Jessica Lynch

I'm not about to take credit for something I didn't do.

— Jessica Lynch

I lived the war in Iraq, and today I still have family and friends fighting in Iraq. My support for our troops is unwavering. I believe this is not a time for finger-pointing, it is a time for truth — the whole truth— vs. hype, and misinformation.

— Jessica Lynch

I was given opportunities not extended to my fellow soldiers, I embraced those opportunities to set the record straight.

— Jessica Lynch

I had a story tell, a story that needed to be told so that people would know the truth.

— Jessica Lynch

The nurses at the hospital tried to soothe me, and they even tried unsuccessfully at one point to return me to Americans.

— Jessica Lynch

A group came to the hospital to rescue me. I could hear them speaking in English but I was still very afraid. Then a soldier came into the room. He tore the American flag from his uniform and he handed it to me in my hand. And he told me "We're American soldiers, and we're here to take you home." And I looked at him and I said "Yes, I am an American soldier too."

— Jessica Lynch

When I remember those difficult days, I remember the fear, I remember the strength, I remember that hand of that fellow American soldier, reassuring me that I was going to be okay.

— Jessica Lynch

Tales of great heroism were being told... at my parents home in Wirt County, West Virginia, it was understaged by media all repeating the story of the "little girl Rambo" from rural West Virginia who went down fighting. It was not true.

— Jessica Lynch

I have repeatedly said, when asked, that if the stories about me helped inspired our troops and rally a nation, then perhaps there was some good. However, I am still confused as to why they chose to lie and try to make me a legend, when the real heroics — of my fellow soldiers that day — were legendary.

— Jessica Lynch

The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own heroes — ideals for heroes — and they don't need to be told elaborate lies.

— Jessica Lynch

My hero is every American who says "My country needs me" and answers that call to fight. I had the good fortune and opportunity to come home and to tell the truth; many soldiers, like Pat Tillman... did not have that opportunity. The truth of war is not always easy. The truth is always more heroic than the hype.

— Jessica Lynch