Family says prayers were answered

To the family of former prisoner of war Ronald D. Young Jr., his rescue Sunday was an answer to prayer and fasting, and not just by their LDS ward members.

"There were so many people praying for him, I don't see how it could possibly go any other way," said Ronald D. Young Sr., his dad, interviewed by telephone at their home in Lithia Springs, Ga.

"Today was the best day of my life."

For most of the time of his captivity, Ronald's mother, Kaye, felt he would be all right. "The third day after this happened (his capture), I woke up and I had a feeling of peace, total peace, and I have been like that the whole time."

She knows that people around the world have been praying.

"I found out on Wednesday night that they had his name on the prayer list in the (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) temple in Atlanta, in every session that night," she said.

She told her husband, "Now anybody can say what they want to, but there is power in this church. It just kept me in a peaceful shell that nothing could penetrate. And I was just calm, and I knew it was the Spirit."

Before the family could talk to the Deseret News on Sunday about receiving news of their son's release, they went to a meeting at their Lithia Springs, Ga., ward, where they told about the drama of the past two weeks.

It began on March 23, when Army Chief Warrant Officer Young, 26, and Chief Warrant Officer David S. Williams, 30, of Orlando, Fla., were flying an Apache helicopter and attacking targets during a battle in Iraq. Their chopper was forced down, and they were captured.

Soon after, images of the captured pilots were aired on TVs across the world but then for three weeks, anxious relatives heard nothing about their fate.

On Sunday, as coalition troops moved toward Tikrit, Iraq, they rescued the two pilots plus five other American POWs who had been taken prisoner in a separate incident. Although three of the seven were examined for injuries, they all were in good shape, and were quickly flow to Kuwait City. Young was among those who were not injured.

The Young home was hosting family, friends and reporters on Sunday when the telephone rang. Linda Kelley, a friend from nearby Douglasville, Ga., answered. She said a woman officer was on the line, stating that she was calling form Kuwait.