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CNN Live Today

Families' Pride

Aired December 16, 2003 - 10:35   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: We're going to get a different perspective right now on the capture of Saddam Hussein. The news and the pictures of Saddam in custody sent shockwaves around the world. And the news and impact was especially strong at Fort Hood, Texas, home to the 4th Infantry soldiers who nabbed Saddam. Some of those troops delivered the news of the capture to their families personally. They phoned home from Iraq.
We are joined now by the wives of the soldiers in the operation. That's Roxanne Buss and Linda Odierno.

Ladies, good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

KAGAN: A little windy out there, so let's just get right to it.

Roxanne, let's start with you. Tell me the phone call home. It's came from your husband, I want to get his name, the command sergeant major Charles Buss.

ROXANNE FUSS, WIFE OF 4TH ID SOLDIER: Well, he called me 8:00 in the morning Sunday morning, and asked if I had heard the news, and I was ecstatic. It was a great feeling. He was very proud, as all of we are, for all the soldiers, and all the hard work that they did. The conversation was very short.

KAGAN: Honey, guess what I did at work today? I captured Saddam. And we have Linda Odierno as well. Her husband, many people recognize, he is on the right there,and on the left was Roxanne's husband, Charles. But that's Major General Ray Odierno, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, and, Linda, it was your husband, who people watched all around the world on Sunday during, deliver the news of Saddam's capture and how it actually took place.

LINDA ODIERNO, WIFE OF 4TH ID SOLDIER: Right.

KAGAN: And we actually have a little bit of the news conference. I want to play a little bit so people can have an oh, yes, moment, that is the commander. So let's listen in for just a second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. RAY ODIERNO, U.S. ARMY: We tried to work through family and tribal ties that might have been close to Saddam Hussein. So there's a lot of people that were involved in this. As we continue to conduct raids and capture people, we got more and more information on the families that were somewhat close to Saddam Hussein.

Over the last 10 days or so, we brought in about five to 10 members of these families who then were able to give us even more information, and finally, we got the ultimate information from one of these individuals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well speaking of family, Linda, tell us your sense of pride when you see your husband on the tube like that, talking about the capture of Saddam Hussein.

ODIERNO: I'm always so very proud of him, and I'm so very proud of all the troops of 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Iron Horse. And I'm so relieved that no one was injured or killed in the mission, and we're just so happy and relieved, and so relieved for the world.

KAGAN: Have you had a chance to talk to your husband since the capture?

ODIERNO: Yes, I have. The first time he called, I was at a wedding in Lubbock, Texas for my cousin, and I heard from him, and he told me, turn the TV on, I have to go. So I turned the TV on, and I just couldn't believe the breaking news, and I just felt so much pride for 4th Infantry Division, and the history that they have created and a new chapter in the history of the 4th Infantry Division.

KAGAN: Roxanne give us a sense of what this news and accomplishment have meant for the families that are still back at Fort Hood, to the morale?

FUSS: Oh, morale is very high, of course, but for the families and I can imagine just for the soldiers. But you know, just watching the families here at Fort Hood and throughout the city has been phenomenal. It's a great sense of accomplishment, and we could not have asked for a better Christmas gift.

KAGAN: And hats off to the families that are behind, because it is so difficult to be the ones left behind. How long has it been since you've seen your husbands in person?

FUSS: Since march.

KAGAN: It's been march.

And same for you, Linda?

ODIERNO: Yes, he left 1 April.

KAGAN: And, any word on when they might be home?

ODIERNO: Probably mid-April.

KAGAN: So you're talking a year without seeing your husbands? ODIERNO: Right.

KAGAN: A sacrifice you make as military wives and military families, and we just like to say thank you for that sacrifice. And thank you for taking the time to talk with us from Fort Hood.

ODIERNO: Thank you.

FUSS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Go ahead, I'm sorry -- go ahead.

ODIERNO: We're proud to support our husbands, and as spouses, we all stick together, and we just say a lot of prayers, and we want to thank you everyone for their support.

KAGAN: Well, very good, we wish you happy holidays, ladies, and I know it will be one spent away from your husbands, so it won't be the easiest, but we appreciate your time and service to the country.

ODIERNO: Thank you.

FUSS: Thank you.

KAGAN: And they say thank you in harmony, too. Roxanne Fuss and Linda Odierno, their husbands part of the 4th Infantry who captured Saddam Hussein.

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 December 16, 2003 - 10:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to get a different perspective right now on the capture of Saddam Hussein. The news and the pictures of Saddam in custody sent shockwaves around the world. And the news and impact was especially strong at Fort Hood, Texas, home to the 4th Infantry soldiers who nabbed Saddam. Some of those troops delivered the news of the capture to their families personally. They phoned home from Iraq.
We are joined now by the wives of the soldiers in the operation. That's Roxanne Buss and Linda Odierno.

Ladies, good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

KAGAN: A little windy out there, so let's just get right to it.

Roxanne, let's start with you. Tell me the phone call home. It's came from your husband, I want to get his name, the command sergeant major Charles Buss.

ROXANNE FUSS, WIFE OF 4TH ID SOLDIER: Well, he called me 8:00 in the morning Sunday morning, and asked if I had heard the news, and I was ecstatic. It was a great feeling. He was very proud, as all of we are, for all the soldiers, and all the hard work that they did. The conversation was very short.

KAGAN: Honey, guess what I did at work today? I captured Saddam. And we have Linda Odierno as well. Her husband, many people recognize, he is on the right there,and on the left was Roxanne's husband, Charles. But that's Major General Ray Odierno, the commander of the 4th Infantry Division, and, Linda, it was your husband, who people watched all around the world on Sunday during, deliver the news of Saddam's capture and how it actually took place.

LINDA ODIERNO, WIFE OF 4TH ID SOLDIER: Right.

KAGAN: And we actually have a little bit of the news conference. I want to play a little bit so people can have an oh, yes, moment, that is the commander. So let's listen in for just a second.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. RAY ODIERNO, U.S. ARMY: We tried to work through family and tribal ties that might have been close to Saddam Hussein. So there's a lot of people that were involved in this. As we continue to conduct raids and capture people, we got more and more information on the families that were somewhat close to Saddam Hussein.

Over the last 10 days or so, we brought in about five to 10 members of these families who then were able to give us even more information, and finally, we got the ultimate information from one of these individuals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Well speaking of family, Linda, tell us your sense of pride when you see your husband on the tube like that, talking about the capture of Saddam Hussein.

ODIERNO: I'm always so very proud of him, and I'm so very proud of all the troops of 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Iron Horse. And I'm so relieved that no one was injured or killed in the mission, and we're just so happy and relieved, and so relieved for the world.

KAGAN: Have you had a chance to talk to your husband since the capture?

ODIERNO: Yes, I have. The first time he called, I was at a wedding in Lubbock, Texas for my cousin, and I heard from him, and he told me, turn the TV on, I have to go. So I turned the TV on, and I just couldn't believe the breaking news, and I just felt so much pride for 4th Infantry Division, and the history that they have created and a new chapter in the history of the 4th Infantry Division.

KAGAN: Roxanne give us a sense of what this news and accomplishment have meant for the families that are still back at Fort Hood, to the morale?

FUSS: Oh, morale is very high, of course, but for the families and I can imagine just for the soldiers. But you know, just watching the families here at Fort Hood and throughout the city has been phenomenal. It's a great sense of accomplishment, and we could not have asked for a better Christmas gift.

KAGAN: And hats off to the families that are behind, because it is so difficult to be the ones left behind. How long has it been since you've seen your husbands in person?

FUSS: Since march.

KAGAN: It's been march.

And same for you, Linda?

ODIERNO: Yes, he left 1 April.

KAGAN: And, any word on when they might be home?

ODIERNO: Probably mid-April.

KAGAN: So you're talking a year without seeing your husbands? ODIERNO: Right.

KAGAN: A sacrifice you make as military wives and military families, and we just like to say thank you for that sacrifice. And thank you for taking the time to talk with us from Fort Hood.

ODIERNO: Thank you.

FUSS: Thank you.

KAGAN: Go ahead, I'm sorry -- go ahead.

ODIERNO: We're proud to support our husbands, and as spouses, we all stick together, and we just say a lot of prayers, and we want to thank you everyone for their support.

KAGAN: Well, very good, we wish you happy holidays, ladies, and I know it will be one spent away from your husbands, so it won't be the easiest, but we appreciate your time and service to the country.

ODIERNO: Thank you.

FUSS: Thank you.

KAGAN: And they say thank you in harmony, too. Roxanne Fuss and Linda Odierno, their husbands part of the 4th Infantry who captured Saddam Hussein.

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