HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH AMERICA'S HERO, JESSICA LYNCH - Something Nice About Wirt County

(12/08/2003)

USA WEEKEND travels to West Virginia to sample traditions that fill the Iraq war's most famous ex-POW with her enduring spirit. By Dennis McCafferty To get there, you snake along state Route 14, a spectacular thoroughfare that bends and dips like a roller coaster, unraveling majestic views of crisp hills and icy shards on the Little Kanawha River with every turn. You drive past dump trucks loaded with limestone cut from these mountains, past Stone House Road and Thirsty's tavern. Yellow ribbons dot utility poles, mailboxes, oak trees, gas pumps and front porches. And then there's the sign, "Home of Jessica Lynch Ex-P.O.W." Farther along is Palestine, where the Lynch family lives on Mayberry Run Road. USA WEEKEND concludes that in 2003, there's no better place to appreciate American holiday celebrations and community traditions than Wirt County, W.Va., cradle for the now-famous 20-year-old Lynch. When Americans heard the Army private first class was captured during an ambush in Iraq in March, we feared the worst. As we learned Lynch had been rescued in April, our spirits lifted with relief and pride. When she came home to Wirt County in the summer, a giddy parade featured Lynch waving triumphantly from atop a red convertible. Now that she is discharged from the military, recovering from her catastrophic injuries and anticipating her marriage to an Army sergeant, Lynch remains surrounded by warm celebration and layers of tradition. For the complete story usaweekend.com

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