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Marines Returning From Iraq Aboard USS Nassau

Aired May 26, 2003 - 10:34   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: Near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, families are at the shoreline and looking to the horizon, awaiting the arrival of ships ferrying their loved ones from the USS Nassau. Twenty-three hundred Marines and sailors are being reunited this morning after a nine-month deployment that included war and the weekend loss of two shipmates.
CNN's Gary Tuchman is at Camp Lejeune, where one Marine has just seen his newborn baby for the first time. We got a little preview but tell us more -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We will tell you more, Carol. Speaking of the horizon, we want to give you a look at the horizon right now, and that is one of the three amphibious ships that is bringing back 2,300 Marines. There is the USS Tortuga. There is also the Austin that is out there, and the Nassau. That is where my colleague Frank Buckley is right now, on the Nassau.

But 2,300 Marines coming back, including this Marine right here. This is Sergeant David Dial, who is seeing his newborn son Logan for the very first time, and this is his wife Sandy. Sergeant, welcome back to the United States after nine months away.

SGT. DAVID DIAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS.: Good to be here.

TUCHMAN: And tell me -- we met your son before you did, I'm sorry to say, but now that you see him, tell me how you are feeling about it.

D. DIAL: I'm feeling good. Glad to be home to see him.

TUCHMAN: Now, how did you find out that he was even born? It wasn't through your wife.

D. DIAL: Red Cross message. She sent it through the Red Cross and they told the chain of command and my platoon commander told me at dinner.

TUCHMAN: So your platoon commander told you you had a baby son, and you must have been thinking, I have got to get home.

D. DIAL: Well, best I could do was a phone call. They gave me a phone call.

TUCHMAN: You were away for nine months. You were married one month before you left. Your wife was pregnant the whole time, gave birth. Sandy, how hard has this been for you? SANDY DIAL, WIFE OF SGT. DAVID DIAL: It's been tough, being by yourself, but with friends and family, it will get you through it.

TUCHMAN: And when you saw your husband come off of the landing craft -- the ship docks out there, you got on a landing craft, you come to the beach, tell me how you felt as you were carrying your baby to him, and letting him see your baby for the first time?

S. DIAL: It was exciting. Very exciting.

TUCHMAN: What's first thing you are going to do? You live in Noonan, Georgia, which is south of Atlanta, Georgia. What are you going to do when you get home?

D. DIAL: Sit around with the baby and relax for a little while.

TUCHMAN: And what's next on your agenda?

D. DIAL: Next thing is October, I have got D.I. school, Parris Island, South Carolina.

TUCHMAN: You are going to be a drill instructor.

D. DIAL: Yes, sir.

TUCHMAN: Well, I want to welcome you home, Sergeant. Thank you very much. Shouldn't be shaking my hand, you are going to drop the baby. No, I'm just kidding.

Nice to meet you. Best wishes to all of you. You can tell I am father, too, right? He won't drop the baby, I promise. A good father, and he has only been a father in person for the last 25 minutes. So there you are.

COSTELLO: Gary, give the guy a break.

TUCHMAN: I'll cut him a break. No question. Twenty-three hundred other people coming home today -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. Gary Tuchman, many thanks. Logan is kind of angry. He wants to go home right now. Gary Tuchman, thank you.

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 26, 2003 - 10:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Near Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, families are at the shoreline and looking to the horizon, awaiting the arrival of ships ferrying their loved ones from the USS Nassau. Twenty-three hundred Marines and sailors are being reunited this morning after a nine-month deployment that included war and the weekend loss of two shipmates.
CNN's Gary Tuchman is at Camp Lejeune, where one Marine has just seen his newborn baby for the first time. We got a little preview but tell us more -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We will tell you more, Carol. Speaking of the horizon, we want to give you a look at the horizon right now, and that is one of the three amphibious ships that is bringing back 2,300 Marines. There is the USS Tortuga. There is also the Austin that is out there, and the Nassau. That is where my colleague Frank Buckley is right now, on the Nassau.

But 2,300 Marines coming back, including this Marine right here. This is Sergeant David Dial, who is seeing his newborn son Logan for the very first time, and this is his wife Sandy. Sergeant, welcome back to the United States after nine months away.

SGT. DAVID DIAL, U.S. MARINE CORPS.: Good to be here.

TUCHMAN: And tell me -- we met your son before you did, I'm sorry to say, but now that you see him, tell me how you are feeling about it.

D. DIAL: I'm feeling good. Glad to be home to see him.

TUCHMAN: Now, how did you find out that he was even born? It wasn't through your wife.

D. DIAL: Red Cross message. She sent it through the Red Cross and they told the chain of command and my platoon commander told me at dinner.

TUCHMAN: So your platoon commander told you you had a baby son, and you must have been thinking, I have got to get home.

D. DIAL: Well, best I could do was a phone call. They gave me a phone call.

TUCHMAN: You were away for nine months. You were married one month before you left. Your wife was pregnant the whole time, gave birth. Sandy, how hard has this been for you? SANDY DIAL, WIFE OF SGT. DAVID DIAL: It's been tough, being by yourself, but with friends and family, it will get you through it.

TUCHMAN: And when you saw your husband come off of the landing craft -- the ship docks out there, you got on a landing craft, you come to the beach, tell me how you felt as you were carrying your baby to him, and letting him see your baby for the first time?

S. DIAL: It was exciting. Very exciting.

TUCHMAN: What's first thing you are going to do? You live in Noonan, Georgia, which is south of Atlanta, Georgia. What are you going to do when you get home?

D. DIAL: Sit around with the baby and relax for a little while.

TUCHMAN: And what's next on your agenda?

D. DIAL: Next thing is October, I have got D.I. school, Parris Island, South Carolina.

TUCHMAN: You are going to be a drill instructor.

D. DIAL: Yes, sir.

TUCHMAN: Well, I want to welcome you home, Sergeant. Thank you very much. Shouldn't be shaking my hand, you are going to drop the baby. No, I'm just kidding.

Nice to meet you. Best wishes to all of you. You can tell I am father, too, right? He won't drop the baby, I promise. A good father, and he has only been a father in person for the last 25 minutes. So there you are.

COSTELLO: Gary, give the guy a break.

TUCHMAN: I'll cut him a break. No question. Twenty-three hundred other people coming home today -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: All right. Gary Tuchman, many thanks. Logan is kind of angry. He wants to go home right now. Gary Tuchman, thank you.

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