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American Morning

Interview With Gracia Burnham

Aired May 08, 2003 - 09:42   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: Well, it started as a romantic getaway for Martin and Gracia Burnham, American missionaries working in the Philippines, but the couple's 18th anniversary celebration suddenly became a hostage ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN BURNHAM, FORMER HOSTAGE: I, Martin Burnham, and my wife Gracia, both U.S. citizens, were taken as captives on May 27, 2001, at the Dos Palmas Beach Resort in Palawan by the Al Harakatul Islamiya, or the Abu Sayyaf group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The Burnhams were held in captivity for about a year in that jungle. Then, last June, a rescue by the U.S. military resulted in Gracia's release, but that same day, it resulted in Martin's death.

Gracia Burnham has spent much of the last year at home in Kansas with her three teenaged children writing her story. Her book is called "In the Presence of my Enemies." Yesterday I talked with Gracia, asked her about how often she thought she would die in that jungle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACIA BURNHAM, AUTHOR, "IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES": Every time the guns started blaring, that was always a surprise. Many times, though, the scouts that were out would come running back to camp and say pack up, pack up. And my heart would just race. That happened over and over and over.

HEMMER: When they said pack up, what did that mean to you?

G. BURNHAM: Sundalo (ph). They would say, "sundalo, sundalo (ph)," soldiers are coming, pack up, pack up. And our hearts would beat and we would start shoving things into our backpacks.

HEMMER: You were with your husband, I have to think at the time that relationship with Martin was absolutely critical to staying alive. Would you agree with that?

G. BURNHAM: Yes. It was always Martin that was the eternal optimist. He would say, when I was discouraged, Gracia, what would the kids say right now if could you call home, what would they say to you? And I knew they would say go one more day, and maybe we'll get out of here. HEMMER: What you can tell us about the day Martin lost his life?

G. BURNHAM: We had been about nine days without food. I didn't know a person could go that long without eating. So, we were worn down, we were tired. The elusive village where there was supposed to be a ransom for us was just over the ridge. We just couldn't find it.

And some soldiers saw our footprints, and had been following us. One of the unwritten rules was that we never fought in the rain, and it started to cloud up, so we stopped on a ridge and we put up our hammocks and put little shelters over them to keep the rain off. And Martin and I sat down in our hammock and prayed together, and we had just laid down for an afternoon nap, and the guns started blaring from the top of the hill and they had found us. I slid down the hill, it was already slippery from the rain, and I came to rest by Martin, and I looked over and he was bleeding from his chest, and I knew that wasn't good.

HEMMER: Did you have final words?

G. BURNHAM: No. I just laid there very quietly. He looked like he was in a deep sleep. He was just breathing heavily, almost snoring, and then suddenly he just got very heavy and I didn't really know what that meant. After the gun battle was all over and they were dragging me up the hill, I looked back and I saw that Martin was white and I knew then that he was dead.

HEMMER: Same day you got your freedom. An amazing irony after staying out in the jungle for so long.

During your captivity, you mentioned your kids earlier -- three teenagers living back in the U.S., were you able to communicate with them in any way during captivity?

G. BURNHAM: Well, several times, letters from them made their way into the jungle. I don't know how. But I think on three different occasions we got letters from the children, and I think a few times we snuck things out with hostages that were being released, so the kids would have something for us.

HEMMER: Well, you go from the jungles of the Philippines after an ordeal that a lot of people, frankly, would probably not have the strength to stand up the way you are today. How is your life today in Kansas?

G. BURNHAM: Life is very busy. I try to do anything, media or anything with the book while the kids are at school. I'm finding that my kids think that if there is a nice meal on the table and I'm home in the evening, everything is OK, and that is my goal is for the children to be OK.

HEMMER: Let me ask you a very trite the question, I don't know the answer here. As you look back, is there something -- is there a message, is there a lesson that you carry with you today?

G. BURNHAM: I think it's that the Lord is there for you no matter what you are going through. Don't wait until you get in big trouble to turn to the Lord, do it now so your faith is strong before something horrible happens to you, because that is what is going to carry you through.

HEMMER: I applaud your courage. Thanks for talking. Gracia Burnham in Wichita, Kansas.

G. BURNHAM: Thank you. Thank you.

HEMMER: Best of luck to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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 8, 2003 - 09:42   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it started as a romantic getaway for Martin and Gracia Burnham, American missionaries working in the Philippines, but the couple's 18th anniversary celebration suddenly became a hostage ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTIN BURNHAM, FORMER HOSTAGE: I, Martin Burnham, and my wife Gracia, both U.S. citizens, were taken as captives on May 27, 2001, at the Dos Palmas Beach Resort in Palawan by the Al Harakatul Islamiya, or the Abu Sayyaf group.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HEMMER: The Burnhams were held in captivity for about a year in that jungle. Then, last June, a rescue by the U.S. military resulted in Gracia's release, but that same day, it resulted in Martin's death.

Gracia Burnham has spent much of the last year at home in Kansas with her three teenaged children writing her story. Her book is called "In the Presence of my Enemies." Yesterday I talked with Gracia, asked her about how often she thought she would die in that jungle.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRACIA BURNHAM, AUTHOR, "IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES": Every time the guns started blaring, that was always a surprise. Many times, though, the scouts that were out would come running back to camp and say pack up, pack up. And my heart would just race. That happened over and over and over.

HEMMER: When they said pack up, what did that mean to you?

G. BURNHAM: Sundalo (ph). They would say, "sundalo, sundalo (ph)," soldiers are coming, pack up, pack up. And our hearts would beat and we would start shoving things into our backpacks.

HEMMER: You were with your husband, I have to think at the time that relationship with Martin was absolutely critical to staying alive. Would you agree with that?

G. BURNHAM: Yes. It was always Martin that was the eternal optimist. He would say, when I was discouraged, Gracia, what would the kids say right now if could you call home, what would they say to you? And I knew they would say go one more day, and maybe we'll get out of here. HEMMER: What you can tell us about the day Martin lost his life?

G. BURNHAM: We had been about nine days without food. I didn't know a person could go that long without eating. So, we were worn down, we were tired. The elusive village where there was supposed to be a ransom for us was just over the ridge. We just couldn't find it.

And some soldiers saw our footprints, and had been following us. One of the unwritten rules was that we never fought in the rain, and it started to cloud up, so we stopped on a ridge and we put up our hammocks and put little shelters over them to keep the rain off. And Martin and I sat down in our hammock and prayed together, and we had just laid down for an afternoon nap, and the guns started blaring from the top of the hill and they had found us. I slid down the hill, it was already slippery from the rain, and I came to rest by Martin, and I looked over and he was bleeding from his chest, and I knew that wasn't good.

HEMMER: Did you have final words?

G. BURNHAM: No. I just laid there very quietly. He looked like he was in a deep sleep. He was just breathing heavily, almost snoring, and then suddenly he just got very heavy and I didn't really know what that meant. After the gun battle was all over and they were dragging me up the hill, I looked back and I saw that Martin was white and I knew then that he was dead.

HEMMER: Same day you got your freedom. An amazing irony after staying out in the jungle for so long.

During your captivity, you mentioned your kids earlier -- three teenagers living back in the U.S., were you able to communicate with them in any way during captivity?

G. BURNHAM: Well, several times, letters from them made their way into the jungle. I don't know how. But I think on three different occasions we got letters from the children, and I think a few times we snuck things out with hostages that were being released, so the kids would have something for us.

HEMMER: Well, you go from the jungles of the Philippines after an ordeal that a lot of people, frankly, would probably not have the strength to stand up the way you are today. How is your life today in Kansas?

G. BURNHAM: Life is very busy. I try to do anything, media or anything with the book while the kids are at school. I'm finding that my kids think that if there is a nice meal on the table and I'm home in the evening, everything is OK, and that is my goal is for the children to be OK.

HEMMER: Let me ask you a very trite the question, I don't know the answer here. As you look back, is there something -- is there a message, is there a lesson that you carry with you today?

G. BURNHAM: I think it's that the Lord is there for you no matter what you are going through. Don't wait until you get in big trouble to turn to the Lord, do it now so your faith is strong before something horrible happens to you, because that is what is going to carry you through.

HEMMER: I applaud your courage. Thanks for talking. Gracia Burnham in Wichita, Kansas.

G. BURNHAM: Thank you. Thank you.

HEMMER: Best of luck to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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