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CNN Live Today

Returning from War

Aired April 25, 2003 - 10:16   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: For American military families, the slow return to normal and for some, a long awaited return from war, two cruisers that served in the Gulf since September are returning to San Diego, the first ships of this Gulf War to return to that home port.
Our national correspondent Frank Buckley and our David Mattingly is dockside in San Diego with excited, and anxious family members. We're not going it wait until the ship docks. I understand, we'll make a reunion happen right now.

Frank, you're going to get that started for us.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to do our best. These family versus been away from each other since last July 24th. Imagine everything you've done in your life since last July, since last summer. That's how long these families have been apart. So they're eager to get together.

We wanted to give you a sense of how people live on this ship, The Mobile Bay, while they're at sea. We'll take you into one of the enlisted berthing areas. In fact, this is where we slept last night. Can you see that they're already getting ready. This is, these are the dress whites that the guys will be wearing as they man the rails, as they get closer in and manning the rails, meaning they'll be standing right on the ship as they're coming in. You can see their sea bags are already out here. My dad, the old salty Navy guy would say this is gear adrift, but it's not normally like this. This is just because they're getting ready to leave. It's usually very squared away, I'm told.

Here is just a typical berthing area. Greg, why don't you go in there and show them what the racks look like. There's not a lot of room in there. We slept right in here. You can see, there's just enough room when you're sleeping there to hold a book up above your head. And thanks for showing them my unmade bed there, Greg. I appreciate that, and we'll come back here and show everybody some of the rest of the berthing area. This is where they get some entertainment. They can watch TV in here. You can see they're watching a film, and this is sort of the living space.

We want to introduce you now to one of the folks on the ship. This is Joshua Roper, who, Joshua, you've been away from your wife now, who you married just three days before you went on deployment. Why did you decide to do that?

JOSHUA ROPER, U.S. NAVY: Well, we've been planning on getting married, talking about it for about six months prior to that, and we decided to go ahead and do it, take advantage of the extra money.

BUCKLEY: Well, my colleague, David Mattingly is on shore with your wife and we'll toss is to David -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Frank, Julie is standing right here. I was watching your face. Your eyes just lit up when you saw that picture. How long has it been since you've seen him?

JULIE ROPER: Nine months.

MATTINGLY: There he is. Say hello.

JULIE ROPER: Hi, sweetie!

JOSHUA ROPER: Hi, JULIE. How are you?

JULIE ROPER: Good. How are you?

JOSHUA ROPER: I love you. I'll see you in a couple of hours.

JULIE ROPER: I love you too, sweetie.

BUCKLEY: Josh, I understand, the two of you had to rush your marriage plans up, that you had a civil ceremony before you shipped out. You had your parents here, you had your families here, and now you're planning a church service, a big church wedding for when he gets back, right?

JULIE ROPER: Yes, correct.

JOSHUA ROPER: That's correct.

BUCKLEY: Josh, any particular plans, anything you want to do in the ceremony that you didn't get to do in the civil ceremony?

JOSHUA ROPER: I just want to be a traditional ceremony. That's all I'm asking for.

BUCKLEY: And you've had a honeymoon that's been on hold now for nine months. What's that been like?

JOSHUA ROPER: It's been interesting.

BUCKLEY: But, David, he's been on a cruise here for his honeymoon. So he said he's been enjoying his honeymoon. He got to go on a nine month cruise, right?

MATTINGLY: For Julie, you just stayed here in San Diego by yourself?

JULIE ROPER: I love San Diego but I'd rather be with my husband in San Diego.

JOSHUA ROPER: I'll be back in a couple hours.

MATTINGLY: I'll just get out of the way and let the two of you talk for a second. What do you have to say to him?

JULIE ROPER: I can't wait for him to get home. This is quite a way to test a first year of marriage. We didn't need to test that.

JOSHUA ROPER: This is true.

JULIE ROPER: And I'm going to go ahead and say hi to you for your mom. I know she can't wait to hear from you, and I love you, and I'll see you in a couple hours. I can't believe I'm saying that, just a couple hours. It's been nine months, and I get to see you in a couple hours. You look great, sweetie.

JOSHUA ROPER: You, too, sweetie. I wish I could see you. I love you.

JULIE ROPER: Well, I can see you.

MATTINGLY: We're all smiling and laughing over here. This is going to be a great day. We've got a picture we want to show you that's of the Coronado (ph) Bridge that we have a picture of and when the sailors come through and they see that bridge they know they're coming home. They know they're getting back to the lives, the wives, the families they left behind, and something else I want to show you before we get back to you, Daryn.

When we get back, all of these baskets here have been laid out for all of the fathers who have been on board that ship who've not seen their babies. So there have been nine babies born, and the fathers have not seen them yet, so they're all preparing to come back now, getting ready for that big emotional homecoming.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: A special day, indeed. I just wanted to get an advance preview, and good luck to that young couple. Thank to both David Mattingly and Frank Buckley aboard the ship.

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 25, 2003 - 10:16   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: For American military families, the slow return to normal and for some, a long awaited return from war, two cruisers that served in the Gulf since September are returning to San Diego, the first ships of this Gulf War to return to that home port.
Our national correspondent Frank Buckley and our David Mattingly is dockside in San Diego with excited, and anxious family members. We're not going it wait until the ship docks. I understand, we'll make a reunion happen right now.

Frank, you're going to get that started for us.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're going to do our best. These family versus been away from each other since last July 24th. Imagine everything you've done in your life since last July, since last summer. That's how long these families have been apart. So they're eager to get together.

We wanted to give you a sense of how people live on this ship, The Mobile Bay, while they're at sea. We'll take you into one of the enlisted berthing areas. In fact, this is where we slept last night. Can you see that they're already getting ready. This is, these are the dress whites that the guys will be wearing as they man the rails, as they get closer in and manning the rails, meaning they'll be standing right on the ship as they're coming in. You can see their sea bags are already out here. My dad, the old salty Navy guy would say this is gear adrift, but it's not normally like this. This is just because they're getting ready to leave. It's usually very squared away, I'm told.

Here is just a typical berthing area. Greg, why don't you go in there and show them what the racks look like. There's not a lot of room in there. We slept right in here. You can see, there's just enough room when you're sleeping there to hold a book up above your head. And thanks for showing them my unmade bed there, Greg. I appreciate that, and we'll come back here and show everybody some of the rest of the berthing area. This is where they get some entertainment. They can watch TV in here. You can see they're watching a film, and this is sort of the living space.

We want to introduce you now to one of the folks on the ship. This is Joshua Roper, who, Joshua, you've been away from your wife now, who you married just three days before you went on deployment. Why did you decide to do that?

JOSHUA ROPER, U.S. NAVY: Well, we've been planning on getting married, talking about it for about six months prior to that, and we decided to go ahead and do it, take advantage of the extra money.

BUCKLEY: Well, my colleague, David Mattingly is on shore with your wife and we'll toss is to David -- David.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Frank, Julie is standing right here. I was watching your face. Your eyes just lit up when you saw that picture. How long has it been since you've seen him?

JULIE ROPER: Nine months.

MATTINGLY: There he is. Say hello.

JULIE ROPER: Hi, sweetie!

JOSHUA ROPER: Hi, JULIE. How are you?

JULIE ROPER: Good. How are you?

JOSHUA ROPER: I love you. I'll see you in a couple of hours.

JULIE ROPER: I love you too, sweetie.

BUCKLEY: Josh, I understand, the two of you had to rush your marriage plans up, that you had a civil ceremony before you shipped out. You had your parents here, you had your families here, and now you're planning a church service, a big church wedding for when he gets back, right?

JULIE ROPER: Yes, correct.

JOSHUA ROPER: That's correct.

BUCKLEY: Josh, any particular plans, anything you want to do in the ceremony that you didn't get to do in the civil ceremony?

JOSHUA ROPER: I just want to be a traditional ceremony. That's all I'm asking for.

BUCKLEY: And you've had a honeymoon that's been on hold now for nine months. What's that been like?

JOSHUA ROPER: It's been interesting.

BUCKLEY: But, David, he's been on a cruise here for his honeymoon. So he said he's been enjoying his honeymoon. He got to go on a nine month cruise, right?

MATTINGLY: For Julie, you just stayed here in San Diego by yourself?

JULIE ROPER: I love San Diego but I'd rather be with my husband in San Diego.

JOSHUA ROPER: I'll be back in a couple hours.

MATTINGLY: I'll just get out of the way and let the two of you talk for a second. What do you have to say to him?

JULIE ROPER: I can't wait for him to get home. This is quite a way to test a first year of marriage. We didn't need to test that.

JOSHUA ROPER: This is true.

JULIE ROPER: And I'm going to go ahead and say hi to you for your mom. I know she can't wait to hear from you, and I love you, and I'll see you in a couple hours. I can't believe I'm saying that, just a couple hours. It's been nine months, and I get to see you in a couple hours. You look great, sweetie.

JOSHUA ROPER: You, too, sweetie. I wish I could see you. I love you.

JULIE ROPER: Well, I can see you.

MATTINGLY: We're all smiling and laughing over here. This is going to be a great day. We've got a picture we want to show you that's of the Coronado (ph) Bridge that we have a picture of and when the sailors come through and they see that bridge they know they're coming home. They know they're getting back to the lives, the wives, the families they left behind, and something else I want to show you before we get back to you, Daryn.

When we get back, all of these baskets here have been laid out for all of the fathers who have been on board that ship who've not seen their babies. So there have been nine babies born, and the fathers have not seen them yet, so they're all preparing to come back now, getting ready for that big emotional homecoming.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: A special day, indeed. I just wanted to get an advance preview, and good luck to that young couple. Thank to both David Mattingly and Frank Buckley aboard the ship.

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