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CNN Live Today

Families Await Arrival of USS Abraham Lincoln

Aired May 02, 2003 - 10:00   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: After one of the longest deployments of any U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln is about an-hour- and-a-half now away from returning home. The ship launched missiles and combat sorties, and on the final full day of its voyage, served as the primetime stage for a presidential speech. That's a lot to pack in on one ship.
And our Frank Buckley is aboard the Lincoln, as it's heading home right now. Let's check in with him right now live.

Hello -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Leon, a great deal of excitement here on the USS Abraham Lincoln. They call it "channel fever," the night before and the hours before the sailors get back home. It's particularly intense today, because it's been nearly 10 long months for these sailors.

We'll take you up top and let you see some of the guys already looking through binoculars out toward the coastline that you can actually see right now. A beautiful sunrise over the ocean here just off of San Diego as the USS Abraham steams home and drops the Air Wing off in San Diego. Then we'll go to their home port in Everett.

Joining us right now, one of the folks who will be meeting with his family onshore, Jeffrey Klein.

Chief, you were telling me just a second ago that you left your wife and kids in Indiana, and so your deployment has been even longer in the sense that your separation from your family has been longer than even the rest of the folks.

JEFFREY KLEIN, U.S. NAVY CHIEF: Oh, yes. Mine is 11-months-old. I left in April. We didn't get under way until July. So, our deployment is almost a year.

BUCKLEY: And you thought that you would come home in January. Of course, you got turned around, sent back to the Persian Gulf, and you were telling me your wife actually did come out at that point.

J. KLEIN: Yes, we thought we were coming back January 16. So, in December she packed up the kids, drove cross-country, did the move on her own, got an apartment, did everything online. And then January 1, I had to call her and tell her that it's going to be a little bit longer; we were going to be extended until May.

BUCKLEY: And it's been a tough thing for everybody, and you were telling me that you just think the world of your wife.

J. KLEIN: Oh, you know she's the greatest. I mean, she did a cross-country move on her own. She's just the greatest, yes. She's done it all. Her job was harder than mine.

BUCKLEY: Tell me how you kept your morale up, how you kept in touch. You have four children, Ellen, Joey, Jeffrey, Kyle. How did you keep your morale up, and how did you communicate with them?

J. KLEIN: We have e-mail. My last (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we didn't have e-mail. You'd get a letter; you'd keep it in your pocket for two, three weeks until you got another letter. Here, you get e-mail, and you can actually talk back and forth within one or two minutes. I can send her an e-mail, within three to four minutes she answers it back. So, it's almost like being on the phone. So, the e-mail system is a great system.

BUCKLEY: And one of your kids is just a year old, Jeffrey...

J. KLEIN: Right.

BUCKLEY: ... named after you, I assume.

J. KLEIN: Yes.

BUCKLEY: Tell me, you really don't even know the guy.

J. KLEIN: No. No, I've got videotapes that Shannon sent, but, no, I really don't know him. I left, he was a couple-of-months old, and now he's walking, running, he's got teeth. Yes, it's going to take a while to get adjusted to him.

BUCKLEY: We're looking forward to having you reunite with your family. We've, in fact, got Thelma Gutierrez is onshore, one our reporters, is with your family. Let me toss it to her. You can look into the camera, and I think you'll be able to hear your family.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Frank.

I'm here right on the pier with a woman who says that she feels like a giddy teenager after not seeing her husband for nearly a year. And I'm sure, Chief Jeffrey Klein, you know exactly who I'm talking about. That is your wife, Shannon Klein. She's been kind of yelling into the camera as soon as she saw your picture appear.

What do you want to say to your husband?

SHANNON KLEIN, WIFE OF JEFFREY KLEIN: Oh, it's so great to see you. I love you so much. When I saw you, I just got, like, instant tears in my eyes. I don't even know what to tell you. I love you so much.

J. KLEIN: We still...

S. KLEIN: And just a couple of hours and I'll see you.

J. KLEIN: We still have a date tonight, don't we?

S. KLEIN: Yes, we do.

J. KLEIN: Because, I mean, we've got to start the dating process all over.

S. KLEIN: I know. My first date in about a year. I can't wait.

J. KLEIN: I promise to be good.

S. KLEIN: You better. And you're paying.

J. KLEIN: How are the boys?

S. KLEIN: They're doing great.

J. KLEIN: Oh, great. Well, it's a real date, then.

S. KLEIN: Yes, they're doing -- it's a real date. It's a real date.

GUTIERREZ: Go ahead and talk to them about...

(CROSSTALK)

J. KLEIN: Well, that's good. I'm looking forward...

S. KLEIN: Well, Joey and Jeffrey, in the time that you've been under way, they both learned how to walk. So, they're getting all over, they're into everything. You're going to have your hands full, but they're just sweet.

J. KLEIN: So, are they in college yet?

S. KLEIN: Now, you can see...

J. KLEIN: Are they in college?

S. KLEIN: Not quite. No, no, not yet.

J. KLEIN: OK.

GUTIERREZ: Chief Klein, take a look at your son, Jeffrey. I guess the last time you saw him he was 4-months-old. He's 16-months- old right now. He's been out here since 5:30 in the morning Pacific Time, and I think he's just about had it. I think they want to go home.

J. KLEIN: Oh.

GUTIERREZ: That's Jeffrey in his true form, Daddy.

J. KLEIN: Well, a couple of hours.

GUTIERREZ: Welcome home.

J. KLEIN: Well, thanks. It's good to be home. It really has been a long cruise and a long separation.

GUTIERREZ: Your daughter, Ellen, is also here, 13-year-old Ellen.

Ellen, what would you like to say to your father?

ELLEN KLEIN, DAUGHTER OF JEFFREY KLEIN: I miss you and I love you and I'm glad you're coming home.

J. KLEIN: And you're going to baby-sit tonight, right?

GUTIERREZ: Spoken like a true 13-year-old. What?

J. KLEIN: And, Ellen, you're going to baby-sit tonight, right? She's going to baby-sit tonight, right?

GUTIERREZ: Oh, Ellen is -- you're baby-sitting tonight, right?

E. KLEIN: No.

GUTIERREZ: Is there anything else you'd like to say in closing?

S. KLEIN: Just hurry up. Just hurry off that ship and get here. We want to see you.

J. KLEIN: I can swim it.

S. KLEIN: Could you? I'd like that.

GUTIERREZ: All right, Shannon Klein, thanks so much.

S. KLEIN: Thank you.

GUTIERREZ: And now, here you can see that there are already hundreds of people gathered right behind me. They've brought signs, they've brought blankets, and they've brought plenty of sleepy children, who are now starting to get cranky, all waiting for all of these folks to get off the ship.

Frank -- back to you.

BUCKLEY: OK, Thelma, thanks very much. We want to thank Chief Klein. You're supposed to be one of these salty, no-emotion guys, but I can see you're getting...

J. KLEIN: Oh, I can tell you something, there isn't going to be a dry eye on the flight deck.

BUCKLEY: Yes.

J. KLEIN: There's not going to be a dry eye. Every single sailor is going to be up there with tears, I guarantee it.

BUCKLEY: All right, well, Chief, thanks very much.

J. KLEIN: Thank you very much. BUCKLEY: We really appreciate your time, sir.

J. KLEIN: Thank you.

BUCKLEY: Thanks for your service.

All right, that's just one of the happy reunions that we're getting to see in advance. It will be a great day on that pier in just a couple of hours -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, keep an eye on Chief Klein. Do not let him jump overboard and start swimming yet, Frank. I'm sure he would like to. All right, we'll check back with you in a bit, OK?

All right, Frank Buckley aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

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 May 2, 2003 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: After one of the longest deployments of any U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln is about an-hour- and-a-half now away from returning home. The ship launched missiles and combat sorties, and on the final full day of its voyage, served as the primetime stage for a presidential speech. That's a lot to pack in on one ship.
And our Frank Buckley is aboard the Lincoln, as it's heading home right now. Let's check in with him right now live.

Hello -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Leon, a great deal of excitement here on the USS Abraham Lincoln. They call it "channel fever," the night before and the hours before the sailors get back home. It's particularly intense today, because it's been nearly 10 long months for these sailors.

We'll take you up top and let you see some of the guys already looking through binoculars out toward the coastline that you can actually see right now. A beautiful sunrise over the ocean here just off of San Diego as the USS Abraham steams home and drops the Air Wing off in San Diego. Then we'll go to their home port in Everett.

Joining us right now, one of the folks who will be meeting with his family onshore, Jeffrey Klein.

Chief, you were telling me just a second ago that you left your wife and kids in Indiana, and so your deployment has been even longer in the sense that your separation from your family has been longer than even the rest of the folks.

JEFFREY KLEIN, U.S. NAVY CHIEF: Oh, yes. Mine is 11-months-old. I left in April. We didn't get under way until July. So, our deployment is almost a year.

BUCKLEY: And you thought that you would come home in January. Of course, you got turned around, sent back to the Persian Gulf, and you were telling me your wife actually did come out at that point.

J. KLEIN: Yes, we thought we were coming back January 16. So, in December she packed up the kids, drove cross-country, did the move on her own, got an apartment, did everything online. And then January 1, I had to call her and tell her that it's going to be a little bit longer; we were going to be extended until May.

BUCKLEY: And it's been a tough thing for everybody, and you were telling me that you just think the world of your wife.

J. KLEIN: Oh, you know she's the greatest. I mean, she did a cross-country move on her own. She's just the greatest, yes. She's done it all. Her job was harder than mine.

BUCKLEY: Tell me how you kept your morale up, how you kept in touch. You have four children, Ellen, Joey, Jeffrey, Kyle. How did you keep your morale up, and how did you communicate with them?

J. KLEIN: We have e-mail. My last (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we didn't have e-mail. You'd get a letter; you'd keep it in your pocket for two, three weeks until you got another letter. Here, you get e-mail, and you can actually talk back and forth within one or two minutes. I can send her an e-mail, within three to four minutes she answers it back. So, it's almost like being on the phone. So, the e-mail system is a great system.

BUCKLEY: And one of your kids is just a year old, Jeffrey...

J. KLEIN: Right.

BUCKLEY: ... named after you, I assume.

J. KLEIN: Yes.

BUCKLEY: Tell me, you really don't even know the guy.

J. KLEIN: No. No, I've got videotapes that Shannon sent, but, no, I really don't know him. I left, he was a couple-of-months old, and now he's walking, running, he's got teeth. Yes, it's going to take a while to get adjusted to him.

BUCKLEY: We're looking forward to having you reunite with your family. We've, in fact, got Thelma Gutierrez is onshore, one our reporters, is with your family. Let me toss it to her. You can look into the camera, and I think you'll be able to hear your family.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Frank.

I'm here right on the pier with a woman who says that she feels like a giddy teenager after not seeing her husband for nearly a year. And I'm sure, Chief Jeffrey Klein, you know exactly who I'm talking about. That is your wife, Shannon Klein. She's been kind of yelling into the camera as soon as she saw your picture appear.

What do you want to say to your husband?

SHANNON KLEIN, WIFE OF JEFFREY KLEIN: Oh, it's so great to see you. I love you so much. When I saw you, I just got, like, instant tears in my eyes. I don't even know what to tell you. I love you so much.

J. KLEIN: We still...

S. KLEIN: And just a couple of hours and I'll see you.

J. KLEIN: We still have a date tonight, don't we?

S. KLEIN: Yes, we do.

J. KLEIN: Because, I mean, we've got to start the dating process all over.

S. KLEIN: I know. My first date in about a year. I can't wait.

J. KLEIN: I promise to be good.

S. KLEIN: You better. And you're paying.

J. KLEIN: How are the boys?

S. KLEIN: They're doing great.

J. KLEIN: Oh, great. Well, it's a real date, then.

S. KLEIN: Yes, they're doing -- it's a real date. It's a real date.

GUTIERREZ: Go ahead and talk to them about...

(CROSSTALK)

J. KLEIN: Well, that's good. I'm looking forward...

S. KLEIN: Well, Joey and Jeffrey, in the time that you've been under way, they both learned how to walk. So, they're getting all over, they're into everything. You're going to have your hands full, but they're just sweet.

J. KLEIN: So, are they in college yet?

S. KLEIN: Now, you can see...

J. KLEIN: Are they in college?

S. KLEIN: Not quite. No, no, not yet.

J. KLEIN: OK.

GUTIERREZ: Chief Klein, take a look at your son, Jeffrey. I guess the last time you saw him he was 4-months-old. He's 16-months- old right now. He's been out here since 5:30 in the morning Pacific Time, and I think he's just about had it. I think they want to go home.

J. KLEIN: Oh.

GUTIERREZ: That's Jeffrey in his true form, Daddy.

J. KLEIN: Well, a couple of hours.

GUTIERREZ: Welcome home.

J. KLEIN: Well, thanks. It's good to be home. It really has been a long cruise and a long separation.

GUTIERREZ: Your daughter, Ellen, is also here, 13-year-old Ellen.

Ellen, what would you like to say to your father?

ELLEN KLEIN, DAUGHTER OF JEFFREY KLEIN: I miss you and I love you and I'm glad you're coming home.

J. KLEIN: And you're going to baby-sit tonight, right?

GUTIERREZ: Spoken like a true 13-year-old. What?

J. KLEIN: And, Ellen, you're going to baby-sit tonight, right? She's going to baby-sit tonight, right?

GUTIERREZ: Oh, Ellen is -- you're baby-sitting tonight, right?

E. KLEIN: No.

GUTIERREZ: Is there anything else you'd like to say in closing?

S. KLEIN: Just hurry up. Just hurry off that ship and get here. We want to see you.

J. KLEIN: I can swim it.

S. KLEIN: Could you? I'd like that.

GUTIERREZ: All right, Shannon Klein, thanks so much.

S. KLEIN: Thank you.

GUTIERREZ: And now, here you can see that there are already hundreds of people gathered right behind me. They've brought signs, they've brought blankets, and they've brought plenty of sleepy children, who are now starting to get cranky, all waiting for all of these folks to get off the ship.

Frank -- back to you.

BUCKLEY: OK, Thelma, thanks very much. We want to thank Chief Klein. You're supposed to be one of these salty, no-emotion guys, but I can see you're getting...

J. KLEIN: Oh, I can tell you something, there isn't going to be a dry eye on the flight deck.

BUCKLEY: Yes.

J. KLEIN: There's not going to be a dry eye. Every single sailor is going to be up there with tears, I guarantee it.

BUCKLEY: All right, well, Chief, thanks very much.

J. KLEIN: Thank you very much. BUCKLEY: We really appreciate your time, sir.

J. KLEIN: Thank you.

BUCKLEY: Thanks for your service.

All right, that's just one of the happy reunions that we're getting to see in advance. It will be a great day on that pier in just a couple of hours -- Leon.

HARRIS: All right, keep an eye on Chief Klein. Do not let him jump overboard and start swimming yet, Frank. I'm sure he would like to. All right, we'll check back with you in a bit, OK?

All right, Frank Buckley aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.

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