9781422277140

SPECIAL FORCES: STORIES Saving Private Lynch!

A Rescue Story from peration Iraqi Freedom

SPECIAL FORCES: STORIES

Captured! Bringing in 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Going After Sparky! Pararescue Jumpers Bring Vietnam War Pilot Home Rescue from an ISIS Prison! Delta Force in Iraq During the War on Terror Saving Private Lynch! A Rescue Story from Operation Iraqi Freedom Storming the Somali Pirates! Navy SEALs Save Hostages Take Out Bin Laden! Navy SEALs Hit the Most Wanted Man A Terrorist Goes Down! Delta Forces in Syria Take Out an ISIS Leader World War II Prison Breakout! Army Rangers Make Their Mark

Saving Private Lynch! A Rescue Story from Operation Iraqi Freedom

By John Perritano

Mason Crest

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com © 2019 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4077-9

Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4222-4081-6 EBook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7714-0 First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

Produced by Shoreline Publishing Group LLC Editorial Director: James Buckley Jr. Designer: Bill Madrid Production: Sandy Gordon www.shorelinepublishing.com Cover photograph by AP Photos (2).

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

QR Codes disclaimer:

You may gain access to certain third party content (“Third-Party Sites”) by scanning and using the QR Codes that appear in this publication (the “QR Codes”). We do not operate or control in any respect any information, products, or services on such Third-Party Sites linked to by us via the QR Codes included in this publication, and we assume no responsibility for any materi- als you may access using the QR Codes. Your use of the QR Codes may be subject to terms, limitations, or restrictions set forth in the applicable terms of use or otherwise established by the owners of the Third-Party Sites. Our linking to such Third-Party Sites via the QR Codes does not imply an endorsement or sponsorship of such Third-Party Sites, or the information, products, or services offered on or through the Third-Party Sites, nor does it imply an endorsement or spon- sorship of this publication by the owners of such Third-Party Sites.

C ontents

Introduction: Mission Briefing…….…….…….…….…….…….……. 6 1. Mission Report: Background …….…….…….……. 18 2. Enemy Contact …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….26 3. “Go! Go! Go!” …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….38 4. Mission Report: Gear Up … .…….…….…….…….……48 5. Mission Accomplished …….…….…….…….…….…….…….……50 Text-Dependent Questions …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….60 Research Projects …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….… 61 Find Out More …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….62 Series Glossary of Key Terms …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…63 Index… .…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….…….64 Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic mo- ments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented here. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains ter- minology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field. Key Icons to Look For

M ission B riefing

K en Heiney walked into the school assembly on March 24, 2003, with a grave look on his face. The principal at Wirt County High School patiently waited as nearly 400 students, teachers, and staff seated themselves on the hard bleachers of the school’s gym, home of the Tigers. Located on Mulberry Street in Elizabeth, West Virginia, the dark, red brick building is only a few yards from the Little Kanawha River and a short drive up Route 14 from the town of Palestine where Jessica Lynch grew up. Many people at the assembly knew Jessica. She had graduated Wirt High three years before in 2000. With her bright-blonde hair, perfect bangs, and a ready smile, Jessica was not only athletic but a good student as well. Her brother and sister teased her with the nickname “princess.” Jessica didn’t disappoint. She won the title of Miss Congeniality at the Wirt County Fair the year she graduated and was excited to start on life’s journey. No longer bound by the chains of childhood, Jessica longed to see the world.

Words To Understand contentious causing or likely to cause disagreement operatives someone who performs a task, often behind the scenes terrorist person who uses violence for political purposes

6 6

Wirt High School in Elizabeth, West Virgnia, became a focus of attention during Private Lynch’s ordeal.

But Wirt County is hardscrabble country, where crops are plentiful but jobs are few. Such sourness didn’t stop Jessica from figuring a way out, however. In 2001, she, along with her brother, joined the US Army. It was a golden op- portunity to get a free education and a chance to see far-off lands. Jessica was by no means the only Wirt County local to serve—the county had a long history of military recruitment. Flag-covered graveyards, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War halls were testaments to the region’s patriotism. Yet, Jessica didn’t join to get out of Palestine. “She did it for the ad- venture,” her recruiter told journalist Rick Bragg. “She did it to see the world.”

7 7

Army soldiers in action during the 2003 Iraq War: More than 150,000 US service men and women served in the conflict.

Ken Heiney now had bad news to report. As the teens settled down, he told them, “a student from this community is listed as MIA.” Her name was Jessica Lynch. The room fell silent. MIA means Missing in Action. The Iraq War, which had started only four short days before, had descended on Wirt County in the most horrible of ways. No one knew whether Lynch, a private with the army’s 507th Mainte- nance Co., based at Fort Bliss, Texas, was alive or dead.

8 8

“You could later hear a pin drop,” Heiney told Bragg, who would write a book about Lynch. “There was no noise, nothing.” Once the news sunk in, a few students started to cry. The community later orchestrated a candlelight vigil because in Wirt County prayers take cen- ter stage when tragedy strikes. People came from all over, crowding in front of the county courthouse and spilling into the street. Yellow ribbons knotted around tree trunks bloomed like summer daisies, all hoping for the safe return of Jessica Lynch.

Yellow ribbons of support quickly decorated trees and more in Lynch’s hometown in West Virginia.

9 9

War in Iraq The Iraq War began on March 19, 2003, when the United States, Great Brit- ain, and several other countries bombed Iraq in an attempt to oust its bru- tal dictator, Saddam Hussein, from power. For months, President George W. Bush and others worked hard to convince the world that Hussein was a threat to countries in the Middle East and the West. Bush and his operatives claimed—wrongly, it would turn out—that Hussein was secretly producing and stockpiling chemical and biological weapons—so-called weapons of mass destruction, or WMDs.

Secretary of State Colin Powell appears before the United Nations to press the case for an attack on Iraq.

10 10

Moreover, Hussein was well on his way to developing the most powerful WMD of all, a nuclear bomb, or so the president said. Bush and his advisers even suggested that Iraq was somehow involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that brought down the World Trade Center in New York City. Bush said only military action could stop Hussein. Many disagreed. The run-up to war was contentious and hotly debated. As protesters chanted and politicians gave speeches, Bush put together a multinational force to fight Hus- sein. The force included Great Britain, Albania, Australia, and Poland, among other countries. Bush, seeking support from the United Nations, told the UN Security Council that it had a duty to combat the “grave and gathering danger” Iraq posed. The United Nations refused to sanction the impending war. Bush wasn’t totally off base about Hussein. The dictator was indeed blood- thirsty. He used biological weapons against the Iranians during the Iraq-Iran War in the 1980s. He also used poison gas against the Kurds, a minority group in Iraq that wanted to form an independent country. Despite the misgivings, war came. It was dubbed Operation Iraqi Free- dom. The first part was a sustained aerial bombing campaign to “shock and awe” the Iraqi army. A day later, on March 20, 2003, the invasion force arrived, and with it, 19-year-old Private Jessica Lynch. A Missed Turn Lynch and the other soldiers in the 507th were not frontline combat troops. They were supply clerks, cooks, and mechanics who found themselves part

11 11

of an 8,000-vehicle, 100-mile (160 km) invasion force lumbering up a dusty highway to Baghdad. The 64 soldiers of the 507th traveled in 33 vehicles near the end of the line. Most were towing trailers loaded with supplies for a Patriot missile battery. Other vehicles included tow-trucks, Humvees, and heavy-duty wreckers. The strategy was simple. The invasion force was to flood Iraq’s capital of Baghdad, overwhelm Iraqi forces, and topple Saddam Hussein. Lightly armed with M16 assault rifles, hand-held machine guns, and a .50-caliber machine gun fixed to the top of a truck, the 507th headed into the center of Iraq. The journey began in Kuwait on March 20. After crossing into

Long convoys such as this one delivered vital supply supplies during the Iraq war, but also posed security risks.

12 12

Many of the roads in Iraq were not ready to handle the huge, heavy trucks and gear of the invading army.

Iraq, the convoy was to move north to Baghdad on Highway 8 and then turn left at Highway 1. It would later make another turn back onto Highway 8 and roll into Baghdad. The route was specifically laid out to avoid the Iraqi army stronghold of Nasiriyah. At times, the 507th’s convoy of heavy trucks and Humvees crawled along at around 15 miles (24 km) an hour in dense desert sand. At different points, some trucks lost sight of one another and had to regroup. Trucks broke down, including a water tanker driven by Jessica Lynch. When she could not get the truck started again, Lynch jumped into a Humvee driven by her best friend Lori Piestewa.

13 13

The mechanical problems forced the unit to fall further behind the main part of the convoy. Then a bad situation got worse. Captain Troy King, who was leading the 507th early that morning, tried to catch up to the rest of the invasion force, but his driver missed two important turns. Instead of motoring toward Baghdad, the 507th was now heading straight to Nasiriyah and into the clutches of some 6,000 enemy fighters, including 5,000 Iraqi soldiers and nearly 1,000 militia members. Tough Day in Nasiriyah Lynch and her comrades rumbled over a bridge across the Euphrates River and into the center of the city early in the morning on the 23rd. At around 6:45 am , the convoy crossed a canal on the city’s northern fringe. By this time, Captain King realized he and his troops were in the wrong place. He looked at his GPS, and quickly ordered the convoy to retrace its steps in an attempt to get out of the city. He ordered the men and women of the 507th to arm themselves and prepare for battle. Private Lynch grabbed her M16 and tried to put a round in the chamber. The gun jammed. Master Sgt. Robert J. Dowdy, 38, was with Lynch in the Humvee at the rear of the column. He tried to fix the gun. It was too clogged with sand. Then the shooting started. The Iraqis watched as the convoy attempted to turn around. Sensing the Americans were vulnerable, the Iraqis attacked, blasting the 507th as the trucks and Humvees tried to snake their way through unfamiliar streets. Ene-

14 14