Posted on 07/28/2003 7:09:46 AM PDT by Jalapeno
July 27, 2003, 10:26PM
Letters to POW are returned
Associated Press
EL PASO -- Marital bliss has replaced despair for Army Spc. Edgar Hernandez, among members of the 507th Maintenance Co. held prisoner in Iraq after being caught in an ambush.
"I remember during the fight, I was holding my arm because I got shot and my weapon got jammed," Hernandez said, recalling the attack on the Fort Bliss-based 507th on March 23 near Nasiriyah that led to his captivity. "That's when I thought I was going to die.'"
Eleven soldiers in his convoy were killed. Hernandez was among five others rescued April 13.
Among the toughest experiences in captivity for Hernandez was loss of a source of spiritual strength -- letters from his girlfriend, now wife, Edleen. The missives were taken by Iraqi civilians who looted the company's vehicles.
Surprisingly, his wife got the letters back last week in a Federal Express package mailed by a Marine who found them discarded.
"He wrote me a letter saying my letters touched his heart," she said. "He said ... he felt compelled to send them back."
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