‘We got our miracle’: Freed Americans back home in Alabama
Andy Huynh, left, and Alex Drueke, far right, are seen hugging their loved ones after arriving at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, Ala., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. The U.S. military veterans disappeared three months ago while fighting Russia with Ukrainian forces. They were released earlier this week by Russian-backed separatists as part of a prisoner exchange.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Two U.S. military veterans who disappeared three months ago while fighting with Ukrainian forces against Russia arrived home to Alabama on Saturday, greeted by hugs, cheers and tears of joy at the state’s main airport.
Alex Drueke, 40, and Andy Huynh, 27, had gone missing June 9 in the Kharkiv region of northeastern Ukraine near the Russian border. The Alabama residents were released as part of a prisoner exchange. The pair had traveled to Ukraine on their own and bonded over their shared home state.
“It’s them!” a family member shouted as the pair appeared at the top of an escalator at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham, one of Alabama’s largest cities.
Smiling but looking tired, the two were pulled into long emotional hugs by family members after their connecting flight home. Then they were whisked to a waiting car.
“Surreal. I still have chill bumps. I always imagined this day. I always held not just hope but belief in this day. But I thought it was going to be two or three years from now at best,” said Drueke’s aunt, Dianna Shaw.
“There are prisoners of war who have been held for months and years. There are people who have been detained wrongfully for years and for this to come about in three months is, just, unimaginable to me,” she added. “Even though I’m living it, it feels unimaginable, and I don’t want people to forget all the Ukrainians who are still being held.”
The families of the two men announced their release on Wednesday. The men were among 10 prisoners released by Russian-backed separatists as part of a prisoner exchange mediated by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi embassy said five British nationals and others from Morocco, Sweden and Croatia also were freed.
Darla Black, whose daughter is engaged to Huynh, said she thought, “there he is. There he is” as Huynh came into view.
“I had to get my hands on him to actually believe it. I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude. We got our miracle,” Black said.
The men had arrived Friday at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“We’re looking forward to spending time with family and we’ll be in touch with the media soon,” Drueke said shortly after arriving in New York with Huynh. “Happy to be home.”
‘Mission: Impossible’ composer Lalo Schifrin dies at 93
Argentine pianist and composer Lalo Schifrin, best known for his scores for Mission: Impossible and more than 200 other films and TV shows, including Bullitt, Mannix and Cool Hand Luke, has died.
Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary turned acclaimed TV journalist, dead at 91
Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary who became one of television's most honored journalists, has died at 91.
Obliterated? Damaged? Inoperable? What’s known about Iran’s nuclear facilities
Iran's nuclear program has been dealt a blow, here's an overview of the current state of its facilities.
Are you a military veteran who has been charged money to apply for VA benefits?
If you're a veteran who has been charged a fee to get help on your application for a VA disability rating or other benefits, NPR wants to hear from you!
As Anna Wintour shifts her focus, ‘Vogue’ is looking for a new U.S. editor
Vogue magazine in the U.S. will soon have a new editorial head. Anna Wintour announced that, after nearly 40 years in the position, she will be focus on her wider roles at Vogue and Condé Nast.
Asked to flag ‘negative’ National Park content, visitors gave their own 2 cents instead
Signs installed earlier in National Parks earlier in June asked for feedback on signs "that are negative about past or living Americans." Comments viewed by NPR didn't provide the requested feedback.
