SOLDIERS, FAMILIES SHED TEARS OF JOY.

Byline: Wendy Wendland Knight Ridder Newspapers

After 32 days of waiting, hoping and praying, the families of U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Stone, Staff Sgt. Andrew Ramirez and Specialist Steven Gonzales finally got their wish:

Not only were their loved ones free, but they also were free to be touched, hugged and embraced.

``The most emotional time I've seen is when they were all together for the first time,'' said Col. Mike Sullivan, describing the moments when the men and 14 of their family members gathered before going out on a flag-flanked porch to wave to news media representatives and well-wishers. ``There weren't many dry eyes.''

Maj. Gen. David Grange, the commanding general of the soldiers' First Infantry Division, said the three were definitely in Macedonia at the time of their capture. He declined to elaborate. He also believes the soldiers were mistreated early in their captivity, which ended Sunday when a U.S. religious delegation led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson won their release from Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and escorted them out of the country.

``If you saw the condition of them on television, it's obvious there was a little bit of mistreatment,'' Grange said. ``The unit is immensely proud of how they held Army values of personal courage, the selfless service they displayed and their duty and honor.''

A complete debriefing for POWs usually takes 72 hours. Psychological as well as medical tests are conducted, and the military tries to learn things about what happened during captivity that could be useful in training soldiers to cope with being POWs.

Monday was a grueling day for the soldiers and their families.

Ramirez was joined by his parents, sister, brother and 6-month-old niece, who flew in from Los Angeles. Gonzales was joined by his parents and an aunt from Huntsville, Texas.

Stone's wife, Tricia, and 4-year-old son, Ryan, flew in from San Antonio. Stone's father and stepmother, Jim and Edith Stone, and his sisters, Dawn Reliford and Deanna Stone, left Detroit on Sunday night and arrived in Frankfurt nearly nine hours later.

The trip was Jim Stone's first airplane flight and the family's first visit to Germany, said John Ritter, the casualty assistance officer who traveled with them from Michigan. Ritter wore a shiny silver POW bracelet with Stone's name on it and the date of his capture: March 31, 1999.

Each family met with their loved one in private. Afterward, the families tried to rest while the soldiers continued their debriefing.

Later, there were private family dinners for the newly freed soldiers and more time with their relatives.

The three received extensive medical evaluations Monday. All had cuts around their wrists from being restrained. Ramirez lost about 11 pounds. The former POWs ate lots of soup and bread during their captivity, Sullivan said, which apparently wasn't enough to maintain their weight.

Ramirez has two fractured ribs that have started to heal and do not need further treatment. He had a cut on his head about 1-1/2 inches long that the Serbs stitched together while he was in captivity. The physicians also were concerned about his right leg, which was swollen.

Doctors were concerned about cuts and bruises on Stone's face, and an examination Monday revealed that he has a broken nose.

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PHOTO (color) Staff Sgt. Andrew Ramirez, a freed GI from California, gets TLC in Germany from his sister Nadine, left, and mom, Vivian, in Germany.

Heribert Proepper/Associated Press