July 22, 2003 -- Hi thank you for being here, it's great to be home, wearing her army uniform with a black beret, a sometimes shy Jessica Lynch spoke from her wheelchair as she thanked everyone who hoped an prayed for her safe return.

For a long time I had no idea so many people knew I'd been missing, the Private First Class was given a hero's homecoming in West Virginia as thousands of well-wishers came out to see her back home.

Sitting next to her brother Greg, she read a short statement saying she was proud to be a soldier and proud to have served with the 507th maintenance company-- from where 9 of her fellow soldiers died, including her roommate and dearest friend.

Most of all, I miss Lori Piestewa. She was my best friend. She fought beside me and it was an honor to have served with her.

Lynch's journey began in February when the 507th maintenance company deployed from Fort Bliss. KFOX videotape of the deployment showed Lynch near her close friend Lori Piestewa, waiting for their orders to move out.

Five weeks later, their unit was ambushed in Iraq. Lynch and Piestewa were both captured and first taken to an Iraqi military hospital, where Piestewa died a short time later. Lynch - with broken bones in her legs, foot and arm, a fractured disk in her back and abrasions to her head - was transferred to a civilian hospital in Nasiriyah. Today she thanked those who helped her survive.

For the last 3 months she's been recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.