Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Prize Catch in Iraq

Aired January 01, 2004 - 06:35   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to Iraq now. An Army colonel serving in Iraq is known for running toward gunfire when attacked, keeping an Arabian falcon as a pet, and speaking four languages. But Colonel James Hickey is best remembered for what he did on a recent Saturday night.
CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Colonel James Hickey, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade, is visiting his soldiers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes me feel good that he cares about us.

VAN MARSH: That's Hickey celebrating with his troops moments after Saddam's capture on December.

COL. JAMES HICKEY, U.S. ARMY: I collected them together. I simply told the soldiers what we had done and the significance of what we had accomplished, not only in terms of the mission here, but in terms of Army history.

VAN MARSH: That history making photographers fawn over the colonel from Chicago when he returned to where troops found Saddam.

HICKEY: It's a little bit embarrassing, I guess.

VAN MARSH: The colonel speaks Russian, French and German, but in English he has a reputation for talking tough.

(on camera): Some of your troops would describe you as being old school. What do you think they mean?

HICKEY: I think I'm a little bit old fashioned about doing things in an Army way.

VAN MARSH (voice-over): But the man who keeps an Arabian falcon...

HICKEY: Well, that's Sky Raider. He's quite an animal.

VAN MARSH: ... and who's known for jumping out of his Humvee toward gunfire when under attack...

HICKEY: Given that particular situation, that was a prudent thing to do.

VAN MARSH: ... is near the end of his mission here. While he may be remembered for night raids that led to Saddam's capture, his troops face criticism for fencing off entire communities, like Al-Aja (ph), to allegedly catch a relatively few suspected Saddam loyalists. Inside, men forced to carry identity cards say U.S.-imposed curfews are humiliating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We can't go to the hospital. It's not allowed. Students can't go to school. It's not allowed. If someone comes to visit, they have to stay overnight because of a curfew. Why? What's the reason? We don't have a problem with the Americans.

VAN MARSH: Hickey's show-of-force attacks on empty buildings and U.S. demolitions of Saddam loyalist family homes have brought comparisons to the way the Israeli military has dealt with the Palestinian uprising.

HICKEY: I don't accept those comparisons. We use our force in a very discriminating way, focused towards specific, legitimate military targets. The attacks against coalition forces since November are down dramatically.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAN MARSH: Now, Colonel Hickey faces a challenge before his troops are expected to return home in the spring: how to keep his forces motivated when the highlight of their mission -- catching Saddam Hussein -- has come and gone -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Boy, you're not kidding. That would be a tough one.

So, when is Colonel Hickey going to head home for good? And will he retire?

VAN MARSH: Well, I'm sure retirement is probably a little far off for the colonel. At this point, we do know that the troops are expected to return home sometime in the spring. An exact date has not been announced -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I should have known that answer was coming. Alphonso Van Marsh reporting live from Tikrit, Iraq, this morning.

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 January 1, 2004 - 06:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: On to Iraq now. An Army colonel serving in Iraq is known for running toward gunfire when attacked, keeping an Arabian falcon as a pet, and speaking four languages. But Colonel James Hickey is best remembered for what he did on a recent Saturday night.
CNN's Alphonso Van Marsh has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Colonel James Hickey, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 1st Brigade, is visiting his soldiers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It makes me feel good that he cares about us.

VAN MARSH: That's Hickey celebrating with his troops moments after Saddam's capture on December.

COL. JAMES HICKEY, U.S. ARMY: I collected them together. I simply told the soldiers what we had done and the significance of what we had accomplished, not only in terms of the mission here, but in terms of Army history.

VAN MARSH: That history making photographers fawn over the colonel from Chicago when he returned to where troops found Saddam.

HICKEY: It's a little bit embarrassing, I guess.

VAN MARSH: The colonel speaks Russian, French and German, but in English he has a reputation for talking tough.

(on camera): Some of your troops would describe you as being old school. What do you think they mean?

HICKEY: I think I'm a little bit old fashioned about doing things in an Army way.

VAN MARSH (voice-over): But the man who keeps an Arabian falcon...

HICKEY: Well, that's Sky Raider. He's quite an animal.

VAN MARSH: ... and who's known for jumping out of his Humvee toward gunfire when under attack...

HICKEY: Given that particular situation, that was a prudent thing to do.

VAN MARSH: ... is near the end of his mission here. While he may be remembered for night raids that led to Saddam's capture, his troops face criticism for fencing off entire communities, like Al-Aja (ph), to allegedly catch a relatively few suspected Saddam loyalists. Inside, men forced to carry identity cards say U.S.-imposed curfews are humiliating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We can't go to the hospital. It's not allowed. Students can't go to school. It's not allowed. If someone comes to visit, they have to stay overnight because of a curfew. Why? What's the reason? We don't have a problem with the Americans.

VAN MARSH: Hickey's show-of-force attacks on empty buildings and U.S. demolitions of Saddam loyalist family homes have brought comparisons to the way the Israeli military has dealt with the Palestinian uprising.

HICKEY: I don't accept those comparisons. We use our force in a very discriminating way, focused towards specific, legitimate military targets. The attacks against coalition forces since November are down dramatically.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VAN MARSH: Now, Colonel Hickey faces a challenge before his troops are expected to return home in the spring: how to keep his forces motivated when the highlight of their mission -- catching Saddam Hussein -- has come and gone -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Boy, you're not kidding. That would be a tough one.

So, when is Colonel Hickey going to head home for good? And will he retire?

VAN MARSH: Well, I'm sure retirement is probably a little far off for the colonel. At this point, we do know that the troops are expected to return home sometime in the spring. An exact date has not been announced -- Carol.

COSTELLO: I should have known that answer was coming. Alphonso Van Marsh reporting live from Tikrit, Iraq, this morning.

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