Sunday, April 13, 2003

Families of Rescued POWs, Pilots Celebrate After Recognizing Them in Photos, TV Footage

As word spread early Sunday that seven American prisoners of war had been found in Iraq, families of missing U.S. soldiers began recognizing their loved ones in television footage and getting the calls they had been waiting for - their soldiers were alive.

FISHER: The troops were just handed over. It was completely unexpected. The Marines were on a separate mission [in] the big final phase of the war, [which] ... is taking place for Tikrit right now.

They went to the town of Samarra, [which is] a holy city ... and by accident, a man just approached them in the street and said, "This is where [the American POWS] are." There was no fight whatsoever.

FISHER: Yes, I was told by one of the Marines that it was a policeman who approached them and said, "You have come for the prisoners of war." He believed they were there for the prisoners of war. ... That's not why they were there. It was completely unexpected. Of course, they took immediate advantage of their good fortune.

This is an awesome thing to wake up to! I've been thinking about the families of the other POW's, wondering how they felt about the whole Jessica thing. This is a fantastic, and these have to be the LUCKIEST people on the planet right now!

Kansas @ 11:44 AM