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Saturday, April 05, 2003

By Lawrence Walsh, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

PALESTINE, W.Va. -- Parents of Jessica "Jessi" Lynch will fly to Germany this afternoon, a day after learning their daughter had suffered gunshot wounds that went undetected for days.

	The Iraqi family that provided vital information in the rescue of POW Jessica Lynch rests Thursday night at Camp Liberty, Iraq. The family was welcomed by Marines who greeted them with food, clothing and an American flag. (United States Marine Corp, Sgt. L.A. Salinas via AP) Related story: Jockeying begins for Jessica Lynch movie

Gregory Lynch Sr. and his wife, Deadra, are scheduled to fly from Charleston, W.Va., early this afternoon to join their daughter, the Army private first class who was taken to the military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Center after being rescued from an Iraqi hospital on Tuesday.

Family member Dan Little last evening told reporters and photographers gathered at the end of the family's dirt and gravel driveway in this tiny town that the Lynches "finally" heard from their daughter's doctor yesterday. The doctor told them that, in addition to a back injury, two broken legs and a broken right arm that had previously been diagnosed, Lynch had been shot with a small-caliber weapon, hit once each in her right arm and left leg.

Lynch, 19, underwent back surgery on Thursday, and yesterday, surgeons inserted rods and pins in her arms and legs to help them heal properly. But the gunshot wounds were not found until "an extensive probing and examination" was conducted, Little said. He said he didn't know why doctors initially failed to find the wounds.

In response to a reporter's question, Little said the Lynches were "understandably frustrated" by their inability to speak to their daughter's doctor until they heard from him yesterday afternoon.

Little said Lynch was placed in an intensive care unit "purely for observation." She had a low-grade infection and a temperature of 102, but that was dropping yesterday and her condition was improving.

The information Little provided differed from an account given early yesterday morning by hospital commander Col. David Rubenstein, who insisted Lynch had not been shot or stabbed. The Lynches, too, had been given that information yesterday. Little said the new information was given to them by her doctor in the phone call yesterday afternoon.

Rubenstein, who described Lynch as "a daughter any parent would be proud of," said Lynch is speaking to military officials in Germany, though the sessions have not delved into the details of her treatment by her captors. She still spends much of her days asleep or in the operating room.

Rubenstein said Lynch would require intensive physical therapy after her injuries heal. But doctors believe her prognosis is excellent. No date has been set for her return to the United States.

Despite the seriousness of her injuries, Rubenstein said Lynch was buoyant. "Her emotional state is extremely good," he said. "She is jovial, she is talking with staff."

Lynch is receiving psychological counseling from people who specialize in dealing with prisoners of war. She is also talking -- and joking -- with a friend from her unit, who went with her to Germany.

Lynch's arrival in Germany has set off a media stampede, with emissaries of television talk-show hosts importuning hospital officials to pass notes to her.

It is not clear that Lynch yet understands the magnitude of her celebrity. She does not have a television in her room, and the staff is zealously guarding access.

In other ways, however, Lynch is taking steps back to a normal life. Though she is still being fed through an intravenous tube, doctors expect her to be able to eat solid foods soon, and she has submitted a list of her favorites. Atop the list: turkey, apple sauce and steamed carrots.

In Gettysburg, Pa., yesterday, the mother of a Marine sergeant said she received an e-mail from her son, indicating that he was part of the successful rescue of Lynch.

"I just wanted to let you know that we are finally war heroes," Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. William "Joe" Morehead, 39, wrote in the e-mail message to his mother, Bonnie Hammond. "We pulled out the POWs last night. ... Makes me feel as if it was all worth it. It's time to come home for sure. I'm tired of getting shot at."

The Pentagon announced this morning that eight of the eleven bodies recovered when commandos rescued Lynch have been identified as members of her unit, the 507th Maintenance Company, who died in the March 23 ambush. Included among the dead are two soldiers from Cleveland, Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy and Pvt. Brandon U. Sloan, 19.

Lynch's parents will hold a news conference at 1:30 this afternoon at the West Virginia state hangar at Yeager Airport in Charleston before leaving for Germany. It is not known if they are flying by commercial, military or private aircraft.

The Associated Press and The New York Times contributed to this report.

Lawrence Walsh can be reached at lwalsh@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1488.