First, Jessica continues to recover from her injuries quicker than expected. She's begun limited rehabilitation, and has been debriefed by a US Army repatriation team. She also sat up again today in a chair for over an hour.
According to the friend that emailed me, Jessica's spirits are high, and seeing her mom, dad, brother, little sis, and a favorite cousin named Dan have really perked her up. She was so excited to see them....they gave her a little white teddy bear with a red, white, & blue ribbon. She's still in intensive care, but is doing well.
If everything goes as planned, Jessica and her family will fly home on Sunday (to a D.C. area hospital; likely Walter Reed).
Jessica hasn't seen my website yet, and I'm not sure when she will. She's not even being allowed gifts in the ICU....except for things her parents got her. Her family does have the URL, but I'm not sure if they've had time to check it out. They have far more important priorities, which I understand perfectly.
I'm now thankful I created a website to let Jessica know how proud we are of her, and how much we care. One of my meteorologist friends sent a dozen pink roses to the hospital in Germany...they may wither before Jessica ever sees them. The website in her honor will still be there when the doctors and her family say it's okay, even if it's weeks or months. I'm certain her family will see it much sooner--because from what two friends tell me, it's already been seen by everyone with internet service in Elizabeth and Palestine, WV....her family, friends, and neighbors all know what you and I think of Jessica; how proud we are of her. I've recieved several dozen emails from West Virginia alone just since Saturday, many from Wirt county and neighboring Calhoun county--where Jessica's family and friends live.
You may notice I changed the wording a little on my site today. Jessica is aware of what happened to her friends with the 507th; but is talking very little about what she experienced while MIA and POW.
She's cheerful, happy to see her family, but the pain is there, buried somewhere. I know from my own and my sister's experiences of abuse; and they pale in comparism to what that brave girl went through. When she wants to talk about it, she will. My dad's telling me things about what he witnessed and experienced during the Korean War...horrible things that he's never told anyone...and it was over 50 years ago. I've recently told painful experiences I experienced...things my little sis experienced that caused me anguish for the first time since it happened over 22 years ago.
I changed the phrase "Mohammed alerted the US Marines to Jessica's location....and that she was being tortured" to "that she needed help". She has been severely traumatized, and neither her family nor the army counselers are pressing her for any details of what she saw, heard, or how she was injured. The last thing I want to is have anything on that website to cause her harm or pain...that word torture worried me...I changed it for Jessica's benefit. I'm considering removing it entirely..just leave it "told the Marines where Jessica was".
Jessica isn't watching television or reading newspapers....she had no idea that America considerd her a hero until her family arrived....she didn't believe her family when they told her. She still apparently can't grasp how much of an impact her rescue had on Americans, outside of her own hometown.
One more thing (*hanky alert)...according to Deandra's friend, Jessica only has one thing on her mind. She keeps telling everyone she just wants to go home, back to her family home...back where she feels safe
Perry
