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American Morning

Some Members of Army's 3rd Infantry Division Waking Up at Home

Aired August 08, 2003 - 07:34   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.


HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're going to move on at this time, though, to talk a little bit more about the Army. Some members of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division are waking up at home this morning after returning yesterday from Iraq. The entire division is scheduled to be home by the end of September.
Brian Cabell is live in Fort Stewart, Georgia with the story of one family's reunion -- hi, Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

You know, we've been hearing about serious morale problems within the 3rd Infantry Division over the last several weeks. These are soldiers, some of them, who've been over there for almost a year. They've been involved in some of the heaviest fighting. Their return home has been delayed several times. But now, as you say, they are coming home. Three hundred came home yesterday, 2,500 in the next few days.

If they've had problems, apparently they left them in Iraq, from what we've seen. Home and family can do wonders for a soldier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TINA HILTON: Any minute now those buses are going to be coming down there and that's when you're going to know your daddy is here.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: OK.

TINA HILTON: All right? Your daddy will be on one of those white buses.

CABELL (voice-over): Tina Hilton (ph) and her three children have waited 11 months for the buses to show up and finally they do, packed with soldiers fresh from Iraq. And then the soldiers themselves appear. They can't see him yet, but they know that Sergeant Kevin Hilton is out there, these 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade.

These men battled their way to Baghdad and beyond. Thirty-eight of their fellow soldiers died in Iraq. The ret, weary and homesick, are finally starting to come back.

At first, Tina can't find her husband.

TINA HILTON: Sergeant Hilton! Sergeant Hilton! CABELL: He seems lost in the crowd. Is he even there? Yes, he is. This reunion, the soldiers and families have been told, will be wonderful. But they've also been warned that sometimes the adjustment from war back to a normal life might be difficult. Sergeant Hilton says no, he'll be fine.

SGT. KEVIN HILTON: No, not really. I mean I've been through a deployment before and my wife's handled it pretty good. So I'll just come home and just be quiet.

TINA HILTON: And ease back in.

KEVIN HILTON: And ease back in.

CABELL: He's got a big house, a soft bed and a family, including a nine month old daughter whom he'd never seen, to help him ease back in.

KEVIN HILTON: I've got my 20 years in and deployments like this, it is make or break a family. So my family stood by me for a long time, now it's time for me to give the time back to them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL: Ms. Hilton was warned beforehand that her husband might be changed when he got back, that he would be extremely tired, that he might not feel like doing anything. His son wanted to play soccer with dad when he got home. He asked him and dad said, "Sure, let's go home and let's play." So they're doing fine -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Oh, oh, you've got to love that.

All right, Brian Cabell in Fort Stewart, Georgia, thanks so much.

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Aired August 8, 2003 - 07:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, we're going to move on at this time, though, to talk a little bit more about the Army. Some members of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division are waking up at home this morning after returning yesterday from Iraq. The entire division is scheduled to be home by the end of September.
Brian Cabell is live in Fort Stewart, Georgia with the story of one family's reunion -- hi, Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

You know, we've been hearing about serious morale problems within the 3rd Infantry Division over the last several weeks. These are soldiers, some of them, who've been over there for almost a year. They've been involved in some of the heaviest fighting. Their return home has been delayed several times. But now, as you say, they are coming home. Three hundred came home yesterday, 2,500 in the next few days.

If they've had problems, apparently they left them in Iraq, from what we've seen. Home and family can do wonders for a soldier.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TINA HILTON: Any minute now those buses are going to be coming down there and that's when you're going to know your daddy is here.

UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: OK.

TINA HILTON: All right? Your daddy will be on one of those white buses.

CABELL (voice-over): Tina Hilton (ph) and her three children have waited 11 months for the buses to show up and finally they do, packed with soldiers fresh from Iraq. And then the soldiers themselves appear. They can't see him yet, but they know that Sergeant Kevin Hilton is out there, these 3rd Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade.

These men battled their way to Baghdad and beyond. Thirty-eight of their fellow soldiers died in Iraq. The ret, weary and homesick, are finally starting to come back.

At first, Tina can't find her husband.

TINA HILTON: Sergeant Hilton! Sergeant Hilton! CABELL: He seems lost in the crowd. Is he even there? Yes, he is. This reunion, the soldiers and families have been told, will be wonderful. But they've also been warned that sometimes the adjustment from war back to a normal life might be difficult. Sergeant Hilton says no, he'll be fine.

SGT. KEVIN HILTON: No, not really. I mean I've been through a deployment before and my wife's handled it pretty good. So I'll just come home and just be quiet.

TINA HILTON: And ease back in.

KEVIN HILTON: And ease back in.

CABELL: He's got a big house, a soft bed and a family, including a nine month old daughter whom he'd never seen, to help him ease back in.

KEVIN HILTON: I've got my 20 years in and deployments like this, it is make or break a family. So my family stood by me for a long time, now it's time for me to give the time back to them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL: Ms. Hilton was warned beforehand that her husband might be changed when he got back, that he would be extremely tired, that he might not feel like doing anything. His son wanted to play soccer with dad when he got home. He asked him and dad said, "Sure, let's go home and let's play." So they're doing fine -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Oh, oh, you've got to love that.

All right, Brian Cabell in Fort Stewart, Georgia, thanks so much.

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




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