Did any of you wonder why Jessica got so much attention? Did you hear mutterings about the African-American woman (Shoshana) that got shot in both legs? I did.

I watched the Jessica Lynch interview last night. There was a lot of information to be gleened out of the sensationalism. I finally think I understand what the deal is. Basically, there were no witnesses to what exactly happened to Jessica. Everyone else in her vehicle died. She herself isn't even a very good witness since she was unconcious a lot. The government and media decided to fill in the blanks on their own.

They said she went down fighting to the death. They said she shot several Iraqis. When she came back, she told them that was untrue. In fact, she huddled, prayed and didn't fire a single shot (she says her weapon jammed). They decided it wouldn't serve anyone to retract their previous stories.

Shoshana on the other hand, was with a group that were held by the Iraqis. Noone could take artistic license with what happened to her because there were witnesses and footage. I personally think, and know others will disagree, that if you had switched Shoshana with Jessica, there would be no difference. Shoshana would be the girl on Primetime with Diane Sawyer and Jessica would be at home, depressed.

There is also question about how the military is treating the ladies differently. From what I gather, the military determines disability pay according to injury (which makes sense to me). Jessica is recieving much more disability pay than Shoshana and here is why: Jessica's spine is so damaged that her bladder and bowels are paralyzed. The doctors have been trying electric stimulation but she has not been responding. It is most likely a permanent disability. Her left leg was completely shattered from the knee down and her foot on that leg was crushed. She has metal plates and pins from practically head to toe. Shoshana has two damaged legs and depression as a result of torture.

In conclusion: I originally thought racism. I looked at the facts and now believe otherwise. No matter how you slice it, I feel terribly about what both ladies endured and am grateful for their service and the service of all who served and are serving.