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CNN Live Today

Homecoming at Lemoore Naval Air Station

Aired May 27, 2002 - 14:10   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: We share with you an emotional homecoming there, now you see it full screen, at Lemoore Naval Air Station. Two fighter squadrons from the USS John C. Stennis arriving home to their wives and their kids.

CNN's Rusty Dornin is standing by there all morning long. Rusty, it was obviously worth the wait.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An incredible moment. We are with the Immerman family, Commander Brett Immerman, his wife Laurie (ph), and the five Immerman's who have been waiting very anxiously for their father to return.

We were just speaking -- this has been -- you've really been gone almost 10 months.

BRETT IMMERMAN, U.S. NAVY: Right. We were on training on September 11, up in Falon (Ph), Nevada. We were gone, and right from the get-go, on September 11th, we sent planes over to the coast of California and San Diego, and then got home for only two weeks, basically, since September. We've been home for two weeks, and other than that we've been gone. We've been over in Afghanistan.

By December, we were over Afghanistan, flying missions into Afghanistan.

DORNIN: And you've spoken to your family how often during this time you're gone?

B. IMMERMAN: Well, honestly, we speak via e-mail all the time. E-mail is great. Via phone, I don't speak that often. We've probably spoke about once a month, once every two months, something like that. But we kept in touch via e-mail.

DORNIN: You have a few requests, I know, of the things they want to do with you. Anything in particular with the kids you're anxious to do with them?

B. IMMERMAN: I'm just looking forward to seeing them do their stuff. They're all ballplayers, they're all swimmers, and we're going to...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a swimmer. B. IMMERMAN: You're a swimmer, now. Yes, you're a swimmer. And you played baseball. And I want to see them all play ballgames. I'm looking forward to that. I'm just looking forward to spending time with my family.

DORNIN: Was there just a different feel to this cruise, in light of what's happened?

B. IMMERMAN: Well, you know, for most of the people who are here -- for most of us who are here, we've flown various missions over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch. So we've been doing this for years and years, important missions for the country.

But this was special, because the country new that we were out there doing it. The other times we were out, it didn't seem that the country knew that we were out there as much. This time, the whole nation has been behind us. You can see this crowd here, it's a big crowd here, to welcome us home, and we're very glad that everybody came out.

DORNIN: I understand that you guys are headed on vacation soon?

B. IMMERMAN: We are headed, in just a couple of days, back to Iowa. That's where we're all from. We're from two small towns about 30 miles apart, Greenfield and Guthrie Center, and we're headed back in that direction, and the kids are going to be there, playing on ball teams and stuff there.

DORNIN: I hear you guys are going in two cars. Is anybody going to ride with mom? Anybody? They all vote for their dad.

So, it's a very joyous occasion here. These guys really have been gone for almost 10 month, only a two week time back since before September 11th. So, this was kind of an unusual cruise on that level, and a very joyous occasion -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thanks for sharing it with us, Rusty, and thanks to the folks there, too.

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