SEATTLE -- Texas Rangers catcher Todd Greene got an early wake-up call Sunday, and it came with welcome news: His wife's cousin was among the missing POWs released in Iraq.
Chief Warrant Officer Ronald D. Young Jr., 26, is an Apache helicopter pilot who was shot down in central Iraq on March 23. He was among seven POWs released Sunday by Iraqi troops.
Greene got word in a 5 a.m. phone call from his wife, Vanessa. As far as he knows, Young was in good health and spirits.
"He looked good to me on TV," Greene said shortly before the Rangers played the Seattle Mariners.
"He looked like he was running off that helicopter to get on an airplane," he said. "He had a smile on his face. I don't think you can ask for anything more than that, other than to get him back on our soil."
Greene learned of Young's capture during a spring training game last month, after manager Buck Showalter pulled him out of action and told him to call his wife. Greene said his family is close.
"I'm just relieved it's over," Greene said. "Well, it's not over because we have men and women who are still putting lives on the line.
"But at least for Ron, for his mother and father and brothers and sisters, it's a relief to know he's alive," Greene said. "They know he's going to be OK, so that's a real big relief."