Navy SEAL, Delta Force Rescue of Jessica Lynch… (*REAL FOOTAGE*)

Saturday, March 23rd, 2003, an army private wakes up inside an Iraqi hospital, confused and severely injured, taken prisoner of war after her unit was separated from a convoy and ambushed in Nasiriyah, Iraq. And the missing private's family anxiously awaited to learn the fate of their daughter. And after nine days of captivity, Special Operations Command acquired intel on her whereabouts at the hospital. A team of Navy SEALs, Air Force PJs, Army Rangers, and Delta Force operators raided the hospital, breaching any and all doors in a daring rescue mission to recover and bring home private first class Jessica Lynch. This is the declassified story and footage of the rescue. From humble beginnings, hailing out of Palestine, West Virginia, is Jessica Lynch. And her family, like most families, struggled financially. And in the year 2000, the Lynch family, determined to get their kids the education they deserved, met with an army recruiter when Jessica was 17 years old. And in July of 2001, Jessica enlisted in the United States Army. She picked the MOS of a 92 Yankee, a supply clerk, giving her parents an extra peace of mind. And after all, America was in peacetime. And just like that, the Lynch family saw their daughter off to war. And only two years later, in March of 2003, Jessica was deployed and found herself at the confluence of the invasion of Iraq. On March 23rd, Jessica was part of a 100 mile long, 600 vehicle convoy. She was attached to the 507th Maintenance Company, when her unit became separated from the convoy after making a wrong turn. The Humvee, which Jessica was traveling in, driven by Lori Paestua, was ambushed near Nasiriyah, a major crossing point over the Euphrates River. Lori Paestua drove at a high rate of speed to evade the torrent of gunfire. But in a matter of seconds, the Humvee was hit by an RPG, sending the Humvee crashing into the rear of a tractor trailer. Three inside were killed on impact. Lori Paestua, Shoshana Johnson, and Jessica Lynch survived, but were severely injured. Johnson, along with Private First Class Patrick Miller, would soon be stashed in various locations throughout Iraq. And after the ambush, the Iraqis went back to check the vehicles and found Jessica Lynch and Lori Paestua alive, but in grave condition. They were both taken prisoner, and the families of the 507th anxiously awaited news of their missing loved ones. There was no time for proper memorial services for the 507th. The war meant they had to focus on the next military objective. What do you think the fate of a woman is in the hands of Saddam Hussein? She's got to be scared. It's common sense what's going to happen if female prisoners of war. It's inevitable. Jessica Lynch and Lori Paestua were taken to a Nasiriyah hospital. The Iraqi forces, otherwise known as the Fedayeen, were not stupid by any means. They knew exactly how far Americans would and wouldn't go. They would use buses to move around the city, as they understood U.S. troops wouldn't attack a civilian bus. And they applied this method to their staging areas and compounds, such as schools and hospitals. The hospital where they stashed Jessica and Lori. Although some of the hospital employees still remained, and reportedly attempted to help the wounded Americans by applying bandages and administering IVs, it seems they may have done more harm than good, as Lori Paestua, inadequately treated by doctors, succumbed to her wounds. And as for Jessica, she finally came to at the hospital, and observed Iraqi men standing over top of her. And as she tried to flee, she realized in that moment, she couldn't move. And the severity of her wounds. Two of the men in the hospital attempted to amputate Jessica's leg. Jessica fought them off with an oxygen mask, begging the men to leave her alone. And somehow, they eventually did. But this unpredictable behavior from her captors would continue over the next week. There are several different accounts of what exactly occurred at the hospital. The hospital staff, including Dr. Harith Al-Hosona, reported to have shielded her from the Iraqi forces who overtook their hospital. Yet other accounts report that Jessica was beaten by Iraqi forces. It's my understanding that Jessica's account of what happened is somewhere in the middle. As on March 30th, Dr. Al-Hosona reportedly attempted to deliver Jessica back to US forces, via ambulance. However, the ambulance was fired upon, and she was returned to the hospital, and left abandoned within. Alone, she feared she would die in the hospital, either at the hands of the Fedayeen, or all likeliness of the building being bombed in the crossfires of a war. With what little hope she had, she held on to it. And as fate would have it, an Iraqi civilian tipped off a group of Marines. The man's claims were validated, and the man was sent back to the hospital to gather intel. And the offer was made. A team of Navy SEALs, and an element from the Joint Special Operations Task Force 121, composed of US Army Special Forces Green Berets, Air Force PJs, Army Rangers, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, and Delta Force, coordinated the operation. And fun fact, former Navy SEAL Andy Stumpf was part of this team. Which is, I think that's pretty cool. Intelligence gathered at the time reported that the hospital could potentially hold 500 plus Fedayeen adversaries. The ops team ran scenarios through tape outlines of the hospital blueprints. They knew where the doors and stairs were. The op would run a decoy in the streets, directing overt actions away from the hospital. Smaller birds would land on the roof and deploy snipers, while a half gaff of Black Hawk helicopters and a Humvee ground crew would rendezvous directly at the hospital and make entry. The plan was just about as perfect as the plan could be. And on the evening of April 1st, the team of special operators raided the hospital to save Private Jessica Lynch. Power 87 coming right over the building. Don't blow by. Roger, sir. The operation went as smooth as possible. The intel of the 500 plus Fedayeen was a bust. However, according to the acting Inspector General of the DoD at the time, the team received enemy fire from the hospital and the surrounding buildings, but neutralized the threat without suffering casualties. Eleven bodies were recovered at the same time of Lynch's rescue. Nine from a shallow grave site and two from the hospital morgue, including the body of Lori Piestewa. On April 3rd, Jessica arrived in Germany and had her first round of surgeries. On April 12th, she returned to the United States to Walter Reed Medical Center. And on July 21st, she's presented with the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and POW medals for her service in captivity in Iraq. And on July 22nd, Jessica Lynch is discharged from Walter Reed Medical Center and is finally brought home. and pine for them old days well let me run through the breeze like the leaves on the trees let me fly like the leaves when they well let my mind go serene like a cool water stream that runs from the mountain so tall oh take me back down the old dirt road so well take me home to rest where the mockingbirds nest and to cry through the green in the spring let's go back a ways to the old bygone days and a simple time we lived back when well let the pull of the plow bring the sweat from my brow and the glow of the fire pull me home let me wind down my days in the sweet dusty haze take me back down the old dirt road oh take me back down the old dirt road take me back down the old dirt road there you go you're doing great jessica you're doing wonderful okay welcome back hey guys if you enjoyed this video be sure to hit that subscribe button there's a lot more mini documentaries in the works and you don't want to miss them and to any of my subscribers who are veterans or active duty i just want to say thank you thank you for your service i hope you guys enjoyed this video and i'll see you guys in the next one thanks for watching goodbye