P.O.W.S: Tidings Good and Bad

The anguish of waiting and hoping finally brought a burst of phone calls from the Pentagon last week. For 562 families, the years of uncertainty were over, and in a euphoric flush, they rushed to prepare for the homecoming.

For two families, the return of their men will mean a double celebration. On Jan. 30 in Wayne County, N.C., Sharon Alpers gave birth to a son shortly after learning that her husband, Captain John H. Alpers Jr., missing since Oct. 5, had been listed as a known prisoner. The child was named John III. That same morning, near Goldsboro,...

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