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CNN Live Today

Home From War

Aired November 05, 2003 - 11:09   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: Let's put a smile on our face for a change here. The USS Nimitz, the battle group is returning home from war duty in Iraq. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley has some anxious and excited family members with him near San Diego.
Frank, good morning.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

With all that discussion about the ongoing casualties in Iraq, a homecoming always an emotional moment, that much more poignant for these folks. Let me show you the view of the USS Nimitz as it entered San Diego Bay. It's just a few minutes away from docking at Juliet pier. Once that ship pulls alongside the pier, the sailors onboard will be greeted by thousands of folks who are here to see them, to give them that hug them that hug they've been waiting to give them for eight months. And the man bringing them home safely is the commanding officer Captain Robert Gilman.

Captain, thank you very much for joining us by phone from the bridge of that ship.

CPT. ROBERT GILMAN, USS GILMAN COMMANDING OFFICER: Good morning. It's great to be with you. I have got 5,000 absolutely excited sailors beyond belief, and we're only 20, 30 minutes away.

BUCKLEY: Sir, we've been talking here in the United States about all of the on going conflict in Iraq. Given that, does that take away from the specialness of today or affect morale at all?

GILMAN: Well, families we know are only minutes away, and that's the No. 1 priority in our minds. But certainly, we keep close in touch with what's going on in the Persian Gulf and in Iraq. So it's just something that's there that we know is part of our duty. But these young men and women on the flight deck are so proud of the last eight months and what they've done. That's the No. 1 thing right now.

BUCKLEY: And we should tell our viewers that on board an aircraft carrier or any other U.S. Navy warship, that a captain has the status of a God. He almost seems beyond human, but all of these folks are human, including the captain of a ship. And you have a wife and daughter named Megan. And we have your wife here, Eliza.

Mrs. Gilman I want you -- if you wouldn't mind, we're going to intrude as you speak to the captain here. We'll let you look at the captain and say hello.

ELIZA GILMAN, WIFE OF CAPT. GILMAN: Hi, Bob! Welcome home. Can't wait to see you.

R. GILMAN: It's great to be there. About 10 minutes you will be able to see us, if you can't already, but we're just around the corner.

E. GILMAN: OK. Really looking forward to it. Ad just so proud here of all the family members, and family support group, and the ombudsman, everything they've done to support the crew and just so proud of you.

R. GILMAN: They did. They did a fabulous job for us.

BUCKLEY: Let me ask you both, captain, you've been in the Navy for 26 years. Ma'am, you've been the wife of a Navy man for 26 years. Does it get any easier?

E. GILMAN: It's a tough thing. But I'm so proud of my husband, and again, very proud of the crew and the sailors have worked so hard, and they've done so many accomplishments out there.

BUCKLEY: Captain, how about you?

R. GILMAN: The deployments are always tough, each and every one of them, No. 1., and I have done nine. This is my ninth. But each homecoming is very special, and these young folks are proud, and I'm proud of them.

BUCKLEY: Captain, I'll ask you, every crew there are special memories. Any there any special memories for you? I'll ask the same question to Mrs. Gilman as well. Any special memories, things that will stick out for you on this deployment?

R. GILMAN: Well, just the safety record and our accomplishments. My soundbite kind of was it's a marathon, and there's certainly days when you're stressed and you think, can I do this? But the crew rose to the occasion and they met that challenge, and they did it very, very well,and that's the thing I'm going to remember.

E. GILMAN: For me, again, I'd say it's all the support I have had and all the support we've all stuck together, the family support group and all of us pulling together. It's made an awesome cruise for us.

BUCKLEY: Eliza Gilman and Robert Gilman, thank you both very much for letting us join you. Captain, we'll see you in a few minutes when you get back here to Juliette Pier.

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 November 5, 2003 - 11:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's put a smile on our face for a change here. The USS Nimitz, the battle group is returning home from war duty in Iraq. Our national correspondent Frank Buckley has some anxious and excited family members with him near San Diego.
Frank, good morning.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

With all that discussion about the ongoing casualties in Iraq, a homecoming always an emotional moment, that much more poignant for these folks. Let me show you the view of the USS Nimitz as it entered San Diego Bay. It's just a few minutes away from docking at Juliet pier. Once that ship pulls alongside the pier, the sailors onboard will be greeted by thousands of folks who are here to see them, to give them that hug them that hug they've been waiting to give them for eight months. And the man bringing them home safely is the commanding officer Captain Robert Gilman.

Captain, thank you very much for joining us by phone from the bridge of that ship.

CPT. ROBERT GILMAN, USS GILMAN COMMANDING OFFICER: Good morning. It's great to be with you. I have got 5,000 absolutely excited sailors beyond belief, and we're only 20, 30 minutes away.

BUCKLEY: Sir, we've been talking here in the United States about all of the on going conflict in Iraq. Given that, does that take away from the specialness of today or affect morale at all?

GILMAN: Well, families we know are only minutes away, and that's the No. 1 priority in our minds. But certainly, we keep close in touch with what's going on in the Persian Gulf and in Iraq. So it's just something that's there that we know is part of our duty. But these young men and women on the flight deck are so proud of the last eight months and what they've done. That's the No. 1 thing right now.

BUCKLEY: And we should tell our viewers that on board an aircraft carrier or any other U.S. Navy warship, that a captain has the status of a God. He almost seems beyond human, but all of these folks are human, including the captain of a ship. And you have a wife and daughter named Megan. And we have your wife here, Eliza.

Mrs. Gilman I want you -- if you wouldn't mind, we're going to intrude as you speak to the captain here. We'll let you look at the captain and say hello.

ELIZA GILMAN, WIFE OF CAPT. GILMAN: Hi, Bob! Welcome home. Can't wait to see you.

R. GILMAN: It's great to be there. About 10 minutes you will be able to see us, if you can't already, but we're just around the corner.

E. GILMAN: OK. Really looking forward to it. Ad just so proud here of all the family members, and family support group, and the ombudsman, everything they've done to support the crew and just so proud of you.

R. GILMAN: They did. They did a fabulous job for us.

BUCKLEY: Let me ask you both, captain, you've been in the Navy for 26 years. Ma'am, you've been the wife of a Navy man for 26 years. Does it get any easier?

E. GILMAN: It's a tough thing. But I'm so proud of my husband, and again, very proud of the crew and the sailors have worked so hard, and they've done so many accomplishments out there.

BUCKLEY: Captain, how about you?

R. GILMAN: The deployments are always tough, each and every one of them, No. 1., and I have done nine. This is my ninth. But each homecoming is very special, and these young folks are proud, and I'm proud of them.

BUCKLEY: Captain, I'll ask you, every crew there are special memories. Any there any special memories for you? I'll ask the same question to Mrs. Gilman as well. Any special memories, things that will stick out for you on this deployment?

R. GILMAN: Well, just the safety record and our accomplishments. My soundbite kind of was it's a marathon, and there's certainly days when you're stressed and you think, can I do this? But the crew rose to the occasion and they met that challenge, and they did it very, very well,and that's the thing I'm going to remember.

E. GILMAN: For me, again, I'd say it's all the support I have had and all the support we've all stuck together, the family support group and all of us pulling together. It's made an awesome cruise for us.

BUCKLEY: Eliza Gilman and Robert Gilman, thank you both very much for letting us join you. Captain, we'll see you in a few minutes when you get back here to Juliette Pier.

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