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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20030722/ap_on_re_us/lynch_homecoming_64http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/ap/20030722/ap_on_re_us/lynch_homecoming_64
Ex-POW Lynch Arrives Home in W.Va.
Tue Jul 22, 6:02 PM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!
By ALLISON BARKER, Associated Press Writer
ELIZABETH, W.Va. - A delicate-looking Jessica Lynch returned home in a wheelchair Tuesday to a flag-waving, red-white-and-blue celebration that was pure small-town America, modestly saying in her first public appearance since her rescue: "It's great to be home."
"I'd like to say thank you to everyone who helped and prayed for my return," the 20-year-old former POW said in a girlish voice.
Lynch received a standing ovation as she entered a media tent in a wheelchair and made a brief statement with a large American flag as a backdrop. She wore a beret and a crisp Army dress uniform adorned with medals awarded Monday, including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
The Army supply clerk appeared nervous at first but seemed to gain confidence as she went on, proudly saying she had read "thousands of stories" recounting that when she was rescued, she told U.S. commandos that she was an American soldier.
"Those stories were right. Those were my words. I'm an American soldier, too," she declared.
Afterward, she was moved to a red convertible for a motorcade through Elizabeth and the five-mile trip to her home in Palestine, a community of about 300. About 2,000 people lined the route.
Lynch said that for a long time, she did not realize that her ordeal had captured the hearts of millions around the globe. "I read thousands of letters, many of them from children, who offered messages of hope and faith," she said.
Lynch's 507th Maintenance Company convoy was ambushed March 23 near the Iraqi city of Nasiriyah in an attack that killed 11 soldiers. U.S. forces rescued Lynch at a Nasiriyah hospital April 1, while five other captured 507th soldiers, held apart from Lynch, were rescued April 13.
Lynch's rescue made an American hero out of the petite blonde who joined the Army to get an education and become a kindergarten teacher.
Suffering from broken bones and other injuries, the private first class arrived at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the nation's capital on April 12 and spent more than three months there before she was released Tuesday morning. She arrived in Elizabeth aboard a Black Hawk helicopter.
"I'm proud to be a soldier in the Army. I'm proud to have served with the 507th. I'm happy that some soldiers I served with made it home alive. It hurts that some of my company didn't," Lynch said.
Lynch can move around with the aid of a walker but still has trouble standing.
She read a statement thanking American and Iraqi doctors who treated her and mourned Lori Piestewa, a 23-year-old American who died in the March 23 attack.
"She was my best friend," Lynch said. "She fought beside me and it was an honor to have served with her. Lori will always remain in my heart."
She beamed as she turned to Sgt. Ruben Contreras, whom family members identified as her boyfriend. Lynch was wearing a promise ring given to her by Contreras.
"Ruben, you never let me give up," she said. "When I wanted to quit PT (physical therapy), you kept me going. And you're my inspiration and I love you."
During the parade, Lynch smiled and waved to the crowd as she sat alongside Contreras and her brother — also a soldier — in the back seat. Decked out in new black-and-orange uniforms, the Wirt County High School band serenaded her.
Traci Lancaster, 28, came out to the parade to see her neighbor.
"I feel all the men and women over there are fighting for the future of my children. I'd do anything I could to honor them," Lancaster said. "If that means standing for five hours to see Jessi, that's just fine."
"We're here to see history," said Mary Elder, 52, of St. Marys.
Roszetta Martin of Spencer screamed, "Welcome home!" as Lynch passed; Martin said, "She smiled and waved at me!"
She said Lynch looked "beautiful, wonderful, absolutely gorgeous."
"It makes us proud to be an American and West Virginian," Martin said.
In a two-hour span before Lynch arrived in West Virginia, more than 30 cars passed the Lynch residence with license plates from West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and North Carolina.
After the parade, Lynch returned to a home that has been renovated by the community to make it handicapped-accessible, adding ramps, a bathroom and a new first-floor bedroom.
She was greeted by a crowd on the front porch, and she was hugged by many as she was wheeled into her home, and out of public view again.
Security was tight throughout the area. State Police sniper teams were positioned along Lynch's motorcade route, and state authorities patrolled a river that flows beside the park. Officers with bomb-sniffing dogs swept the media tent before Lynch spoke.
In Palestine, visitors could pick up a commemorative envelope with a Purple Heart stamp issued earlier this year by the Postal Service. The stamp's cancellation reads: "Jessica Lynch Station, Palestine, WV."
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