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Veterans Day, Arlington National Cemetery

Aired November 11, 2002 - 10:17   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: When the holiday honoring American veterans started more than 60 years ago, it was Armistice Day, and in 1954, it turned into Veterans Day to honor all men and women who served the U.S. in combat.
Today, a lot of ceremonies are taking place in honor of those veterans.

Our national correspondent, Bob Franken, joins us from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on a rainy day there near the nation's capital.

Bob -- good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And that's where the president will be, Arlington National Cemetery, just a short distance from here. We're at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, its 20th anniversary. That's hard to recall that 20 years ago when this opened, there was a huge controversy over whether it was an appropriate monument to the Vietnam War. But it has become probably the gathering place when people remember veterans; certainly, when they remember the war.

You can see that people are starting to come in now, braving really awful weather today. There was a huge parade that occurred nearby on Constitution Avenue just moments ago, and probably a couple of thousand people were involved in that.

This is a wall, of course, that has 58,229 names on it, the names of each and every person who died in the Vietnam War.

And among those who came to pay homage this morning, the president. President Bush made an unscheduled visit during the 8:00 hour Eastern Time -- came really just without little fanfare, walked down the walkway, went to the wall where he laid a flag.

And also -- and this is quite important in military circles, the commander-in-chief's military challenge coin dating back to Old England. The officers -- the general officers would have coins that they would give to the favored few, and they were to be valued; they still are. It's a military tradition. And of course, the ultimate coin would be the commander-in-chief's coin.

Now, there are going to be ceremonies throughout the day. There is going to be a ceremony here at the wall. President Bush is going to be, as I said, at Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath, and there are going to be speeches here.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Richard Myers, is going to be the main speaker, along with Senator John Kerry, here at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Earlier today, President Bush greeted some veterans in the White House, and had some remarks about a situation that might create some more veterans: Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iraq pledged to disarm more than a decade ago. It's been a decade of systematic deception, unmet obligations, unpunished violations. Those games are now over. Saddam Hussein will fully disarm and prove that he has done so, or America will lead a coalition to disarm him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And, of course, any military action with Iraq is already proving to be controversial, as the nation still tries to deal with the controversy of the Vietnam War. Still trying to come to grips with the war that lost in popularity as it went on, and a war where the United States finally shut down and came back, leaving many, many who have still come to grips with their own individual situation, many of them come back here, think about their lives, the war, and those who did not live through the war -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Bob Franken at the wall. My apologies -- I placed you at Arlington, and that was bad information. So, we have you at the wall. Thank you so much for that report on this Veterans Day.

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 11, 2002 - 10:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: When the holiday honoring American veterans started more than 60 years ago, it was Armistice Day, and in 1954, it turned into Veterans Day to honor all men and women who served the U.S. in combat.
Today, a lot of ceremonies are taking place in honor of those veterans.

Our national correspondent, Bob Franken, joins us from Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on a rainy day there near the nation's capital.

Bob -- good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And that's where the president will be, Arlington National Cemetery, just a short distance from here. We're at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, its 20th anniversary. That's hard to recall that 20 years ago when this opened, there was a huge controversy over whether it was an appropriate monument to the Vietnam War. But it has become probably the gathering place when people remember veterans; certainly, when they remember the war.

You can see that people are starting to come in now, braving really awful weather today. There was a huge parade that occurred nearby on Constitution Avenue just moments ago, and probably a couple of thousand people were involved in that.

This is a wall, of course, that has 58,229 names on it, the names of each and every person who died in the Vietnam War.

And among those who came to pay homage this morning, the president. President Bush made an unscheduled visit during the 8:00 hour Eastern Time -- came really just without little fanfare, walked down the walkway, went to the wall where he laid a flag.

And also -- and this is quite important in military circles, the commander-in-chief's military challenge coin dating back to Old England. The officers -- the general officers would have coins that they would give to the favored few, and they were to be valued; they still are. It's a military tradition. And of course, the ultimate coin would be the commander-in-chief's coin.

Now, there are going to be ceremonies throughout the day. There is going to be a ceremony here at the wall. President Bush is going to be, as I said, at Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath, and there are going to be speeches here.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Richard Myers, is going to be the main speaker, along with Senator John Kerry, here at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Earlier today, President Bush greeted some veterans in the White House, and had some remarks about a situation that might create some more veterans: Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Iraq pledged to disarm more than a decade ago. It's been a decade of systematic deception, unmet obligations, unpunished violations. Those games are now over. Saddam Hussein will fully disarm and prove that he has done so, or America will lead a coalition to disarm him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FRANKEN: And, of course, any military action with Iraq is already proving to be controversial, as the nation still tries to deal with the controversy of the Vietnam War. Still trying to come to grips with the war that lost in popularity as it went on, and a war where the United States finally shut down and came back, leaving many, many who have still come to grips with their own individual situation, many of them come back here, think about their lives, the war, and those who did not live through the war -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Bob Franken at the wall. My apologies -- I placed you at Arlington, and that was bad information. So, we have you at the wall. Thank you so much for that report on this Veterans Day.

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