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CNN Live Today

Nation Honors War Dead on Memorial Day; 'Unknown Soldier'; Operation Lightning

Aired May 30, 2005 - 10:30   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news. President Bush will join other Americans to honor the U.S. war dead on this Memorial Day. Mr. Bush will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns. CNN will have live coverage of the ceremony at the top of the hour.
Operation Lightning is under way in Iraq. The major offensive is aimed at rooting out insurgents around Baghdad. Officials say 40,000 Iraqi forces will be backed up by about 10,000 U.S. troops. The operation will include raids, cordons and scores of checkpoints.

Bill Clinton is wrapping up his tour of tsunami-hit nations. The former president is in Indonesia's Aceh province today. Clinton planned to meet officials in charge of reconstruction. Many people left homeless by December's tsunami are still waiting for houses, schools and roads to be built.

Police in Bellefontaine, Ohio believe an 18-year-old shot five other people to death and then killed himself. The bodies were found in two neighboring homes. A 15-year-old girl survived. She is listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the neck. The shooter and another of the dead had been scheduled to graduate from high school on Sunday.

America's war dead can't be measured in mere numbers. They were someone's loved ones with identities as varied as their names.

As CNN's Beth Nissen explains, even when the names were common, the stories they carried to war were not.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETH NISSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In remembrance in honor of the U.S. troops who have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom, a list of 1,650 names, familiar American family names. Brown, Johnson, Martinez, Miller, Smith. Smith, the most common surname in the United States.

21 Smiths have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Like most of the American troops killed in this war, most serving in this war, these 21 soldiers and Marines were almost all young, 20, 21, 24. They came from midsized cities and small towns across the country. Anaheim, California, Troy, Montana, Rochester, New York, Tampa, Florida.

They came from the nation's heartland, mostly blue collar, steel toe towns in Ohio, and Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri. They came from the South: Arkansas, South Carolina, the back road parts where single mothers worked their whole lives in fan belt factories, raised whole families in trailer homes. Orenthial Smith known as "Smitty," grew up here, graduated from high school, enlisted 13 days later to make something of himself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wasn't going to, you know, try to tell him what to do. That was his choice. I just stood by him.

NISSEN: Many enlist for college money. Private 1st Class Jeremiah Smith and Corporal Raleigh Smith both wanted to be history teachers some day.

Some enlisted to prove themselves, improve themselves like Private First Class Brandon Smith who dropped out of high school in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but went back, got his diploma, got into shape, lost 80 pounds so he could join the Marines.

Specialist Michael J. Smith also transformed himself. After high school, he'd had some no-future jobs around suburban Philadelphia, had screamed songs with a local heavy metal band, had an all-black wardrobe and bright red hair that hung to his waist. The Army gave him a buzz cut, a direction, a career.

It gave Brian Smith of McKinney, Texas, a change in career. He was a labor lawyer, had his own practice, quit just before he turned 30, because he thought he could make more of a difference in the world as an Army second lieutenant driving tanks.

A few of the Smiths were older, most career military. Like Chief Warrant Officer Eric Smith, 41, a 16-year Army veteran from Rochester, New York, who lived to fly helicopters. And First Sergeant Edward Smith, 38, a police reserve officer in Anaheim, California, and 20- year veteran of the Marine Corps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smitty had the qualities to be a very good Marine, an excellent Marine. He was a great cop. And a great -- good friend and a good man.

NISSEN: And Sergeant First Class Paul Smith, 33. A 13-year Army veteran who had served in the First Gulf War in Bosnia and Kosovo.

All three were part of the first wave of U.S. troops marching across the sands of Iraq in March of 2003 to Baghdad. All three were among the war's early casualties.

Eric Smith died April 2 when his helicopter crashed in an unspecified part of central Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They grew up and ended up wanting to fly helicopters and did so and fought for our country. And I want them to remember that.

NISSEN: Sergeant Edward Smith was wounded in combat in Central Iraq April 4, died the next day. Like an unprecedented number of U.S. troops, he was married, had children, three under the age of 12. Sergeant Paul Smith's unit made it to Baghdad, seized part of the crucially important airport. On April 4, he and 15 fellow soldiers came under fierce fire from some 100 members of the Republican guard. As his comrades fell around him, Paul Smith took a wounded gunner's place at a 50 caliber machine gun. Firing and reloading three times covering the evacuation of the wounded before he was shot in the neck.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We count ourselves blessed to have soldiers like Sergeant Smith who put their lives on the line to advance the cause of freedom and protect the American people.

NISSEN: Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith was posthumously awarded the nation's highest battlefield honor, the first Medal of Honor awarded in 12 years.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE He has left his family and his country a life of great meaning and entrusted us with his faith in America and its mission.

NISSEN: Less than a week after Paul Smith's death, the statue and the regime of Saddam Hussein had fallen.

BUSH: My fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

NISSEN: On June 21, Orenthial's Smith's mother came home from the fan belt factory to a letter from her son.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Even though the president said that most combat operations in Iraq is over, the war still continues. There are still soldiers and Marines dying every day. Mom, read this letter to as many people as you can. We're still here fighting to help Iraq and also defending our great country."

NISSEN: The next day she came home to an officer in an Army uniform. Only a few of the words he said came through. Convoy, Baghdad, regret to inform.

Of the 21 Smiths, 18 died after major combat operations were declared at an end. Pockets of resistance turned out to be a lasting and widespread insurgency, attacking U.S. troops as they moved in long convoys, low flying helicopters.

CWO BRUCE SMITH, U.S. ARMY: Hi, this is CWO Bruce Smith with company F-106 Aviation from West Liberty, Iowa. I'd like to say hello to my family and friends in West Liberty and thank you for your support.

NISSEN: Chief Warrant Officer Bruce Smith talked often about the joys and hazards of flying helicopters in a war zone.

SMITH: There's not a whole lot of protection, per se. It's made of aluminum stuff. So we try to hide behind this console as much as we can. NISSEN: On November 2, he was co-piloting a Chinook helicopter carrying troops home on leave when a surface-to-air missile shot the chopper down near Falluja. 15 of the 18 on board died, including Bruce Smith, 41, husband and father of two.

Five days later another surface-to-air missile, another helicopter, this one a Black Hawk over Tikrit. All six on board were killed, including Captain Benedict Smith, 29.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.

NISSEN: When Saddam Hussein was captured in mid-December, the total number of U.S. war dead had not yet reached 500. Not all were killed in combat. Lance Corporal Matthew Smith, a Marine reservist, had survived that first push to Baghdad, still had grains of sand in the pages of his Bible. He and his family were relieved when he was redeployed to Kuwait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The letter told me that he was going to be back before his birthday, which was in 20 days, and we were all very excited.

NISSEN: Matt, almost 21, was killed when the humvee he was driving hit a parked trailer. More than 100 U.S. troops have died in motor vehicle accidents, in dust storms, at night, on dangerous roads, offroad.

Corporal Daryl Smith drowned when his vehicle overturned, plunged into one of Baghdad's network of rivers and canals. Private First Class Jeremiah Smith was killed when his humvee ran over unexploded ordnance near Baghdad.

Explosives, mines and IEDs, improvised explosive devices, were a constant threat. Private First Class Brandon Smith was killed when his humvee hit a land mine in Al Qaim in March of 2004.

Mining roads, setting traps, hiding, that was the way of the enemy that Second Lieutenant Brian Smith described in e-mails home. "The Iraqis prefer to pop out of cover, shoot and run," he wrote. "They are rarely accurate." He was shot and killed by a sniper in July in Habbaniyah.

Habbaniyah, Ramadi, Falluja, hot spots throughout 2004 for U.S. troops, Army units, then the Marines. Lance Corporal Michael J. Smith Jr., Sergeant Benjamin Smith, Lance Corporal Antowain Smith were all lost there. Killed in the terse language of the Marines, in enemy action in al Anbar Province.

It was left to others to give their lives some detail.

Antowain, 22, played viola in his high school orchestra in Orlando. Lost his stutter when he joined the Marines.

Benjamin, 24, loved country music and rodeos. Had a fiance, Carrie, waiting for him in California. Michael, 21, nicknamed All-Purpose Smitty by his high school football coach, because he'd play any position. His funeral was held in the Lutheran church in Steubenville, Ohio, where he was baptized, confirmed and married to Alicia, who was expecting their first child when he died.

Najaf, Mosul, Baghdad. U.S. troops here stayed on patrol, on edge. As he rode in a Humvee on patrol in Baghdad, Arkansas National Guard Sergeant Michael Smith was shot in the head. He was medevacked to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. His parents and sister kept vigil in the ICU for two weeks, but he never opened his eyes. He died last November 26th, the day after Thanksgiving.

Corporal Raleigh Smith wondered about being a good soldier. He told friends and family back home in Troy, Montana, he had mixed feelings about the war, had nightmares about all the bodies of women and children he'd seen in Falluja, a ghost town, he told his mother. He was killed in action there two days before Christmas.

Lance Corporal Jason Smith also wrote home about seeing dead bodies and dead Marines. In a letter his family opened last New Year's Eve, the day Jason died on patrol in Al Anbar province, he wrote "in some ways I don't think we should be here, but someone needs to do it. I'm glad to help these innocent Iraqis out. They are so happy that we are here to fix their country."

Because of U.S. troops, U.S. sacrifices, Iraq was to have free elections. On January 30th, millions of Iraqis went to the polls. Specialist Michael Smith had wanted to see election day -- the end of Iraq's dictatorship, he'd said. But a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle in Ramadi January 11th.

The elections were important to Corporal Matthew Smith, too. His unit was on its way to secure a polling place in Falluja the weekend before the elections when his helicopter went down in a sandstorm, killing him and 30 other U.S. troops. At his funeral back in Utah, Matthew's family agreed he'd lived his dream. Even as a toddler, he'd walk around with a toy gun saying, I'm going to protect you guys.

Since the elections, the war in Iraq has dropped from the front pages, the network newscasts. There have been only two Department of Defense reports on casualties named Smith. Lance Corporal Kevin Smith, 20, killed by a suicide car bomber near the Syrian border on March 21st, who when he couldn't sleep would call his fiance Christy back in the States at 2:00 a.m. She told his pastor at his funeral, she still listens for the phone.

And Sergeant John Smith, 22, who was on his second tour in Iraq, was training Iraqi national guardsmen in Iskandariyah, when an IED exploded near his vehicle May 12th.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the kind of guy that we'd take fire, people would be shooting at us, and he'd never panicked, always stayed calm, relaxed, and did his job. NISSEN: John Smith was buried last weekend in the National Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina, with military honors, a 21-gun salute.

In remembrance, in honor of the 21 soldiers and Marines with the common name of Smith, who volunteered, who served, who gave their all, in all Americans' names.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Live picture at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Any moment, President Bush willing along for the annual ceremony to lay a wreath. We'll go there live and hear his remarks from Arlington National Cemetery after that. Right now, a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says, listen to this. And he takes that cassette tape, and puts it in there, and presses down and it's the sounds of you. And he's listening to this and I'm listening to it, and all of a sudden this tear starts down his cheek. He shuts it off, he looks at me with this smile, I mean, it was his whole face. And he said, Zeus (ph), did you hear my kid talking to you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A filmmaker searches for the father he never knew, a father who was killed in Vietnam. The story is told in the documentary called "Unknown Soldier."

And the documentary premieres later today on HBO. We have a chance to have an advanced look. Director John Hulme joins us from New York to talk about this film.

Good morning.

JOHN HULME, DIRECTOR, "UNKNOWN SOLDIER": Good morning. How are you doing?

KAGAN: I watched your documentary last night, and you and I shed tears together. Very, very powerful. And thanks for sharing your story.

HULME: Thank you.

KAGAN: Let's go back to the beginning. You were only three weeks old when your dad died in Vietnam.

HULME: Yes, exactly. I was three weeks. You know, I never met him. And I kind of grew up knowing nothing about him. So for me, it wasn't like I lost a father; I just never had one in the first place. KAGAN: And you come of age. You're turning around 30 years old, and you decide that you're now ready to meet this man who was your father.

HULME: Yes, you know, I just -- it was no longer OK that I couldn't tell you who he was or how he died, so I just started tracking down people. You know, childhood friends, college buddies, all the people that fought with him in the war and just tried to get to know him through their eyes.

KAGAN: That journey was really interesting. I have to tell you, personally, the most fascinating part was when you're sitting there and talking to your mom. And as much as this is your story, it's their love story.

HULME: Oh, yes. She's the hero of the movie. You know, I'm extremely proud of her. And I was very close to her, but this was sort of the last barrier between us. And to talk about it with her was very painful, but in the end, it was a totally beautiful experience.

KAGAN: There's some kind of cute moments. Your parents did cassette tapes back and forth when your dad was overseas. And you're listening and there's that moment -- you're the filmmaker, you want to know, and yet you're the son and it's kind of like la, la, la.

HULME: Yes, exactly. It was so -- and, you know, the same is true for reading their letters. It was such an intimate relationship. And so I never wanted to intrude, but this was all new to me and I wanted to take it all in.

KAGAN: So what did you learn about the man who was your father?

HULME: You know what, I learned so much. I mean, I knew nothing about him. I learned that, you know, this was -- he went to war because he wanted to go to war. And, you know, he was very proud to serve his country. But when he got there, you know, war was a terrible thing. And I think we sort of sum up that experience for him when he says, you know, I never want to see my son go to war. And so I just know enough about him that I'm extremely proud of him and I'm proud to share him with people.

KAGAN: These pictures in particular, taken of your father's funeral. And there's your mom in the corner and your grandfather and they're holding you as a little baby. It really struck home for me how the story -- you know, we'll read the story any given day on the news how this person died and that person died. For the families, the story goes on for years and years and years.

HULME: Yes, and I know -- that was one of the important things, was that I didn't want this sort of story to end in 1969 in tragedy. That's why I ended up taking my mother and a film crew to Vietnam and to sort of go back to the place where he was killed so that we could kind of write a new ending on the story, something more triumphant and something that's continuing to this day. KAGAN: And in the final seconds we have left, did you accomplish what you set out to do, to be able to say that this guy was a cool guy and you know who your dad is?

HULME: Oh, yes. Now I have a son who is 14 months old and he's named after my father. And it's just the greatest thing to be -- can't wait until he's old enough to tell him all about him.

KAGAN: Very good. Well, you're going to have the movie to help do that. John Hulme. The documentary is called "Unknown Soldier," debuts tonight at 6:30 on HBO.

HULME: Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you for your time.

You are now looking at live pictures from Arlington National Cemetery, where the president is just minutes away from laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We're back with the ceremony right after a quick break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we go back to a live picture now from Arlington National Cemetery. You can see the Memorial Day ceremonies are well under way. In just a few minutes, President Bush, who has arrived there, will place a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. We are standing by for that.

And while we wait for the president to get into place, let's share this little story with you. A World War I veteran who is 103 years old is a guest at today's ceremonies. Lloyd Brown will represent the nearly 5 million U.S. servicemen who fought in the great war. He is one of only about 30 World War I vets that are still living. And get this. He still lives alone.

A little background for you on the Tomb of the Unknowns. This set up after World War I. It holds the remains of American soldiers from World War I and World War II, the Korean conflict and, of course, you're probably familiar with the story. It did have the remains of an unknown soldier from the Vietnam War, but DNA testing later proved that those were the remains of U.S. Air Force First Lieutenant Michael Blassie. And so Lieutenant -- the Lieutenant Blassie's remains were returned to his family in July of 1998 and he was buried in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, shortly thereafter.

I think we're seeing President Bush arrive here. He will come up. There's a wreath already standing by, and he will place the wreath. Let's just have some silence and watch this unfold.

(MUSIC)

KAGAN: And with that moment of silence, President Bush will now head on to the amphitheater. We expect to hear his comments about 11:25 a.m. Eastern. This part of the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns completed. Much more Memorial Day coverage just ahead. As we do talk on this Memorial Day, it is a day to honor the nation's war dead. The focus at this hour, of course, as we're looking at these live pictures at Arlington National Cemetery, President Bush performing the solemn duty as commander in chief.

Our Bob Franken has been watching the events with us. He is at the White House, not too far away from there this morning.

Bob, good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And the crisp spit and polish on a beautiful day in Washington, of course, is, nevertheless, considered a connection with the rough wartime conditions in Iraq right now, the sand and the heat, the 110- degree-plus temperatures this time of year, and also the rugged conditions in Afghanistan. In both sites, soldiers are fights and sometimes dying. Sixteen hundred have died -- 1,600-plus in Iraq. They, too, are being remembered as the ceremonies go under way.

These wars not without controversy. But there's little controversy in the United States at the gratitude that a nation feels for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And that is what Memorial Day is all about.

It is a ceremony conducted at the Tomb of the Unknowns. It used to be called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but they changed it to encompass all of the armed forces. As we heard just a moment ago from you, this is a ceremony that is part of a tomb that goes back to World War I and a reminder that one of the ways that a nation is able to assert itself is through war, and that is what the United States is doing now -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Bob Franken at the White House. And our coverage will continue. We expect just over 20 minutes from now President Bush to speak at Arlington National Cemetery. We will bring those comments to you live.

Live picture from the amphitheater. We'll be going back there, as I said, in about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, let's get some news in on Iraq, where Iraqi and U.S. forces are on the offensive. The U.S. says Operation Lightning is well under way in Baghdad. An attempt to root out insurgents with a massive show of force.

Our senior Baghdad Correspondent Jane Arraf joins us live by videophone.

Jane, hello.

JANE ARRAF, CNN SR. BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

On this Memorial Day, there is quite a presence out there in Baghdad in the streets. According to military officials -- and we are here -- central at the military headquarters for U.S. and coalition headquarters in Iraq, they tell us that, indeed, Operation Lightning has started. And the deputy commander of multinational forces, Brigadier General Daniel Bolger, tells us that it should improve Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. DANIEL BOLGER, CAMP VICTORY, IRAQ: I think it's a sign of a positive trend, but there's definitely an enemy force here in Baghdad that has to be dealt with. That's why the Iraqis and the coalition forces, Americans primarily here in Baghdad, are working so hard against them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARRAF: Now, that is, of course, the operation that is the biggest in Iraqi history, essentially, since the end of major combat. Forty thousand troops out there, and part of it is aimed -- all of it is aimed, in fact, in putting down this insurgency, where Iraqis and Americans, as well as other coalition forces keep dying.

They paid tribute to some of those soldiers at a memorial here at what used to be one of Saddam Hussein's main palaces, scrolling names, more than 700 of them, who have died in the past year, playing music and paying tribute to those who gave their lives here so far from home -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Jane, what has the operation done to just daily life in a city as large as Baghdad?

ARRAF: Well, essentially, day-to-day life here is not that easy to begin with. If you are an ordinary Iraqi trying to get on with your life, you go out, try to send your children to school, go to work, and you may or may not get there.

The traffic is often snarled because of U.S. military convoys, or because they've closed bridges, or because the national assembly is in session. There are car bombings on an almost daily basis. There are drive-by shootings.

Now, if you add to that tens of thousands more soldiers and police in the streets, you can imagine what that's going to be like. But they are doing it in phases, area by area. And that is meant to minimize the disruption and the fear among Iraqi residents -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad. Thank you from Camp Victory, Iraq. Thank you.

Well, faced with Iraq's stubborn level of violence, today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" General Richard Myers -- that's the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- was asked -- was asked if the insurgents were more sophisticated or if they were actually more desperate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: A couple of years ago they started going after coalition forces hoping to drive them out of Iraq. That didn't work. Then they went after Iraqi security forces hoping to keep them from signing up. And yet they're signing up in record numbers, both police and their army.

And then they went after Iraqi civilians. And that's pretty much where they are today. And yet Iraqis voted in the elections in January. And they say by a margin of 85 percent they're going to vote in the constitutional referendum.

So they keep going after what we in the military call the centers of gravity. They are not successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Meanwhile, though, there are more bombs and bloodshed near Baghdad today. Two suicide bombers strapped on vests and packed with explosives, then blew themselves up in Hillah. At least 27 people are dead, many of them Iraqi police. Over 100 are hurt.

One bomber targeted a police rally outside the office of an Iraqi government official some 150 feet away. Another bomber attacked a crowd of police recruits standing in line at a health center to take a physical.

This Memorial Day is especially difficult for a couple in Ohio, Keith and Carolyn Maupin. Their son, Sergeant Matt Maupin, is the only U.S. soldier listed as missing and captured in Iraq.

Maupin's convoy was attacked 13 months ago outside of Baghdad. He was seen in a videotape broadcast on Al-Jazeera a short time later, and there has been no word since. His parents are attending Memorial Day events in Washington, hoping to raise awareness of their missing son. In a recent interview, they note how easily Americans can forget.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have released the head of the Islamic -- Iraqi Islamic Party after arresting him, what they later called was a mistake. Officials say that Moshen Abdul Hamid was returned to his home after an investigation. He was arrested today with his three sons, who've also been let go.

Police believe evidence linked Hamid to al Qaeda cells in Iraq with connections to wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Officials say they regret any inconvenience the arrest may have caused.

In Afghanistan, what might be new video has surfaced of an Italian hostage. Afghan television stations aired the footage. It shows insurgents holding rifles to the head of aid worker Clementina Cantoni. She was kidnapped in Kabul on May 16, and there were reports that she had been killed. On the tape she gives the date as May 28, but says it's Sunday.

And in our "Security Watch" this morning, one allegedly wanted to train terrorists, the other allegedly wanted to treat them. A Florida doctor -- we're going to show a picture for you right here -- a self- described martial arts expert from New York, will be in federal court tomorrow. There you go.

The two -- both are U.S. citizens, are accused of conspiring to provide support to al Qaeda. Their arrests follow a two-year FBI sting in which the doctor allegedly agreed to teach wounded terrorists in Saudi Arabia. The FBI says the other man wanted to teach them hand-to-hand combat. Both men's families deny those charges.

CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

On this Memorial Day, while many moms and dads are away in Iraq fighting, or Afghanistan, or another part of the world, we're going to bring you a heartwarming story about how one little boy is coping while his dad is away.

And more of CNN's Memorial Day coverage continues after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Live pictures from Arlington National Cemetery. We are just moments away from President Bush making comments. We saw him lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns a little bit earlier. We will go to that live when the president begins to speak.

Meanwhile, as we look at these live pictures, the National Guard is shouldering a large burden in Iraq and Afghanistan. And now some feel they're actually getting cheated over retirement plans. CNN's Alina Cho looks at that controversy.

(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)

KAGAN: And once again, let's go back to a live picture from Arlington National Cemetery, the amphitheater. President Bush due to -- you see him there -- he's due to step up to the podium any minute. When the president begins to speak, we will go back live.

Right now, let's fit in a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We're listening in here at Arlington National Cemetery. This is the Air Force band performing "Going Home."

Earlier we saw President Bush lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. He's up there. Also, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is there. First we'll hear from the defense secretary and then President Bush.

And now a little bit from the Air Force band.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and Gentlemen, Secretary Rumsfeld.

(APPLAUSE)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mr. President, my friend, General Dick Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, thank you so much for your able service to our country. Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

(APPLAUSE)

Members of the Joint Chiefs and service secretaries, senior enlisted personnel, men and women in uniform, and Mrs. Bush, you represent our country so well.

(APPLAUSE)

You make us proud to be Americans.

Members of the United States Senate and members of the United States House of Representatives, men and women in uniform, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen, we gather today not far from the first battlefield of the Civil War. It was noted that the fighting was so close to Washington that President Abraham Lincoln could see the smoke of the cannons rising from the Battle of Bull Run.

From those days of bitter conflict, Americans forged a nation dedicated to the ideals of liberty and equality for all. And through the generations that followed, tested in two world wars, and in that epic struggle against communism, it is those ideals that have made our country the target of tyrants.

America's promise of freedom and opportunity was and remains a jarring rebuke to extremists that seek to subjugate the many to the few. It was not long ago that our country suffered the first casualties of another war, declared on us by enemies of freedom. And as before, another president could see smoke rising from a different kind of battlefield, the Pentagon in flames.

Our president, like his predecessors, understood that we had to fight for freedom to save it, and that liberty's survival here depends on its advance abroad. On his orders, the outstanding men and women wearing our country's uniform, volunteers all, have risked their lives to take the fight to the extremists who threaten our people. Some have fallen in battle.

To their families, there are no sufficient words of comfort. The emptiness will linger, and it's hard. But we can be grateful for the time we had with them. We can celebrate who they were and how they lived their lives, and remember amid the sorrow that one day turns to solace and strength that those lives were lost in a struggle dedicated to the eternal truth of freedom and the human spirit. Our country was founded on that spirit, and Americans have nurtured it through every war in every era.

Just before the Battle of Bull Run, a soldier named Sullivan Ballou wrote to his wife. He said, "I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged. I know how strongly American civilization now leans upon our triumph and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of America's revolution."

Sullivan Ballou would die days later in the Battle of Bull Run just 30 miles from here. And today, as we look out upon this garden of moving white headstones that honor the heroes of our heritage, we know his sacrifice was not in vain, nor have been the sacrifices of those we honor today in prayer and silently in our hearts.

May the lord be with those who mourn, with the veterans, the troops in battle and their families, and with our commander in chief who, amid the smoke of a great conflict promised to meet violence with patient justice, foresaw the victories to come, and who, like that president before him, offered a new hope of a birth of freedom, not just for our nation, but for all who seek freedom.

It is an honor to introduce our commander in chief, the president of the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, all. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mr. Secretary, thank you.

Secretary Nicholson, General Myers, members of Congress, members of the United States military, veterans, honored guests, fellow Americans, especially those loved ones of the fallen, every year on this day we pause to remember Americans fallen by placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. I'm honored to do that this morning on behalf of the American people.

The names of the men buried there are known only to God, but their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation. The soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines we remember today answered the call to service in their nation's hour of need. They stood to fight for America's highest ideals. And when the sun came up this morning, the flag flew at half staff in solemn gratitude and a deep respect.

At our national cemetery we receive the fallen in sorrow and we take them to an honored place to rest. Looking across this field, we see the scale of heroism and sacrifice.

All who are buried here understood their duty. All stood to protect America. And all carried with them memories of a family that they hoped to keep safe by their sacrifice.

At a distance their headstones look alike. Yet every son or daughter, mom or dad who visits, will always look first at one.

General Eisenhower put it well in 1944 when he wrote his wife Mamie about the homes that must sacrifice their best. The families who come here have sacrificed someone precious and irreplaceable in their lives, and our nation will always honor them.

At our national cemetery, we're reminded why America has always been a reluctant warrior. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a victory for which more than 400,000 Americans gave their lives. Their courage crossed two oceans and it conquered tyrants. Some of you here today fought in that war as young men. And we make this pledge to you. America will always honor the character and the achievements of your brave generation.

(APPLAUSE)

Today we also remember the Americans who are still missing. We honor them, and our nation is determined to account for all of them.

(APPLAUSE)

Another generation is fighting a new war against an enemy that threatens the peace and stability of the world. Across the globe our military is standing directly between our people and the worst dangers in the world. And Americans are grateful to have such brave defenders.

(APPLAUSE)

The war on terror has brought great costs. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, today is a day of last letters and fresh tears. Because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, two terror regimes are gone forever, freedom is on the march and America is more secure.

(APPLAUSE)

At our national cemetery, we take comfort from knowing that the men and women who are serving freedom's cause understand their purpose and its price.

Marine Captain Ryan Boauprez (ph) of St. Anne, Illinois, was killed in the first hours of the war. He wrote his mom and dad a letter that was to be opened only in the event he didn't come home. He wrote, "Realize that I died doing something I truly love, for a purpose greater than myself."

Army Sergeant Michael Evans (ph) of Maroa, Louisiana, felt the same way. He was killed on January the 28th while on patrol in western Baghdad. In his own farewell letter to his family, the 22- year-old reminded those he left behind to stay strong. He said, "My death will mean nothing if you stop now. I know it will be hard, but I gave my life so you could live, not just live, but live free." (APPLAUSE)

For some of our young heroes, courage and service was a family tradition. Lance Corporal Daryl Schuman (ph) of Hampton, Virginia, was a machine gunner for the Marines, but his parents were Air Force. He liked to say Air Force by birth, Marine by choice and American by the grace of God.

(APPLAUSE)

Corporal Schuman was among the first to enter the battle against insurgents in Falluja. He was proud of what we were achieving. He later died of a helicopter crash. In his last letter from Iraq, he wrote, "I do wish America can see how awesome a job we're doing."

These are the men and women who wear our uniform. These are the men and women who defend our freedom. And these are the men and women who are buried here. As we look across these acres, we begin to tally the cost of our freedom and we count it a privilege to be citizens of the country served by so many brave men and women.

And we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, advancing the cause of liberty and building a safer world.

(APPLAUSE)

The day will come when there will be no one left who knew the men and women buried here, yet Americans will still come to visit, to pay tribute to the many who gave their lives for freedom, who liberated the oppressed and who left the world a safer and better place.

Today, we pray that they have found peace with their creator and we resolve that their sacrifice will always be remembered by a grateful nation. May God continue to bless America.

(APPLAUSE)

KAGAN: President -- President Bush speaking at Arlington National Cemetery, saying this is the day of last letters and fresh tears, especially for those who lost members in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now the playing of "Taps."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentleman, please remain standing for the playing of "Taps" and the benediction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's close with prayer.

Heavenly Father, we assemble here to remember and honor those who have given their lives and service to our country. This is important and right to do, but I ask you now for more. I ask that you might touch our hearts. As we pass among these historic headstones, let each of us ask ourselves, what are we willing to die for? Is there anything in this whole universe that I value more than my own physical existence? Lord, we have nowhere to look for the answer but to you. I am thankful you have answered this prayer many times before. You answer in the love that compels a Marine to cover a grenade with his body or a sailor to give up his life jacket or a pilot to guide his falling aircraft away from the town. We're all thankful that you answered when the founders of these United States pledged their lives in the certain knowledge that you created all people equal and endowed them with inalienable rights like liberty and justice. You answered that these ideals are more important than life and our country was born.

I'm thankful that you continue to give us men and women who honor these dead by the way they live, making sacrifices and risking their life for the same God-given ideals. Our military members offer themselves, not in desperate acts of terror, but as messengers of liberty. Finally, Lord, as a nation, give us wisdom and unity in using the great power you have entrusted to us. And we look forward to your promised end to the struggle when we will beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks, and nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

As a Christian minister, I ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who showed us that true love is true self sacrifice. Amen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Some world news for you now. What now for a united Europe? French voters have turned down the new E.U. constitution. It is an embarrassing blow to French President Jacques Chirac.

Our Jim Bittermann has the latest from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The presidential palace here in Paris has announced that President Jacques Chirac will go on television tomorrow night in order to announce the fate of his government. It's fully expected that Jeanne Pierre Raffarin, the prime minister, will resign and a new cabinet will be named. Among the choices that President Chirac has apparently. Among the names that you hear most frequently, are Nicholas Sarcozi, who is one of Jacques Chirac's top rivals, and has been for some years now, Dominic Divillipan (ph), who is, more or less, a Chirac protege, and someone known very much for his outspoken ways during the Iraq crisis, when he was the foreign minister at the United Nations, and Michelle Alio Marie (ph), the defense minister who in some ways was like a compromise candidate.

Now all of this government reshuffle prompted by the stinging defeat Jacques Chirac suffered as voters repudiated the treaty, the European Union constitutional treaty, which Jacques Chirac had fought so hard to get passed. He will be changing the government, hoping to convince voters that, in fact, he will bring change to France.

But one of the aides to one of those mentioned frequently as a choice for prime minister told me very recently that, in fact, the trick will be switching around, where essentially the same people and different chairs in the government, and making it seem as if they will bring change and new policy to the government.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Here are now some other stories making news overseas this morning. Former President Clinton is in Banda Aceh, Indonesia today. His second visit to the province. He's reviewing progress since the December tsunami. Many people are frustrated with the slow pace of building. Clinton arrived after stops in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Those countries also saw considerable damage and death.

British police are exploring new clues about the "Piano Man." London newspapers say he could be a classically trained Czech musician. The "Piano Man" was discovered on a beach soaking wet in formal attire last month, and he hasn't said a word since, but he plays the piano masterfully.

And lawyers for Australian Schapelle Corby are working on her appeal today. An Indonesian court sentenced her to 20 years last week, after convicting her of smuggling nine pounds of marijuana into Bali. Corby claims the pot was planted in her bag. Australians are outraged over the long sentence, but Australia's former minister says the Indonesian courts must be respected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, you can't -- you just can't. Any attempt to try to intervene in the judicial process by a politician is likely to be entirely counter productive. All it will do is create a very strong feeling of resentment. I mean, as people in America would object if foreigners tried to intervene in their court proceedings, or if we had politicians from other countries in our proceedings. The courts have got to be able to do their job. The courts here, the evidence is presented by the prosecution and by the defense, and they've got to make their own judgments about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Corby's defense team has two weeks to file a formal appeal.

Let's find out what's coming up at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." I can tell you what's not coming up? Wolf Blitzer is taking the day off. But you are a good consolation prize, Tony Harris.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, thank you. Thank you, Daryn. Good to see you.

KAGAN: Good to see you.

HARRIS: We have a busy hour coming up on the "NEWS FROM CNN," A story we've been following all morning from Iraq. The record number of insurgent attack this past month has coalition forces on the offensive. Operation Lightning is under way, and our Jane Arraf is at Camp Victory right now. We'll get a report from her in Iraq.

Plus, on this Memorial Day, a history of sorts. Author Andrew Carroll joins me to talk about his latest worked called "Behind The Lines." It is a book with emotional and powerful letters written during U.S. wartime, from the Civil War up to the most recent battles in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a touching retrospective during some of our most troubling times. Those stories and much more at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN."

KAGAN: Very good. Look forward to it. Thank you, Tony.

Being in the -- actually, how about we're going to have much more Memorial Day coverage after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Many of our viewers know that our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a neurosurgeon, but what you might not know, some of his specialized skills have been brought to bear in some unlikely places. This is his story while covering the war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: On April 8, 2003, 25- year-old Jesus Vidana lay clinging to life after a sniper bullet pierced his helmet during a gunfight, spraying shrapnel into his brain.

A fellow Marine pronounced him dead on the scene. Later on the chopper, he was pronounced dead again, but he was alive, barely. Jesus's pulse was faint.

The closest qualified surgeon was in fact, me, just a few miles away, just outside of Baghdad, covering the Devil Docs medical team for CNN.

JESUS VIDANA, SOLDIER SAVED BY DR. GUPTA: They told us that a journalist from CNN who was performing surgery and I say, a journalist? You know, but, then, yes, he's a doctor.

GUPTA: We rushed into surgery with the most rudimentary tools to save him -- what we had laying around, a drill and IV bag to help clear out the blood clot in Jesus's brain.

No doubt, medical necessity, a life teetering on a fragile precipice, and perhaps fate would come together that day. And after two hours of surgery, Jesus pulled through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thank God because I mean -- I thought -- you know, I thought he was going to pass away.

GUPTA: He was airlifted to Spain for more operations and to begin his recovery, and then it was back home for even more operations and rehab to regain some of what he'd lost that day in Iraq -- his ability to walk, talk, feed and bathe himself. We would reunite nearly a year after our first encounter in Iraq.

(on camera): How you doing?

VIDANA: Pretty good.

GUPTA (voice-over): Even then, Jesus' recovery after such a severe head wound was impressive, but he had a long way to go. He still had trouble walking, especially using the left side of his body. And while he may have left the physical war behind him in Iraq, the psychological one remained with him.

VIDANA: Emotionally I think -- I still have, like, a tough time dealing with it. I still have like depression, sometimes, but I'm taking medication for that.

GUPTA: Now another year has passed. Jesus' doctors have him on a better regimen of anti-depressants and he's kept up the physical therapy, so that his attitude...

VIDANA: Whooo hooo!

GUPTA: ... and his health are both on upward slope. Each day's gains move Vidana a little further from Iraq and a little closer to happiness.

VIDANA: You have to just keep pushing forward and moving on. Life will leave you behind if you don't. And I don't want to be left behind, you know. I don't want to stay in Iraq, you know. I guess hypothetically or -- that wasn't the end of life for me.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And to get your "Daily Dose" of health news, just log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and more. The address is CNN.com/health.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And that's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. I hope you have a meaningful and a nice Memorial Day, the rest of your day. I'll be right back here tomorrow morning. Tony Harris is with you after a quick break.

(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 May 30, 2005 - 10:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening now in the news. President Bush will join other Americans to honor the U.S. war dead on this Memorial Day. Mr. Bush will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery's Tomb of the Unknowns. CNN will have live coverage of the ceremony at the top of the hour.
Operation Lightning is under way in Iraq. The major offensive is aimed at rooting out insurgents around Baghdad. Officials say 40,000 Iraqi forces will be backed up by about 10,000 U.S. troops. The operation will include raids, cordons and scores of checkpoints.

Bill Clinton is wrapping up his tour of tsunami-hit nations. The former president is in Indonesia's Aceh province today. Clinton planned to meet officials in charge of reconstruction. Many people left homeless by December's tsunami are still waiting for houses, schools and roads to be built.

Police in Bellefontaine, Ohio believe an 18-year-old shot five other people to death and then killed himself. The bodies were found in two neighboring homes. A 15-year-old girl survived. She is listed in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the neck. The shooter and another of the dead had been scheduled to graduate from high school on Sunday.

America's war dead can't be measured in mere numbers. They were someone's loved ones with identities as varied as their names.

As CNN's Beth Nissen explains, even when the names were common, the stories they carried to war were not.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BETH NISSEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In remembrance in honor of the U.S. troops who have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom, a list of 1,650 names, familiar American family names. Brown, Johnson, Martinez, Miller, Smith. Smith, the most common surname in the United States.

21 Smiths have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Like most of the American troops killed in this war, most serving in this war, these 21 soldiers and Marines were almost all young, 20, 21, 24. They came from midsized cities and small towns across the country. Anaheim, California, Troy, Montana, Rochester, New York, Tampa, Florida.

They came from the nation's heartland, mostly blue collar, steel toe towns in Ohio, and Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri. They came from the South: Arkansas, South Carolina, the back road parts where single mothers worked their whole lives in fan belt factories, raised whole families in trailer homes. Orenthial Smith known as "Smitty," grew up here, graduated from high school, enlisted 13 days later to make something of himself.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wasn't going to, you know, try to tell him what to do. That was his choice. I just stood by him.

NISSEN: Many enlist for college money. Private 1st Class Jeremiah Smith and Corporal Raleigh Smith both wanted to be history teachers some day.

Some enlisted to prove themselves, improve themselves like Private First Class Brandon Smith who dropped out of high school in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but went back, got his diploma, got into shape, lost 80 pounds so he could join the Marines.

Specialist Michael J. Smith also transformed himself. After high school, he'd had some no-future jobs around suburban Philadelphia, had screamed songs with a local heavy metal band, had an all-black wardrobe and bright red hair that hung to his waist. The Army gave him a buzz cut, a direction, a career.

It gave Brian Smith of McKinney, Texas, a change in career. He was a labor lawyer, had his own practice, quit just before he turned 30, because he thought he could make more of a difference in the world as an Army second lieutenant driving tanks.

A few of the Smiths were older, most career military. Like Chief Warrant Officer Eric Smith, 41, a 16-year Army veteran from Rochester, New York, who lived to fly helicopters. And First Sergeant Edward Smith, 38, a police reserve officer in Anaheim, California, and 20- year veteran of the Marine Corps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smitty had the qualities to be a very good Marine, an excellent Marine. He was a great cop. And a great -- good friend and a good man.

NISSEN: And Sergeant First Class Paul Smith, 33. A 13-year Army veteran who had served in the First Gulf War in Bosnia and Kosovo.

All three were part of the first wave of U.S. troops marching across the sands of Iraq in March of 2003 to Baghdad. All three were among the war's early casualties.

Eric Smith died April 2 when his helicopter crashed in an unspecified part of central Iraq.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They grew up and ended up wanting to fly helicopters and did so and fought for our country. And I want them to remember that.

NISSEN: Sergeant Edward Smith was wounded in combat in Central Iraq April 4, died the next day. Like an unprecedented number of U.S. troops, he was married, had children, three under the age of 12. Sergeant Paul Smith's unit made it to Baghdad, seized part of the crucially important airport. On April 4, he and 15 fellow soldiers came under fierce fire from some 100 members of the Republican guard. As his comrades fell around him, Paul Smith took a wounded gunner's place at a 50 caliber machine gun. Firing and reloading three times covering the evacuation of the wounded before he was shot in the neck.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We count ourselves blessed to have soldiers like Sergeant Smith who put their lives on the line to advance the cause of freedom and protect the American people.

NISSEN: Sergeant First Class Paul Ray Smith was posthumously awarded the nation's highest battlefield honor, the first Medal of Honor awarded in 12 years.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE He has left his family and his country a life of great meaning and entrusted us with his faith in America and its mission.

NISSEN: Less than a week after Paul Smith's death, the statue and the regime of Saddam Hussein had fallen.

BUSH: My fellow Americans, major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.

NISSEN: On June 21, Orenthial's Smith's mother came home from the fan belt factory to a letter from her son.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "Even though the president said that most combat operations in Iraq is over, the war still continues. There are still soldiers and Marines dying every day. Mom, read this letter to as many people as you can. We're still here fighting to help Iraq and also defending our great country."

NISSEN: The next day she came home to an officer in an Army uniform. Only a few of the words he said came through. Convoy, Baghdad, regret to inform.

Of the 21 Smiths, 18 died after major combat operations were declared at an end. Pockets of resistance turned out to be a lasting and widespread insurgency, attacking U.S. troops as they moved in long convoys, low flying helicopters.

CWO BRUCE SMITH, U.S. ARMY: Hi, this is CWO Bruce Smith with company F-106 Aviation from West Liberty, Iowa. I'd like to say hello to my family and friends in West Liberty and thank you for your support.

NISSEN: Chief Warrant Officer Bruce Smith talked often about the joys and hazards of flying helicopters in a war zone.

SMITH: There's not a whole lot of protection, per se. It's made of aluminum stuff. So we try to hide behind this console as much as we can. NISSEN: On November 2, he was co-piloting a Chinook helicopter carrying troops home on leave when a surface-to-air missile shot the chopper down near Falluja. 15 of the 18 on board died, including Bruce Smith, 41, husband and father of two.

Five days later another surface-to-air missile, another helicopter, this one a Black Hawk over Tikrit. All six on board were killed, including Captain Benedict Smith, 29.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.

NISSEN: When Saddam Hussein was captured in mid-December, the total number of U.S. war dead had not yet reached 500. Not all were killed in combat. Lance Corporal Matthew Smith, a Marine reservist, had survived that first push to Baghdad, still had grains of sand in the pages of his Bible. He and his family were relieved when he was redeployed to Kuwait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The letter told me that he was going to be back before his birthday, which was in 20 days, and we were all very excited.

NISSEN: Matt, almost 21, was killed when the humvee he was driving hit a parked trailer. More than 100 U.S. troops have died in motor vehicle accidents, in dust storms, at night, on dangerous roads, offroad.

Corporal Daryl Smith drowned when his vehicle overturned, plunged into one of Baghdad's network of rivers and canals. Private First Class Jeremiah Smith was killed when his humvee ran over unexploded ordnance near Baghdad.

Explosives, mines and IEDs, improvised explosive devices, were a constant threat. Private First Class Brandon Smith was killed when his humvee hit a land mine in Al Qaim in March of 2004.

Mining roads, setting traps, hiding, that was the way of the enemy that Second Lieutenant Brian Smith described in e-mails home. "The Iraqis prefer to pop out of cover, shoot and run," he wrote. "They are rarely accurate." He was shot and killed by a sniper in July in Habbaniyah.

Habbaniyah, Ramadi, Falluja, hot spots throughout 2004 for U.S. troops, Army units, then the Marines. Lance Corporal Michael J. Smith Jr., Sergeant Benjamin Smith, Lance Corporal Antowain Smith were all lost there. Killed in the terse language of the Marines, in enemy action in al Anbar Province.

It was left to others to give their lives some detail.

Antowain, 22, played viola in his high school orchestra in Orlando. Lost his stutter when he joined the Marines.

Benjamin, 24, loved country music and rodeos. Had a fiance, Carrie, waiting for him in California. Michael, 21, nicknamed All-Purpose Smitty by his high school football coach, because he'd play any position. His funeral was held in the Lutheran church in Steubenville, Ohio, where he was baptized, confirmed and married to Alicia, who was expecting their first child when he died.

Najaf, Mosul, Baghdad. U.S. troops here stayed on patrol, on edge. As he rode in a Humvee on patrol in Baghdad, Arkansas National Guard Sergeant Michael Smith was shot in the head. He was medevacked to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, then to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. His parents and sister kept vigil in the ICU for two weeks, but he never opened his eyes. He died last November 26th, the day after Thanksgiving.

Corporal Raleigh Smith wondered about being a good soldier. He told friends and family back home in Troy, Montana, he had mixed feelings about the war, had nightmares about all the bodies of women and children he'd seen in Falluja, a ghost town, he told his mother. He was killed in action there two days before Christmas.

Lance Corporal Jason Smith also wrote home about seeing dead bodies and dead Marines. In a letter his family opened last New Year's Eve, the day Jason died on patrol in Al Anbar province, he wrote "in some ways I don't think we should be here, but someone needs to do it. I'm glad to help these innocent Iraqis out. They are so happy that we are here to fix their country."

Because of U.S. troops, U.S. sacrifices, Iraq was to have free elections. On January 30th, millions of Iraqis went to the polls. Specialist Michael Smith had wanted to see election day -- the end of Iraq's dictatorship, he'd said. But a rocket-propelled grenade hit his vehicle in Ramadi January 11th.

The elections were important to Corporal Matthew Smith, too. His unit was on its way to secure a polling place in Falluja the weekend before the elections when his helicopter went down in a sandstorm, killing him and 30 other U.S. troops. At his funeral back in Utah, Matthew's family agreed he'd lived his dream. Even as a toddler, he'd walk around with a toy gun saying, I'm going to protect you guys.

Since the elections, the war in Iraq has dropped from the front pages, the network newscasts. There have been only two Department of Defense reports on casualties named Smith. Lance Corporal Kevin Smith, 20, killed by a suicide car bomber near the Syrian border on March 21st, who when he couldn't sleep would call his fiance Christy back in the States at 2:00 a.m. She told his pastor at his funeral, she still listens for the phone.

And Sergeant John Smith, 22, who was on his second tour in Iraq, was training Iraqi national guardsmen in Iskandariyah, when an IED exploded near his vehicle May 12th.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was the kind of guy that we'd take fire, people would be shooting at us, and he'd never panicked, always stayed calm, relaxed, and did his job. NISSEN: John Smith was buried last weekend in the National Cemetery in Wilmington, North Carolina, with military honors, a 21-gun salute.

In remembrance, in honor of the 21 soldiers and Marines with the common name of Smith, who volunteered, who served, who gave their all, in all Americans' names.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Live picture at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Any moment, President Bush willing along for the annual ceremony to lay a wreath. We'll go there live and hear his remarks from Arlington National Cemetery after that. Right now, a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says, listen to this. And he takes that cassette tape, and puts it in there, and presses down and it's the sounds of you. And he's listening to this and I'm listening to it, and all of a sudden this tear starts down his cheek. He shuts it off, he looks at me with this smile, I mean, it was his whole face. And he said, Zeus (ph), did you hear my kid talking to you?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: A filmmaker searches for the father he never knew, a father who was killed in Vietnam. The story is told in the documentary called "Unknown Soldier."

And the documentary premieres later today on HBO. We have a chance to have an advanced look. Director John Hulme joins us from New York to talk about this film.

Good morning.

JOHN HULME, DIRECTOR, "UNKNOWN SOLDIER": Good morning. How are you doing?

KAGAN: I watched your documentary last night, and you and I shed tears together. Very, very powerful. And thanks for sharing your story.

HULME: Thank you.

KAGAN: Let's go back to the beginning. You were only three weeks old when your dad died in Vietnam.

HULME: Yes, exactly. I was three weeks. You know, I never met him. And I kind of grew up knowing nothing about him. So for me, it wasn't like I lost a father; I just never had one in the first place. KAGAN: And you come of age. You're turning around 30 years old, and you decide that you're now ready to meet this man who was your father.

HULME: Yes, you know, I just -- it was no longer OK that I couldn't tell you who he was or how he died, so I just started tracking down people. You know, childhood friends, college buddies, all the people that fought with him in the war and just tried to get to know him through their eyes.

KAGAN: That journey was really interesting. I have to tell you, personally, the most fascinating part was when you're sitting there and talking to your mom. And as much as this is your story, it's their love story.

HULME: Oh, yes. She's the hero of the movie. You know, I'm extremely proud of her. And I was very close to her, but this was sort of the last barrier between us. And to talk about it with her was very painful, but in the end, it was a totally beautiful experience.

KAGAN: There's some kind of cute moments. Your parents did cassette tapes back and forth when your dad was overseas. And you're listening and there's that moment -- you're the filmmaker, you want to know, and yet you're the son and it's kind of like la, la, la.

HULME: Yes, exactly. It was so -- and, you know, the same is true for reading their letters. It was such an intimate relationship. And so I never wanted to intrude, but this was all new to me and I wanted to take it all in.

KAGAN: So what did you learn about the man who was your father?

HULME: You know what, I learned so much. I mean, I knew nothing about him. I learned that, you know, this was -- he went to war because he wanted to go to war. And, you know, he was very proud to serve his country. But when he got there, you know, war was a terrible thing. And I think we sort of sum up that experience for him when he says, you know, I never want to see my son go to war. And so I just know enough about him that I'm extremely proud of him and I'm proud to share him with people.

KAGAN: These pictures in particular, taken of your father's funeral. And there's your mom in the corner and your grandfather and they're holding you as a little baby. It really struck home for me how the story -- you know, we'll read the story any given day on the news how this person died and that person died. For the families, the story goes on for years and years and years.

HULME: Yes, and I know -- that was one of the important things, was that I didn't want this sort of story to end in 1969 in tragedy. That's why I ended up taking my mother and a film crew to Vietnam and to sort of go back to the place where he was killed so that we could kind of write a new ending on the story, something more triumphant and something that's continuing to this day. KAGAN: And in the final seconds we have left, did you accomplish what you set out to do, to be able to say that this guy was a cool guy and you know who your dad is?

HULME: Oh, yes. Now I have a son who is 14 months old and he's named after my father. And it's just the greatest thing to be -- can't wait until he's old enough to tell him all about him.

KAGAN: Very good. Well, you're going to have the movie to help do that. John Hulme. The documentary is called "Unknown Soldier," debuts tonight at 6:30 on HBO.

HULME: Thank you.

KAGAN: Thank you for your time.

You are now looking at live pictures from Arlington National Cemetery, where the president is just minutes away from laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. We're back with the ceremony right after a quick break. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And we go back to a live picture now from Arlington National Cemetery. You can see the Memorial Day ceremonies are well under way. In just a few minutes, President Bush, who has arrived there, will place a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. We are standing by for that.

And while we wait for the president to get into place, let's share this little story with you. A World War I veteran who is 103 years old is a guest at today's ceremonies. Lloyd Brown will represent the nearly 5 million U.S. servicemen who fought in the great war. He is one of only about 30 World War I vets that are still living. And get this. He still lives alone.

A little background for you on the Tomb of the Unknowns. This set up after World War I. It holds the remains of American soldiers from World War I and World War II, the Korean conflict and, of course, you're probably familiar with the story. It did have the remains of an unknown soldier from the Vietnam War, but DNA testing later proved that those were the remains of U.S. Air Force First Lieutenant Michael Blassie. And so Lieutenant -- the Lieutenant Blassie's remains were returned to his family in July of 1998 and he was buried in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, shortly thereafter.

I think we're seeing President Bush arrive here. He will come up. There's a wreath already standing by, and he will place the wreath. Let's just have some silence and watch this unfold.

(MUSIC)

KAGAN: And with that moment of silence, President Bush will now head on to the amphitheater. We expect to hear his comments about 11:25 a.m. Eastern. This part of the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns completed. Much more Memorial Day coverage just ahead. As we do talk on this Memorial Day, it is a day to honor the nation's war dead. The focus at this hour, of course, as we're looking at these live pictures at Arlington National Cemetery, President Bush performing the solemn duty as commander in chief.

Our Bob Franken has been watching the events with us. He is at the White House, not too far away from there this morning.

Bob, good morning.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

And the crisp spit and polish on a beautiful day in Washington, of course, is, nevertheless, considered a connection with the rough wartime conditions in Iraq right now, the sand and the heat, the 110- degree-plus temperatures this time of year, and also the rugged conditions in Afghanistan. In both sites, soldiers are fights and sometimes dying. Sixteen hundred have died -- 1,600-plus in Iraq. They, too, are being remembered as the ceremonies go under way.

These wars not without controversy. But there's little controversy in the United States at the gratitude that a nation feels for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. And that is what Memorial Day is all about.

It is a ceremony conducted at the Tomb of the Unknowns. It used to be called the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but they changed it to encompass all of the armed forces. As we heard just a moment ago from you, this is a ceremony that is part of a tomb that goes back to World War I and a reminder that one of the ways that a nation is able to assert itself is through war, and that is what the United States is doing now -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Bob Franken at the White House. And our coverage will continue. We expect just over 20 minutes from now President Bush to speak at Arlington National Cemetery. We will bring those comments to you live.

Live picture from the amphitheater. We'll be going back there, as I said, in about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, let's get some news in on Iraq, where Iraqi and U.S. forces are on the offensive. The U.S. says Operation Lightning is well under way in Baghdad. An attempt to root out insurgents with a massive show of force.

Our senior Baghdad Correspondent Jane Arraf joins us live by videophone.

Jane, hello.

JANE ARRAF, CNN SR. BAGHDAD CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

On this Memorial Day, there is quite a presence out there in Baghdad in the streets. According to military officials -- and we are here -- central at the military headquarters for U.S. and coalition headquarters in Iraq, they tell us that, indeed, Operation Lightning has started. And the deputy commander of multinational forces, Brigadier General Daniel Bolger, tells us that it should improve Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. DANIEL BOLGER, CAMP VICTORY, IRAQ: I think it's a sign of a positive trend, but there's definitely an enemy force here in Baghdad that has to be dealt with. That's why the Iraqis and the coalition forces, Americans primarily here in Baghdad, are working so hard against them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ARRAF: Now, that is, of course, the operation that is the biggest in Iraqi history, essentially, since the end of major combat. Forty thousand troops out there, and part of it is aimed -- all of it is aimed, in fact, in putting down this insurgency, where Iraqis and Americans, as well as other coalition forces keep dying.

They paid tribute to some of those soldiers at a memorial here at what used to be one of Saddam Hussein's main palaces, scrolling names, more than 700 of them, who have died in the past year, playing music and paying tribute to those who gave their lives here so far from home -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Jane, what has the operation done to just daily life in a city as large as Baghdad?

ARRAF: Well, essentially, day-to-day life here is not that easy to begin with. If you are an ordinary Iraqi trying to get on with your life, you go out, try to send your children to school, go to work, and you may or may not get there.

The traffic is often snarled because of U.S. military convoys, or because they've closed bridges, or because the national assembly is in session. There are car bombings on an almost daily basis. There are drive-by shootings.

Now, if you add to that tens of thousands more soldiers and police in the streets, you can imagine what that's going to be like. But they are doing it in phases, area by area. And that is meant to minimize the disruption and the fear among Iraqi residents -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Jane Arraf live from Baghdad. Thank you from Camp Victory, Iraq. Thank you.

Well, faced with Iraq's stubborn level of violence, today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" General Richard Myers -- that's the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- was asked -- was asked if the insurgents were more sophisticated or if they were actually more desperate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEN. RICHARD MYERS, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: A couple of years ago they started going after coalition forces hoping to drive them out of Iraq. That didn't work. Then they went after Iraqi security forces hoping to keep them from signing up. And yet they're signing up in record numbers, both police and their army.

And then they went after Iraqi civilians. And that's pretty much where they are today. And yet Iraqis voted in the elections in January. And they say by a margin of 85 percent they're going to vote in the constitutional referendum.

So they keep going after what we in the military call the centers of gravity. They are not successful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Meanwhile, though, there are more bombs and bloodshed near Baghdad today. Two suicide bombers strapped on vests and packed with explosives, then blew themselves up in Hillah. At least 27 people are dead, many of them Iraqi police. Over 100 are hurt.

One bomber targeted a police rally outside the office of an Iraqi government official some 150 feet away. Another bomber attacked a crowd of police recruits standing in line at a health center to take a physical.

This Memorial Day is especially difficult for a couple in Ohio, Keith and Carolyn Maupin. Their son, Sergeant Matt Maupin, is the only U.S. soldier listed as missing and captured in Iraq.

Maupin's convoy was attacked 13 months ago outside of Baghdad. He was seen in a videotape broadcast on Al-Jazeera a short time later, and there has been no word since. His parents are attending Memorial Day events in Washington, hoping to raise awareness of their missing son. In a recent interview, they note how easily Americans can forget.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have released the head of the Islamic -- Iraqi Islamic Party after arresting him, what they later called was a mistake. Officials say that Moshen Abdul Hamid was returned to his home after an investigation. He was arrested today with his three sons, who've also been let go.

Police believe evidence linked Hamid to al Qaeda cells in Iraq with connections to wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Officials say they regret any inconvenience the arrest may have caused.

In Afghanistan, what might be new video has surfaced of an Italian hostage. Afghan television stations aired the footage. It shows insurgents holding rifles to the head of aid worker Clementina Cantoni. She was kidnapped in Kabul on May 16, and there were reports that she had been killed. On the tape she gives the date as May 28, but says it's Sunday.

And in our "Security Watch" this morning, one allegedly wanted to train terrorists, the other allegedly wanted to treat them. A Florida doctor -- we're going to show a picture for you right here -- a self- described martial arts expert from New York, will be in federal court tomorrow. There you go.

The two -- both are U.S. citizens, are accused of conspiring to provide support to al Qaeda. Their arrests follow a two-year FBI sting in which the doctor allegedly agreed to teach wounded terrorists in Saudi Arabia. The FBI says the other man wanted to teach them hand-to-hand combat. Both men's families deny those charges.

CNN "Security Watch" keeps you up to date on safety. Stay tuned day and night for the most reliable news about your security.

On this Memorial Day, while many moms and dads are away in Iraq fighting, or Afghanistan, or another part of the world, we're going to bring you a heartwarming story about how one little boy is coping while his dad is away.

And more of CNN's Memorial Day coverage continues after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Live pictures from Arlington National Cemetery. We are just moments away from President Bush making comments. We saw him lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns a little bit earlier. We will go to that live when the president begins to speak.

Meanwhile, as we look at these live pictures, the National Guard is shouldering a large burden in Iraq and Afghanistan. And now some feel they're actually getting cheated over retirement plans. CNN's Alina Cho looks at that controversy.

(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)

KAGAN: And once again, let's go back to a live picture from Arlington National Cemetery, the amphitheater. President Bush due to -- you see him there -- he's due to step up to the podium any minute. When the president begins to speak, we will go back live.

Right now, let's fit in a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We're listening in here at Arlington National Cemetery. This is the Air Force band performing "Going Home."

Earlier we saw President Bush lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. He's up there. Also, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is there. First we'll hear from the defense secretary and then President Bush.

And now a little bit from the Air Force band.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and Gentlemen, Secretary Rumsfeld.

(APPLAUSE)

DONALD RUMSFELD, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mr. President, my friend, General Dick Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, thank you so much for your able service to our country. Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...

(APPLAUSE)

Members of the Joint Chiefs and service secretaries, senior enlisted personnel, men and women in uniform, and Mrs. Bush, you represent our country so well.

(APPLAUSE)

You make us proud to be Americans.

Members of the United States Senate and members of the United States House of Representatives, men and women in uniform, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen, we gather today not far from the first battlefield of the Civil War. It was noted that the fighting was so close to Washington that President Abraham Lincoln could see the smoke of the cannons rising from the Battle of Bull Run.

From those days of bitter conflict, Americans forged a nation dedicated to the ideals of liberty and equality for all. And through the generations that followed, tested in two world wars, and in that epic struggle against communism, it is those ideals that have made our country the target of tyrants.

America's promise of freedom and opportunity was and remains a jarring rebuke to extremists that seek to subjugate the many to the few. It was not long ago that our country suffered the first casualties of another war, declared on us by enemies of freedom. And as before, another president could see smoke rising from a different kind of battlefield, the Pentagon in flames.

Our president, like his predecessors, understood that we had to fight for freedom to save it, and that liberty's survival here depends on its advance abroad. On his orders, the outstanding men and women wearing our country's uniform, volunteers all, have risked their lives to take the fight to the extremists who threaten our people. Some have fallen in battle.

To their families, there are no sufficient words of comfort. The emptiness will linger, and it's hard. But we can be grateful for the time we had with them. We can celebrate who they were and how they lived their lives, and remember amid the sorrow that one day turns to solace and strength that those lives were lost in a struggle dedicated to the eternal truth of freedom and the human spirit. Our country was founded on that spirit, and Americans have nurtured it through every war in every era.

Just before the Battle of Bull Run, a soldier named Sullivan Ballou wrote to his wife. He said, "I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in, the cause in which I am engaged. I know how strongly American civilization now leans upon our triumph and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of America's revolution."

Sullivan Ballou would die days later in the Battle of Bull Run just 30 miles from here. And today, as we look out upon this garden of moving white headstones that honor the heroes of our heritage, we know his sacrifice was not in vain, nor have been the sacrifices of those we honor today in prayer and silently in our hearts.

May the lord be with those who mourn, with the veterans, the troops in battle and their families, and with our commander in chief who, amid the smoke of a great conflict promised to meet violence with patient justice, foresaw the victories to come, and who, like that president before him, offered a new hope of a birth of freedom, not just for our nation, but for all who seek freedom.

It is an honor to introduce our commander in chief, the president of the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thank you, all. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mr. Secretary, thank you.

Secretary Nicholson, General Myers, members of Congress, members of the United States military, veterans, honored guests, fellow Americans, especially those loved ones of the fallen, every year on this day we pause to remember Americans fallen by placing a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. I'm honored to do that this morning on behalf of the American people.

The names of the men buried there are known only to God, but their courage and sacrifice will never be forgotten by our nation. The soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines we remember today answered the call to service in their nation's hour of need. They stood to fight for America's highest ideals. And when the sun came up this morning, the flag flew at half staff in solemn gratitude and a deep respect.

At our national cemetery we receive the fallen in sorrow and we take them to an honored place to rest. Looking across this field, we see the scale of heroism and sacrifice.

All who are buried here understood their duty. All stood to protect America. And all carried with them memories of a family that they hoped to keep safe by their sacrifice.

At a distance their headstones look alike. Yet every son or daughter, mom or dad who visits, will always look first at one.

General Eisenhower put it well in 1944 when he wrote his wife Mamie about the homes that must sacrifice their best. The families who come here have sacrificed someone precious and irreplaceable in their lives, and our nation will always honor them.

At our national cemetery, we're reminded why America has always been a reluctant warrior. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, a victory for which more than 400,000 Americans gave their lives. Their courage crossed two oceans and it conquered tyrants. Some of you here today fought in that war as young men. And we make this pledge to you. America will always honor the character and the achievements of your brave generation.

(APPLAUSE)

Today we also remember the Americans who are still missing. We honor them, and our nation is determined to account for all of them.

(APPLAUSE)

Another generation is fighting a new war against an enemy that threatens the peace and stability of the world. Across the globe our military is standing directly between our people and the worst dangers in the world. And Americans are grateful to have such brave defenders.

(APPLAUSE)

The war on terror has brought great costs. For those who have lost loved ones in Afghanistan and Iraq, today is a day of last letters and fresh tears. Because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, two terror regimes are gone forever, freedom is on the march and America is more secure.

(APPLAUSE)

At our national cemetery, we take comfort from knowing that the men and women who are serving freedom's cause understand their purpose and its price.

Marine Captain Ryan Boauprez (ph) of St. Anne, Illinois, was killed in the first hours of the war. He wrote his mom and dad a letter that was to be opened only in the event he didn't come home. He wrote, "Realize that I died doing something I truly love, for a purpose greater than myself."

Army Sergeant Michael Evans (ph) of Maroa, Louisiana, felt the same way. He was killed on January the 28th while on patrol in western Baghdad. In his own farewell letter to his family, the 22- year-old reminded those he left behind to stay strong. He said, "My death will mean nothing if you stop now. I know it will be hard, but I gave my life so you could live, not just live, but live free." (APPLAUSE)

For some of our young heroes, courage and service was a family tradition. Lance Corporal Daryl Schuman (ph) of Hampton, Virginia, was a machine gunner for the Marines, but his parents were Air Force. He liked to say Air Force by birth, Marine by choice and American by the grace of God.

(APPLAUSE)

Corporal Schuman was among the first to enter the battle against insurgents in Falluja. He was proud of what we were achieving. He later died of a helicopter crash. In his last letter from Iraq, he wrote, "I do wish America can see how awesome a job we're doing."

These are the men and women who wear our uniform. These are the men and women who defend our freedom. And these are the men and women who are buried here. As we look across these acres, we begin to tally the cost of our freedom and we count it a privilege to be citizens of the country served by so many brave men and women.

And we must honor them by completing the mission for which they gave their lives, by defeating the terrorists, advancing the cause of liberty and building a safer world.

(APPLAUSE)

The day will come when there will be no one left who knew the men and women buried here, yet Americans will still come to visit, to pay tribute to the many who gave their lives for freedom, who liberated the oppressed and who left the world a safer and better place.

Today, we pray that they have found peace with their creator and we resolve that their sacrifice will always be remembered by a grateful nation. May God continue to bless America.

(APPLAUSE)

KAGAN: President -- President Bush speaking at Arlington National Cemetery, saying this is the day of last letters and fresh tears, especially for those who lost members in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Now the playing of "Taps."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentleman, please remain standing for the playing of "Taps" and the benediction.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's close with prayer.

Heavenly Father, we assemble here to remember and honor those who have given their lives and service to our country. This is important and right to do, but I ask you now for more. I ask that you might touch our hearts. As we pass among these historic headstones, let each of us ask ourselves, what are we willing to die for? Is there anything in this whole universe that I value more than my own physical existence? Lord, we have nowhere to look for the answer but to you. I am thankful you have answered this prayer many times before. You answer in the love that compels a Marine to cover a grenade with his body or a sailor to give up his life jacket or a pilot to guide his falling aircraft away from the town. We're all thankful that you answered when the founders of these United States pledged their lives in the certain knowledge that you created all people equal and endowed them with inalienable rights like liberty and justice. You answered that these ideals are more important than life and our country was born.

I'm thankful that you continue to give us men and women who honor these dead by the way they live, making sacrifices and risking their life for the same God-given ideals. Our military members offer themselves, not in desperate acts of terror, but as messengers of liberty. Finally, Lord, as a nation, give us wisdom and unity in using the great power you have entrusted to us. And we look forward to your promised end to the struggle when we will beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks, and nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

As a Christian minister, I ask all these things in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who showed us that true love is true self sacrifice. Amen.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Some world news for you now. What now for a united Europe? French voters have turned down the new E.U. constitution. It is an embarrassing blow to French President Jacques Chirac.

Our Jim Bittermann has the latest from Paris.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): The presidential palace here in Paris has announced that President Jacques Chirac will go on television tomorrow night in order to announce the fate of his government. It's fully expected that Jeanne Pierre Raffarin, the prime minister, will resign and a new cabinet will be named. Among the choices that President Chirac has apparently. Among the names that you hear most frequently, are Nicholas Sarcozi, who is one of Jacques Chirac's top rivals, and has been for some years now, Dominic Divillipan (ph), who is, more or less, a Chirac protege, and someone known very much for his outspoken ways during the Iraq crisis, when he was the foreign minister at the United Nations, and Michelle Alio Marie (ph), the defense minister who in some ways was like a compromise candidate.

Now all of this government reshuffle prompted by the stinging defeat Jacques Chirac suffered as voters repudiated the treaty, the European Union constitutional treaty, which Jacques Chirac had fought so hard to get passed. He will be changing the government, hoping to convince voters that, in fact, he will bring change to France.

But one of the aides to one of those mentioned frequently as a choice for prime minister told me very recently that, in fact, the trick will be switching around, where essentially the same people and different chairs in the government, and making it seem as if they will bring change and new policy to the government.

Jim Bittermann, CNN, Paris.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Here are now some other stories making news overseas this morning. Former President Clinton is in Banda Aceh, Indonesia today. His second visit to the province. He's reviewing progress since the December tsunami. Many people are frustrated with the slow pace of building. Clinton arrived after stops in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Those countries also saw considerable damage and death.

British police are exploring new clues about the "Piano Man." London newspapers say he could be a classically trained Czech musician. The "Piano Man" was discovered on a beach soaking wet in formal attire last month, and he hasn't said a word since, but he plays the piano masterfully.

And lawyers for Australian Schapelle Corby are working on her appeal today. An Indonesian court sentenced her to 20 years last week, after convicting her of smuggling nine pounds of marijuana into Bali. Corby claims the pot was planted in her bag. Australians are outraged over the long sentence, but Australia's former minister says the Indonesian courts must be respected.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALEXANDER DOWNER, AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, you can't -- you just can't. Any attempt to try to intervene in the judicial process by a politician is likely to be entirely counter productive. All it will do is create a very strong feeling of resentment. I mean, as people in America would object if foreigners tried to intervene in their court proceedings, or if we had politicians from other countries in our proceedings. The courts have got to be able to do their job. The courts here, the evidence is presented by the prosecution and by the defense, and they've got to make their own judgments about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Corby's defense team has two weeks to file a formal appeal.

Let's find out what's coming up at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN." I can tell you what's not coming up? Wolf Blitzer is taking the day off. But you are a good consolation prize, Tony Harris.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, thank you. Thank you, Daryn. Good to see you.

KAGAN: Good to see you.

HARRIS: We have a busy hour coming up on the "NEWS FROM CNN," A story we've been following all morning from Iraq. The record number of insurgent attack this past month has coalition forces on the offensive. Operation Lightning is under way, and our Jane Arraf is at Camp Victory right now. We'll get a report from her in Iraq.

Plus, on this Memorial Day, a history of sorts. Author Andrew Carroll joins me to talk about his latest worked called "Behind The Lines." It is a book with emotional and powerful letters written during U.S. wartime, from the Civil War up to the most recent battles in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is a touching retrospective during some of our most troubling times. Those stories and much more at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN."

KAGAN: Very good. Look forward to it. Thank you, Tony.

Being in the -- actually, how about we're going to have much more Memorial Day coverage after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Many of our viewers know that our senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a neurosurgeon, but what you might not know, some of his specialized skills have been brought to bear in some unlikely places. This is his story while covering the war in Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: On April 8, 2003, 25- year-old Jesus Vidana lay clinging to life after a sniper bullet pierced his helmet during a gunfight, spraying shrapnel into his brain.

A fellow Marine pronounced him dead on the scene. Later on the chopper, he was pronounced dead again, but he was alive, barely. Jesus's pulse was faint.

The closest qualified surgeon was in fact, me, just a few miles away, just outside of Baghdad, covering the Devil Docs medical team for CNN.

JESUS VIDANA, SOLDIER SAVED BY DR. GUPTA: They told us that a journalist from CNN who was performing surgery and I say, a journalist? You know, but, then, yes, he's a doctor.

GUPTA: We rushed into surgery with the most rudimentary tools to save him -- what we had laying around, a drill and IV bag to help clear out the blood clot in Jesus's brain.

No doubt, medical necessity, a life teetering on a fragile precipice, and perhaps fate would come together that day. And after two hours of surgery, Jesus pulled through.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thank God because I mean -- I thought -- you know, I thought he was going to pass away.

GUPTA: He was airlifted to Spain for more operations and to begin his recovery, and then it was back home for even more operations and rehab to regain some of what he'd lost that day in Iraq -- his ability to walk, talk, feed and bathe himself. We would reunite nearly a year after our first encounter in Iraq.

(on camera): How you doing?

VIDANA: Pretty good.

GUPTA (voice-over): Even then, Jesus' recovery after such a severe head wound was impressive, but he had a long way to go. He still had trouble walking, especially using the left side of his body. And while he may have left the physical war behind him in Iraq, the psychological one remained with him.

VIDANA: Emotionally I think -- I still have, like, a tough time dealing with it. I still have like depression, sometimes, but I'm taking medication for that.

GUPTA: Now another year has passed. Jesus' doctors have him on a better regimen of anti-depressants and he's kept up the physical therapy, so that his attitude...

VIDANA: Whooo hooo!

GUPTA: ... and his health are both on upward slope. Each day's gains move Vidana a little further from Iraq and a little closer to happiness.

VIDANA: You have to just keep pushing forward and moving on. Life will leave you behind if you don't. And I don't want to be left behind, you know. I don't want to stay in Iraq, you know. I guess hypothetically or -- that wasn't the end of life for me.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And to get your "Daily Dose" of health news, just log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and more. The address is CNN.com/health.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: And that's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. I hope you have a meaningful and a nice Memorial Day, the rest of your day. I'll be right back here tomorrow morning. Tony Harris is with you after a quick break.

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