Palestine, W.Va.
Pfc. Jessica Lynch returned to a hero’s welcome in her rural West Virginia hometown this week. Well-wishers draped banners reading “Welcome Home, Jessi” everywhere, and vendors hawked a CD with lyrics—“She was just 19, became America’s queen”—describing her rescue from a hospital in Iraq three months ago. “She’s the No. 1 hero in the war,” said Ray Watson, 79, a former school principal. Lynch was wounded when her Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed. She can’t walk unassisted yet, and has months of physical therapy ahead. “I want to thank everyone who hoped and prayed for my return,” Lynch said.
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