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CNN Live Today

Photographer, War Hero Discuss New Book

Aired July 04, 2002 - 11:42   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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Want to get to the real meaning of the day, of this Independence Day. And there's a new book that we want to share with you: It's shining a bright light on heroes who went above and beyond their duties to secure our freedom. It's called "Ordinary Heroes," and it takes a look at those who've received the nation's highest recognition for valor in combat.

Tom Casalini is a photographer who spent months visiting Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.

And Gary Littrell is actually one of the recipients of this most prestigious honor. And he is included in the book.

Both men join us from New York.

Good morning. A happy Fourth of July to you.

TOM CASALINI, PHOTOGRAPHER: Good morning, Daryn. Thank you.

GARY LITTRELL, CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: Good morning, Daryn.

KAGAN: Let's go ahead and start with you, Tom. How do get the idea to go and not just take these incredible photographs, but actually visit these recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor?

CASALINI: Well, Daryn, I have been a professional photographer for nearly 30 years. And I was looking for a way to refresh and renew my love for my work. And through spiritual guidance and prayers, "Ordinary Heroes" was born.

KAGAN: Well, it is an incredible book. Not just your photographs, but I love how in the back you include the actual citations for the incredible acts of valor that these men have done.

Gary, that brings us to you and your story. Take us back to Vietnam, to April, 1970, and what exactly happened that led to you receiving this incredible honor?

LITTRELL: Daryn, when I was in Vietnam, I was an adviser to the 23rd Vietnam Ranger Battalion. And we were subjected to combat. Got up on a hill, was surrounded by approximately 5,000 enemy soldiers. And it took us four days and four nights to fight our ways off. The actual details of what happened those four days is probably not important. I think the thing that is important, that I was a soldier, I had a job to do -- just like the soldiers that we have on active duty today: They have a job to do, and they'll do their job.

KAGAN: And in fact, as I was reading in the back of the book about your actual citation, the important thing, I think, not just your incredible heroism, but it admires you, and it remarks that a number of lives were saved because of your heroic deeds.

LITTRELL: I think mostly -- most Medal of Honors are presented for saving of lives, not the taking of lives.

KAGAN: Which is another nice aspect of this book, and as of the story.

Tell me about when you get the phone call from Tom: Who is this guy calling you up wanting to take your picture?

LITTRELL: You know, Tom called me, and I thought it was just another phone call. And I told my wife I've got a phone call from another photographer; let's go out in the backyard and cut the grass and get ready. Tom come down, and I don't -- I can't smile. I have a very weird smile. But Tom brought a little grin out of me for the book.

And I had forgotten about it. And about two years later, I get the book in the mail, and the first thing you do when you know you're in a book is you want to turn to the page and find yourself.

KAGAN: Right.

LITTRELL: And then I started reading, and it was like a magnet. When I picked the book up, it was like 10:00 at night, and it was almost 2:00 in the morning before I could put it down. I had to read everything word for word and look at every photograph.

KAGAN: Very nice.

So I want to look -- we have been putting up some of those photographs as we have been visiting.

And Tom, I want to use you to help us meet some of these other congressional winners, among them, Chief Ernest Childers, showing us that there are all different shades of people who have served this country and served it so well.

CASALINI: Well, certainly. The wonderful part about this book and meeting these 48 living Medal of Honor recipients is it is a cross-section of America. And they were all simply doing their duty, becoming in our minds heroes, in their minds, ordinary men just simply doing their duty.

KAGAN: John William Finn, the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient. That must have been intriguing, to meet him. CASALINI: He is a fascinating man. Again, he's -- at the time -- well, today he is 93 years old, and he is the oldest living Medal of Honor recipient, and the last from Pearl Harbor. And you know, he really exemplifies what these men are about, in the standpoint that the day of his action, he was actually on leave ready to leave the base and looked out of the window of his Ford pickup truck and saw aircraft overhead, symbol of the Rising Sun on the aircraft wings, and turned around and went back to join his comrades and to do his duty.

KAGAN: And speaking of -- go ahead.

CASALINI: No, I'm sorry -- and I was just going to say, And the rest is history.

KAGAN: Yes.

You had -- speaking of World War II, Michael Novosel: He caught my attention too. He is known as the last eagle, the last World War II pilot to retire. But his Congressional Medal of Honor actually came from action in Vietnam.

CASALINI: Again, another wonderful story. He served in World War II, was then a commercial pilot, and decided that when, during Vietnam, that he had services that he could offer, and reenlisted and became a helicopter pilot. And thus his commendation came from Vietnam.

KAGAN: Just one of the many stories and many Congressional Medals of Honor that is included in this book. Once again, it is called "Ordinary Heroes."

Nothing ordinary about gentlemen like you, Sgt. Gary Littrell. Thank you for sharing your story.

And Tom, thanks for bringing all these other stories, and your great pictures to our attention as well.

CASALINI: Daryn, thank you very much for the time. We appreciate it.

LITTRELL: Thanks, Daryn.

KAGAN: Appreciate it. And I'll be looking through the book.

CASALINI: And the wonderful part about this starting in Atlanta today, Simon (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Simon Group -- is taking the book on tour nationally, starting today in Atlanta, at the (UNINTELLIGIBLE), and you can find the sites listed on shopsimon.com.

KAGAN: That's great. So people will be able to see more, and see it up close and in person.

CASALINI: Yes, and feel the inspiration that these men offer us to discover the ordinary heroes within ourselves.

KAGAN: So easy to do. Tom Casalini and Sgt. Gary Littrell, thank you, sirs. And have a great holiday.

LITTRELL: Thanks, Daryn.

CASALINI: Daryn, thank you so much. Appreciate your time. Have a great Fourth of July.

KAGAN: Appreciate yours. You be safe out there.

CASALINI: Thanks. Bye-bye.

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