As deputy commander at U.S. Central Command from 2001 to 2003, I represented the military in dealing with politicians regarding the capture and rescue of Army Pfc. Jessica D. Lynch in Iraq, and thus I can speak with authority about what really happened after her maintenance convoy got lost near Nasiriya in 2003 and she was taken prisoner. I feel compelled to respond to accusations that have been made in recent days by several politicians.

The initial reports from the field regarding Lynch stated that she had gone down fighting, had emptied her weapon and that her actions were heroic. Based on these reports, politicians from her home state, West Virginia, wanted the military to award her the Medal of Honor. Their request rose up the ladder until finally it reached me.

But initial combat reports are often wrong. Time must always be taken to thoroughly investigate all claims. In the case of Lynch, additional time was needed, since she was suffering from combat shock and loss of memory; facts, therefore, had to be gathered from other sources. The military simply didn't know at that point whether her actions merited a medal.

This is why, when the request landed on my desk, I told the politicians that we'd need to wait. I made it clear that no one would be awarded anything until all of the evidence was reviewed.

The politicians did not like this. They called repeatedly, through their congressional liaison, and pressured us to recommend her for the medal, even before all the evidence had been analyzed. I would not relent.

As it turned out, after a careful review of the facts, the military concluded that the initial reports were incorrect. Lynch's weapon hadn't been fired; she had merely been a passenger in a vehicle that went astray, came under fire and crashed. She was badly hurt, and in her condition, she could not fight back. Her actions were understandable and justifiable, but they could not be labeled heroic.

It's important to make clear, too, that Lynch has never claimed to be a hero. As she told Congress last week, the "story of the little girl Rambo ... who went down fighting" was not true.

Accusations that the military played up Lynch's rescue for its own publicity purposes are also false. As someone who witnessed the operation from the planning to the execution, I can tell you it was one of the most spectacularly executed rescues I've seen in my 36-year career. And none of us were in it for the publicity: We did it to save a comrade. Period.

A nation needs heroes. Hero-making in itself is not a bad thing. But hero-making without grounds is. In the case of Lynch, overzealous politicians and a frenzied press distorted facts. For these politicians to step forward now and accuse the military of capitalizing on the Jessica Lynch story is utter hypocrisy.

Michael DeLong, a retired Marine lieutenant general, is the author, with Noah Lukeman, of "A General Speaks Out: The Truth About the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq." He wrote this commentary for the New York Times.