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CNN Live Today

Soldier Returning From Afghanistan Meets Son for First Time

Aired March 26, 2002 - 11:48   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, we are going to go back to Norfolk, Virginia, where Bob Franken has a special guest there.

Bob, who is it?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I want to tell this story, Carol. Right now, we are standing in a sea of happiness, and so many people have returned from the Arabian Sea. And this is the one that I really have been wanting to talk about.

Ladies and gentlemen, David Isaan (ph) with his son, Jonah. You are being introduced here, son.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What was the question again?

FRANKEN: Well, the question was I just wanted to ask to you to talk about the emotions that you are feeling right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it's indescribable. There is just a whole flood of emotions running through me right now. I am just relieved to be home, happy to see my family, amazed to see how big my older son has gotten, and it is just indescribable. It's a different country we return to. It will never be the same.

(AUDIO GAP).

LIN: Oh, we just lost audio, as this father is describing what it is like to see his son, Jonah, for the first time. Jonah was born after his father there was deployed September 19.

FRANKEN: Can you me?

LIN: We are trying to get the audio back -- Bob.

FRANKEN: OK, here we are again. Nothing stops technical problems. But in any case, I want to ask you, if you don't mind, just to try and sort out your thoughts for us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, right now, I just want to get some food. It has been a long day. We got up at like 4:00 this morning to fly out here. We have been holding overhead, because of the weather, but this is the payoff. Exactly. It's like I said, it is indescribable. I can't -- I mean, it's the best feeling in the world to come back to your family, and I don't wish it on almost anyone to go through what we have just gone through. But when you come back home, it is the best feeling in the world.

FRANKEN: I hate to bring this up, Shantel (ph), but the baby seems to be behaving much better now he is with his father.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. He lets him carry him like a sack of potatoes, and he won't let me hold him like that. So that's good, because he used to not like men, so I was a little bit worried, but he seems comfortable. He knows who his daddy...

FRANKEN: He seems (UNINTELLIGIBLE) he is taking to him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

FRANKEN: So what is it going to be like for you now as you settle back in?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, just because we are done with the cruise doesn't mean we are done working. So I have a lot of stuff I have to go through too. I am -- of course, next month I have to go through and restart work up for the next cruise. So we are just going to try make as much time as possible for the family to relax and enjoy ourselves.

FRANKEN: Well, this was particularly hard, and your wife was telling us about this while we were waiting for you. She has become quite the TV star, by the way. She was talking about the fact that in this particular case, Jonah had quite a bit of difficulty after he was born. That must have been agonizing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, yes, it was pretty tough, because we were out in the middle of the sea going through the Suez Canal when he was born, and you know, before then, I was out at sea when she had to move in with her parents. So it has been longer than just six months for us. It has been more like a year separation. So it's great to have the family back together again.

FRANKEN: Well, I suspect the last thing you want to do right now is television. Thank you very much -- congratulations. Thank you for being so gracious to us throughout the morning and enjoy your life together.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.

FRANKEN: Thank you very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you.

FRANKEN: Goodbye. This is again, quite the story that we have here. There's nothing really much to add to it, Carol. We can talk about what the condition was out there and all this, but now the mission is returning to the family.

LIN: You bet. Family and a big meal. Thanks so much -- Bob Franken reporting live from Norfolk, Virginia. Family reunion there, just the first, a fraction of the people off the USS Roosevelt, which is expected home tomorrow in Norfolk. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com