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CNN Live Today
Donald Rumsfeld Visits the Bombed Mosul Base; Thousands of Tourists Make Pilgrimage to Bethlehem; Over 12 People Die in Weather- Related Traffic Accidents
Aired December 24, 2004 - 10:00 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.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's get you started with what's happening now in the news.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pays a surprise Christmas Eve visit to troops in Iraq. Under tight security, Rumsfeld landed at Camp Marez in Mosul before dawn this morning. Rumsfeld later visited troops in Tikrit and Falluja. A live report on Rumsfeld's trip is coming up in one minute.
A record-breaking winter storm wreaks havoc on holiday plans. Snow and ice in the Midwest and South slows travelers and stymies last-minute shoppers. Even the nation's package shippers are struggling to get presents delivered by Christmas Day.
There are some major roadways impacted by the wintry weather. A 25-mile stretch of Interstate 64 from Indiana to Illinois is closed in both directions. Also in Indiana, parts of I-65 down to one lane in each direction, after being closed for most of the night. Illinois State police say road conditions are improving there. But near Dayton, Ohio, I-70 has been at a standstill and moving slowly this morning.
Democrat Christine Gregoire appears set to become Washington's new governor. After a contentious election and two recounts, Gregoire squeaked by with a 130-vote margin. Certification is expected next week. However Republican Dino Rossi has not yet conceded and could still challenge the results.
All a good morning and happy Christmas Eve to you.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: To you and all of yours.
HARRIS: Hey! Happy Christmas Eve. I'm Tony Harris sitting in for Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. We get the new guy and we say, "Hey!"
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: All right. We're going to get to a lot of Christmas, first though, a lot of news for us to report to you from Iraq.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arriving in Iraq under a cloak of darkness and a shield of secrecy. Before dawn, Rumsfeld's plane landed at the U.S. military base that was struck by a suicide bomber earlier this week. From Mosul, he traveled on to Tikrit and then to Falluja. He delivered Christmas greetings and an upbeat assessment. He acknowledged that while the situation there sometimes, what he said, "looks bleak." He says it is worthwhile.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The great hope of human history is for freedom. And that is powerful. And that is the side we are on. And the thought of turning over this country to the people who behead people on television and videos, to the people who consciously purposefully kill innocent men, women and children, would turn this part of the world and this country back to darkness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now live from Baghdad.
Karl, hello.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Donald Rumsfeld there obviously on a tour of some of the hottest trouble spots in Iraq today. Hitting Mosul, Tikrit, Falluja and then on here to Baghdad, where we understand he still is.
He did express his belief that this insurgency in Iraq is beatable, but all around him today signs of the impact that that insurgency has had on U.S. forces. Mosul, one of the people he met there, was a soldier recently injured. He awarded a Purple Heart to him.
Not quite clear at this stage whether this is one of the soldiers who was wounded in Tuesday's blast and among the 25 that has now returned to active duty. Or whether this was one of the other soldiers who was wounded in a subsequent combat mission in Mosul, as part of the ongoing search for the insurgent cells behind Tuesday's attack.
In Mosul also, he met with General Petreaus, the U.S. general in charge of helping prepare Iraqi security forces. Obviously on the agenda there, how to make the Iraqi security forces stand up for themselves, so coalition troops can go home sooner rather than later.
There were signs, of course, from the troops. They've had a hard time here. But they were cheered to see this morale-boosting trip by Donald Rumsfeld. At one stage one of the soldiers stepped forward and gave an early Christmas present to Mr. Rumsfeld. A cigar that the soldier said was from Saddam Hussein's own collection.
Difficult to know whether it really was a cigar from Saddam Hussein's collection. But certainly a sign that the soldiers do hold Mr. Rumsfeld in high esteem, despite that recent controversy at home and abroad, and criticisms in Washington for his stewardship of the war in Iraq. And also the criticisms that he signed condolence letters with a autopen and also those criticisms from Kuwait that he wasn't taking enough interest in the armor for the U.S. military vehicles -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul live in Baghdad, thank you.
HARRIS: The apparent suicide blast in Mosul that killed 18 Americans reverberated through the homes and families of those now serving in Iraq.
CNN's Alina Cho spoke to the families of some National Guardsmen who were in Mosul at the time of the blast. She has this report from Augusta, Maine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days after the bombing in Mosul, military families are asking questions. Parents, like Dennis and Jaylene Wing whose 20-year-old son Ryan was in the mess hall and survived the attack.
JAYLENE WING, MOTHER OF U.S. SOLDIER: If they're protecting us, then they should have as much protection as possible, you know. And so that they feel secure fighting, you know, for our freedom.
CHO: Jaylene Wing says Ryan knew the dining tent was unsafe. He and his buddies made a makeshift kitchen to avoid going there. He just happened to be there on that day. The same day a bombing killed 18 Americans, including two soldiers from Ryan's battalion, 20-year- old Tommy Dostie was one of them. Michael Dostie is his Father.
MICHAEL DOSTIE, FATHER OF SLAIN SOLDIER: We'll always wonder that, I guess. Wonder if that was a better building? We've heard all these stories, you know, they should have done this, they should have done that. But we really don't know. We went into this war fast.
CHO: Others wonder how their sons will be able to trust the person standing next to them.
DENNIS WING, FATHER OF U.S. SOLDIER: You can have buildings built with concrete four feet thick, but if there's a gap in security for whatever reason...
CHO: Infiltrator.
D. WING: That's right. And it doesn't matter what your building's made out of. And that's a brand-new scare.
CHO (on camera): So this is where Jesse grew up?
BARBARA DANIELS, MOTHER OF U.S. SOLDIER: Yes.
CHO (voice-over): Barbara Daniels' son Jesse is also part of Maine's 133-Engineer Battalion. She believes National Guardsmen, like those in the 133, should not be fighting a war.
DANIELS: There's not enough soldiers. Isn't that obviously why our Guardsmen are there? You know, and our Guard is not soldiers. Our Guardsmen are not soldiers. You know. They're natural disaster people, like FEMA.
CHO: The Wings' son Ryan came home for Thanksgiving.
D. WING: Oh, I just want to -- oh.
J. WING: We're glad he's safe.
CHO: With a new mess hall on the way, they pray Ryan will be home for good by March.
Alina Cho, CNN, Augusta, Maine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: For one of the U.S. soldiers killed in Mosul, Iraq was meant to be merely a stop on the road to his lifelong dream. Twenty- two-year-old Sergeant Lionel Ayro had dreamed of driving an 18-wheeler since he was 6 years old and collected toy tractor-trailers all his life. He joined the Army in order to get the money to buy his own rig. His mother says he called home often, including a final phone call on Saturday, but sadly was drowned out by static.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE AYRO, MOTHER OF SLAIN U.S. SOLDIER: I said that's my son calling right now. I get on the phone and start talking sometimes a whole hour, sometime a half an hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Catherine Ayro says that her son's death means there will be no Christmas for her family this year.
HARRIS: Of course, the story is different for other military families. For example, just in time for Christmas Uncle Sam outdid Saint Nick by delivering nearly 200 soldiers home for the holidays. They got a hero's welcome at Fort Lewis, Washington, after spending the past year in Iraq. Needless to say the Army families couldn't wait to wrap their arms around these presents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEC. WEASLEY EATON, U.S. Army: It feels good to know that, you know, that I did something for my country in a big way. A lot of people go through the Army for four to six years and don't really get to do anything. But I'm proud to say that I served my country, and you know, I did it well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to give him a kiss and a hug because I want to see him really bad for a long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Returning troops are from a military intelligence unit.
And please join us tomorrow, Christmas Morning, for CNN special, military family reunions, the injured and the heroes from the Mosul attack airs at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
KAGAN: But here's the good thing. We didn't have to wait until tomorrow morning. We're going to have two family reunions here on CNN LIVE TODAY."
HARRIS: On your show?
KAGAN: On your show, too, today.
HARRIS: On your show! That's why I love being here.
KAGAN: Exactly. You can see it live.
One soldier headed home for a little R&R is headed back to Iraq and it is hard to let go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mary, Mary had a baby boy, heavenly angels shout for joy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Still to come, we follow this soldier as he leaves his family behind for the holidays. It's a story you'll see only here on CNN.
HARRIS: And where are you headed for the holidays? For some nowhere. A look at the wintry fore -- oh, geez.
KAGAN: That tells it all.
HARRIS: That's it.
KAGAN: Spin your wheels, literally.
The ladies sound off about the new pat down procedures for airline passengers. Don't go there. Don't do that.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, some 62 million Americans are traveling this holiday weekend. And those in the nation's midsection are likely to see long delays and deep snow drifts. The three states, which appeared to take the brunt of the winter wallop, are Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, where a 1-2 punch from the storm dumped up to 31 inches of snow. This was the scene across the region. People digging out -- look at this, Daryn, from record snowfall, and often just spinning their wheels.
More than a dozen people died in weather-related traffic accidents and hundreds of thousands lost power. One of the heaviest travel days of the year collided with the first big snowstorm of the season, and then travel came to a grinding halt in much of the reason.
Eastern Michigan saw up to 10 inches of snow. And this was the scene in Evansville, Indiana. They're all kind of blending together here. The pictures and the scenes, and the cities and the states where Interstate 64 was transformed into a parking lot.
In fact, about 100 National Guardsmen helped move cars that were stranded or abandoned, under nearly 20 inches of snow. Indiana's governor has declared a disaster emergency for parts of the state. What a mess.
KAGAN: Goodness. Not to mention all the packages that aren't getting where they're supposed to.
HARRIS: People aren't getting where they're supposed to be right now.
Orelon, it's a mess out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: well, as we told you yesterday, travelers who are flying are now facing a less intrusive pat down in routine security screenings. The government says it was responding to passenger complaints of inappropriate touching. Here is what some air travelers said yesterday on the first day of the revised guidelines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a little strange but it was noninvasive at all. She was very polite, told me what she was going to do. It was very quick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They come dangerously close to where you think they shouldn't. And this time -- most times they tell you that if they're going to pat in a sensitive area, they use the back of their hands. But this woman, I guess was in a rush, she just patted wherever she needed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Security workers have been told to avoid touching females between the breasts, unless detection equipment indicates there is a problem. Apparently women were hiding knives in their bras.
HARRIS: Really? Yes, is that...
KAGAN: They found four they said.
HARRIS: Probably a good policy to try to avoid -- just good policy.
KAGAN: Probably a good policy not to comment on the knives in the bras. HARRIS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Headed to Iraq for the holidays? One family fights back the tears, as this soldier says good-bye. We're there for the departure. It's a story you'll only see on CNN.
KAGAN: Look at that face.
HARRIS: Aw.
KAGAN: Plus a mega minister's message stretches across the globe, shares his thoughts on families separated from loved ones on Christmas.
HARRIS: Plus, we're taking you to the little town where it all started. Celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Christmas in Bethlehem hasn't been joyous for the last few years, but there is a warmer feeling in the West Bank town this holiday season.
Our John Vause is there with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside the Church of the Nativity at the place where Christians believe Christ was born, here the faithful will soon gather to celebrate another Christmas. But outside the church, Christmas cheer for the people of Bethlehem comes down to one very important factor. Tourists. After a year of relative calm, thousands are once again making a pilgrimage to this holy city.
Eileen Dunn from Britain has been coming here through good times and bad.
EILEEN DUNN, BRITISH TOURIST: Yes. I get the atmosphere even walking down here is more friendly, and the shops are opening up. And it's lovely to see that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Too small.
VAUSE: Good news for the street vendors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, too small. I want a big one.
VAUSE: They've struggled for years to make a living.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We give you good bargain, 99 percent discount, 6-points graded. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This place is the most important part.
VAUSE: And the tour guides, like Jires Canavati.
JIRES CANAVATI, TOUR GUIDE: This marks the exact spot where Jesus Christ was born.
VAUSE: But like everyone else here, he remembers the good days before the outbreak of violence four years ago.
CANAVATI: You know, we used to get four or 5,000 people in one day, that's normal. You know, minimum. Christmas, you find thousands, 30,000, 40,000, 50,000.
VAUSE: There is also a sense of hope that maybe peace talks will begin again. But all of this is tempered by the giant concrete slabs, which are slowly surrounding this city. Israel's barrier designed to stop suicide bombers and other militant attacks.
HANNA NASSER, MAYOR, BETHLEHEM: Bethlehem belongs to the world, to the Christian world. This wall should be stopped.
VAUSE: And this is a city divided. Israel has built another barrier around Rachel's tomb to protect Jewish worshipers. Rachel is considered one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. To the Palestinians, though, it's another Israeli land grab.
NASSER: Always under the pretext of security, they are taking land, confiscating land.
VAUSE: This Christmas may be the best in years, but there are fears once the pilgrims are gone there will still be hard times ahead.
John Vause, CNN, Bethlehem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: As we sit down to Christmas meals and services here at home, it's important to realize the holiday is celebrated all over the world. Iraq has some 800,000 Christians.
But as Chris Lawrence reports from Baghdad, this may be the most dangerous Christmas they have ever faced.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time ever, Christmas services in Iraq are being cut back or canceled. And Iraqis say some Christians are being persecuted for going public.
FR. ARKAN HAKEEM, IRAQI CATHOLIC PRIEST (through translator): it is a catastrophe.
LAWRENCE: Father Arkan Hakeem has 12 years in the priesthood but never seen it this bad. There are fewer than a million Christians in Iraq. Numbers so small they were never seen as a threat to Saddam Hussein. But now insurgents associate any Christian with the military coalition. Extremists have killed or wounded dozens, attacking churches with rockets and bombs.
For this priest and his parish, it's been a true test of faith.
HAKEEM (through translator): We came to an understanding that if I'm going to die anyway, I would rather die in a church.
LAWRENCE: But church leaders say about 50,000 Christians have already left the country. And even this church keeps its celebrations simple.
(on camera): They used to have these lavish productions outside here in the courtyard and celebrate Midnight Mass at midnight. Now, the decorations are kept indoors. The faithful sent home early. Despite the danger, Father Hakeem can still joke about his future.
HAKEEM (through translator): In two years we'll celebrate the church's 50-year anniversary, if they haven't blown it up.
LAWRENCE (voice over): So his only wish this Christmas is for a truly silent night.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Two churches were bombed earlier this month in Mosul. Luckily no one was killed. In August, five churches were attacked, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens of others.
KAGAN: Later this hour, we're going to have a SPECIAL REPORT on a soldier far from home and on a dangerous mission this Christmas season. And the holidays will be difficult for many military families faced with loss or separation.
Bishop T.D. Jakes with the Potters House Church in Dallas, Texas, spoke about that earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T.D. JAKES, BISHOP, POTTERS HOUSE CHURCH: As we go to the holiday season, it causes us to reflect on our families and those we love and care for. And yet for many Americans it's a really challenging time because we are separated. We are in conflict, engaged in a war. There are many people who have lost loved ones; either to the war, sickness or what have you, and for them the holiday season may not be as merry, as it is for other people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Bishop Jakes will be profiled, along with the Reverend Billy Graham, on CNN's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" that's on Christmas Morning 11:00 a.m. and again at 5:00 p.m. All those times are Eastern. HARRIS: And Daryn, coming up, an emotional story as a family sends a Father and husband offer to war before Christmas. It's a story you'll see only on CNN.
KAGAN: And it can be survival of the fittest. Trying to get that perfect parking space. But has it turned some drivers into stalkers? Still to come, some techniques for finding a spot.
And people around the CNN newsroom...
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
KAGAN: This is the hour of the year that things start getting a little nutty. The kids are coming in to meet Santa.
HARRIS: Right. Right.
KAGAN: Some of our first arrivals, Kennedy and Kaelin (ph) Williams. That's their dad Eddie. Oh, beautiful girls. We're going to have them with Santa plus a ton of other kids coming up. Stay with us here on Christmas Eve morning on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you doing?
SGT. TOM OESTER, ARMY RESERVE, TAJI, IRAQ: I'm all right. How about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm fine. Where's your glasses?
OESTER: I don't wear them at night.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to touch you so bad.
OESTER: I got a pair of slippers from Aunt Kathy.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her homemade ones? What color are they this time?
OESTER: They're dark brown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who are you smiling for?
OESTER: I'm missing you.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I miss you. OK, bye-bye.
OESTER: Bye-bye. Love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love you.
Wow that was great. It was a great Christmas present for me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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 24, 2004 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN CO-ANCHOR: Let's get you started with what's happening now in the news.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld pays a surprise Christmas Eve visit to troops in Iraq. Under tight security, Rumsfeld landed at Camp Marez in Mosul before dawn this morning. Rumsfeld later visited troops in Tikrit and Falluja. A live report on Rumsfeld's trip is coming up in one minute.
A record-breaking winter storm wreaks havoc on holiday plans. Snow and ice in the Midwest and South slows travelers and stymies last-minute shoppers. Even the nation's package shippers are struggling to get presents delivered by Christmas Day.
There are some major roadways impacted by the wintry weather. A 25-mile stretch of Interstate 64 from Indiana to Illinois is closed in both directions. Also in Indiana, parts of I-65 down to one lane in each direction, after being closed for most of the night. Illinois State police say road conditions are improving there. But near Dayton, Ohio, I-70 has been at a standstill and moving slowly this morning.
Democrat Christine Gregoire appears set to become Washington's new governor. After a contentious election and two recounts, Gregoire squeaked by with a 130-vote margin. Certification is expected next week. However Republican Dino Rossi has not yet conceded and could still challenge the results.
All a good morning and happy Christmas Eve to you.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN CO-ANCHOR: To you and all of yours.
HARRIS: Hey! Happy Christmas Eve. I'm Tony Harris sitting in for Rick Sanchez.
KAGAN: And I'm Daryn Kagan. We get the new guy and we say, "Hey!"
(LAUGHTER)
KAGAN: All right. We're going to get to a lot of Christmas, first though, a lot of news for us to report to you from Iraq.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arriving in Iraq under a cloak of darkness and a shield of secrecy. Before dawn, Rumsfeld's plane landed at the U.S. military base that was struck by a suicide bomber earlier this week. From Mosul, he traveled on to Tikrit and then to Falluja. He delivered Christmas greetings and an upbeat assessment. He acknowledged that while the situation there sometimes, what he said, "looks bleak." He says it is worthwhile.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The great hope of human history is for freedom. And that is powerful. And that is the side we are on. And the thought of turning over this country to the people who behead people on television and videos, to the people who consciously purposefully kill innocent men, women and children, would turn this part of the world and this country back to darkness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now live from Baghdad.
Karl, hello.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn. Donald Rumsfeld there obviously on a tour of some of the hottest trouble spots in Iraq today. Hitting Mosul, Tikrit, Falluja and then on here to Baghdad, where we understand he still is.
He did express his belief that this insurgency in Iraq is beatable, but all around him today signs of the impact that that insurgency has had on U.S. forces. Mosul, one of the people he met there, was a soldier recently injured. He awarded a Purple Heart to him.
Not quite clear at this stage whether this is one of the soldiers who was wounded in Tuesday's blast and among the 25 that has now returned to active duty. Or whether this was one of the other soldiers who was wounded in a subsequent combat mission in Mosul, as part of the ongoing search for the insurgent cells behind Tuesday's attack.
In Mosul also, he met with General Petreaus, the U.S. general in charge of helping prepare Iraqi security forces. Obviously on the agenda there, how to make the Iraqi security forces stand up for themselves, so coalition troops can go home sooner rather than later.
There were signs, of course, from the troops. They've had a hard time here. But they were cheered to see this morale-boosting trip by Donald Rumsfeld. At one stage one of the soldiers stepped forward and gave an early Christmas present to Mr. Rumsfeld. A cigar that the soldier said was from Saddam Hussein's own collection.
Difficult to know whether it really was a cigar from Saddam Hussein's collection. But certainly a sign that the soldiers do hold Mr. Rumsfeld in high esteem, despite that recent controversy at home and abroad, and criticisms in Washington for his stewardship of the war in Iraq. And also the criticisms that he signed condolence letters with a autopen and also those criticisms from Kuwait that he wasn't taking enough interest in the armor for the U.S. military vehicles -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Karl Penhaul live in Baghdad, thank you.
HARRIS: The apparent suicide blast in Mosul that killed 18 Americans reverberated through the homes and families of those now serving in Iraq.
CNN's Alina Cho spoke to the families of some National Guardsmen who were in Mosul at the time of the blast. She has this report from Augusta, Maine.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Days after the bombing in Mosul, military families are asking questions. Parents, like Dennis and Jaylene Wing whose 20-year-old son Ryan was in the mess hall and survived the attack.
JAYLENE WING, MOTHER OF U.S. SOLDIER: If they're protecting us, then they should have as much protection as possible, you know. And so that they feel secure fighting, you know, for our freedom.
CHO: Jaylene Wing says Ryan knew the dining tent was unsafe. He and his buddies made a makeshift kitchen to avoid going there. He just happened to be there on that day. The same day a bombing killed 18 Americans, including two soldiers from Ryan's battalion, 20-year- old Tommy Dostie was one of them. Michael Dostie is his Father.
MICHAEL DOSTIE, FATHER OF SLAIN SOLDIER: We'll always wonder that, I guess. Wonder if that was a better building? We've heard all these stories, you know, they should have done this, they should have done that. But we really don't know. We went into this war fast.
CHO: Others wonder how their sons will be able to trust the person standing next to them.
DENNIS WING, FATHER OF U.S. SOLDIER: You can have buildings built with concrete four feet thick, but if there's a gap in security for whatever reason...
CHO: Infiltrator.
D. WING: That's right. And it doesn't matter what your building's made out of. And that's a brand-new scare.
CHO (on camera): So this is where Jesse grew up?
BARBARA DANIELS, MOTHER OF U.S. SOLDIER: Yes.
CHO (voice-over): Barbara Daniels' son Jesse is also part of Maine's 133-Engineer Battalion. She believes National Guardsmen, like those in the 133, should not be fighting a war.
DANIELS: There's not enough soldiers. Isn't that obviously why our Guardsmen are there? You know, and our Guard is not soldiers. Our Guardsmen are not soldiers. You know. They're natural disaster people, like FEMA.
CHO: The Wings' son Ryan came home for Thanksgiving.
D. WING: Oh, I just want to -- oh.
J. WING: We're glad he's safe.
CHO: With a new mess hall on the way, they pray Ryan will be home for good by March.
Alina Cho, CNN, Augusta, Maine.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: For one of the U.S. soldiers killed in Mosul, Iraq was meant to be merely a stop on the road to his lifelong dream. Twenty- two-year-old Sergeant Lionel Ayro had dreamed of driving an 18-wheeler since he was 6 years old and collected toy tractor-trailers all his life. He joined the Army in order to get the money to buy his own rig. His mother says he called home often, including a final phone call on Saturday, but sadly was drowned out by static.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE AYRO, MOTHER OF SLAIN U.S. SOLDIER: I said that's my son calling right now. I get on the phone and start talking sometimes a whole hour, sometime a half an hour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Catherine Ayro says that her son's death means there will be no Christmas for her family this year.
HARRIS: Of course, the story is different for other military families. For example, just in time for Christmas Uncle Sam outdid Saint Nick by delivering nearly 200 soldiers home for the holidays. They got a hero's welcome at Fort Lewis, Washington, after spending the past year in Iraq. Needless to say the Army families couldn't wait to wrap their arms around these presents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPEC. WEASLEY EATON, U.S. Army: It feels good to know that, you know, that I did something for my country in a big way. A lot of people go through the Army for four to six years and don't really get to do anything. But I'm proud to say that I served my country, and you know, I did it well.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to give him a kiss and a hug because I want to see him really bad for a long time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Returning troops are from a military intelligence unit.
And please join us tomorrow, Christmas Morning, for CNN special, military family reunions, the injured and the heroes from the Mosul attack airs at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
KAGAN: But here's the good thing. We didn't have to wait until tomorrow morning. We're going to have two family reunions here on CNN LIVE TODAY."
HARRIS: On your show?
KAGAN: On your show, too, today.
HARRIS: On your show! That's why I love being here.
KAGAN: Exactly. You can see it live.
One soldier headed home for a little R&R is headed back to Iraq and it is hard to let go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mary, Mary had a baby boy, heavenly angels shout for joy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Still to come, we follow this soldier as he leaves his family behind for the holidays. It's a story you'll see only here on CNN.
HARRIS: And where are you headed for the holidays? For some nowhere. A look at the wintry fore -- oh, geez.
KAGAN: That tells it all.
HARRIS: That's it.
KAGAN: Spin your wheels, literally.
The ladies sound off about the new pat down procedures for airline passengers. Don't go there. Don't do that.
(LAUGHTER)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Well, some 62 million Americans are traveling this holiday weekend. And those in the nation's midsection are likely to see long delays and deep snow drifts. The three states, which appeared to take the brunt of the winter wallop, are Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, where a 1-2 punch from the storm dumped up to 31 inches of snow. This was the scene across the region. People digging out -- look at this, Daryn, from record snowfall, and often just spinning their wheels.
More than a dozen people died in weather-related traffic accidents and hundreds of thousands lost power. One of the heaviest travel days of the year collided with the first big snowstorm of the season, and then travel came to a grinding halt in much of the reason.
Eastern Michigan saw up to 10 inches of snow. And this was the scene in Evansville, Indiana. They're all kind of blending together here. The pictures and the scenes, and the cities and the states where Interstate 64 was transformed into a parking lot.
In fact, about 100 National Guardsmen helped move cars that were stranded or abandoned, under nearly 20 inches of snow. Indiana's governor has declared a disaster emergency for parts of the state. What a mess.
KAGAN: Goodness. Not to mention all the packages that aren't getting where they're supposed to.
HARRIS: People aren't getting where they're supposed to be right now.
Orelon, it's a mess out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: well, as we told you yesterday, travelers who are flying are now facing a less intrusive pat down in routine security screenings. The government says it was responding to passenger complaints of inappropriate touching. Here is what some air travelers said yesterday on the first day of the revised guidelines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a little strange but it was noninvasive at all. She was very polite, told me what she was going to do. It was very quick.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They come dangerously close to where you think they shouldn't. And this time -- most times they tell you that if they're going to pat in a sensitive area, they use the back of their hands. But this woman, I guess was in a rush, she just patted wherever she needed to.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Security workers have been told to avoid touching females between the breasts, unless detection equipment indicates there is a problem. Apparently women were hiding knives in their bras.
HARRIS: Really? Yes, is that...
KAGAN: They found four they said.
HARRIS: Probably a good policy to try to avoid -- just good policy.
KAGAN: Probably a good policy not to comment on the knives in the bras. HARRIS: Yes.
(LAUGHTER)
HARRIS: Headed to Iraq for the holidays? One family fights back the tears, as this soldier says good-bye. We're there for the departure. It's a story you'll only see on CNN.
KAGAN: Look at that face.
HARRIS: Aw.
KAGAN: Plus a mega minister's message stretches across the globe, shares his thoughts on families separated from loved ones on Christmas.
HARRIS: Plus, we're taking you to the little town where it all started. Celebrating Christmas in Bethlehem.
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KAGAN: Christmas in Bethlehem hasn't been joyous for the last few years, but there is a warmer feeling in the West Bank town this holiday season.
Our John Vause is there with the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Inside the Church of the Nativity at the place where Christians believe Christ was born, here the faithful will soon gather to celebrate another Christmas. But outside the church, Christmas cheer for the people of Bethlehem comes down to one very important factor. Tourists. After a year of relative calm, thousands are once again making a pilgrimage to this holy city.
Eileen Dunn from Britain has been coming here through good times and bad.
EILEEN DUNN, BRITISH TOURIST: Yes. I get the atmosphere even walking down here is more friendly, and the shops are opening up. And it's lovely to see that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. Too small.
VAUSE: Good news for the street vendors.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, too small. I want a big one.
VAUSE: They've struggled for years to make a living.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We give you good bargain, 99 percent discount, 6-points graded. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This place is the most important part.
VAUSE: And the tour guides, like Jires Canavati.
JIRES CANAVATI, TOUR GUIDE: This marks the exact spot where Jesus Christ was born.
VAUSE: But like everyone else here, he remembers the good days before the outbreak of violence four years ago.
CANAVATI: You know, we used to get four or 5,000 people in one day, that's normal. You know, minimum. Christmas, you find thousands, 30,000, 40,000, 50,000.
VAUSE: There is also a sense of hope that maybe peace talks will begin again. But all of this is tempered by the giant concrete slabs, which are slowly surrounding this city. Israel's barrier designed to stop suicide bombers and other militant attacks.
HANNA NASSER, MAYOR, BETHLEHEM: Bethlehem belongs to the world, to the Christian world. This wall should be stopped.
VAUSE: And this is a city divided. Israel has built another barrier around Rachel's tomb to protect Jewish worshipers. Rachel is considered one of the matriarchs of the Jewish people. To the Palestinians, though, it's another Israeli land grab.
NASSER: Always under the pretext of security, they are taking land, confiscating land.
VAUSE: This Christmas may be the best in years, but there are fears once the pilgrims are gone there will still be hard times ahead.
John Vause, CNN, Bethlehem.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: As we sit down to Christmas meals and services here at home, it's important to realize the holiday is celebrated all over the world. Iraq has some 800,000 Christians.
But as Chris Lawrence reports from Baghdad, this may be the most dangerous Christmas they have ever faced.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the first time ever, Christmas services in Iraq are being cut back or canceled. And Iraqis say some Christians are being persecuted for going public.
FR. ARKAN HAKEEM, IRAQI CATHOLIC PRIEST (through translator): it is a catastrophe.
LAWRENCE: Father Arkan Hakeem has 12 years in the priesthood but never seen it this bad. There are fewer than a million Christians in Iraq. Numbers so small they were never seen as a threat to Saddam Hussein. But now insurgents associate any Christian with the military coalition. Extremists have killed or wounded dozens, attacking churches with rockets and bombs.
For this priest and his parish, it's been a true test of faith.
HAKEEM (through translator): We came to an understanding that if I'm going to die anyway, I would rather die in a church.
LAWRENCE: But church leaders say about 50,000 Christians have already left the country. And even this church keeps its celebrations simple.
(on camera): They used to have these lavish productions outside here in the courtyard and celebrate Midnight Mass at midnight. Now, the decorations are kept indoors. The faithful sent home early. Despite the danger, Father Hakeem can still joke about his future.
HAKEEM (through translator): In two years we'll celebrate the church's 50-year anniversary, if they haven't blown it up.
LAWRENCE (voice over): So his only wish this Christmas is for a truly silent night.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Two churches were bombed earlier this month in Mosul. Luckily no one was killed. In August, five churches were attacked, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens of others.
KAGAN: Later this hour, we're going to have a SPECIAL REPORT on a soldier far from home and on a dangerous mission this Christmas season. And the holidays will be difficult for many military families faced with loss or separation.
Bishop T.D. Jakes with the Potters House Church in Dallas, Texas, spoke about that earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T.D. JAKES, BISHOP, POTTERS HOUSE CHURCH: As we go to the holiday season, it causes us to reflect on our families and those we love and care for. And yet for many Americans it's a really challenging time because we are separated. We are in conflict, engaged in a war. There are many people who have lost loved ones; either to the war, sickness or what have you, and for them the holiday season may not be as merry, as it is for other people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: Bishop Jakes will be profiled, along with the Reverend Billy Graham, on CNN's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" that's on Christmas Morning 11:00 a.m. and again at 5:00 p.m. All those times are Eastern. HARRIS: And Daryn, coming up, an emotional story as a family sends a Father and husband offer to war before Christmas. It's a story you'll see only on CNN.
KAGAN: And it can be survival of the fittest. Trying to get that perfect parking space. But has it turned some drivers into stalkers? Still to come, some techniques for finding a spot.
And people around the CNN newsroom...
HARRIS: Oh, yes.
KAGAN: This is the hour of the year that things start getting a little nutty. The kids are coming in to meet Santa.
HARRIS: Right. Right.
KAGAN: Some of our first arrivals, Kennedy and Kaelin (ph) Williams. That's their dad Eddie. Oh, beautiful girls. We're going to have them with Santa plus a ton of other kids coming up. Stay with us here on Christmas Eve morning on CNN LIVE TODAY.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How are you doing?
SGT. TOM OESTER, ARMY RESERVE, TAJI, IRAQ: I'm all right. How about you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm fine. Where's your glasses?
OESTER: I don't wear them at night.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to touch you so bad.
OESTER: I got a pair of slippers from Aunt Kathy.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Her homemade ones? What color are they this time?
OESTER: They're dark brown.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Who are you smiling for?
OESTER: I'm missing you.
(LAUGHTER)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I miss you. OK, bye-bye.
OESTER: Bye-bye. Love you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Love you.
Wow that was great. It was a great Christmas present for me.
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