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CNN Live At Daybreak

Report From USS Abraham Lincoln

Aired November 07, 2002 - 05:31   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 COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now a CNN exclusive. Our Kyra Phillips is the first female journalist to fly in the Persian Gulf combat theater. She reports to us from the USS Abraham Lincoln.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunrise over the Persian Gulf. From a distance, life on the USS Abraham Lincoln seems so peaceful. But within this battle group's boundary line sounds of freedom rock its flight line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got you on, clear.

PHILLIPS: The mission here is twofold -- supporting Operation Southern Watch, making sure Saddam Hussein is respecting international laws and preparing for a potential war if he doesn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, straight up. Straight up. That's good. That's it.

PHILLIPS: The 5,500 men and women on this carrier say the world cannot forget September 11.

COMMANDER PAUL HAAS, VF-31 TOMCATTERS: We took one on our home turf. We can never forget that. And we need to do our damdnest to make sure that it never happens again.

PHILLIPS: Commander Paul Haas leads VF-31, the F-14 Tomcatters, one of nine squadrons in an air wing training around the clock for a potential war against Iraq.

(on camera): Yes, it's going to be good.

(voice-over): Today I'm going along to observe air combat training. In air to air missions, Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow, call sign Flake. But don't let the name fool you. He flew 25 combat missions over Afghanistan, helping to bring down the Taliban and send al Qaeda on the run. Now Scott's making sure he and his squadron are ready for Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is 31, up and ready, 54K (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

And here it comes.

LT. CMDR. SCOTT SNOW, VF-31 TOMCATTERS: There's a good (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right there. We're taking tension right now. And them others are coming up. They look good. And I'm giving them a hand salute. And we're are just about to go. And here it comes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

SNOW: Yes, it gets kind of addicting, doesn't it?

PHILLIPS: We're airborne over the Persian Gulf and in combat theater.

(on camera): Explain to me why this practical training is so important right now.

SNOW: To keep your skills honed, you need to practice all the time, much like an Indy car race driver, you just can't take three months off and then pop in and fly, and drive around in the Indy 500. It's not a win or lose kind of race. It's actually more life and death.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Combat efficiency comes from tactical wingmanship. Pilots on each side providing protection from hostile aircraft and the surface to air threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I got the lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got the lead.

PHILLIPS: Snow is practicing visual bombing, rolling in upside down on the enemy target and simulating dropping the ordinance perfectly.

SNOW: And we roll over 135 degrees, pull down on top of them, roll out, set our whip up and pop, there'd be the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right there.

PHILLIPS (on camera): And you've got it in your sights and then you drop the ordinance?

SNOW: Absolutely. The big thing about keeping that finely held edge of a combat aviator that'll reduce things like civilian casualties and missed bombs, missed hits, things like that.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): We're up 25,000 feet, going 725 miles per hour and pulling six and a half Gs.

SNOW: Six and a half Gs, nice work.

PHILLIPS: Witnessing firsthand how this Tomcat squadron is mission focused.

(on camera): Why do you have to monitor Iraq and Saddam Hussein 24-7 right now?

SNOW: I think right now he's starting to get a little desperate and he's not getting any results. So he's pretty much willing to try anything. PHILLIPS (voice-over): The Hussein wildcard that keeps Snow sharp, determined to make it home. His son, Logan Scott Snow, is due in three months.

SNOW: I look at doing it for my wife and also for my son. I want him to live in a world where he's, you know, not worried about, hey, can I go to Disneyland and not have a bomb threat where I have to scurry back to the hotel? I'd much rather do the job now to make a better future for him and for everyone in America than to sit back and just let this threat build till the next terror act that we have.

PHILLIPS: From the USS Abraham Lincoln, Kyra Phillips, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired November 7, 2002 - 05:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now a CNN exclusive. Our Kyra Phillips is the first female journalist to fly in the Persian Gulf combat theater. She reports to us from the USS Abraham Lincoln.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sunrise over the Persian Gulf. From a distance, life on the USS Abraham Lincoln seems so peaceful. But within this battle group's boundary line sounds of freedom rock its flight line.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got you on, clear.

PHILLIPS: The mission here is twofold -- supporting Operation Southern Watch, making sure Saddam Hussein is respecting international laws and preparing for a potential war if he doesn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, straight up. Straight up. That's good. That's it.

PHILLIPS: The 5,500 men and women on this carrier say the world cannot forget September 11.

COMMANDER PAUL HAAS, VF-31 TOMCATTERS: We took one on our home turf. We can never forget that. And we need to do our damdnest to make sure that it never happens again.

PHILLIPS: Commander Paul Haas leads VF-31, the F-14 Tomcatters, one of nine squadrons in an air wing training around the clock for a potential war against Iraq.

(on camera): Yes, it's going to be good.

(voice-over): Today I'm going along to observe air combat training. In air to air missions, Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow, call sign Flake. But don't let the name fool you. He flew 25 combat missions over Afghanistan, helping to bring down the Taliban and send al Qaeda on the run. Now Scott's making sure he and his squadron are ready for Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is 31, up and ready, 54K (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

And here it comes.

LT. CMDR. SCOTT SNOW, VF-31 TOMCATTERS: There's a good (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right there. We're taking tension right now. And them others are coming up. They look good. And I'm giving them a hand salute. And we're are just about to go. And here it comes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes!

SNOW: Yes, it gets kind of addicting, doesn't it?

PHILLIPS: We're airborne over the Persian Gulf and in combat theater.

(on camera): Explain to me why this practical training is so important right now.

SNOW: To keep your skills honed, you need to practice all the time, much like an Indy car race driver, you just can't take three months off and then pop in and fly, and drive around in the Indy 500. It's not a win or lose kind of race. It's actually more life and death.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Combat efficiency comes from tactical wingmanship. Pilots on each side providing protection from hostile aircraft and the surface to air threat.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I got the lead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You got the lead.

PHILLIPS: Snow is practicing visual bombing, rolling in upside down on the enemy target and simulating dropping the ordinance perfectly.

SNOW: And we roll over 135 degrees, pull down on top of them, roll out, set our whip up and pop, there'd be the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) right there.

PHILLIPS (on camera): And you've got it in your sights and then you drop the ordinance?

SNOW: Absolutely. The big thing about keeping that finely held edge of a combat aviator that'll reduce things like civilian casualties and missed bombs, missed hits, things like that.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): We're up 25,000 feet, going 725 miles per hour and pulling six and a half Gs.

SNOW: Six and a half Gs, nice work.

PHILLIPS: Witnessing firsthand how this Tomcat squadron is mission focused.

(on camera): Why do you have to monitor Iraq and Saddam Hussein 24-7 right now?

SNOW: I think right now he's starting to get a little desperate and he's not getting any results. So he's pretty much willing to try anything. PHILLIPS (voice-over): The Hussein wildcard that keeps Snow sharp, determined to make it home. His son, Logan Scott Snow, is due in three months.

SNOW: I look at doing it for my wife and also for my son. I want him to live in a world where he's, you know, not worried about, hey, can I go to Disneyland and not have a bomb threat where I have to scurry back to the hotel? I'd much rather do the job now to make a better future for him and for everyone in America than to sit back and just let this threat build till the next terror act that we have.

PHILLIPS: From the USS Abraham Lincoln, Kyra Phillips, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com