Here’s the until-now unknown story of the true hero of the Ambush of the 507th in Iraq. the 507th was Jessica Lynch’s company that had several members killed and 7 or 8 members captured. Without taking anything away from Lynch, Hollywood and the politically correct crowd have unfairly focused on her and ignored the real hero of the moment, PFC Patrick Miller.
It was Miller, a 23-year-old Army welder from Kansas, who single-handedly took on several Iraqis, manually slamming rounds into his assault rifle and firing as they prepared to lob mortar rounds at Lynch and other soldiers from the 507th Maintenance Company.
He was the only one to be awarded a Silver Star, one of the highest awards for valor, and only 86 were awared for action in Iraq so far. Even after he was captured, Miller provided heroics: He harassed his captors by constantly singing Toby Keith’s “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue,” and he convinced them that a piece of paper in his possession was just an auto parts list. It was radio call signs and frequencies.
Lynch, who to her credit has never portrayed herself as a hero, has a $1 million book deal and TV movie in production. There are no movie or book deals for Miller who hasn’t even received a promotion from private first class.
The “other” female POW, Specialist Shoshana Johnson, and others feel its not fair to Miller that he’s been ignored, although Miller wouldn’t talk much about it with reporters.
“Jessica’s a wonderful girl, and we’re happy she’s OK,” Johnson said. “But it was Patrick; it wasn’t Jessica. His weapon was working. He was doing everything possible. Patrick deserves so much, and he’s not getting the recognition. He’s still a private first class. He hasn’t even been promoted.”
Miller doesn’t resent the celebrity of Lynch, responding with the un-PC comment, “She’s female. I’m male. It’s expected of me.” But he does resent that more of the story of the 507th hasn’t come out. “‘It just gets me how she gets credit for something she didn’t do,’” he finally said. “‘We were all in the same unit.’”
PFC Miller is the quintessential American soldier. Not born to privilege and maybe not even an especially good soldier—he barely passed marksmanship training and has self-admitted problem with authority—but when it mattered he stepped up and did what needed to be done, becoming more than the sum of his experience, becoming an American Fighting Man.
