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CNN Live Today
Reporting Aboard the USS Lincoln
Aired March 25, 2003 - 10:54 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get you out to the USS Lincoln, as promised. Kyra Phillips standing by now by way of videophone to tell us about flight operations on board the Lincoln.
Kyra, hello, and good evening.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill, I apologize for all the technical problems that we've been having, and I'm going forewarn you now, there is 13 aircraft that will landing here on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
So when that happens, we'll just have to pause for a couple of seconds and then pick it up from there. I'll check back with you, make sure we still have a connection and continue the interview.
What we're going to take about right now is CAS missions right now, close air support, an extremely important role for the Navy strike fighters right now, with troops on the ground. Firs of all, the situation with the POWs, second of all, all the troops moving into Iraq. An extreme concern among the pilots here is protecting those troops from the air.
Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow has been flying those past missions. Starting this morning, they've been increasing. I first want to talk about the mission you flew this morning and tell me what you came up against and what the mission was this morning with regard to protecting the troops?
LT. COM. SCOTT SNOW: The mission for us this morning was basic type-3 CAS, close air support, where we check in with basically the admin side of the close air support. He talks before their controllers, and they give us targets that they need cleared out before our troops come into contact with them.
PHILLIPS: Are you still with me, Bill? Can you hear me OK?
HEMMER: Sure am, Kyra, keep going.
PHILLIPS: OK, I'm just continuing to check in with you. We've got an aircraft that's going to be coming in. Actually it's going to land right now, so hold for just a second with me, Bill, just take about four seconds.
All right, that was an F-18 that landed very smoothly there. You still with me, Bill?
HEMMER: Sure am, Kyra. PHILLIPS: OK, terrific. We'll continue the interview now.
While you are out there, Scott, doing these CAS missions, the close air support, and protecting the troops, I've got to ask you while I have you here about the POW situation. When you heard about that and when you've see it on the news, how has affected? How has that affected other strike fighter pilots now?
SNOW: Well, it has restrengthened my resolve to stay there until my last bullet is spent and my last ounce of gas spent out of my aircraft, to protect the lives of our boys on the ground, our brothers on the ground. One of the things that really angered me a lot seeing U.S. troops that are killed lying in the ground, and we weren't there to do anything about it.
PHILLIPS: Now, those missions are increasing, close air support. Let's talk about the communications that you have with the troops. As you take off, you are the eyes and ears looking down, looking for any threat that may be coming upon the troops. Tell me about the communication with you the FAC, the forward air control contact down on the ground and how you communicated, how you tried to take way any threat to the troops on the ground to prevent a POW situation?
SNOW: Basically, we'll talk with the forward air controller who's embedded with the front line troops. He will tell us any targets that he has in the area, what he would like taken out. Sometimes we'll go and we'll recon (ph) the area to tell armored divisions what is coming up, looking around the corners, where they can't see, where their eyes in the air and their weapons in the air to clear the path for them to continue the press toward Baghdad.
PHILLIPS: Are these CAS missions going to continue? Are they going to increase? Is that pretty much the focus right now with pilots and protecting the troops and trying to de-escalate any problems on the ground right now?
SNOW: I definitely think it will increase. From a fixed wing perspective, we're a little more survivable. We can be anywhere from the ground up to 25,000 feet with guided weapons.
The way it works, is we'll be up there, and they will continue to increase as we're getting rid of the surface-to-air threat and the AAA that is down and can affect you from 10,000 feet below, things that are affecting our helos right now.
PHILLIPS: You've had tremendous problems with weather right now. We've seen the sandstorms kicking up in Iraq, out here on the USS Abraham Lincoln, thunderstorms, lightning today. Tell me how you battle the weather.
SNOW: Well, with our GPS-guided weapons, it makes no difference whatsoever. And for naval aviation, we're 24/7 no matter what the weather is. We're like the U.S. Postal Service -- we'll deliver our ordinance on time, on target, anywhere you need it, any type of weather. PHILLIPS: Right now, the mission's focus with regard to the troops, with regard to the CAS missions, ultimate goal here, what is on your mind as you see the troops moving into Baghdad, you see Marines, you see Army, you're an important part of the puzzle with regard to protecting them. What's the mantra right now among the entire air wing here?
Wait just a second, we've got a landing coming in.
All right, we've got a Prowler that just landed.
All right once again, the mantra, the mentality right now is kind of as things are entering a different phase in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
SNOW: Our mantra is pretty much to be the big brother to these troops on the ground. We will do anything and everything in our power to ensure their safety and clear a path for them.
PHILLIPS: Center Commander Scott Snow, thank you very much.
So, Bill, just to kind of give you a feel, nothing has slowed down. There was talks that the battle rhythm possibly was slowing down around here. That is not the case. Flight operations continue around the clock. The CAS missions, close air support missions, in full force, trying very hard to protect those troops on the ground, have communication with the troops on the ground, and prevent any threat and of course prevent any more POW situations -- Bill.
HEMMER: Got it. Kyra Phillips, thanks. And thanks for hanging in there on board the USS Lincoln, and again, we're talking about the weather throughout the day, Kyra making it clear, at least on that carrier anyway, things have not been hindered.
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 March 25, 2003 - 10:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get you out to the USS Lincoln, as promised. Kyra Phillips standing by now by way of videophone to tell us about flight operations on board the Lincoln.
Kyra, hello, and good evening.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Bill, I apologize for all the technical problems that we've been having, and I'm going forewarn you now, there is 13 aircraft that will landing here on the USS Abraham Lincoln.
So when that happens, we'll just have to pause for a couple of seconds and then pick it up from there. I'll check back with you, make sure we still have a connection and continue the interview.
What we're going to take about right now is CAS missions right now, close air support, an extremely important role for the Navy strike fighters right now, with troops on the ground. Firs of all, the situation with the POWs, second of all, all the troops moving into Iraq. An extreme concern among the pilots here is protecting those troops from the air.
Lieutenant Commander Scott Snow has been flying those past missions. Starting this morning, they've been increasing. I first want to talk about the mission you flew this morning and tell me what you came up against and what the mission was this morning with regard to protecting the troops?
LT. COM. SCOTT SNOW: The mission for us this morning was basic type-3 CAS, close air support, where we check in with basically the admin side of the close air support. He talks before their controllers, and they give us targets that they need cleared out before our troops come into contact with them.
PHILLIPS: Are you still with me, Bill? Can you hear me OK?
HEMMER: Sure am, Kyra, keep going.
PHILLIPS: OK, I'm just continuing to check in with you. We've got an aircraft that's going to be coming in. Actually it's going to land right now, so hold for just a second with me, Bill, just take about four seconds.
All right, that was an F-18 that landed very smoothly there. You still with me, Bill?
HEMMER: Sure am, Kyra. PHILLIPS: OK, terrific. We'll continue the interview now.
While you are out there, Scott, doing these CAS missions, the close air support, and protecting the troops, I've got to ask you while I have you here about the POW situation. When you heard about that and when you've see it on the news, how has affected? How has that affected other strike fighter pilots now?
SNOW: Well, it has restrengthened my resolve to stay there until my last bullet is spent and my last ounce of gas spent out of my aircraft, to protect the lives of our boys on the ground, our brothers on the ground. One of the things that really angered me a lot seeing U.S. troops that are killed lying in the ground, and we weren't there to do anything about it.
PHILLIPS: Now, those missions are increasing, close air support. Let's talk about the communications that you have with the troops. As you take off, you are the eyes and ears looking down, looking for any threat that may be coming upon the troops. Tell me about the communication with you the FAC, the forward air control contact down on the ground and how you communicated, how you tried to take way any threat to the troops on the ground to prevent a POW situation?
SNOW: Basically, we'll talk with the forward air controller who's embedded with the front line troops. He will tell us any targets that he has in the area, what he would like taken out. Sometimes we'll go and we'll recon (ph) the area to tell armored divisions what is coming up, looking around the corners, where they can't see, where their eyes in the air and their weapons in the air to clear the path for them to continue the press toward Baghdad.
PHILLIPS: Are these CAS missions going to continue? Are they going to increase? Is that pretty much the focus right now with pilots and protecting the troops and trying to de-escalate any problems on the ground right now?
SNOW: I definitely think it will increase. From a fixed wing perspective, we're a little more survivable. We can be anywhere from the ground up to 25,000 feet with guided weapons.
The way it works, is we'll be up there, and they will continue to increase as we're getting rid of the surface-to-air threat and the AAA that is down and can affect you from 10,000 feet below, things that are affecting our helos right now.
PHILLIPS: You've had tremendous problems with weather right now. We've seen the sandstorms kicking up in Iraq, out here on the USS Abraham Lincoln, thunderstorms, lightning today. Tell me how you battle the weather.
SNOW: Well, with our GPS-guided weapons, it makes no difference whatsoever. And for naval aviation, we're 24/7 no matter what the weather is. We're like the U.S. Postal Service -- we'll deliver our ordinance on time, on target, anywhere you need it, any type of weather. PHILLIPS: Right now, the mission's focus with regard to the troops, with regard to the CAS missions, ultimate goal here, what is on your mind as you see the troops moving into Baghdad, you see Marines, you see Army, you're an important part of the puzzle with regard to protecting them. What's the mantra right now among the entire air wing here?
Wait just a second, we've got a landing coming in.
All right, we've got a Prowler that just landed.
All right once again, the mantra, the mentality right now is kind of as things are entering a different phase in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
SNOW: Our mantra is pretty much to be the big brother to these troops on the ground. We will do anything and everything in our power to ensure their safety and clear a path for them.
PHILLIPS: Center Commander Scott Snow, thank you very much.
So, Bill, just to kind of give you a feel, nothing has slowed down. There was talks that the battle rhythm possibly was slowing down around here. That is not the case. Flight operations continue around the clock. The CAS missions, close air support missions, in full force, trying very hard to protect those troops on the ground, have communication with the troops on the ground, and prevent any threat and of course prevent any more POW situations -- Bill.
HEMMER: Got it. Kyra Phillips, thanks. And thanks for hanging in there on board the USS Lincoln, and again, we're talking about the weather throughout the day, Kyra making it clear, at least on that carrier anyway, things have not been hindered.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
