Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Saddam Hussein in Custody Especially Welcome News at Fort Hood
Aired December 15, 2003 - 06:52 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: Saddam Hussein in custody was especially welcome news at Fort Hood, Texas, home of -- home base of the 4th Infantry Division. As you may know, it's troops from the 4th Infantry who get the credit for Saddam's capture.
And CNN's Ed Lavandera was at Fort Hood for the reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guess what? They caught Saddam.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even around Fort Hood, Texas...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They caught him.
LAVANDERA: Home of the 4th Infantry Division...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Early this morning they caught him.
LAVANDERA: The news didn't sink in right away. Some had to really spell it out for their friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saddam. Yes. Turn on the news.
LAVANDERA: Saddam Hussein's capture didn't make the Sunday newspapers, but television and word of mouth made sure everyone found out fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They caught Saddam.
LAVANDERA: Inside Fort Hood, thousands of soldiers were taking part in a 24 hour military exercise. Many said they didn't believe the news at first. They thought it was just part of the training scenario.
THOMAS METZ, U.S. ARMY: My aide de camp came in and said, "Sir, down in the joint operations center we're working the capture of Saddam Hussein" and I said, "Fine, thank you very much." And I asked my aide, is this game play or is this real, thinking his answer was going to be game play. And it was real.
LAVANDERA: There were eruptions of celebration across the post. SPEC. RON GREEN, U.S. ARMY: Well, at first I didn't believe it. I just rolled over and went back to sleep. But I got and everybody was in the hallway like, you know, yelling and doing stupid stuff.
LAVANDERA: When Saddam's haggard face appeared on television, former prisoner of war David Williams couldn't help but smile. Williams spent a month in Iraqi custody after his helicopter was shot down. He says it's a fitting ending to Saddam Hussein's life on the run, a man who once enjoyed living in luxurious castles found sharing a hole in the ground with rats.
CWO DAVID WILLIAMS, FORMER IRAQ POW: If you remember correctly, that's the way I looked when I came out of captivity. So he did get a taste of his own medicine and it made me feel good inside.
LAVANDERA (on camera): More than 16,000 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division have been deployed in Iraq since March. In those 10 months of duty, 41 soldiers from that group have died, a reminder, many here say, that capturing the ace of spades has come at a high price.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Fort Hood, Texas.
(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
Hood>
Aired December 15, 2003 - 06:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Saddam Hussein in custody was especially welcome news at Fort Hood, Texas, home of -- home base of the 4th Infantry Division. As you may know, it's troops from the 4th Infantry who get the credit for Saddam's capture.
And CNN's Ed Lavandera was at Fort Hood for the reaction.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Guess what? They caught Saddam.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even around Fort Hood, Texas...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They caught him.
LAVANDERA: Home of the 4th Infantry Division...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Early this morning they caught him.
LAVANDERA: The news didn't sink in right away. Some had to really spell it out for their friends.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saddam. Yes. Turn on the news.
LAVANDERA: Saddam Hussein's capture didn't make the Sunday newspapers, but television and word of mouth made sure everyone found out fast.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They caught Saddam.
LAVANDERA: Inside Fort Hood, thousands of soldiers were taking part in a 24 hour military exercise. Many said they didn't believe the news at first. They thought it was just part of the training scenario.
THOMAS METZ, U.S. ARMY: My aide de camp came in and said, "Sir, down in the joint operations center we're working the capture of Saddam Hussein" and I said, "Fine, thank you very much." And I asked my aide, is this game play or is this real, thinking his answer was going to be game play. And it was real.
LAVANDERA: There were eruptions of celebration across the post. SPEC. RON GREEN, U.S. ARMY: Well, at first I didn't believe it. I just rolled over and went back to sleep. But I got and everybody was in the hallway like, you know, yelling and doing stupid stuff.
LAVANDERA: When Saddam's haggard face appeared on television, former prisoner of war David Williams couldn't help but smile. Williams spent a month in Iraqi custody after his helicopter was shot down. He says it's a fitting ending to Saddam Hussein's life on the run, a man who once enjoyed living in luxurious castles found sharing a hole in the ground with rats.
CWO DAVID WILLIAMS, FORMER IRAQ POW: If you remember correctly, that's the way I looked when I came out of captivity. So he did get a taste of his own medicine and it made me feel good inside.
LAVANDERA (on camera): More than 16,000 soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division have been deployed in Iraq since March. In those 10 months of duty, 41 soldiers from that group have died, a reminder, many here say, that capturing the ace of spades has come at a high price.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Fort Hood, Texas.
(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
Hood>
