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CNN Live At Daybreak
Interview With Family of Wounded Marine
Aired April 02, 2003 - 05:50 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: All right, we're going to break away right now. Among them First Lieutenant James Uwins with the 2nd Battalion 8th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, California. His hometown, South Pasadena, California.
On the phone right now we have his wife, Jennifer Uwins, and she is in Emerald Island, North Carolina. And we also have David Uwins, the father of this wounded Marine, on the phone from his home in South Pasadena, California.
Welcome to you both.
JENNIFER UWINS, WIFE OF WOUNDED MARINE: Good morning.
DAVID UWINS, FATHER OF WOUNDED MARINE: Kindly.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
Jennifer, let's start with you. How long has it been since you've seen your husband?
JENNIFER UWINS: He left here February 5. That's when we said good-bye.
COSTELLO: Oh. So when you saw him on television just a short time ago, it must have been the best feeling.
JENNIFER UWINS: It was wonderful. And he looked a lot better than I thought. I saw him on a military Web site the other day and, you know, he had blood on his face. So this was a relief.
COSTELLO: Oh, and he seems to have such an upbeat attitude. He was joking about his haircut and he was joking about setting off metal detectors in airports because of the shrapnel in his legs. Is he an upbeat guy?
JENNIFER UWINS: Oh, he is. He keeps on going.
COSTELLO: David, describe your son, your son's personality.
DAVID UWINS: Oh, he's a fun kid to be around and I'm just so happy to see that he's well and he looked good. He looked really good on there. Obviously, it's tough to see what injuries he has, but he looked fine.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you, when you heard about his injuries and how much detail that military officials went into? DAVID UWINS: It's been a little sketchy, but they've kept us fairly well informed and he was able to get to a phone a number of times and call Jennie and then Jennie, you know, let us all know what was going on.
COSTELLO: And, Jennie, did he tell you more about his injuries?
JENNIFER UWINS: The information I received from him is pretty brief. He was able to call me, you know, fairly soon after it happened. And he, you know, he told me he took a hit in a leg, a hit in the leg. And, you know, I haven't really discussed the extent of his injuries with him. You know, he's...
COSTELLO: When you heard when he said that the shrapnel went all the way up his leg and was stopped by his flak jacket...
JENNIFER UWINS: I wasn't aware of that, actually. I didn't realize it was quite that serious. I think he was trying to play it down to me.
COSTELLO: It sounds so. What's in store now? Is he going to come home? Are you going to go to Germany?
JENNIFER UWINS: You know, it's constantly changing, but I think he will be leaving Germany soon, you know, maybe even as soon as a few days, and then probably up to Bethesda, Maryland, and hopefully that'll be brief, too, and he'll be brought down here to Camp Lejeune. And, you know, if he were to stay longer at Maryland, we'd definitely drive up there to meet him.
COSTELLO: I would imagine so. David, when you heard about how he was injured, in an ambush, that must have been very frightening for you to hear.
DAVID UWINS: Yes, yes. I really hadn't heard or Jennie and I hadn't heard at all where he was up until that point. We knew where the 2-8 was and yes, it was very surprising that we heard that he'd been caught up in an ambush.
COSTELLO: And when you heard him describe how his fellow Marines saved his life and how the training paid off, that must have been a huge relief to you, too.
DAVID UWINS: Yes, it certainly was. My heart goes out to him and all these other guys. It's just incredible what they're doing.
COSTELLO: Jennifer, we've heard a lot about criticism of the war plan and how not enough troops are in the field. But he sort of spoke up for the war plan and said that it was a good plan. Did that make you feel better?
JENNIFER UWINS: Actually, you know, I don't know. The only thing that makes me feel better personally is that I know I'll be seeing him soon. You know, I don't know, you know, about military strategies. But, you know, if he has confidence in it, I, you know, that makes me feel good. He seems to know what is going on for him and his Marines.
COSTELLO: I know. I just can't, you know, he was just making the audience of reporters laugh so much. He has such a good sense of humor and it's so hard to smile during these days and it's just, you know -- you said that he left on February 5th, Jennifer, and you said that you've had contact with him through this. Can you tell us more about that, how families are keeping in contact with their loved ones on the battlefield?
JENNIFER UWINS: Well, it really depends, you know, where their loved one is. You know, I wasn't able to hear from him at all once the war began. He called me from some sort of surgical unit after he was hurt, but up until then I had heard nothing from him and prior, you know, since before the war. He was able to call me the day or two before it started then said I shouldn't expect anything for a month or six weeks.
COSTELLO: Oh.
JENNIFER UWINS: So, TV is pretty much the only way that we're keeping in contact.
COSTELLO: What were his expectations of the war before he left?
JENNIFER UWINS: You know, I'm not even sure. At that point, he had been working round the clock and he was just focusing on what he needed to go do get ready to go. I hardly even saw him.
COSTELLO: Yes. David, you know, I asked the question because we heard from his fellow Marines at this press briefing that the battle at Nasiriya was much different than they originally expected.
DAVID UWINS: Yes, I don't know if he knew what to really expect. We had conversations before he left and he was just so busy just getting things organized and so on. And he just said, you know, dad, don't worry. I'm going to be OK, that kind of thing, go in and just didn't want us to be that concerned. So I think he kept -- if he had any fears about it, I think he kept them to himself.
COSTELLO: As you're watching television and these fierce fire fights around Nasiriya, did you have any idea that your son was involved?
DAVID UWINS: No. The only thing I knew was that he was with the 2-8 and that they were around there. So I just didn't know what his level of involvement was at that time.
COSTELLO: All right, David, Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it and we're happy that the lieutenant will soon be on his way home, at least we hope so.
5:56 Eastern time.
We're going to throw to a break and then we'll go back to Bill live in Kuwait.
You stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is news out of Central Command -- you may have heard it last night back in the U.S. -- about Jessica Lynch being saved and essentially rescued in a daring night raid in Nasiriya. She is now back in U.S. custody. But there is word again today possibly that some other bodies have been discovered inside that hospital.
Tom Mintier is tracking that from CENTCOM in Qatar -- Tom, are we learning much more about this?
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, part of that operation to rescue PFC Jessica Lynch, they found 11 sets of remains. Just what these are, they're not saying. But they say they were brought back by the special operations force which was conducting the rescue mission for Jessica Lynch, that with the help of the hospital they were led to these sets of remains and they have been brought back into coalition hands.
So, just what the situation is concerning those, there is identification procedures that are going on right now, next of kin notifications and things like that.
CENTCOM also confirming that there are two major battles under way now with the Republican Guard, both south and southeast of Baghdad. These, if true, are the first set piece battles where they're facing the Republican Guard not from air power, but down on the ground.
We did hear from Frank Forth (ph), who is the public affairs officer, regarding the recovery of the 11 sets of remains, saying that it's extremely important for the military to do a recovery of their men if lost on the battlefield. And in that he says, you know, we have to bring back our fellow soldiers.
This operation also was supposedly videoed. We're waiting to see it in about an hour's time at the CENTCOM briefing whether, indeed, those images of that rescue operation that was conducted overnight will be provided.
We were told that President George W. Bush was told about five o'clock yesterday afternoon that this rescue was, indeed, conducted, and that Private First Class Lynch was in coalition hands. She's currently being treated at a medical facility and not really sure where she's going to next. Possibly, according to CENTCOM officials, on a military medical ship or off to Germany for medical treatment. She was wounded, but she is being treated in an American facility right now -- back to you, Bill.
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 April 2, 2003 - 05:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we're going to break away right now. Among them First Lieutenant James Uwins with the 2nd Battalion 8th Marines out of Camp Lejeune, California. His hometown, South Pasadena, California.
On the phone right now we have his wife, Jennifer Uwins, and she is in Emerald Island, North Carolina. And we also have David Uwins, the father of this wounded Marine, on the phone from his home in South Pasadena, California.
Welcome to you both.
JENNIFER UWINS, WIFE OF WOUNDED MARINE: Good morning.
DAVID UWINS, FATHER OF WOUNDED MARINE: Kindly.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
Jennifer, let's start with you. How long has it been since you've seen your husband?
JENNIFER UWINS: He left here February 5. That's when we said good-bye.
COSTELLO: Oh. So when you saw him on television just a short time ago, it must have been the best feeling.
JENNIFER UWINS: It was wonderful. And he looked a lot better than I thought. I saw him on a military Web site the other day and, you know, he had blood on his face. So this was a relief.
COSTELLO: Oh, and he seems to have such an upbeat attitude. He was joking about his haircut and he was joking about setting off metal detectors in airports because of the shrapnel in his legs. Is he an upbeat guy?
JENNIFER UWINS: Oh, he is. He keeps on going.
COSTELLO: David, describe your son, your son's personality.
DAVID UWINS: Oh, he's a fun kid to be around and I'm just so happy to see that he's well and he looked good. He looked really good on there. Obviously, it's tough to see what injuries he has, but he looked fine.
COSTELLO: Yes, I was just going to ask you, when you heard about his injuries and how much detail that military officials went into? DAVID UWINS: It's been a little sketchy, but they've kept us fairly well informed and he was able to get to a phone a number of times and call Jennie and then Jennie, you know, let us all know what was going on.
COSTELLO: And, Jennie, did he tell you more about his injuries?
JENNIFER UWINS: The information I received from him is pretty brief. He was able to call me, you know, fairly soon after it happened. And he, you know, he told me he took a hit in a leg, a hit in the leg. And, you know, I haven't really discussed the extent of his injuries with him. You know, he's...
COSTELLO: When you heard when he said that the shrapnel went all the way up his leg and was stopped by his flak jacket...
JENNIFER UWINS: I wasn't aware of that, actually. I didn't realize it was quite that serious. I think he was trying to play it down to me.
COSTELLO: It sounds so. What's in store now? Is he going to come home? Are you going to go to Germany?
JENNIFER UWINS: You know, it's constantly changing, but I think he will be leaving Germany soon, you know, maybe even as soon as a few days, and then probably up to Bethesda, Maryland, and hopefully that'll be brief, too, and he'll be brought down here to Camp Lejeune. And, you know, if he were to stay longer at Maryland, we'd definitely drive up there to meet him.
COSTELLO: I would imagine so. David, when you heard about how he was injured, in an ambush, that must have been very frightening for you to hear.
DAVID UWINS: Yes, yes. I really hadn't heard or Jennie and I hadn't heard at all where he was up until that point. We knew where the 2-8 was and yes, it was very surprising that we heard that he'd been caught up in an ambush.
COSTELLO: And when you heard him describe how his fellow Marines saved his life and how the training paid off, that must have been a huge relief to you, too.
DAVID UWINS: Yes, it certainly was. My heart goes out to him and all these other guys. It's just incredible what they're doing.
COSTELLO: Jennifer, we've heard a lot about criticism of the war plan and how not enough troops are in the field. But he sort of spoke up for the war plan and said that it was a good plan. Did that make you feel better?
JENNIFER UWINS: Actually, you know, I don't know. The only thing that makes me feel better personally is that I know I'll be seeing him soon. You know, I don't know, you know, about military strategies. But, you know, if he has confidence in it, I, you know, that makes me feel good. He seems to know what is going on for him and his Marines.
COSTELLO: I know. I just can't, you know, he was just making the audience of reporters laugh so much. He has such a good sense of humor and it's so hard to smile during these days and it's just, you know -- you said that he left on February 5th, Jennifer, and you said that you've had contact with him through this. Can you tell us more about that, how families are keeping in contact with their loved ones on the battlefield?
JENNIFER UWINS: Well, it really depends, you know, where their loved one is. You know, I wasn't able to hear from him at all once the war began. He called me from some sort of surgical unit after he was hurt, but up until then I had heard nothing from him and prior, you know, since before the war. He was able to call me the day or two before it started then said I shouldn't expect anything for a month or six weeks.
COSTELLO: Oh.
JENNIFER UWINS: So, TV is pretty much the only way that we're keeping in contact.
COSTELLO: What were his expectations of the war before he left?
JENNIFER UWINS: You know, I'm not even sure. At that point, he had been working round the clock and he was just focusing on what he needed to go do get ready to go. I hardly even saw him.
COSTELLO: Yes. David, you know, I asked the question because we heard from his fellow Marines at this press briefing that the battle at Nasiriya was much different than they originally expected.
DAVID UWINS: Yes, I don't know if he knew what to really expect. We had conversations before he left and he was just so busy just getting things organized and so on. And he just said, you know, dad, don't worry. I'm going to be OK, that kind of thing, go in and just didn't want us to be that concerned. So I think he kept -- if he had any fears about it, I think he kept them to himself.
COSTELLO: As you're watching television and these fierce fire fights around Nasiriya, did you have any idea that your son was involved?
DAVID UWINS: No. The only thing I knew was that he was with the 2-8 and that they were around there. So I just didn't know what his level of involvement was at that time.
COSTELLO: All right, David, Jennifer, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it and we're happy that the lieutenant will soon be on his way home, at least we hope so.
5:56 Eastern time.
We're going to throw to a break and then we'll go back to Bill live in Kuwait.
You stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There is news out of Central Command -- you may have heard it last night back in the U.S. -- about Jessica Lynch being saved and essentially rescued in a daring night raid in Nasiriya. She is now back in U.S. custody. But there is word again today possibly that some other bodies have been discovered inside that hospital.
Tom Mintier is tracking that from CENTCOM in Qatar -- Tom, are we learning much more about this?
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bill, part of that operation to rescue PFC Jessica Lynch, they found 11 sets of remains. Just what these are, they're not saying. But they say they were brought back by the special operations force which was conducting the rescue mission for Jessica Lynch, that with the help of the hospital they were led to these sets of remains and they have been brought back into coalition hands.
So, just what the situation is concerning those, there is identification procedures that are going on right now, next of kin notifications and things like that.
CENTCOM also confirming that there are two major battles under way now with the Republican Guard, both south and southeast of Baghdad. These, if true, are the first set piece battles where they're facing the Republican Guard not from air power, but down on the ground.
We did hear from Frank Forth (ph), who is the public affairs officer, regarding the recovery of the 11 sets of remains, saying that it's extremely important for the military to do a recovery of their men if lost on the battlefield. And in that he says, you know, we have to bring back our fellow soldiers.
This operation also was supposedly videoed. We're waiting to see it in about an hour's time at the CENTCOM briefing whether, indeed, those images of that rescue operation that was conducted overnight will be provided.
We were told that President George W. Bush was told about five o'clock yesterday afternoon that this rescue was, indeed, conducted, and that Private First Class Lynch was in coalition hands. She's currently being treated at a medical facility and not really sure where she's going to next. Possibly, according to CENTCOM officials, on a military medical ship or off to Germany for medical treatment. She was wounded, but she is being treated in an American facility right now -- back to you, Bill.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
