Eighteen years after she was captured by Iraqi forces on March 23, 2003 — at age 19, becoming the first American prisoner of war and first woman to be rescued since World War II — former U.S. soldier Jessica Lynch has learned to cope with physical and mental scars, as all veterans do, she told veterans at the Sgt. Simone A. Robinson Military Women Veteran’s Center on Saturday. Provided

Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (l), chair of the Illinois Council on Women and Girls, and the Military Economic Development Committee, along with retired U.S. Army Col. Constance Edwards, 77, of Frankfort, attend an event at the Sgt. Simone A. Robinson Military Women Veteran’s Center, keynoted by former U.S. Soldier and POW Jessica Lynch. Provided