Rescued POW Arrives at Base in Germany

April 2 -- A day after elite special operations forces fought their way into an Iraqi hospital to rescue her, Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch arrived on a stretcher at a U.S. air base in southwestern Germany.

The rescued 19-year-old Army supply clerk was transported to the military medical center on a C-17 transport plane late today for treatment. She was recovering from broken bones and a bullet wound, and was said to be in good spirits.

Lynch spoke to her family in Palestine, W.Va., for about 10 minutes Wednesday night, and Lynch's father Greg Lynch Sr. said his eldest daughter was in good spirits, but said she had not eaten in eight days. The family expects another call from her Thursday morning.

Details of the rescue emerged today while Lynch was en route from Kuwait to Ramstein Air Base.

Grainy night-vision video shot by a combat camera crew with the U.S. commandos on Tuesday in Iraq showed Lynch awake and alert on a stretcher outside "Saddam Hospital" in the southern Iraq town of Nasiriyah.

The night vision video enabled senior officers at Central Command in Qatar to watch the dramatic rescue as it happened. The Pentagon released only the final minutes of the video, when Lynch was carried to safety.

"It was a classical joint operation done by some of our nation's finest warriors, who are dedicated to never leaving a comrade behind," said U.S. Central Command spokesman Brig. Gen. Vincent Brooks.

An Iraqi informant is believed to have tipped U.S. forces to Lynch's location.

Elite commando units including Army Rangers, Marines, Navy SEALs, and Air Force pilots and combat controllers took part in the daring raid.

Sources said this was a textbook "extraction," which means Army Rangers would secure the perimeter of the hospital compound, with the SEALs storming inside to locate Lynch and rush her to a waiting Black Hawk helicopter.

No coalition forces were injured, despite engaging in firefights entering and leaving the building, Brooks said.