Former hostage: My husband 'died well'

Burnham speaks to the press Monday after arriving in Kansas.

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (CNN) -- Gracia Burnham, who was held hostage with her late husband for a year by Philippine rebels, arrived here Monday afternoon to be reunited with her children.

With a big smile on her face, her wounded leg propped on a pillow, she sat in a wheelchair as her young son Zach pushed her through the Kansas City International Airport after a flight from Manila.

The arrival gate was jammed with reporters, camera crews, family members and well-wishers, who applauded as she was wheeled through the crowd.

"It's good to be home," Burnham said, with her daughter Mindy and other son Jeff by her side.

"Several minutes ago, I was reunited with my children and my family. And I think this must be one of the happiest moments of my whole life."

Burnham was shot in the right leg and her husband, Martin, was killed during a gunbattle Friday between government troops and the Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim extremist group, in southern Zamboanga del Norte province during rescue efforts. (On the scene)

"A very bad thing happened to Martin and I when we were taken hostage," she said. "But we want everyone to know that God was good to us every single day of our captivity."

CNN NewsPass VIDEO CNN's Maria Ressa reports on the American hostage freed after a gun battle in the Philippines last week (June 10) Play video   MORE STORIES Last words: Burnham left letter for his children    RESOURCES • CNN Access: Doug Burnham  • On the Scene: CNN's Maria Ressa    EXTRA INFORMATION Abu Sayyaf: Militants in the Philippines    IN-DEPTH U.S. Military in the Philippines     CNN.com Asia More news from our Asia edition

She also thanked everyone for their prayers, saying every prayer was needed during their ordeal.

"Keep praying for me and my kids as we begin to rebuild our lives," she asked.

The Burnhams, missionaries from Wichita, Kansas, were kidnapped by the rebels while celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary at a beach resort in western Palawan province last year.

Burnham praised her husband as a "source of strength for all the hostages."

"He was a good man and he died well," she said.

A premonition had prompted Martin Burnham to write a goodbye letter to his three children just days before his death.

That letter -- given to Gracia Burnham by her husband -- was lost in the firefight, but soldiers found it. (Farewell words)

Philippine nurse Deborah Yap, who was captured after the Burnhams in June 2001 during an Abu Sayyaf raid on a hospital, also died in the shootout.

Burnham denounced her kidnappers, saying they were "not men of honor" and that they repeatedly lied to their captives.

"They should be treated as common criminals. We support all U.S. government efforts in assisting the Philippines in ridding that country of terrorism," she said.

Also taken hostage with the Burnhams on May 27 last year were American Guillermo Sobero and 17 Filipinos.

The remains of Sobero, a Californian native, were uncovered months later by Filipino troops near the Abu Sayyaf's jungle lair in Basilan province. He had been beheaded.

The other 16 Filipinos were later released.

Hot pursuit of guerrillas

Since the raid that freed Burnham, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said troops were in "hot pursuit" of the Abu Sayyaf. For the past year, military options against the al Qaeda-linked militants were limited because of concerns about the hostages' safety.

Philippine Army Southern Commander Maj. Gen. Ernesto Carolina told CNN that Filipino Rangers had been on the militants' trail 12 days when they came upon the group resting by a creek in heavy rain Friday.

The Abu Sayyaf fighters spotted the Rangers, who suspected the three hostages were with the group, and the gunbattle erupted.

A half-hour later the battle was over and two hostages and some of the militants were dead.

The U.S. State Department offers a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to arrest or conviction of Abu Sayyaf's top five leaders.

More than 1,000 American troops are helping their Filipino counterparts patrol the Basilan island jungles in a joint mission aimed at wiping out the Abu Sayyaf as part of the U.S.-led war on terrorism. The U.S. troops are to leave July 31.