Return to Transcripts main page
Live From...
Jessica Lynch Set to Receive Hero's Welcome
Aired July 22, 2003 - 15:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Four months after she was captured as a prisoner of war in Iraq, Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch is back home in West Virginia. She arrived today to a hero's welcome.
CNN's Patty Davis is with us now from Elizabeth, West Virginia.
And, Patty, we just saw Jessica Lynch speaking. But we know she is headed home right now, really home.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
But what comes up next is -- and you can hear news helicopters flying over me right now. You're shortly going to hear the Wirt County High School band. So it is going to get very loud here.
But we're now waiting for is a motorcade, Jessica Lynch, along with her family, in two convertibles, escorted by the West Virginia State Police, will be bringing her through the town, the downtown, of Elizabeth, West Virginia. Hundreds upon hundreds of people have gathered here, some waiting since very early this morning to stake out their positions, so they can get their first glimpse of Jessica.
Now, just a few minutes ago, she was at what's called Camp Jessica, her first location. And that is where she spoke to reporters, spoke to the world for the first time since her ordeal. And here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA LYNCH, RESCUED POW: I've heard thousands of stories that said, when I was captured, I said, "I'm an American soldier, too." Those stories were right. Those were my words. I am an American soldier, too. Thank you for this welcome. And it's great to be home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Very struck by how poised this young lady, 20 years old, what she's been through and how poised she seems to be handling this situation.
The motorcade now rolling towards downtown Elizabeth, leaving that throng of media on one end of town and coming to a throng of media and well-wishers in the center of town, where we are located. Now, what she brings with her at this point is medals. Yesterday, she was awarded medals by the surgeon general of the Army: the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the POW Medal. People have been waiting in this town for as long as four months to see their Jessi -- and they call her Jessi -- come home once again -- a lot of cars coming through town here. Now, they're not related to Jessica Lynch. But the band sounds to me like they're about to strike up any moment.
Now, some people around here have just driven for hours and hours, one woman saying 2 1/2 hours she drove to get here. Her condition, as you've heard described throughout the day, she's having a hard time walking. You saw her in a wheelchair. Right now, you see her on the back of that red convertible there, as she heads into town. She has little feeling in her feet is what we are told, which is making it difficult to walk, although she is getting better at using a walker. She's attempted to use crutches.
The advance here on this, you can see the throngs of people here in Elizabeth, West Virginia, as she is being escorted into town by the state police, the events here just amazing, almost like a presidential visit, the media very controlled here. And they have basically choreographed each step of this: cameras, told us where we need to be. We're also told by a family spokesman that it is his understanding that Jessica Lynch is in the initial stages of trying to get a discharge from the Army.
You can obviously understand that she's come home now. She needs time to recuperate. You can hear the band striking up behind me -- Judy, back to you.
WOODRUFF: Yes, Patty, I think the noise is getting a little overwhelming. We can hear the helicopters overhead.
And what Patty said about this visit having been planned to every last detail appears to be exactly right. The Army and local officials, I think, went to a great deal of effort to make sure that Jessica Lynch's homecoming was going to be picture perfect. And that, it is, Jessica Lynch coming home to her home in West Virginia.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired July 22, 2003 - 15:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Four months after she was captured as a prisoner of war in Iraq, Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch is back home in West Virginia. She arrived today to a hero's welcome.
CNN's Patty Davis is with us now from Elizabeth, West Virginia.
And, Patty, we just saw Jessica Lynch speaking. But we know she is headed home right now, really home.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
But what comes up next is -- and you can hear news helicopters flying over me right now. You're shortly going to hear the Wirt County High School band. So it is going to get very loud here.
But we're now waiting for is a motorcade, Jessica Lynch, along with her family, in two convertibles, escorted by the West Virginia State Police, will be bringing her through the town, the downtown, of Elizabeth, West Virginia. Hundreds upon hundreds of people have gathered here, some waiting since very early this morning to stake out their positions, so they can get their first glimpse of Jessica.
Now, just a few minutes ago, she was at what's called Camp Jessica, her first location. And that is where she spoke to reporters, spoke to the world for the first time since her ordeal. And here's what she had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JESSICA LYNCH, RESCUED POW: I've heard thousands of stories that said, when I was captured, I said, "I'm an American soldier, too." Those stories were right. Those were my words. I am an American soldier, too. Thank you for this welcome. And it's great to be home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: Very struck by how poised this young lady, 20 years old, what she's been through and how poised she seems to be handling this situation.
The motorcade now rolling towards downtown Elizabeth, leaving that throng of media on one end of town and coming to a throng of media and well-wishers in the center of town, where we are located. Now, what she brings with her at this point is medals. Yesterday, she was awarded medals by the surgeon general of the Army: the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the POW Medal. People have been waiting in this town for as long as four months to see their Jessi -- and they call her Jessi -- come home once again -- a lot of cars coming through town here. Now, they're not related to Jessica Lynch. But the band sounds to me like they're about to strike up any moment.
Now, some people around here have just driven for hours and hours, one woman saying 2 1/2 hours she drove to get here. Her condition, as you've heard described throughout the day, she's having a hard time walking. You saw her in a wheelchair. Right now, you see her on the back of that red convertible there, as she heads into town. She has little feeling in her feet is what we are told, which is making it difficult to walk, although she is getting better at using a walker. She's attempted to use crutches.
The advance here on this, you can see the throngs of people here in Elizabeth, West Virginia, as she is being escorted into town by the state police, the events here just amazing, almost like a presidential visit, the media very controlled here. And they have basically choreographed each step of this: cameras, told us where we need to be. We're also told by a family spokesman that it is his understanding that Jessica Lynch is in the initial stages of trying to get a discharge from the Army.
You can obviously understand that she's come home now. She needs time to recuperate. You can hear the band striking up behind me -- Judy, back to you.
WOODRUFF: Yes, Patty, I think the noise is getting a little overwhelming. We can hear the helicopters overhead.
And what Patty said about this visit having been planned to every last detail appears to be exactly right. The Army and local officials, I think, went to a great deal of effort to make sure that Jessica Lynch's homecoming was going to be picture perfect. And that, it is, Jessica Lynch coming home to her home in West Virginia.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
