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CNN Live Today

Memorial Day More than Just a Holiday

Aired May 27, 2002 - 13:04   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: All right. Here in the United States, to Americans, obviously, Memorial Day can mean a day off from work, but the unofficial beginning of summer as well, and more than that, a time, of course, to remember the legions of Americans, past and present, who fought and died for their country. This year's observance probably means more, well, to more people, than in recent history.

And we get two different takes on it from CNN's Jonathan Aiken in Washington as well as Ed Lavandera at a very emotional ceremony in Georgetown, Texas.

Let's start with you, Jonathan, at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. What are you expecting today there?

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well what we're going to be seeing and hearing, Carol, will be a series of speeches. At the moment, we're hearing "The Star Spangled Banner" as it's being sung as this ceremony begins. And this is going to be a ceremony that will last for about 45 minutes or so. And they have a ceremony here at The Wall every year for the 20 years that the Vietnam Memorial has been open to the public.

This year, however, there is some more poignancy. This is the 20th anniversary of The Wall, and also, three names were added to the wall this week. They were etched in by workman earlier this week, and they will be formally noted today as family members get up and read the names and say something about their loved ones. Three names in particular, all of them from the U.S. Army, two privates and a sergeant, all dead as the result of their wounds incurred in Vietnam during their service in the late '60s and in the early '70s.

This ceremony, the keynote speaker will be Senator Robert Dole -- former Senator Robert Dole, a noted war veteran. In fact, Carol, his was the first contribution -- financial contribution to what would eventually become the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Fund. And that's the group that is responsible for this wall. They raised over $8.5 million to build it after getting a land grant from congress. He will be speaking as will former General Barry McCaffrey, the U.S. drug czar, and a succession of other speakers.

All of this in honor of the war dead and in particular, these three individuals who died in their service in Vietnam. And I could just quickly read off the names for you. Army Private William E. Johnson Sr. of Cleveland, Ohio; U.S. Army Sergeant Richard Toney of Bogalusa, Louisiana and One PFC Paul Zylko of Passaic, New Jersey.

So, Carol, a ceremony and some speeches and some flag waving and patriotic songs in honor of these three men and the 58,239 other men and women whose names are up on that wall.

LIN: All right. We can already see the crowds gathering out there, Jonathan. Some 10,000 people expected...

AIKEN: Yes.

LIN: ... out there for that ceremony.

AIKEN: Yes.

LIN: And we're going to be hearing from former Senator Robert Dole when he speaks.

Thanks so much.

AIKEN: Yes.

LIN: Jonathan Aiken live in...

AIKEN: Sure.

LIN: ... Washington, D.C.

And now across the country to a very special ceremony for one of our fallen, our most recent fallen, an Army Ranger, Nathan Chapman, the first American to die in the war on terror in Afghanistan.

Ed Lavandera, you heard from Nathan Chapman's mother today, a very special letter that she read to the crowd.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was what a lot of people who came to Georgetown today came to listen to the Chapman's. And it was also a time -- a day for the Chapman's to give thanks to their friends and neighbors here, and we've got them with us now.

And we know you guys have been so anxious to thank some of your friends and neighbors who live around here. And what has this day been like for you guys?

WILL CHAPMAN, NATHAN CHAPMAN'S FATHER: It's been an honor for us. And it's an honor for Nathan to have these people, you know, come to this memorial groundbreaking. And we're just so happy to be in this community and have so many nice friends and neighbors to support us.

LAVANDERA: Mrs. Chapman, to read that letter, it was something that you didn't want us to read when we interviewed you last Thursday and you wanted it to share -- you wanted to share it yourself. What goes through your mind as you -- as you read -- as you read that letter very poignant?

LYNN CHAPMAN, NATHAN CHAPMAN'S MOTHER: A lot of that values that Nathan -- developed in Nathan as an adult began then, you know. It showed how much he cared for people and how much he cared for his family. And I wanted to save that special gift for my community that was so close and helped me out. And it was tough to read because some of the dangers that we feared then were just like the ones that we experienced with Afghanistan. We didn't know where he was. Again, we didn't know where he was in Afghanistan. So it's an echo of the same event, but it's -- it was a very special letter and it just so much characterized Nathan.

LAVANDERA: Because your son was the first to be killed by enemy fire in this war, you guys have been bombarded with attention. How difficult has that been? And in some ways has the attention helped in any way, perhaps?

W. CHAPMAN: In some ways it's helpful. Honoring Nathan in front of the press has become somewhat of a job as opposed to a part of our grieving. And I think it's helped me enter the grieving process in a more graceful way, I think, and because we had to delay it during the time that the press coverage when he first was killed. But it's -- I think it's an honor that we -- we feel that we need to say what we have to say about our son. He was a hero to our family, the nation feels that he was a hero to the nation and we share him with the nation in death.

LAVANDERA: One thing you guys told me on Thursday is that Memorial Day becomes much more personal for you both. Can you explain that to folks?

L. CHAPMAN: Well when -- you know when I was growing up, Memorial Day for me meant honoring people like my father who was in World War II and was in the Air Force, and so we honored his peers and people like that. But of course now I have to think of, you know, my son who's one of those and it makes me think also of the people who are fighting right now who are away from home without their families are without them. And very much it makes me think of them.

LAVANDERA: And we want to thank you both so much for sharing with that. We know it's been an incredibly difficult four-and-a-half months for you both.

Carol, the Chapman's have received more than 600 letters from family and friends from all over the country. Just a sign of how much -- how many friends and loved ones this family has had, not only -- not only here in Texas but all over the world.

Carol, back to you.

LIN: You bet. Good to see you. All right, thank you very much.

Ed Lavandera reporting live from Georgetown, Texas.

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