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CNN Live At Daybreak

Feast, Fun with Troops in Iraq

Aired November 27, 2003 - 06:33   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: While you chow down at grandma's table today, some U.S. troops in Iraq will be feasting in one of Saddam's palace dining rooms. How's that for Thanksgiving Day if you've got to be in Iraq?
Live to Tikrit now for a look at the holiday feast and fun there. Our Alphonso Van Marsh is with the troops.

Good morning and happy Thanksgiving.

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Happy Thanksgiving to you, where some 3,500 U.S. service members are serving in the Tikrit area.

Now, these troops worked up a hunger and appetite this morning, running a 5K turkey trot. That's a race through one of Saddam Hussein's former palace complexes, organized by the U.S. military.

Now, the interesting thing out here is some of these troops are actually going to be getting their Thanksgiving dinner on Saddam Hussein's fine china.

Ryan (ph) here at Radar Base -- that is a former Saddam place, now turned into a United States military base -- will actually be taking some of Saddam Hussein's fine silver and china and serving up turkey and crabs legs and ham and all sorts of other things. So, the former Iraqi leader may be gone, but some of the finer things in his life are still here and of use to U.S. troops -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, who is cooking the meal? Is it just the usual people?

VAN MARSH: Well, no, it's not the usual people. When we first arrived here, there was a sort of contractor cooking up all the meals.

But the U.S. military says it's important that family serves family. In this sense, what is going on is U.S. service members, the kitchen patrol, the K.P., they are cooking up turkeys and hams and crabs legs and anything else you can possibly imagine is definitely on the buffet table today.

They say it's important that the U.S. military provides for and show that they're family with their own, and that certainly seems to be case here in Tikrit -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Alphonso, many thanks, and you try to have a happy Thanksgiving out there. 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 27, 2003 - 06:33   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: While you chow down at grandma's table today, some U.S. troops in Iraq will be feasting in one of Saddam's palace dining rooms. How's that for Thanksgiving Day if you've got to be in Iraq?
Live to Tikrit now for a look at the holiday feast and fun there. Our Alphonso Van Marsh is with the troops.

Good morning and happy Thanksgiving.

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Happy Thanksgiving to you, where some 3,500 U.S. service members are serving in the Tikrit area.

Now, these troops worked up a hunger and appetite this morning, running a 5K turkey trot. That's a race through one of Saddam Hussein's former palace complexes, organized by the U.S. military.

Now, the interesting thing out here is some of these troops are actually going to be getting their Thanksgiving dinner on Saddam Hussein's fine china.

Ryan (ph) here at Radar Base -- that is a former Saddam place, now turned into a United States military base -- will actually be taking some of Saddam Hussein's fine silver and china and serving up turkey and crabs legs and ham and all sorts of other things. So, the former Iraqi leader may be gone, but some of the finer things in his life are still here and of use to U.S. troops -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So, who is cooking the meal? Is it just the usual people?

VAN MARSH: Well, no, it's not the usual people. When we first arrived here, there was a sort of contractor cooking up all the meals.

But the U.S. military says it's important that family serves family. In this sense, what is going on is U.S. service members, the kitchen patrol, the K.P., they are cooking up turkeys and hams and crabs legs and anything else you can possibly imagine is definitely on the buffet table today.

They say it's important that the U.S. military provides for and show that they're family with their own, and that certainly seems to be case here in Tikrit -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, Alphonso, many thanks, and you try to have a happy Thanksgiving out there. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.