Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Moody AFB Deployment Orders
Aired January 23, 2003 - 06:44 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: U.S. troops are gearing up and moving out to the Persian Gulf region, and that includes airmen of the 347th Rescue Wing from Moody Air Force Base right here in Georgia.
That's where we've deployed CNN's Sean Callebs.
Cold morning to be saying good-bye.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is a -- it is a cold morning. These people have been saying good-bye, really, for the past several weeks. Unlike other bases where they may go out in mass, these specialty groups go out periodically. And the ones that we're focusing on are the pararescuemen and typically they would be inside this HH60 Pavehawk helicopter. There would be three in here. If they had to get down on the ground to say help a downed pilot or ground troops in danger, they would just use a rope and they could get out that door in just about 30 seconds.
Want to take you to another area of the flight line here, a C-130 cargo aircraft. Inside, troops as well as gear. The way they get down, parachute.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): With lives at stake, getting to the ground as quickly as possible can mean the difference between life and death. While other troops go to war to fight, the 347th Rescue Wing at Moody Air Force Base is here to save lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to have the mindset that mission is going to come first.
CALLEBS: Chris Marcendeti (ph) is one of about 120 PJs or pararescuemen at Moody. Their motto: That others may live. The PJs are the ones trained to rush into harm's way to rescue say a downed pilot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are focused and they know they have a serious mission, and we continually preach mental preparedness and physical preparedness for these kinds of missions.
CALLEBS: From the mechanics to the gunner, the PJs and pilots, they work as a finally tuned unit. No mission is too far away. The HH60 simply refuel in air and keep going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bottom line is there's somebody out there that needs your help and that's a huge driving force. CALLEBS: Many are already in the Gulf region waiting for a possible showdown with Saddam. The memory of a PJ killed in action during fighting in Afghanistan is still in the back of their minds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like somebody silenced our unit.
CALLEBS: All the PJs at Moody have combat experience in Afghanistan. And despite the risks and months away from home, they say now is no time to complain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a tremendous respect for them. I mean it's amazing what they do jumping into a hostile environment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: PJs or pilots, virtually everyone here has worked at a dizzying pace over the past 15 months since the war on terror began, but there's no sign of deployment fatigue. People here say they are prepared, saying nothing as is important as working so others may live.
Live at Moody Air Force Base, I'm Sean Callebs. Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you very much, Sean.
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 January 23, 2003 - 06:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. troops are gearing up and moving out to the Persian Gulf region, and that includes airmen of the 347th Rescue Wing from Moody Air Force Base right here in Georgia.
That's where we've deployed CNN's Sean Callebs.
Cold morning to be saying good-bye.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is a -- it is a cold morning. These people have been saying good-bye, really, for the past several weeks. Unlike other bases where they may go out in mass, these specialty groups go out periodically. And the ones that we're focusing on are the pararescuemen and typically they would be inside this HH60 Pavehawk helicopter. There would be three in here. If they had to get down on the ground to say help a downed pilot or ground troops in danger, they would just use a rope and they could get out that door in just about 30 seconds.
Want to take you to another area of the flight line here, a C-130 cargo aircraft. Inside, troops as well as gear. The way they get down, parachute.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS (voice-over): With lives at stake, getting to the ground as quickly as possible can mean the difference between life and death. While other troops go to war to fight, the 347th Rescue Wing at Moody Air Force Base is here to save lives.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to have the mindset that mission is going to come first.
CALLEBS: Chris Marcendeti (ph) is one of about 120 PJs or pararescuemen at Moody. Their motto: That others may live. The PJs are the ones trained to rush into harm's way to rescue say a downed pilot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are focused and they know they have a serious mission, and we continually preach mental preparedness and physical preparedness for these kinds of missions.
CALLEBS: From the mechanics to the gunner, the PJs and pilots, they work as a finally tuned unit. No mission is too far away. The HH60 simply refuel in air and keep going.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The bottom line is there's somebody out there that needs your help and that's a huge driving force. CALLEBS: Many are already in the Gulf region waiting for a possible showdown with Saddam. The memory of a PJ killed in action during fighting in Afghanistan is still in the back of their minds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like somebody silenced our unit.
CALLEBS: All the PJs at Moody have combat experience in Afghanistan. And despite the risks and months away from home, they say now is no time to complain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a tremendous respect for them. I mean it's amazing what they do jumping into a hostile environment.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: PJs or pilots, virtually everyone here has worked at a dizzying pace over the past 15 months since the war on terror began, but there's no sign of deployment fatigue. People here say they are prepared, saying nothing as is important as working so others may live.
Live at Moody Air Force Base, I'm Sean Callebs. Carol, back to you.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you very much, Sean.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
