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Former POW Jessica Lynch's Unfancy Recovery Plan

She was one of the most celebrated American captives recovered by U.S. Special Forces, but former Pvt. Jessica Lynch tells us that it hasn't gone to her head. In fact, she sounds like any one of us. In talking to our Anna Mulrine, who wrote of Lynch and other ex-POW comrades for this week's magazine, Lynch explained, for example, that she just doesn't like all the physical therapy required to help her recover from surgeries related to her horrible back and leg injuries. She says that though she goes to Walter Reed about three times a year for surgeries and other medical appointments, she is not always diligent about going to her physical therapy appointments. "I'm supposed to be going to physical therapy," she says, but between classes and a new baby, she doesn't have much time left over. She doesn't go to a psychologist, either, and has never taken antidepressants. "I usually talk to friends and work it out that way. I feel more comfortable with my friends." Lynch says she has her tough days. "You get a blow-up, and you're fine for a couple days, and you may have to do it again," she says. Mulrine also tells us that Lynch's biggest heartache from her time in Iraq is not knowing what happened to her best friend, Lori Piestewa, who died in captivity. "If this happened to me, what did Lori suffer?" Lynch named her baby after Piestewa and says she is looking forward to attending the April 24 ceremony in Phoenix when Squaw Peak will formally be renamed Piestewa Peak.

By Paul Bedard

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