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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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