JACKSON VISIT BUOYS FAMILY; `HE'S SMILING,' POW'S ANXIOUS MOM SAYS OF QUICK GLIMPSES.Byline: Peter Hartlaub Daily News Staff Writer Prisoner of war PRISONER OF WAR. One who has been captured while fighting under the banner of some state. He is a prisoner, although never confined in a prison. 2. In modern times, prisoners are treated with more humanity than formerly; the individual captor has now no Andrew Ramirez has a very infectious smile, and when his mother saw it on television Friday, she had to smile too. ``My son's condition looks very good. He looks very healthy,'' Vivian Ramirez said after watching a video of him at the East Los Angeles East Los Angeles, uninc. city (1990 pop. 126,379), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles, in an industrial area. It has a large Mexican-American population. There is a performing arts center and a cultural center. A junior college is there. school where she works as a librarian. ``He's smiling,'' she added. It was the first time she has seen him since a day after his capture March 31 by Serbians, when they broadcast images of the 24-year-old staff sergeant staff sergeant n. 1. a. Abbr. SSG A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. Army that is above sergeant and below sergeant first class. b. Abbr. SSgt A noncommissioned rank in the U.S. and two other prisoners of war prisoners of war, in international law, persons captured by a belligerent while fighting in the military. International law includes rules on the treatment of prisoners of war but extends protection only to combatants. who met Friday with the Rev. Jesse Jackson Noun 1. Jesse Jackson - United States civil rights leader who led a national campaign against racial discrimination and ran for presidential nomination (born in 1941) Jesse Louis Jackson, Jackson . ``He looks better,'' she said, with motherly moth·er·ly adj. 1. Of, like, or appropriate to a mother: motherly love. 2. Showing the affection of a mother. adv. In a manner befitting a mother. concern in her voice. ``A little thin, but a lot better.'' Ramirez said it's been an unbearable month, wondering if her son is OK. Watching the fuzzy broadcast of Andrew praying with Jackson just confirmed what she already knew because of a letter she received from him earlier in the week. Seeing him grin Friday made the wait that much easier, she said, even with the knowledge that she might not see him in person anytime soon. While good news has only trickled back to Ramirez since her son was captured, goodwill has flooded over Eastmont Elementary School, where she works. The campus has become a three-dimensional tribute to Andrew Ramirez - with yellow ribbons, large and small, woven into the chain-link fence that surrounds the school and every tree in sight. Principal Thomas Donfrio said the school's 1,200 students - from preschool through fourth grade - have flooded the popular staff member with attention. ``They don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. much about politics,'' Donfrio said. ``They sure know enough to make Vivian feel good on a daily basis.'' Indeed, she hasn't missed a day of work since her son was captured. On Friday, a CNN CNN or Cable News Network Subsidiary company of Turner Broadcasting Systems. It was created by Ted Turner in 1980 to present 24-hour live news broadcasts, using satellites to transmit reports from news bureaus around the world. satellite truck parked in front of the school and there on the screen was the image of Jackson praying with Andrew Ramirez. Jackson also handed him letters from his mother. The other men captured, Staff Sgt. Christopher Stone and Spc. Steven Gonzales, were able to broadcast a message to their families. Ramirez was cut off by an apparent bombing raid by NATO NATO: see North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization International military alliance created to defend western Europe against a possible Soviet invasion. planes. But Ramirez had already seen all she needed to know her son is in good spirits Adv. 1. in good spirits - without losing equilibrium; "she took all his criticism in stride" in stride . ``I felt very emotional,'' she said. ``God, if I could have gone in there (myself), I would have just gone in there and hugged him.'' While attention was focused on Vivian Ramirez, other relatives echoed similar sentiments. Andrew's cousin John Hernandez said that one good has come out of the stressful ordeal: His capture has brought the family together. ``The family has come together more than we ever have been. We're talking to family we never talked to before. . . . It's good to see,'' he said. Another cousin, Minerva Amaro, said she hasn't been able to stop smiling herself since she saw the POW smiling on TV. ``I'm just so excited,'' she said. ``To see these pictures makes me very happy - just knowing that he's well and he's safe for now.'' Daily News Staff Writer Lisa Van Proyen contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Vivian Ramirez smiles alongside her son Steven in East Los Angeles on Friday after viewing news footage of her son, captured Staff Sgt. Andrew Ramirez. Michael Caulfield/Associated Press |
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