At around 21:06, after two soldiers jump on board Lynch's Humvee and they drive away, you can hear Lynch cry, "What about Donald!" She is referencing Sgt. Donald Walters. The film shows that the truck he was is disabled and he jumps out. While under fire he tell the others to go and he'll cover them. This is the only time in the film that Sgt. Walters is seen and referenced until the very end where, in memorial, he's listed with his comrades as killed in action.
This is crucial for two reasons: Sgt Walters was one of the few in the 507th that had combat experience. During the First Gulf War he guarded Iraqi prisoners as Military Police. During the ambush, the truck he was riding in, driven by PV2 Sloan, was disabled and the two bailed. PV2 Sloan was picked up by another truck while Sgt. Walters gave fire to the Iraqis. The last reported member to see Sgt. Walters alive was PFC Miller, who claimed he saw Sgt. Walters talking to 1st Sgt. Dowdy at his Humvee. For some unknown reason, as the convoy turned around and made its run back into the city, Sgt. Walters was left behind. He ran after the convoy. It wasn't long before the Iraqis found this lonely soldier and converged on him. Intercepted Iraqi communications said that there was a single, blonde haired, soldier that was alone and fighting tenaciously.
Sgt. Walters was shot and taken prisoner only after he had run out of ammunition. He was taken by several Fedayeen members to an abandoned army headquarters near where the convoy made its first U-turn. An Iraqi ambulance driver later claimed to have seen Sgt. Walters surrounded by six Fedayeen and was led inside inside the building. Later on, the same ambulance driver picked up and delivered Sgt. Walters's body to the same hospital Lynch was being held in. His body had at least two gunshot wounds, several stab wounds and a dislocated shoulder. He was buried along with his fallen comrades. Since no American saw his death, the only information on his fate stemmed from Iraqi testimony and forensic investigation, it's unknown if the wounds inflicted upon him occurred during or after his capture with the exception one gunshot wound to his back. According to DNA analysis found at the scene, Sgt. Walters was executed in the building after being tortured for some time, ranging from a few hours to a day or two.
It's believed that the intercepted Iraqi communications were not properly translated, that the pronouns 'he' was mixed with 'she' and that a blonde haired soldier was fighting. This led to the idea that PFC Jessica Lynch, also blonde, was the fighter they were talking about, when it was actually Sgt. Walters, who was also blonde. This discrepancy was not cleared until about a year after the event.
For his bravery and sacrifice, Sgt. Walters's family was bestowed their son's Silver Star Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, and Purple Heart.
This is crucial for two reasons: Sgt Walters was one of the few in the 507th that had combat experience. During the First Gulf War he guarded Iraqi prisoners as Military Police. During the ambush, the truck he was riding in, driven by PV2 Sloan, was disabled and the two bailed. PV2 Sloan was picked up by another truck while Sgt. Walters gave fire to the Iraqis. The last reported member to see Sgt. Walters alive was PFC Miller, who claimed he saw Sgt. Walters talking to 1st Sgt. Dowdy at his Humvee. For some unknown reason, as the convoy turned around and made its run back into the city, Sgt. Walters was left behind. He ran after the convoy. It wasn't long before the Iraqis found this lonely soldier and converged on him. Intercepted Iraqi communications said that there was a single, blonde haired, soldier that was alone and fighting tenaciously.
Sgt. Walters was shot and taken prisoner only after he had run out of ammunition. He was taken by several Fedayeen members to an abandoned army headquarters near where the convoy made its first U-turn. An Iraqi ambulance driver later claimed to have seen Sgt. Walters surrounded by six Fedayeen and was led inside inside the building. Later on, the same ambulance driver picked up and delivered Sgt. Walters's body to the same hospital Lynch was being held in. His body had at least two gunshot wounds, several stab wounds and a dislocated shoulder. He was buried along with his fallen comrades. Since no American saw his death, the only information on his fate stemmed from Iraqi testimony and forensic investigation, it's unknown if the wounds inflicted upon him occurred during or after his capture with the exception one gunshot wound to his back. According to DNA analysis found at the scene, Sgt. Walters was executed in the building after being tortured for some time, ranging from a few hours to a day or two.
It's believed that the intercepted Iraqi communications were not properly translated, that the pronouns 'he' was mixed with 'she' and that a blonde haired soldier was fighting. This led to the idea that PFC Jessica Lynch, also blonde, was the fighter they were talking about, when it was actually Sgt. Walters, who was also blonde. This discrepancy was not cleared until about a year after the event.
For his bravery and sacrifice, Sgt. Walters's family was bestowed their son's Silver Star Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, and Purple Heart.
The film closes mentioning that Jessica Lynch plans on marrying a soldier she met in the Army. That man was Sgt. Ruben Contreras, they met before her deployment to Iraq. They were set to marry that summer after her rescue, but they broke up for reasons that remain private. On 19 January 2007, Lynch gave birth to a daughter named 'Dakota Ann' with her then-boyfriend Wes Robinson, who is now her fiance. Their daughter is named for her friend, Lori Ann Piestewa who was killed in the fight. As of 2018, Jessica Lynch serves as a 5th Grade teacher in West Virginia.
Crystal Mantecon's debut.
In the promos for the movie that NBC would run at the bottom the screen during other shows, the title of the movie, "Saving Jessica Lynch" can be seen first in Arabic that morphs into English.
Aired seven months after the events it depicts occurred.