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CNN Live Today

Sending Messages Home

Aired April 16, 2003 - 10:45   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.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: One of the guys that we saw on a regular basis was a mane who's been called the perpetually encrusted Ryan Chilcote. He's in southern Baghdad. As I understand it, there he is on the screen right now. He doesn't look so crusty right now.
But, Ryan, as I understand it, you're about to spend your last bit of time here with the 101st Airborne, right?

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Leon.

We're in southern Baghdad with the 101st, 3rd Brigade. Not the quietest of crowds, Leon. The 101st Airborne's 3rd Brigade, also known as 187th Infantry Regiment, they are one of the very few units in the U.S. Army deployed both to Afghanistan and now here to Iraq. And I've had the pleasure of spending a couple of months with the soldiers.

What we're going to do right now is talk with some of them about their trip over here, because for the last, well, two months, everyone's been hearing about their experiences through me. But I think this is a good time to ask them themselves. So if we could cruise observe here. This is a little tricky. First of all, one of the things that almost all of the soldiers want to do right now is show things like this right here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, mom. How you doing? It's Brian. I love you. I miss you.

CHILCOTE: OK. Brad, if you could come over here for a second. There are just two of us. But I guess if we could start with Captain Davis hiding out in the back here.

We've got some pictures of the soldiers, all of you leaving Kentucky. What was going through your mind when you got on the plane leaving Kentucky?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little wary, but in good hands, and knew the soldiers that were in my charge also, they -- pretty nervous, but mostly excited, is the combination. Anytime you go to another country, it's always -- there's always uncertainty. Mostly glad I'm with the Racksans (ph).

CHILCOTE: And your first impressions when you saw Brad, Greg and me and you learned that we were going to be traveling with you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unusual. We had some embedded media in Afghanistan, of course. But to have such good folk with us for so long, it's been a real pleasure.

CHILCOTE: That's nice of you so say that on the air.

If we can go over here to Major Scott Viso (ph). Major Viso (ph) has had the honor, if I could put it that way, of moving our stuff. He has been in the Humvee that has driven our trailer, has towed our trailer straight from Kuwait all the way here into Iraq, and we have some pictures of the trip into Iraq. It's been fun moving our trailer, hasn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been interesting.

CHILCOTE: Is this the first time that you've been with -- dragging media around?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's the first time we've ever had embedded media. And I mean, there were a lot of great things that came out of it, some negatives.

CHILCOTE: Negatives?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But overall, a positive experience. I mean, gave us a chance for our story to be told.

CHILCOTE: Yes. Tell me about the trip into Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Long and weary, kind of like a long car trip, trying to get into Iraq and get set up in our initial location.

CHILCOTE: That was more than a month ago, almost a month ago we entered on March. Seems like it was years ago.

All right. Well, one thing I think that caught everyone's attention back in the states were the sandstorms, and I talked a lot about the sandstorms and tried to make them sound as bad I could.

But we're going to ask Specialist Began (ph) here, and I don't even Specialist Began's (ph) first name, because in the military, you always go by the last name. But tell me your first name. We've known one another for...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greg.

CHILCOTE: Greg.

OK, so, tell me about the sandstorms. What have they been like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of them, especially in other locations, have been real hectic. A lot of the times when we were in the vehicles, it wouldn't matter if you had the doors shut or not. Still got in, still got in your lungs, so.

CHILCOTE: But it's been a little better recently, huh? It's not..

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. The further north we moved, the more water we had, also helped keep the soil down, where we didn't have as much dust.

CHILCOTE: And lastly, of course, we've now moved into Baghdad. And, sir, if I could ask you, your impressions as you came into the city of Baghdad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot more devastation than we saw as far as military vehicles on the side of the road. Other than that, really nice city, looked to be in good shape, and just glad to be out of the dust and the sand.

CHILCOTE: Nice. Well the 101st, 3rd Brigade has 3,500 soldiers. Obviously not all of them could be here for this. We did notify their family readiness group. We were able to tip off their families back in the states that they're going to be on the air. It's really important for the soldiers. Mail getting here is very slow, and there are no telephones.

So on behalf of all of the Racksans (ph), if we could have one last group goodbye to everybody. 187th will be remaining in Baghdad. But unfortunately, we do have to go.

CHILCOTE: Back to you.

HARRIS: But not just yet, Ryan. You can't go just yet, because we're going to take a break right now. But when we come back, we're going to give one person in that group there, in the 187th, you guys are going to get a special community to make a connection with someone stateside. We're not going to tell you who it is until you come back from the break. So don't you guys go away. You stay put over there in Baghdad. You folks right here at home, you stay put.

We're right back after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get back to it, as promised. We're going to see if we can make a very special family connection here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

Joining us south of Baghdad, Colonel Mike Linnington of the 101st Airborne.

Hello, colonel, are you there? Can you hear me?

COL. MIKE LINNINGTON, U.S. MARINE CORP: I'm here. Great!

HARRIS: All right, good deal. Now you stay right there. We've got not just one, but two people who want to talk to you right now, your wife, Brenda, and your sister...

I can barely hear you.

Let's see if we can get the audio boosted. Can you hear me better now?

LINNINGTON: Can you turn the volume up? I can hear you now much better. Thank you.

HARRIS: There you go. All right. We've got two people who want to spend some time with you right now. You ready for it? Here we go. We've got your wife Brenda and your sister Tracey. They're joining us right now on satellite from Austin, Texas.

Brenda, you want to go ahead and start?

LINNINGTON: That's great.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Mike, how are you?

LINNINGTON: Hey, honey. How you doing, Tracey? Good to see you, baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

LINNINGTON: Hi, Tracey. How are you, baby?

BRENDA LINNINGTON, WIFE OF MIKE LINNINGTON: I realize there's a delay. I just want to take some time. If you would just pass on to Ryan, our heartfelt thanks from all of the families from Ft. Campbell, especially 3rd Brigade. Ryan has become a realtime constant for all of us watching what has gone on with the war. He will be sorely missed. We truly, truly appreciate ail that he's done. Just turning on the channel, knowing what has been going on, seeing all of the soldiers. He has done a superb job, has been -- has set an example for I think all embedded journalists. We will, all of us, truly appreciate everything he's done. I cannot say enough for everything he has brought into our living room.

So, Mike, if you would, please pass on to him our thanks, and my personal thanks as well.

M. LINNINGTON: Well, that's very sweet. And you know, we're doing what we're trained to do. And soldiers absolutely love the work we're in, both on behalf of our country, on behalf of our unit, and we absolutely couldn't do it without the support of great ladies like you, honey, and great families and great supporting American people everywhere. So we miss you, we love you, and we can't wait to get home to see you in the near future, probably not in the near, near future, but when it happens, it happens, and we'll be happy to come home whenever the day may be.

HARRIS: Tracey, I'm sorry, I misidentified you. Tracey's is Mike's daughter, and not his sister. I should have noticed that when I saw you. You look too young to be his sister.

But, Tracey, what do you have to say to your dad?

TRACEY LINNINGTON, DAUGHTER OF MIKE LINNINGTON: I just wanted to tell him that I love him, and we'll see him when he gets home. M. LINNINGTON: Well, Tracey, honey, I miss you, too, and I love you. And, God, I almost didn't recognize you in that picture you sent on e-mail the other day. You are just the sweetest girl in the world. Maybe you'll get a boyfriend someday.

HARRIS: I don't know, colonel. Any guy watching right knows that her dad's in the 101st Airborne. I don't think they're going mess with her.

T. LINNINGTON: Thanks, dad.

B. LINNINGTON: If I can add one other thing, also that Mike's Phillies are tied for number one in the east, well ahead in the Braves, that would make him very happy, and I love him and miss him so much as well.

And I know the 101st is not taped to come home any time soon, but all of the families are hanging in there, and we love and miss all of our soldiers.

HARRIS: All right. We're going to have to leave it there, folks.

M. LINNINGTON: On behalf of all of us, to all of the families, you know, we know they support us 1,000 percent, and we feel their love and prayers every day in cards and letters we do get when the mail does show up.

And it's a sad day for us with Ryan Chilcote leaving, I'll it'll you that. The good news is, the boodle boxes that our ladies are sending to Ryan with food, and crackers and candy, we'll eat them up for him. He may not be here, but we'll eat his food anyway.

HARRIS: That's OK. Just send him home to us in one piece, we'll appreciate that. Colonel Mike Linnington, thank you very much. Nice to have you with us today. Brenda and Tracey Linnington, thank you as well.

And, Brenda, sorry, but the Braves are part of our family. We didn't want to have you rub that in about the Phillies. We'll take that anyway.

Hope you all have a good one, and hope you guys have a happy reunion.

M. LINNINGTON: You guys, too. God bless you.

HARRIS: All right, take care.

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 16, 2003 - 10:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: One of the guys that we saw on a regular basis was a mane who's been called the perpetually encrusted Ryan Chilcote. He's in southern Baghdad. As I understand it, there he is on the screen right now. He doesn't look so crusty right now.
But, Ryan, as I understand it, you're about to spend your last bit of time here with the 101st Airborne, right?

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Leon.

We're in southern Baghdad with the 101st, 3rd Brigade. Not the quietest of crowds, Leon. The 101st Airborne's 3rd Brigade, also known as 187th Infantry Regiment, they are one of the very few units in the U.S. Army deployed both to Afghanistan and now here to Iraq. And I've had the pleasure of spending a couple of months with the soldiers.

What we're going to do right now is talk with some of them about their trip over here, because for the last, well, two months, everyone's been hearing about their experiences through me. But I think this is a good time to ask them themselves. So if we could cruise observe here. This is a little tricky. First of all, one of the things that almost all of the soldiers want to do right now is show things like this right here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi, mom. How you doing? It's Brian. I love you. I miss you.

CHILCOTE: OK. Brad, if you could come over here for a second. There are just two of us. But I guess if we could start with Captain Davis hiding out in the back here.

We've got some pictures of the soldiers, all of you leaving Kentucky. What was going through your mind when you got on the plane leaving Kentucky?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little wary, but in good hands, and knew the soldiers that were in my charge also, they -- pretty nervous, but mostly excited, is the combination. Anytime you go to another country, it's always -- there's always uncertainty. Mostly glad I'm with the Racksans (ph).

CHILCOTE: And your first impressions when you saw Brad, Greg and me and you learned that we were going to be traveling with you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unusual. We had some embedded media in Afghanistan, of course. But to have such good folk with us for so long, it's been a real pleasure.

CHILCOTE: That's nice of you so say that on the air.

If we can go over here to Major Scott Viso (ph). Major Viso (ph) has had the honor, if I could put it that way, of moving our stuff. He has been in the Humvee that has driven our trailer, has towed our trailer straight from Kuwait all the way here into Iraq, and we have some pictures of the trip into Iraq. It's been fun moving our trailer, hasn't it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's been interesting.

CHILCOTE: Is this the first time that you've been with -- dragging media around?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's the first time we've ever had embedded media. And I mean, there were a lot of great things that came out of it, some negatives.

CHILCOTE: Negatives?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But overall, a positive experience. I mean, gave us a chance for our story to be told.

CHILCOTE: Yes. Tell me about the trip into Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Long and weary, kind of like a long car trip, trying to get into Iraq and get set up in our initial location.

CHILCOTE: That was more than a month ago, almost a month ago we entered on March. Seems like it was years ago.

All right. Well, one thing I think that caught everyone's attention back in the states were the sandstorms, and I talked a lot about the sandstorms and tried to make them sound as bad I could.

But we're going to ask Specialist Began (ph) here, and I don't even Specialist Began's (ph) first name, because in the military, you always go by the last name. But tell me your first name. We've known one another for...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Greg.

CHILCOTE: Greg.

OK, so, tell me about the sandstorms. What have they been like?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of them, especially in other locations, have been real hectic. A lot of the times when we were in the vehicles, it wouldn't matter if you had the doors shut or not. Still got in, still got in your lungs, so.

CHILCOTE: But it's been a little better recently, huh? It's not..

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. The further north we moved, the more water we had, also helped keep the soil down, where we didn't have as much dust.

CHILCOTE: And lastly, of course, we've now moved into Baghdad. And, sir, if I could ask you, your impressions as you came into the city of Baghdad?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot more devastation than we saw as far as military vehicles on the side of the road. Other than that, really nice city, looked to be in good shape, and just glad to be out of the dust and the sand.

CHILCOTE: Nice. Well the 101st, 3rd Brigade has 3,500 soldiers. Obviously not all of them could be here for this. We did notify their family readiness group. We were able to tip off their families back in the states that they're going to be on the air. It's really important for the soldiers. Mail getting here is very slow, and there are no telephones.

So on behalf of all of the Racksans (ph), if we could have one last group goodbye to everybody. 187th will be remaining in Baghdad. But unfortunately, we do have to go.

CHILCOTE: Back to you.

HARRIS: But not just yet, Ryan. You can't go just yet, because we're going to take a break right now. But when we come back, we're going to give one person in that group there, in the 187th, you guys are going to get a special community to make a connection with someone stateside. We're not going to tell you who it is until you come back from the break. So don't you guys go away. You stay put over there in Baghdad. You folks right here at home, you stay put.

We're right back after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get back to it, as promised. We're going to see if we can make a very special family connection here on CNN LIVE TODAY.

Joining us south of Baghdad, Colonel Mike Linnington of the 101st Airborne.

Hello, colonel, are you there? Can you hear me?

COL. MIKE LINNINGTON, U.S. MARINE CORP: I'm here. Great!

HARRIS: All right, good deal. Now you stay right there. We've got not just one, but two people who want to talk to you right now, your wife, Brenda, and your sister...

I can barely hear you.

Let's see if we can get the audio boosted. Can you hear me better now?

LINNINGTON: Can you turn the volume up? I can hear you now much better. Thank you.

HARRIS: There you go. All right. We've got two people who want to spend some time with you right now. You ready for it? Here we go. We've got your wife Brenda and your sister Tracey. They're joining us right now on satellite from Austin, Texas.

Brenda, you want to go ahead and start?

LINNINGTON: That's great.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hey, Mike, how are you?

LINNINGTON: Hey, honey. How you doing, Tracey? Good to see you, baby.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.

LINNINGTON: Hi, Tracey. How are you, baby?

BRENDA LINNINGTON, WIFE OF MIKE LINNINGTON: I realize there's a delay. I just want to take some time. If you would just pass on to Ryan, our heartfelt thanks from all of the families from Ft. Campbell, especially 3rd Brigade. Ryan has become a realtime constant for all of us watching what has gone on with the war. He will be sorely missed. We truly, truly appreciate ail that he's done. Just turning on the channel, knowing what has been going on, seeing all of the soldiers. He has done a superb job, has been -- has set an example for I think all embedded journalists. We will, all of us, truly appreciate everything he's done. I cannot say enough for everything he has brought into our living room.

So, Mike, if you would, please pass on to him our thanks, and my personal thanks as well.

M. LINNINGTON: Well, that's very sweet. And you know, we're doing what we're trained to do. And soldiers absolutely love the work we're in, both on behalf of our country, on behalf of our unit, and we absolutely couldn't do it without the support of great ladies like you, honey, and great families and great supporting American people everywhere. So we miss you, we love you, and we can't wait to get home to see you in the near future, probably not in the near, near future, but when it happens, it happens, and we'll be happy to come home whenever the day may be.

HARRIS: Tracey, I'm sorry, I misidentified you. Tracey's is Mike's daughter, and not his sister. I should have noticed that when I saw you. You look too young to be his sister.

But, Tracey, what do you have to say to your dad?

TRACEY LINNINGTON, DAUGHTER OF MIKE LINNINGTON: I just wanted to tell him that I love him, and we'll see him when he gets home. M. LINNINGTON: Well, Tracey, honey, I miss you, too, and I love you. And, God, I almost didn't recognize you in that picture you sent on e-mail the other day. You are just the sweetest girl in the world. Maybe you'll get a boyfriend someday.

HARRIS: I don't know, colonel. Any guy watching right knows that her dad's in the 101st Airborne. I don't think they're going mess with her.

T. LINNINGTON: Thanks, dad.

B. LINNINGTON: If I can add one other thing, also that Mike's Phillies are tied for number one in the east, well ahead in the Braves, that would make him very happy, and I love him and miss him so much as well.

And I know the 101st is not taped to come home any time soon, but all of the families are hanging in there, and we love and miss all of our soldiers.

HARRIS: All right. We're going to have to leave it there, folks.

M. LINNINGTON: On behalf of all of us, to all of the families, you know, we know they support us 1,000 percent, and we feel their love and prayers every day in cards and letters we do get when the mail does show up.

And it's a sad day for us with Ryan Chilcote leaving, I'll it'll you that. The good news is, the boodle boxes that our ladies are sending to Ryan with food, and crackers and candy, we'll eat them up for him. He may not be here, but we'll eat his food anyway.

HARRIS: That's OK. Just send him home to us in one piece, we'll appreciate that. Colonel Mike Linnington, thank you very much. Nice to have you with us today. Brenda and Tracey Linnington, thank you as well.

And, Brenda, sorry, but the Braves are part of our family. We didn't want to have you rub that in about the Phillies. We'll take that anyway.

Hope you all have a good one, and hope you guys have a happy reunion.

M. LINNINGTON: You guys, too. God bless you.

HARRIS: All right, take care.

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