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CNN Live At Daybreak

Guard Service; French Rejection; Lionel Richie's Lyrics

Aired May 30, 2005 - 05:30   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.


(WEATHER REPORT)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

COSTELLO: Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers says that a few American interrogators have mishandled the Quran, but he calls an Amnesty International report on the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay absolutely irresponsible. The report calls Guantanamo the "Gulag of our Time." Myers says the detainees there are treated with dignity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We've had 68,000 detainees since this conflict against violent extremism started. We've had 325 investigations into alleged abuse. We've had 100 cases of substantiated abuse. And there are 100 individuals that have had some sort of action taken, either court-martial or administrative action.

The ICRC has been at Guantanamo since day one. It is essentially a model facility. We know there are five cases where perhaps the Quran was handled in an inappropriate way, not flushing down a toilet, but just handled in an inappropriate way, according to their faith. And the instructions for handling the Quran are very detailed by the...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We'll have more on the allegations at Guantanamo Bay coming up in our next hour. "TIME" magazine's Vivica Novak joins us with more in about 45 minutes.

And later, General Myers will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING." That comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. That's about 90 minutes from now.

There's some controversy surrounding hundreds of National Guardsmen from New York. It deals with their post 9/11 duties and how that service is being viewed by the federal government.

CNN's Alina Cho has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whenever Alan Colombani returns to Lower Manhattan...

ALAN COLOMBANI, N.Y. ARMY NATIONAL GUARDSMAN: I get kind of nostalgic, a little depressed, because it reminds me every day of what happened at September 11.

CHO: Colombani was a postal worker back then. He worked across the street from what is now ground zero. In fact, Colombani could have worked overtime that day, but he didn't because he wanted to relax.

(on camera): I bet you're glad you needed that day off.

COLOMBANI: Yes, I did. Thank God for that.

CHO (voice-over): A few hours later, his National Guard unit was called to duty. The mission: to look inside buildings to see if anyone was trapped.

COLOMBANI: Our work, especially when the elevators are not working, you got to walk up 51 flights, 71 flights, but it's all in a day's work and it's part of my responsibility as a soldier.

CHO: Colombani spent nearly three weeks there before being transferred to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he served as a guard.

COLOMBANI: Down at ground zero was a little harder, more stressful.

CHO: Yet Colombani, though he was paid, is only receiving federal retirement credit for his work at West Point, not for the work he did at ground zero. That's because the Military Academy is considered a federal site, ground zero is not.

Representative from New York, Carolyn Maloney, says it should be.

REP. CAROLYN MALONEY (D), NEW YORK: It was an attack against our nation, not against our city or a particular area.

CHO: Congresswoman Maloney has introduced a bill, which the House has passed, to grant National Guardsmen who worked at ground zero full credit toward their retirement.

MALONEY: They served in what was a far more dangerous zone. They served honorably, bravely. They risked their lives. We know the air was toxic. Yet, they are not getting the same treatment as members of the same division who went to West Point.

COLOMBANI: Even though it's a little piece of land here, it took a lot of us to protect it after what happened. But don't you just think state activators and just pay us and not recognize us federal- wise for retirement benefits, I think is not fair.

CHO: These days, Colombani still runs into people he worked with at the post office.

COLOMBANI: Mike, how are you doing, Mike?

CHO: But he says the memories of 9/11 will always be with him every time he visits ground zero.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: U.S. intelligence and the president confirmed that Iraq had nothing to do with the September 11 attacks, nor did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction, which was the main reason President Bush gave for going to war. So with 1,655 U.S. troops killed over there and an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Iraqis killed since the start of the war, the question is did the U.S. government do the right thing?

Here's Vice President Dick Cheney's answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm absolutely convinced we did the right thing in Iraq. Obviously we want to get it over with as quickly as possible. We regret every loss of an American in combat, anyplace in the world.

One of the difficult things about the job the president has, for example, is he has to make those decisions about when to send young Americans in harm's way. And it was necessary to do in Afghanistan and then also necessary to do in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You can hear the entire interview with the vice president and his wife, Lynne Cheney, on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." That will come your way tonight at 9:00 Eastern.

Turning now to one of the biggest opponents of the Iraq war, France. People there have a new objection this morning. They are voicing their opposition to Europe's first constitution.

Let's head live to CNN's Richard Quest in Paris for what all of this really means. New constitution, what is that about?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That, or rather this, is the document. It is the proposal. It was put to the French people yesterday. The referendum was on this 200 page. In fact, many disparaging comments made about the differences between this legalistic, detailed, tedious document and say, for example, the American Constitution.

But there's no doubt this morning, Carol, the reaction of the French people. This is "Le Figaro," and you don't need to speak French to realize it says no. And by 55 to 45 percent, they decided they do not want that as a constitution for Europe.

Let's strip away what it does mean and what it doesn't mean. It does not mean that France is leaving the European Union. It does not mean that the European Union is collapsing. What it means, though, Carol, is that there is now a crisis of confidence in the way in which the E.U., the 25 members that have come together in Europe, will move forward.

COSTELLO: OK, Richard, so why should we care as Americans?

QUEST: Because the United States has made clear time and again that a unified Europe, speaking with one voice, with a political, if you like, and a political likeness and similarity is in the U.S. interest. We saw the failure of that in the Iraqi war. We've seen the failure of that in economic policy in the past. We have seen the differences, for example, between the U.S. and Europe over questions of Airbus versus Boeing.

The United States believes that a single-minded Europe is good for everyone. What they're going to get here is a Europe that is introspective. And for the time being is going to be concerned with its own backyard.

COSTELLO: Richard Quest, live in France this morning, thank you.

Still ahead on DAYBREAK, the tunes usually go from the radio to the cell phone, but it's the other way around in Great Britain. Catchy isn't it? We'll explain further.

And Lionel Richie gives away a few secrets to writing his timeless hit songs.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning again.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Sixteen people, many of them police officers, are killed in suicide bombings in Iraq today. Police say two suicide bombers wearing explosive-packed vests blew themselves up outside government buildings in Hilla, which is south of Baghdad. Another 35 were wounded.

Police in Ohio say six people found shot to death apparently were the victims of a murder-suicide. The six were found in two neighboring farmhouses about 45 miles northwest of Columbus. A 15- year-old girl, who survived, is in critical condition.

In money news, Southerns, it's your turn. Beginning tomorrow, people who live in the South may order free copies of their credit report. It's part of a federal law that's been gradually phased in nationwide since last year.

In culture, Arnold Morton, the founder of Morton's Steakhouse chain, is being remembered as a trailblazing entrepreneur. Morton died Saturday at the age of 83. He suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and cancer.

In sports, the Miami Heat beat the Detroit Pistons again to take a two-games-to-one lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 36 points in the 113-104 win. Game four is set for tomorrow night.

To the Forecast Center and -- Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right, we'll see you in a bit.

Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Still ahead on DAYBREAK, sing for me. OK, he can sing a love song like no one else. There he's singing. Thanks, Lionel. Lionel Richie talks about writing those timeless tunes. That's later on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Wouldn't be Memorial Day weekend in Washington without Rolling Thunder. That's a biker group that supports veterans' rights. Thousands of members join the annual rally through the nation's capital going from Arlington National Cemetery to the National Vietnam War Memorial by the Lincoln.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld thanked the veterans for their commitment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Many of those patriots are here today and some did not return home. You, the members of Rolling Thunder, have not forgotten a single one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Rolling Thunder has honored America's war veterans every Memorial Day weekend since 1988.

Today's Memorial Day Parade in Washington will feature a World War I veteran who is 103 years old. Lloyd Brown will represent the nearly five million U.S. servicemen who took part in the Great War. He's one of only about 30 World War I vets still living. And, get this, he still lives all by himself.

It's time to read some e-mail. We've been getting some very touching e-mails in this morning. We're asking you to send a message to members of the military serving overseas, serving in this country, to tell them how much we all appreciate them.

And, Rob, I want to read this one from Karen (ph) in Decatur, Alabama. She says my dad, a retired Air Force pilot, died about this time 10 years ago today. There is a flag this morning on his and mom's grave at the Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola. I would ask that all persons in military service and their families accept our thanks for helping us feel safe and secure. We know your sacrifice.

A lot of these -- you know about half of them seem to be very personal, very specific, you know, referring to different regiments and units that are actually over there in Iraq and a lot of them are general. I'll read two.

One general one from Ontario, Canada, which I found to be interesting, good morning, just a note to say thanks to the American armed forces. As a Canadian, who has seen his sons grow up happy and secure in Canada, I know that this is possible, in large part, by the heroic efforts of sons and daughters of the American people.

Pretty good.

This one from Barbara (ph). My brother is currently in the Middle East with the 911th Air Wing from Pittsburgh. Although we miss him, we know that he and his crew are doing a great job defending our country and fighting the war on terror. We are very proud of the men and women of the 911th Air Wing.

COSTELLO: Keep them coming. We're going to read some in the 6:00 hour as well.

Let's take a moment now to hear from the mother of one fallen soldier. This mother shares part of her son's life with us and she has a message for you in her own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROXANNE KAYLOR, JEFFREY'S MOTHER: He went to Radford for his first year of his freshman year. Got involved in the Ratsi (ph) Department because he was nominated for the Emerging Leadership Scholarship. So he went ahead and joined Ratsi at Radford just to try it out. He completed out his next three years at VT and graduated with a military distinction. I think he just really enjoyed the field experiences, you know, that they went through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And won't you please make welcome the new Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Kaylor, Jeff and Jenna.

KAYLOR: He also married his best friend at VT. She was also in the Corp. Cadets and she was also an Army Ratsi. And they got married in July right after his basic, and she was going into her basic, which was military police. So they got married pretty quickly because they knew he was going to get deployed to Kuwait.

He wrote an e-mail to us and said, you know, listen, mom, dad, everybody, looks like I'm not going to be able to come home in February. Looks like everybody's extension here until we find out what's going to happen with the decision to go to war or not.

Our last e-mail from him was on February the 26th, and he didn't really elaborate on, you know, what his mission was going to be. He says I hope you get my drift. This will be my last e-mail to you. And that was it.

He was a very typical boy, but he was a very compassionate, very cuddly boy. You know I think he was very compassionate with animals. You know felt sorry for people, you know, as far as their desperation or you know sometimes if they were very moody. I think he was a good person to talk with about problems. I think people came to him.

You know he was also a great leader. I think that's why I said people would come to him for advice or to just talk with because I think he gave them some good, sound advice. So you know I think I did a good job with him as far as teaching him some good values.

If I wanted to tell the American people anything about this war is that there are close to 1,400 families here in the United States that have felt a direct impact to this war. They have sacrificed a loved one for this particular invasion of Iraq. The rest of America has no ownership in this particular adventure. You don't feel the pain that has happened to all the families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In "Entertainment Headlines" for you this morning, alternative rock back Nine Inch Nails will not play as planned at the upcoming MTV movie awards. They pulled out when the network said they couldn't play in front of a huge picture of President Bush.

The "L.A. Times" calls the song a warning against blind acceptance of authority, including that of a president leading his nation to war. MTV says it wasn't comfortable with the partisan political statement. The band says it finds the president's image offensive.

Finally, a song that started as a cell phone ring tone is now on top of the British music charts. That song stars an animated character named "Crazy Frog" who makes silly noises to a techno remake of Axel F.'s theme from the movie "Beverly Hills Cop." I just want that to stick in your head for as long as possible today.

Speaking of songs, Lionel Richie has written some amazing lyrics over the years, and he talks about his talent to CNN's Karyn Bryant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARYN BRYANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lionel Richie, he's sold more than 100 million albums. He's won five Grammy's, an Oscar and a Golden Globe since going solo in 1982.

"ShowBiz Tonight" was right there with Lionel as he prepared to hit New York City fans with his signature sounds.

LIONEL RICHIE, SINGER: What I try to write about are real events. There will always be an "Easy Like Sunday Morning." There will always be an "Endless Love." There will always be an "All Night Long." You know, in other words, those are phrases that will always be here. They're not faddy, they're not hip, they're just timeless words. And so if I've connected with the public with those timeless words and then they got married on them, that'll help, or they went to college on it or fell in love on it.

BRYANT: Which is why Lionel himself is in love with playing the older stuff no matter how many times he goes on stage.

RICHIE: You know why, because the audience knows them probably better than I do and remembers every word, so it's more like an evening of reminiscing more than anything. I think people look at these songs and know exactly where they were. And basically that's what it brings back, all the wonderful memories.

BRYANT: So we wanted to know Lionel's secret, how do you write songs that stand the test of time? Is it magic?

RICHIE: Some days it's magical, it's two days or a day and a half. The sketch of it is done in about 20 minutes. But after that, misery comes in and I can't find the rest of the lyrics. So that can be about two weeks, at the most, sometimes. And sometimes it comes very fast.

"All Night Long" was the longest song ever, and that was about two months. I just couldn't find the ending to save my -- I couldn't find "All Night Long" to save my life. I had everything, the versus, the middle part, the tombolepaze (ph), all the stuff, I just did not have "All Night Long." I didn't have that. And it took me forever to find it. And finally one night the heavens opened and it came through.

You know the wonderful thing about songwriting, it's a humbling experience, because as soon as you make it a point and say I'm writing it, terrible lyrics, terrible lyrics and terrible melodies. When I nail it, it's done. I mean I know exactly what it's supposed to be. I know exactly what it sounds like. It's magical. And I wish I knew how to explain it to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And the next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

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 May 30, 2005 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Thank you -- Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

COSTELLO: Joint Chiefs Chairman General Richard Myers says that a few American interrogators have mishandled the Quran, but he calls an Amnesty International report on the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay absolutely irresponsible. The report calls Guantanamo the "Gulag of our Time." Myers says the detainees there are treated with dignity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: We've had 68,000 detainees since this conflict against violent extremism started. We've had 325 investigations into alleged abuse. We've had 100 cases of substantiated abuse. And there are 100 individuals that have had some sort of action taken, either court-martial or administrative action.

The ICRC has been at Guantanamo since day one. It is essentially a model facility. We know there are five cases where perhaps the Quran was handled in an inappropriate way, not flushing down a toilet, but just handled in an inappropriate way, according to their faith. And the instructions for handling the Quran are very detailed by the...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We'll have more on the allegations at Guantanamo Bay coming up in our next hour. "TIME" magazine's Vivica Novak joins us with more in about 45 minutes.

And later, General Myers will be a guest on "AMERICAN MORNING." That comes your way at 7:00 a.m. Eastern. That's about 90 minutes from now.

There's some controversy surrounding hundreds of National Guardsmen from New York. It deals with their post 9/11 duties and how that service is being viewed by the federal government.

CNN's Alina Cho has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whenever Alan Colombani returns to Lower Manhattan...

ALAN COLOMBANI, N.Y. ARMY NATIONAL GUARDSMAN: I get kind of nostalgic, a little depressed, because it reminds me every day of what happened at September 11.

CHO: Colombani was a postal worker back then. He worked across the street from what is now ground zero. In fact, Colombani could have worked overtime that day, but he didn't because he wanted to relax.

(on camera): I bet you're glad you needed that day off.

COLOMBANI: Yes, I did. Thank God for that.

CHO (voice-over): A few hours later, his National Guard unit was called to duty. The mission: to look inside buildings to see if anyone was trapped.

COLOMBANI: Our work, especially when the elevators are not working, you got to walk up 51 flights, 71 flights, but it's all in a day's work and it's part of my responsibility as a soldier.

CHO: Colombani spent nearly three weeks there before being transferred to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he served as a guard.

COLOMBANI: Down at ground zero was a little harder, more stressful.

CHO: Yet Colombani, though he was paid, is only receiving federal retirement credit for his work at West Point, not for the work he did at ground zero. That's because the Military Academy is considered a federal site, ground zero is not.

Representative from New York, Carolyn Maloney, says it should be.

REP. CAROLYN MALONEY (D), NEW YORK: It was an attack against our nation, not against our city or a particular area.

CHO: Congresswoman Maloney has introduced a bill, which the House has passed, to grant National Guardsmen who worked at ground zero full credit toward their retirement.

MALONEY: They served in what was a far more dangerous zone. They served honorably, bravely. They risked their lives. We know the air was toxic. Yet, they are not getting the same treatment as members of the same division who went to West Point.

COLOMBANI: Even though it's a little piece of land here, it took a lot of us to protect it after what happened. But don't you just think state activators and just pay us and not recognize us federal- wise for retirement benefits, I think is not fair.

CHO: These days, Colombani still runs into people he worked with at the post office.

COLOMBANI: Mike, how are you doing, Mike?

CHO: But he says the memories of 9/11 will always be with him every time he visits ground zero.

Alina Cho, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: U.S. intelligence and the president confirmed that Iraq had nothing to do with the September 11 attacks, nor did Saddam Hussein have weapons of mass destruction, which was the main reason President Bush gave for going to war. So with 1,655 U.S. troops killed over there and an estimated 20,000 to 40,000 Iraqis killed since the start of the war, the question is did the U.S. government do the right thing?

Here's Vice President Dick Cheney's answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm absolutely convinced we did the right thing in Iraq. Obviously we want to get it over with as quickly as possible. We regret every loss of an American in combat, anyplace in the world.

One of the difficult things about the job the president has, for example, is he has to make those decisions about when to send young Americans in harm's way. And it was necessary to do in Afghanistan and then also necessary to do in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: You can hear the entire interview with the vice president and his wife, Lynne Cheney, on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE." That will come your way tonight at 9:00 Eastern.

Turning now to one of the biggest opponents of the Iraq war, France. People there have a new objection this morning. They are voicing their opposition to Europe's first constitution.

Let's head live to CNN's Richard Quest in Paris for what all of this really means. New constitution, what is that about?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That, or rather this, is the document. It is the proposal. It was put to the French people yesterday. The referendum was on this 200 page. In fact, many disparaging comments made about the differences between this legalistic, detailed, tedious document and say, for example, the American Constitution.

But there's no doubt this morning, Carol, the reaction of the French people. This is "Le Figaro," and you don't need to speak French to realize it says no. And by 55 to 45 percent, they decided they do not want that as a constitution for Europe.

Let's strip away what it does mean and what it doesn't mean. It does not mean that France is leaving the European Union. It does not mean that the European Union is collapsing. What it means, though, Carol, is that there is now a crisis of confidence in the way in which the E.U., the 25 members that have come together in Europe, will move forward.

COSTELLO: OK, Richard, so why should we care as Americans?

QUEST: Because the United States has made clear time and again that a unified Europe, speaking with one voice, with a political, if you like, and a political likeness and similarity is in the U.S. interest. We saw the failure of that in the Iraqi war. We've seen the failure of that in economic policy in the past. We have seen the differences, for example, between the U.S. and Europe over questions of Airbus versus Boeing.

The United States believes that a single-minded Europe is good for everyone. What they're going to get here is a Europe that is introspective. And for the time being is going to be concerned with its own backyard.

COSTELLO: Richard Quest, live in France this morning, thank you.

Still ahead on DAYBREAK, the tunes usually go from the radio to the cell phone, but it's the other way around in Great Britain. Catchy isn't it? We'll explain further.

And Lionel Richie gives away a few secrets to writing his timeless hit songs.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning again.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 5:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Sixteen people, many of them police officers, are killed in suicide bombings in Iraq today. Police say two suicide bombers wearing explosive-packed vests blew themselves up outside government buildings in Hilla, which is south of Baghdad. Another 35 were wounded.

Police in Ohio say six people found shot to death apparently were the victims of a murder-suicide. The six were found in two neighboring farmhouses about 45 miles northwest of Columbus. A 15- year-old girl, who survived, is in critical condition.

In money news, Southerns, it's your turn. Beginning tomorrow, people who live in the South may order free copies of their credit report. It's part of a federal law that's been gradually phased in nationwide since last year.

In culture, Arnold Morton, the founder of Morton's Steakhouse chain, is being remembered as a trailblazing entrepreneur. Morton died Saturday at the age of 83. He suffered from Alzheimer's Disease and cancer.

In sports, the Miami Heat beat the Detroit Pistons again to take a two-games-to-one lead in the Eastern Conference finals. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 36 points in the 113-104 win. Game four is set for tomorrow night.

To the Forecast Center and -- Rob.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: All right, we'll see you in a bit.

Those are the latest headlines for you this morning.

Still ahead on DAYBREAK, sing for me. OK, he can sing a love song like no one else. There he's singing. Thanks, Lionel. Lionel Richie talks about writing those timeless tunes. That's later on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Wouldn't be Memorial Day weekend in Washington without Rolling Thunder. That's a biker group that supports veterans' rights. Thousands of members join the annual rally through the nation's capital going from Arlington National Cemetery to the National Vietnam War Memorial by the Lincoln.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld thanked the veterans for their commitment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Many of those patriots are here today and some did not return home. You, the members of Rolling Thunder, have not forgotten a single one of them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Rolling Thunder has honored America's war veterans every Memorial Day weekend since 1988.

Today's Memorial Day Parade in Washington will feature a World War I veteran who is 103 years old. Lloyd Brown will represent the nearly five million U.S. servicemen who took part in the Great War. He's one of only about 30 World War I vets still living. And, get this, he still lives all by himself.

It's time to read some e-mail. We've been getting some very touching e-mails in this morning. We're asking you to send a message to members of the military serving overseas, serving in this country, to tell them how much we all appreciate them.

And, Rob, I want to read this one from Karen (ph) in Decatur, Alabama. She says my dad, a retired Air Force pilot, died about this time 10 years ago today. There is a flag this morning on his and mom's grave at the Barrancas National Cemetery in Pensacola. I would ask that all persons in military service and their families accept our thanks for helping us feel safe and secure. We know your sacrifice.

A lot of these -- you know about half of them seem to be very personal, very specific, you know, referring to different regiments and units that are actually over there in Iraq and a lot of them are general. I'll read two.

One general one from Ontario, Canada, which I found to be interesting, good morning, just a note to say thanks to the American armed forces. As a Canadian, who has seen his sons grow up happy and secure in Canada, I know that this is possible, in large part, by the heroic efforts of sons and daughters of the American people.

Pretty good.

This one from Barbara (ph). My brother is currently in the Middle East with the 911th Air Wing from Pittsburgh. Although we miss him, we know that he and his crew are doing a great job defending our country and fighting the war on terror. We are very proud of the men and women of the 911th Air Wing.

COSTELLO: Keep them coming. We're going to read some in the 6:00 hour as well.

Let's take a moment now to hear from the mother of one fallen soldier. This mother shares part of her son's life with us and she has a message for you in her own words.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROXANNE KAYLOR, JEFFREY'S MOTHER: He went to Radford for his first year of his freshman year. Got involved in the Ratsi (ph) Department because he was nominated for the Emerging Leadership Scholarship. So he went ahead and joined Ratsi at Radford just to try it out. He completed out his next three years at VT and graduated with a military distinction. I think he just really enjoyed the field experiences, you know, that they went through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And won't you please make welcome the new Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Kaylor, Jeff and Jenna.

KAYLOR: He also married his best friend at VT. She was also in the Corp. Cadets and she was also an Army Ratsi. And they got married in July right after his basic, and she was going into her basic, which was military police. So they got married pretty quickly because they knew he was going to get deployed to Kuwait.

He wrote an e-mail to us and said, you know, listen, mom, dad, everybody, looks like I'm not going to be able to come home in February. Looks like everybody's extension here until we find out what's going to happen with the decision to go to war or not.

Our last e-mail from him was on February the 26th, and he didn't really elaborate on, you know, what his mission was going to be. He says I hope you get my drift. This will be my last e-mail to you. And that was it.

He was a very typical boy, but he was a very compassionate, very cuddly boy. You know I think he was very compassionate with animals. You know felt sorry for people, you know, as far as their desperation or you know sometimes if they were very moody. I think he was a good person to talk with about problems. I think people came to him.

You know he was also a great leader. I think that's why I said people would come to him for advice or to just talk with because I think he gave them some good, sound advice. So you know I think I did a good job with him as far as teaching him some good values.

If I wanted to tell the American people anything about this war is that there are close to 1,400 families here in the United States that have felt a direct impact to this war. They have sacrificed a loved one for this particular invasion of Iraq. The rest of America has no ownership in this particular adventure. You don't feel the pain that has happened to all the families.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In "Entertainment Headlines" for you this morning, alternative rock back Nine Inch Nails will not play as planned at the upcoming MTV movie awards. They pulled out when the network said they couldn't play in front of a huge picture of President Bush.

The "L.A. Times" calls the song a warning against blind acceptance of authority, including that of a president leading his nation to war. MTV says it wasn't comfortable with the partisan political statement. The band says it finds the president's image offensive.

Finally, a song that started as a cell phone ring tone is now on top of the British music charts. That song stars an animated character named "Crazy Frog" who makes silly noises to a techno remake of Axel F.'s theme from the movie "Beverly Hills Cop." I just want that to stick in your head for as long as possible today.

Speaking of songs, Lionel Richie has written some amazing lyrics over the years, and he talks about his talent to CNN's Karyn Bryant.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARYN BRYANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lionel Richie, he's sold more than 100 million albums. He's won five Grammy's, an Oscar and a Golden Globe since going solo in 1982.

"ShowBiz Tonight" was right there with Lionel as he prepared to hit New York City fans with his signature sounds.

LIONEL RICHIE, SINGER: What I try to write about are real events. There will always be an "Easy Like Sunday Morning." There will always be an "Endless Love." There will always be an "All Night Long." You know, in other words, those are phrases that will always be here. They're not faddy, they're not hip, they're just timeless words. And so if I've connected with the public with those timeless words and then they got married on them, that'll help, or they went to college on it or fell in love on it.

BRYANT: Which is why Lionel himself is in love with playing the older stuff no matter how many times he goes on stage.

RICHIE: You know why, because the audience knows them probably better than I do and remembers every word, so it's more like an evening of reminiscing more than anything. I think people look at these songs and know exactly where they were. And basically that's what it brings back, all the wonderful memories.

BRYANT: So we wanted to know Lionel's secret, how do you write songs that stand the test of time? Is it magic?

RICHIE: Some days it's magical, it's two days or a day and a half. The sketch of it is done in about 20 minutes. But after that, misery comes in and I can't find the rest of the lyrics. So that can be about two weeks, at the most, sometimes. And sometimes it comes very fast.

"All Night Long" was the longest song ever, and that was about two months. I just couldn't find the ending to save my -- I couldn't find "All Night Long" to save my life. I had everything, the versus, the middle part, the tombolepaze (ph), all the stuff, I just did not have "All Night Long." I didn't have that. And it took me forever to find it. And finally one night the heavens opened and it came through.

You know the wonderful thing about songwriting, it's a humbling experience, because as soon as you make it a point and say I'm writing it, terrible lyrics, terrible lyrics and terrible melodies. When I nail it, it's done. I mean I know exactly what it's supposed to be. I know exactly what it sounds like. It's magical. And I wish I knew how to explain it to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And the next hour of DAYBREAK starts right now.

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