Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 11, 1991 TAG: 9103110028
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SUSAN BAER THE BALTIMORE SUN
DATELINE: ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, MD. LENGTH: Medium
"Welcome home," said Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, who along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell shook hands with each of the 19 men and 2 women as they got off the plane at Andrews Air Force Base. "Every American, every man and woman who cares for freedom, owes you a very special measure of gratitude."
Leading the former captives off the plane was Air Force Col. David Eberly, who boldly saluted at the top of the stairs as the U.S. Air Force Band played "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" and thousands of well-wishers cheered.
"Someday finally came, and we're glad to be home," Eberly said. "God saved us; our families' love and your prayers sustained us."
As each name was announced, the other former captives, mostly pilots shot down during the five-week air war against Iraq, followed down the loading ramp, some walking stiffly, one pumping a triumphant fist into the air, two with crutches. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Stamaris Jr., shot down during a rescue mission, was carried onto the runway on a stretcher draped with an American flag.
He saluted from his stretcher as the band played the national anthem. Air Force Capt. William F. Andrews, the downed pilot that Stamaris was trying to rescue when his own plane was shot down, hobbled over to his comrade and slapped high-fives.
"We made it, man," Andrews said. "We're at Andrews."
There were handshakes and enormous, emotion-packed hugs. Little boys in bow ties ran to fathers they had not seen in months; wives were swooped up and kissed by their newly returned husbands. Army Spc. Melissa Rathbun-Nealy, one of the two female captives, sat through the ceremony holding the hand of her mother, who stood behind her.
Families had come from all over the country for the homecoming. Said Anse Cates of Columbus, Ohio, the grandfather of Army Maj. Rhonda L. Cornum - whose arms, broken in a helicopter crash, were both in casts - "I've been thanking God she's home safely."
All along the fenced-off Tarmac were thousands of spectators who had camped out since early morning, armed with cups of coffee to ward off the cold and wind, bearing flags, banners and signs of "Welcome Home Heroes" and "God Bless You."
"This is history," said Shelley Cavanaugh, a University of Maryland student. "This is something I'll be able to remember and tell my children about one day."
Dennis and Janet Doherty of Bowie, Md., brought their two young daughters for the occasion. "It's important to show these people how grateful we are for their sacrifices," said Dennis Doherty. "It's a lesson we want our daughters to learn."
Flight Sgt. Wynn Mabry, who accompanied the group on its journey home from the Persian Gulf, said that the former prisoners were "all medically progressing very well," citing broken arms and legs. Last week, aboard the Mercy hospital ship, they were examined and fed "good-quality American food."
The returned servicemen and women and their families departed Andrews in buses after the ceremony, headed for nearby medical installations such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital, where they were to be examined and debriefed by intelligence officers over the next few days.
"You need to know that those who waited also served," Eberly said, closing his remarks to Cheney and the crowd, "and sir, if you'll excuse us now, we have some time to make up with our families."
by CNB