Home > News > Headlines

printer friendly version
Piestewa friend calls Hopi woman the real hero
Wednesday, November 12, 2003

Jessica Lynch with Lori Piestewa and Piestewa's son, Brandon, prior to deployment to Middle East. I am a Soldier, too: The Jessica Lynch Story

Lori Piestewa, the first Native American servicewoman to die in combat, was recovering from a shoulder injury when her Army unit was given orders to deploy to Iraq, according to a book published on Tuesday.

Her medical status meant she didn't have to go, the book states. But she chose to so that her best friend and roommate, Jessica Lynch, wouldn't be alone overseas.

"She went because Jessi did," author Rick Bragg writes in I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story. "A 23-year-old mother of two, Piestewa knew that her roommate was nervous, and she did not want her to face the desert, and war, on her own."

That was February 17. A month later, Piestewa, a member of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona, and Lynch were traveling in southern Iraq when their unit was ambushed by Iraqi soldiers. Confusion erupted as they came under enemy fire, according to the book.

Yet Piestewa, who was driving the humvee Lynch was riding in, stayed focused. "Everybody was trying to talk at once, and there was all of this yelling, but Lori was quiet," Lynch says in the book. "She knew what she was doing. I could hear bullets hitting the other vehicles, and I looked at her and I knew she hadn't given up."

But the humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. It caused Piestewa to lose control, and she ran into a tractor trailer that was part of the Army unit. She suffered a serious head wound as a result of the attack, according to the book, and died at a hospital where Iraqi soldiers had dropped her and Lynch off.

That was March 23. Several days later, Lynch was rescued in a dramatic, videotaped operation that military sources played up for the media. Those initial accounts portrayed Lynch, just 19 at the time, as a brave soldier who went down fighting and was seriously injured in the ambush.

But that story doesn't ring true to Lynch. In fact, she says it was Piestewa who deserves praise.

"She was there for me," Lynch, now 20, said in her first public interview, broadcast last night on ABC. "She had my back the whole time."

Lynch's ordeal inspired a frenzy of media coverage, including a made-for-TV movie that was aired on Sunday night. Piestewa's death stirred strong emotions in Indian Country but did not receive as much attention by the national media.

"I don't look at myself as a hero," Lynch said in the ABC interview. "My heroes are Lori, the soldiers that are over there, the soldiers that were in that car beside me, the ones that came and rescued me."

Piestewa was also of Mexican heritage. She embraced both sides of her culture, her parents and family have said. Her favorite food was Mexican, her mother has pointed out.

Piestewa, who was promoted posthumously from the rank of private first class to specialist, was just one of 12,000 Native Americans who are currently serving in the military. The Hopi Tribe alone counts 5,200 veterans among its people.

"Specialist Piestewa . . . as well as many Native American women who enlist in various branches of the military, joined because of one reason that unites us all," Wayne Taylor Jr., chairman of the Hopi Tribe, said at a Memorial Day ceremony held in her honor. "They were Americans. Americans who simply answered the call of duty."

In the book, Lynch said she would do anything to have Piestewa -- who was known as "Pi" -- back. "We went and we did our job, and that was to go to the war, but I wish I hadn't done it - I wish it had never happened," Lynch said. "I'd give four hundred billion dollars. I'd give anything."

Book Excerpts:
Wrong Turn in the Desert [long] | I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story [short]

ABC News Story and Video:
Fear and Relief (November 11, 2003)

Related Stories:
Piestewa family watched movie on Jessica Lynch (11/11)
Piestewa friend 'hurt' by military accounts (11/07)
Pvt. Lynch: 'Most of all, I miss Lori Piestewa' (07/23)
Army report describes attack on Piestewa's unit (07/10)
Army to release report on Piestewa ambush in Iraq (7/9)
Ariz. board votes in favor of Piestewa Peak again (07/03)
Piestewa family honored at Bighorn ceremony (6/26)
Piestewa family honored guests for Crow Days (6/20)
Lori Piestewa: 'Hell yeah, I've taken fire!' (6/19)
Report: Piestewa died at Iraqi hospital (6/18)
Piestewa family honored on Memorial Day (5/27)
Military official says Piestewa fought with courage (05/27)
Military completes report on Piestewa death (5/23)
Piestewa to be featured in veterans exhibit (5/21)
Ariz. senate panel OKs Piestewa 'pressure' bill (05/14)
U.S. board won't act on Piestewa Peak until 2008 (5/9)
First Lady meets Piestewa family on Navajo visit (5/9)
So how do you really pronounce Piestewa? (5/9)
Ariz. lawmakers respond to Piestewa Peak flap (5/8)
First Lady Laura Bush to visit Navajo Nation (5/7)
Tribal jail inmates reach out to Piestewa family (5/5)
Opinion: Show respect for Piestewa Peak (5/5)
Squaw Peak highway changed in honor of Piestewa (5/2)
Ariz. GOP still steamed over name change (5/2)
Renzi: Piestewa fought to save lives of others (5/1)
Ariz. board to vote on Squaw Peak Freeway (4/30)
Hopi Tribe holds ceremony in honor of Piestewa (4/28)
AICF creates scholarship fund in Piestewa's honor (4/28)
Oneida Nation students raise money for Piestewa (4/28)
Column: Squaw Peak changed with little debate (4/28)
Piestewa remembered in Ariz. candlelight ceremony (4/25)
Navajo Nation council honors Lori Piestewa (4/25)
Editorial: Renaming Squaw Peak was right move (4/25)
Renzi also says Piestewa fought 'to the death' (4/24)
Concert to benefit Lori Piestewa's children (4/24)
Column: Lori died because she had no options (4/24)
Column: Piestewa fought Iraqi attackers (4/23)
Editorial: Don't throw rocks over Piestewa Peak (4/23)
Squaw Peak name change being contested (4/23)
Ariz. governor faces fallout for Piestewa Peak (4/22)
Jodi Rave: Don't call Indian women 'squaw' (4/22)
Readers still want to talk about Squaw Peak (4/22)
Ariz. paper profiles Lori Piestewa's short life (4/21)
Column: We wouldn't rename peak for White man (4/21)
Readers praise, critique Squaw Peak name change (4/21)
Say goodbye to Squaw Peak in Ariz. (4/18)
Benson's View: Piestewa Peak vs. Pipsqueak (4/18)
Ariz. panel votes to change 'squaw' names (4/18)
Republic Editorial: 'They did the right thing' (4/18)
Column: Lori Piestewa was not a warrior (4/18)
Column: Piestewa's name deserves much more (4/18)
Piestewa Peak views continue to roll in (4/18)
Some Ariz. GOP unhappy with Piestewa plans (4/17)
Editorial: Don't wait five years to change name (4/17)
Pequot tribe donates scholarship to family (4/17)
Column: What's Better - Squaw Peak or Piestewa Peak? (4/17)
More support and opposition for Piestewa Peak (4/17)
Hopi Tribe to honor Piestewa in official ceremony (4/16)
Thousands remember Piestewa in memorial service (4/14)
Editorial: Stop making excuses for Squaw Peak (4/14)
Navajo lawmakers cite poor timing for name change (4/14)
More reaction to renaming peak for Piestewa (4/14)
Piestewa service to take place in Tuba City (4/11)
Piestewa, the Lady Warrior, honored at pow-wow (4/11)
More opinions on renaming peak for Piestewa (4/11)
Reaction: 'One of the Fallen Heroes' (4/10)
Piestewa story extends beyond Indian Country (4/10)
Don't expect Piestewa Peak any time soon (4/10)
Column: Name change is more than just symbolism (4/10)
Footnotes to a war: What about Private Lori? (4/10)
How to Donate to Lori Piestewa Memorial Fund (4/9)
Editorial: Rename Ariz. peak in honor of Piestewa (4/8)
Column: Would anyone call Piestewa a 'squaw'? (4/8)
Piestewa death investigated as war crime (4/8)
Memorial set for fallen soldiers from Ft. Bliss (4/8)
Snow in Hopiland heralds return of Piestewa (4/7)
DoD confirms Piestewa killed in action in Iraq (4/7)
Indian Country mourns loss of Native soldier (4/7)