more difficult. She said “That’s been one of my biggest struggles is handling the whole criticism that has come with the backlash of the stories that were created — these fabricated stories, I want to make sure that the people that deserve the credit get the credit, not me who was knocked unconscious and didn’t get to fire off a shot.”
I am sure you would have loved this story and would be wanting more to read. Well, Jessica was not the only woman who fought for her nation and won laurels from all across from the world. There are many other women who went to great extent to serve the country. These veterans made the enemy bite dust in their own country.
Jenny Pacanowski, 35
Army, 2003-2008
Jenny Pacanowski rose to prominence while serving in the army in Iraq. She served as a healthcare specialist/combat medic. Along with her amazing experience she also shared about her PTSD after getting involved in the war. She said that the ‘pnk, pnk’ sounds that form when a bullet hits a metal object, now freak her out whenever she hears it.
Anu Bhagwati, 40
Marine Corps, 1999-2004
Anu Bhagwati is another name that made her fellow citizen proud of herself. Since birth, she had only one dream of becoming a Navy SEAL. However, being a woman she could not join it and so she went for Marine Corps which is also one of the most prestigious wings of the army. She described the war by saying “there was horror, and there was a beauty. Both coexisted.”