BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The family of Army Maj. Rhonda Leah Scott Cornum expressed relief Wednesday upon learning she was one of 15 American POWs released by Iraq.
Cornum, 36, a flight surgeon, one of three women reported missing in action in the Persian Gulf, was flown to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with 34 other allied prisoners of war.
Her parents, Jen and Donald Scott, of Buffalo, and her brother, Donald Jr., watched television footage of Maj. Cornum arriving in Riyadh, and noted she had both arms in slings.
'She looks great,' said her father. 'If she were bandaged up like a mummy, she'd still look great to me. She's alive.'
Her brother said Cornum, who was stationed at Fort Rucker, Ala., before going to Saudi Arabia early in Operation Desert Shield, had been on 'a mission of mercy' when her helicopter was shot down.
He said two choppers were attempting to rescue a Kuwaiti pilot whose F-16 had gone down when they were hit by anti-aircraft fire and crashed. The Army said five of those aboard were killed, and three, including Cornum, were taken prisoner.
Cornum is a graduate of Cornell University and a two-time candidate to become a NASA astronaut.
