Former US army PoW Private Jessica Lynch returned to her West Virginia home to ahero's welcome today, and in her first words since her rescue said: "It's greatto be home."
"I'd like to say thank you to everyone who helped and prayed for my return,"said Private Lynch, who was brought to the podium in a wheelchair wearing a beret andarmy dress uniform.
Private Lynch received a standing ovation as she entered a media tent and made herbrief remarks against the backdrop of a large American flag.
The 20-year-old former PoW said she did not realise for "a long time" thather ordeal had captured the hearts of millions around the globe.
"But I'm beginning to understand because I've read thousands of cards andletters - many of them from children - that offer messages of hope and faith,"she said.
Private Lynch's 507th Maintenance Corps convoy was ambushed on March 23 near the Iraqicity of Nasiriyah in an attack that killed 11 soldiers. US forces rescued Lynchat a Nasiriyah hospital on April 1st, while five other captured 507th soldiers,held apart from Lynch, were released on April 13th.
Suffering from multiple broken bones and other injuries, Private Lynch had arrived atWalter Reed, the US Defence Department's largest medical facility, on April 12th.Private Lynch's rescue quickly made her an American hero and she has received book,television and movie offers to tell the story of her capture and rescue.
The story of the rescue, however, has also sparked accusations that US defenceofficials and officials with President George W Bush's administrationexaggerated the circumstances of her capture and her rescue in order to makePrivate Lynch a hero at a time when the war in Iraq appeared to be bogging down.
AP