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American Morning

'Paging Dr. Gupta'; Helicopter Fighters

Aired May 31, 2005 - 08:30   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: First back to the headlines and back to Carol Costello with those. Hello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Good morning, everyone.

Now in the news, another earthquake shakes Indonesia. Officials say a magnitude 5.6 quake rumbled off the western coast of Indonesia's Aceh province for about 10 seconds this morning. It came just hours after former President Bill Clinton visited the region as the U.N. special envoy for tsunami recovery. He's overseeing the distribution of international aid after the December disaster.

Sudanese officials have filed charges against at least one worker from the aid group Doctors Without Borders. Paul Foreman is accused of spreading lies. He helped create a report which claims 500 Sudanese women were raped by the military and government-sponsored groups. Foreman says the report is based on medical evidence and interviews with women. Sudanese officials deny all claims.

The Supreme Court meets in just about an hour and a half. It could hand down key rulings on a number of cases, including issues involving the Ten Commandments, medical marijuana and property rights. We'll keep you posted.

And a case involving Rush Limbaugh heads to federal court this hour. At issue, records seized from four doctors in late 2003 as part of an investigation into Limbaugh's prescription drug use. Prosecutors want the files unsealed and released. Limbaugh has admitted he had a problem with painkillers, but never has been charged with any wrongdoing. So we'll see what comes of the records, which he has been fighting to keep secret.

O'BRIEN: For a long time now.

COSTELLO: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right. Carol, thanks.

Four Americans and an Iraqi are dead after the reconnaissance flight went down on Monday. And four Italians died when their military helicopter went down today in southern Iraq. Helicopters were a key element in last fall's battle of Falluja. But when one Marine's Sea Knight was shot down in a firefight, a companion chopper had to pull off a heroic rescue.

Sergeant Jason Weischedel and Sergeant Matt Raffel are live onboard the USS John F. Kennedy this morning. They're Marine helicopter crew chiefs and they're here in New York for fleet week.

Gentlemen. Good morning. Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Jason, let's begin with you. We're talking about a mission that really started for you on September 8th, I believe. You were carrying Marines in a transport chopper, you just dropped them off, and you were taking off again. What exactly happened?

SGT. JASON WEISCHEDEL, USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: Once we left Falluja, we were returning back to our homebase at Al Taketum (ph), and we were only a couple miles out away from home, and we were flying along, and we got hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in the back left side of the aircraft, which upon impact took out our number-one engine, which caused us to have to fly on one engine, and it also blew a lot of our hydraulic lines in the back of the aircraft, and hydraulic fluid is very flammable. And once that started to spread, the entire aircraft started to catch on fire.

O'BRIEN: So you're flying and the helicopter is engulfed in flames. What did you do?

WEISCHEDEL: Immediately, I grabbed the fire extinguisher we carry on board, and I ran to the back to try and put the fire out. Unfortunately, that's not designed for large aircraft fires like this. It didn't really help us out that much at all. So I went back up, and I talked to our pilots. I had to talk to them without any kind of communication, just kind of had to yell at them, basically, because all of our electronics were gone. I told them you know, hey, we're on fire, we're starting to go down. They continued to fly the aircraft, trying to get us to a safer area. And eventually got to the point where the fire was overtaking the aircraft, and we could not continue on. And I told them at that point that we had to land immediately, and once they started to land the aircraft, the flames had kind of pretty much encroached up on myself, and my body just took over, and I had to jump out of the aircraft in flight.

O'BRIEN: So you're on fire. And you jump out of the helicopter from -- and I should point out, we're looking at pictures of a chopper like the one you're talking about, so we can get a sense of the size of the transport chopper. So how far up in the air were you still when you jumped out of the helicopter?

WEISCHEDEL: It's hard to tell, but it was between 15 and 20 feet. We were still in forward flight also.

O'BRIEN: The helicopter pilots go ahead and bring down that chopper, and bring it down pretty hard, I understand. I want to bring in Matt now, because this is where he kind of picks up his part of the story.

Matt, what could you see? You were in the companion chopper. I guess they always fly two together for this very reason.

SGT. MATT RAFFEL, USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: That's correct.

O'BRIEN: What could you see?

RAFFEL: Well, as soon as the RPG impacted Sergeant Weischedel's aircraft, immediately my left gunner, Corporal Lewis (ph), and another crew chief with our squadron, he opened fire with our 50-cal to suppress what they were throwing at us. And after that, we continued to push on. And Sergeant Weischedel was fighting the flames. And from our point of view, all we could only see the entire rear end of his aircraft on fire. So we dropped in altitude, but continued to push away from the threat.

O'BRIEN: Finally, you brought it down as well. You saw their chopper was on the ground. You brought yours down as well. How hard was it to get everybody, who, remarkably enough, was OK, back into your chopper for the rescue?

RAFFEL: We, initially, as soon as the RPG impacted them and they got to the point where we knew the area they were going to land at, we started making -- our pilots started making the mayday calls to try to get other air support in for more protection. We went in and did an initial pass. But because of all the dust and the flames, it was pretty much drowning out the night-vision goggles.

So on the first initial pass, from our knowledge, we had no idea that there was any survivors. It looked like everyone was not going to make it. So we broke around to try to make another pass back through. At that time, Corporal Lewis spotted one of the pilots, put an I.R. strobe on his helmet and set that on. So then they moved far enough away from the fire that we could pick them out. Once we seen their four bodies, then we immediately landed and picked them up. Corporal Lewis ran out, provided security for them, while I provided security for our plane, and we brought them onboard, and them as fast as we could made it back to Al Taketum, to the medical pad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, you sure did. Really saving everybody on board. Jason, I know you got some burns. You broke a limb as well. What have you learned out of this? I mean, I'd be curious to know. Obviously the real thing is much different than any of the simulations or the drills you would have done. Give me a sense of what kind of experience this experience brought you.

WEISCHEDEL: (INAUDIBLE) Being over there and flying in actual combat missions. You know, we do a lot of training here, a lot of schooling, a lot of classes. But until you can actually get out there and see what it's like to have small-arms fire shot at you and AAA shot at you, and RPGs and things like that, you don't know what it is and how you're going to react it. And now that myself, Sergeant Raffel and the ret of the crew chiefs in our squadron have been over there, we have been shot at, we can take that knowledge of what it's like to be shot at, what it looks like, what it actually does and how it affects us, and we can teach that to all the junior Marines that are just coming up and preparing themselves to deploy. That's the kind of training that you can't get here in the United States. O'BRIEN: Yes, definitely. Well, Jason and Matt, thanks for sharing your story. We're glad you got to tell us it to us in person. We certainly appreciate it, joining us from the USS JFK this morning.

Thanks, guys -- Bill.

HEMMER: Job well done, too.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: After a long, cold winter, many Americans now looking forward to the warm months of summer. But before you enjoy that fun in the sun, some precautions you need to take. And for that our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here now to explain.

Nice to see you. Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

You make me the downer here. You talk about summer and you talk about the problems. That's me.

Well, there are some problems. We all know that mosquitoes, for example, can be irritating and hard to fight. But for the first time in years, really interesting stuff here, the government is recommending two new alternatives to deet. That's been the standard for over 40 years. Listen to this. Picaridin, a manmade repellent and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, which is plant based, both offer safe and effective protection from mosquitoes that can also carry the West Nile Virus, as we've told you on this show.

The CDC says Deet is still safe and effective, especially for all day protection. About 45 percent of Americans use mosquito repellents regularly, and there are several reasons why many people don't particularly like deet. Some people complain that deet has a powerful odor. Some cases it can cause skin irritation as well. The two that I'm talking about, picaridin supposedly does not irritate. I haven't used it myself, but there are a couple of products we're going to show you. It's much lighter on the skin. Unlike deet, it's odorless as well, and it's been used in other countries for years.

Now available, recommended by the government here. Also, Lemon Eucalyptus, that's the Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, is aromatic; it's going to smell more. It's widely available in all sorts of lotions and sprays, and might be good for people who want a plant-based alternative. So a couple of options, you know, here.

HEMMER: And on the table, too, we have them, right?

GUPTA: Yes, let's just show you here. This is the Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, and these two products. You've seen the name brands before, but they contain the picaridin, which is the new...

HEMMER: So they're not saying not to use deet, but just that this new one offers, as you saw, odorless? GUPTA: They're saying, look, it's important for people to use mosquito repellent. There's concerns about West Nile Virus. If you don't like deet, there are some other options for you.

HEMMER: Let's talk about the sun right now. Because this is the time of year a lot of people are getting outside. Is there any new information that we need to know about taking care of ourselves this summer?

GUPTA: Well, you know, people talk about sunburns and suntanning quite a bit. If you're going to catch some sun in the summertime, parents especially need to watch out for your children. New research by the American Academy of Dermatology found in a survey of 500 teenagers about 80 percent know tanning and getting sunburns can lead to skin cancer, yet 60 percent got sunburned just last summer.

So that's an alarming problem, actually, because considering the studies, getting five or more sunburns doubles your risk for skin cancer. It doesn't end there, as well. Indoor tanning is reportedly popular among kids under 18. Some people believe in getting a base tan before going outdoors to get even more sun. Don't do this.

So is it possible to bask in the sun safely? This is a question we get a lot. Experts say there is no such thing as a safe tan from the sun or even a tanning salon. U.V. exposure out there can do a lot of things. But you need to protect yourself. The sunscreen should be SPF-15 or higher and one ounce should cover the entire body. Don't skimp on the amount that you use. I mean, use the stuff up. Also, be sure to apply sun screen of 15-20 minutes before you go out and reapply it every two hours to continue to get the protection.

HEMMER: Excellent recommendations. We do it every time -- every time of the year right around right now.

GUPTA: Kurt Vonnegut, in one of his graduation speeches, one of the pieces of advice he gave to people that many years ago was wear your sunscreen. It's good advice.

HEMMER: Oh, he knew. You're not such a downer after all.

GUPTA: Thank you. Thanks. Enjoy your summer.

HEMMER: All right.

O'BRIEN: Sir Bob Geldof is expected to make a huge announcement this morning. He's going to reveal details on his follow up to Live Aid. Toure takes a look back at the 1985 original. That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Well, the name has changed, but the goal remains the same. In the next 15 minutes or so, the man who staged Live Aid 20 years ago is going to announce another star-studded benefit concert for famine relief in Africa. It's called Live Eight.

CNN's pop culture correspondent Toure is going to talk about the original and really the one that's coming up, as well. Good morning.

TOURE: Good morning, Soledad.

Live Aid is called the Woodstock of its generation. Both were iconic multi-act concerts that had their hearts in the right place. Woodstock had a sequel in the '90s, and now Live Aid will have one, too, on July 2, called Live Eight. The Eight is for the leaders of the world's most powerful nations, who will be meeting in Scotland at the G-8 summit just days after the concert. Organizers hope Live Eight will put pressure on those leaders to cancel debt owed by developing countries.

Fans who attend the free shows in London, Philly, Rome, Berlin, Paris, hope it all rocks just like the first one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOURE (voice-over): On July 13, 1985...

(MUSIC)

TOURE: An encyclopedia of rock stars gathered in London, Philadelphia, Moscow and Sydney for a day-long concert called Live Aid. It was meant to raise money for famine-stricken Ethiopia and it became this generation's ultimate social conscience concert.

The seed was planted months before, when Bob Geldof, lead singer for a group called the Boomtown Rats, co-wrote the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and convinced some of rock's biggest stars to record it.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: Performing under the name Band Aid, the song was released in December 1984 and became the fastest-selling single ever, raising millions. Live Aid was next.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: Geldof lined up rock royalty like Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and Tina Turner, and the 16-hour concert was beamed to a record two billion viewers in 169 countries.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: During the concert, a comment on stage by Bob Dylan spawned another mission, and two months after Live Aid came Farm Aid.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: Artists like Willy Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dylan raised money to help American farmers in need of financial assistance. The first concert took place in September 1985 and Farm Aid has been a regular event ever since.

(END VIDEOTAPE) TOURE: Live Eight takes place July 2, with performances by another encyclopedia of artists. U2, the Stones, McCartney, Sting, Madonna, Eminem. And on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Stevie Wonder and the Dave Matthews Band. Now, Soledad, I know you're excited. There's talk of a Spice Girls reunion.

O'BRIEN: I heard no way.

TOURE: Well, right now they're still just talking. Maybe.

O'BRIEN: Really?

TOURE: They will see. The whole she-bang will be webcast simultaneously on aolmusic.com.

O'BRIEN: Do you think it's mostly a political point they're trying to make or is there a lot of money they're hoping to raise?

TOURE: Well, I think right now, they're trying to make the political point to have this right before the G-8 Summit and let them know, let the world leaders know, that there are millions of people around the world who are concerned.

O'BRIEN: Looking at the pictures from the '80s, unbelievable. Thanks, Toure. Looking forward to it. And of course, as we mentioned, the announcement we're expecting to hear pretty soon. We're going -- Dave Matthews Band, we mentioned, one of the performers and one of the headliners at Live Eight. We're going to talk to the frontman, Dave Matthews himself, in just a few minutes.

Well, was there something other than glory behind Charles Linbergh's transatlantic flight? Jack takes a look at that in "The Cafferty File." That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: All right. Welcome back. Here's Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The folks who get a bigger chunk of your paycheck every year say there's never enough. But now, they're going to shutdown the little offices where you used to be able to go and get some help. That story and a preview of the markets, here's Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."

Good morning, Jack.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Jack.

More and more companies and government agencies concluded there's no reason for you to interact with a live human being. Let's talk about the Internal Revenue Service, first of all. There are 400 walk- in tax centers across the country. The IRS is now looking to cut costs. So what are they going to do? They're going to shut them down. Sixty-eight of them are going be closing in 29 states across the country. Who does this hurt? Senior citizens. Poor people. People that don't speak English we well. JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: They don't count.

SERWER: Yes, I know. I was going to say, that's near and dear to your heart, Jack.

CAFFERTY: It was a joke, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I know.

CAFFERTY: I was setting him up, and he just took it.

O'BRIEN: Thank you. I know.

SERWER: All right. They're saying that people just need to go to the Web site now, 128 percent increase in Web traffic, excuse me, at the IRS Web site. So no reason to have any more people out there. But this is a trend we're seeing across the country. You know, these check-ins at the hotels, the kiosks now, they have these. The Sheraton has a self-check-in kiosk so you never have to talk to anyone. There you go. The employees, though, at the Sheratons call this the dust collector apparently, because no one ever uses it. So people still matter there, I guess.

CAFFERTY: But I would.

SERWER: You would use it.

CAFFERTY: Rather than standing at the counter for 18 minutes watching two people through a partially open door on the back room on the Internet doing tic-tac-toe instead of coming out and seeing if they can help you get checked into the hotel before the rates go up again.

SERWER: I bet you use the satellite ticket offices for the airlines, too. Do you ever use those, Jack?

CAFFERTY: I use all available technology at my disposal to avoid human contact whenever I can do it.

SERWER: I think that's enough.

CAFFERTY: If I can just figure this out.

O'BRIEN: I was going to say, you're stuck with us right here.

SERWER: Yes. All right, let's talk about the markets last week. Let's look at the year-to-date chart, because the markets were up smartly last week and they have been in May, but we're still down for the year, particularly the Nasdaq, the most volatile of your stock indices. And let's see. Futures are down a little bit, though, this morning.

CAFFERTY: All right. Thanks.

SERWER: And that's it. I'm sorry about this human interaction. I apologize. CAFFERTY: Try to keep to it a minimum.

SERWER: OK, yes, sir.

CAFFERTY: It's time for the "Cafferty File." The bride wore fur at the wedding of Zorro and Lele. For that matter, so did the groom. These two tigers got married in a traditional ceremony Sunday in northeastern China. This is pretty cool. Zorro's an 8-year-old male rare white tiger. Lele is a 7-year-old female Siberian. The bride carried to the ceremony in a horse and cart, after which she ate the horse. Not true. This was followed by dozens of tourists. A bear and monkey played traditional Chinese musical instruments. After the wedding and reception, the couple retired to their honeymoon cage for a little purring.

SERWER: People have a lot of time on their hands. They have a lot of time on their hands.

CAFFERTY: A new book about Charles Lindbergh reveals his 33-hour solo trans-Atlantic flight was apparently just an excuse. What Lindbergh was really doing in Europe was visiting his mistresses and his children. Apparently, Lindbergh had three -- count 'em, three -- German mistresses simultaneously, and seven secret children whom he supported for decades. Lindbergh had six kids with his American wife, Ann Morrow (ph) Lindbergh. It's a new book titled the double life of Charles Lindbergh. It says Lindbergh had a thing with a Munich hat maker beginning in 1957. They had three kids. He also romanced the hat maker's sister and a third woman, an acquaintance of the two sisters named Velesqa (ph). She was Lindbergh's translator and private secretary.

SERWER: I bet she was.

CAFFERTY: Finally the answer to exactly how late is late? ten minutes 17 seconds. Researchers in England found that 10 minutes 17 seconds is the lateness threshold at which people feel it's necessary to call and admit they're going to be late.

Not surprisingly, almost 70 percent of young women think it's acceptable, if not fashionable, to be late for a first date. When it comes to people older, though, in their 50s, 80 percent say they're never late for anything, because they feel anxiety about being late for a crucial event.

O'BRIEN: You can't be early for your date. I mean, come on. It's like a big loser.

HEMMER: It's happened. Lindbergh, he had a whole litter, didn't he? About nine?

CAFFERTY: Apparently he was very busy.

SERWER: It was those Munich hatmakers.

CAFFERTY: Surprising he could find 33 hours to spend in the cockpit of his airplane in order to fly across the Atlantic. HEMMER: Thanks, guys.

Get a break here. In a moment, expecting this big announcement from Sir Bob Geldof. Revealing details on his follow-up to Live Aid of 1985. Dave Matthews takes part now in 2005. He's our guest live next hour on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired May 31, 2005 - 08:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: First back to the headlines and back to Carol Costello with those. Hello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Good morning, everyone.

Now in the news, another earthquake shakes Indonesia. Officials say a magnitude 5.6 quake rumbled off the western coast of Indonesia's Aceh province for about 10 seconds this morning. It came just hours after former President Bill Clinton visited the region as the U.N. special envoy for tsunami recovery. He's overseeing the distribution of international aid after the December disaster.

Sudanese officials have filed charges against at least one worker from the aid group Doctors Without Borders. Paul Foreman is accused of spreading lies. He helped create a report which claims 500 Sudanese women were raped by the military and government-sponsored groups. Foreman says the report is based on medical evidence and interviews with women. Sudanese officials deny all claims.

The Supreme Court meets in just about an hour and a half. It could hand down key rulings on a number of cases, including issues involving the Ten Commandments, medical marijuana and property rights. We'll keep you posted.

And a case involving Rush Limbaugh heads to federal court this hour. At issue, records seized from four doctors in late 2003 as part of an investigation into Limbaugh's prescription drug use. Prosecutors want the files unsealed and released. Limbaugh has admitted he had a problem with painkillers, but never has been charged with any wrongdoing. So we'll see what comes of the records, which he has been fighting to keep secret.

O'BRIEN: For a long time now.

COSTELLO: Yes.

O'BRIEN: All right. Carol, thanks.

Four Americans and an Iraqi are dead after the reconnaissance flight went down on Monday. And four Italians died when their military helicopter went down today in southern Iraq. Helicopters were a key element in last fall's battle of Falluja. But when one Marine's Sea Knight was shot down in a firefight, a companion chopper had to pull off a heroic rescue.

Sergeant Jason Weischedel and Sergeant Matt Raffel are live onboard the USS John F. Kennedy this morning. They're Marine helicopter crew chiefs and they're here in New York for fleet week.

Gentlemen. Good morning. Nice to see you. Thanks for talking with us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

O'BRIEN: Jason, let's begin with you. We're talking about a mission that really started for you on September 8th, I believe. You were carrying Marines in a transport chopper, you just dropped them off, and you were taking off again. What exactly happened?

SGT. JASON WEISCHEDEL, USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: Once we left Falluja, we were returning back to our homebase at Al Taketum (ph), and we were only a couple miles out away from home, and we were flying along, and we got hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in the back left side of the aircraft, which upon impact took out our number-one engine, which caused us to have to fly on one engine, and it also blew a lot of our hydraulic lines in the back of the aircraft, and hydraulic fluid is very flammable. And once that started to spread, the entire aircraft started to catch on fire.

O'BRIEN: So you're flying and the helicopter is engulfed in flames. What did you do?

WEISCHEDEL: Immediately, I grabbed the fire extinguisher we carry on board, and I ran to the back to try and put the fire out. Unfortunately, that's not designed for large aircraft fires like this. It didn't really help us out that much at all. So I went back up, and I talked to our pilots. I had to talk to them without any kind of communication, just kind of had to yell at them, basically, because all of our electronics were gone. I told them you know, hey, we're on fire, we're starting to go down. They continued to fly the aircraft, trying to get us to a safer area. And eventually got to the point where the fire was overtaking the aircraft, and we could not continue on. And I told them at that point that we had to land immediately, and once they started to land the aircraft, the flames had kind of pretty much encroached up on myself, and my body just took over, and I had to jump out of the aircraft in flight.

O'BRIEN: So you're on fire. And you jump out of the helicopter from -- and I should point out, we're looking at pictures of a chopper like the one you're talking about, so we can get a sense of the size of the transport chopper. So how far up in the air were you still when you jumped out of the helicopter?

WEISCHEDEL: It's hard to tell, but it was between 15 and 20 feet. We were still in forward flight also.

O'BRIEN: The helicopter pilots go ahead and bring down that chopper, and bring it down pretty hard, I understand. I want to bring in Matt now, because this is where he kind of picks up his part of the story.

Matt, what could you see? You were in the companion chopper. I guess they always fly two together for this very reason.

SGT. MATT RAFFEL, USS JOHN F. KENNEDY: That's correct.

O'BRIEN: What could you see?

RAFFEL: Well, as soon as the RPG impacted Sergeant Weischedel's aircraft, immediately my left gunner, Corporal Lewis (ph), and another crew chief with our squadron, he opened fire with our 50-cal to suppress what they were throwing at us. And after that, we continued to push on. And Sergeant Weischedel was fighting the flames. And from our point of view, all we could only see the entire rear end of his aircraft on fire. So we dropped in altitude, but continued to push away from the threat.

O'BRIEN: Finally, you brought it down as well. You saw their chopper was on the ground. You brought yours down as well. How hard was it to get everybody, who, remarkably enough, was OK, back into your chopper for the rescue?

RAFFEL: We, initially, as soon as the RPG impacted them and they got to the point where we knew the area they were going to land at, we started making -- our pilots started making the mayday calls to try to get other air support in for more protection. We went in and did an initial pass. But because of all the dust and the flames, it was pretty much drowning out the night-vision goggles.

So on the first initial pass, from our knowledge, we had no idea that there was any survivors. It looked like everyone was not going to make it. So we broke around to try to make another pass back through. At that time, Corporal Lewis spotted one of the pilots, put an I.R. strobe on his helmet and set that on. So then they moved far enough away from the fire that we could pick them out. Once we seen their four bodies, then we immediately landed and picked them up. Corporal Lewis ran out, provided security for them, while I provided security for our plane, and we brought them onboard, and them as fast as we could made it back to Al Taketum, to the medical pad.

O'BRIEN: Yes, you sure did. Really saving everybody on board. Jason, I know you got some burns. You broke a limb as well. What have you learned out of this? I mean, I'd be curious to know. Obviously the real thing is much different than any of the simulations or the drills you would have done. Give me a sense of what kind of experience this experience brought you.

WEISCHEDEL: (INAUDIBLE) Being over there and flying in actual combat missions. You know, we do a lot of training here, a lot of schooling, a lot of classes. But until you can actually get out there and see what it's like to have small-arms fire shot at you and AAA shot at you, and RPGs and things like that, you don't know what it is and how you're going to react it. And now that myself, Sergeant Raffel and the ret of the crew chiefs in our squadron have been over there, we have been shot at, we can take that knowledge of what it's like to be shot at, what it looks like, what it actually does and how it affects us, and we can teach that to all the junior Marines that are just coming up and preparing themselves to deploy. That's the kind of training that you can't get here in the United States. O'BRIEN: Yes, definitely. Well, Jason and Matt, thanks for sharing your story. We're glad you got to tell us it to us in person. We certainly appreciate it, joining us from the USS JFK this morning.

Thanks, guys -- Bill.

HEMMER: Job well done, too.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HEMMER: After a long, cold winter, many Americans now looking forward to the warm months of summer. But before you enjoy that fun in the sun, some precautions you need to take. And for that our medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here now to explain.

Nice to see you. Good morning.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

You make me the downer here. You talk about summer and you talk about the problems. That's me.

Well, there are some problems. We all know that mosquitoes, for example, can be irritating and hard to fight. But for the first time in years, really interesting stuff here, the government is recommending two new alternatives to deet. That's been the standard for over 40 years. Listen to this. Picaridin, a manmade repellent and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, which is plant based, both offer safe and effective protection from mosquitoes that can also carry the West Nile Virus, as we've told you on this show.

The CDC says Deet is still safe and effective, especially for all day protection. About 45 percent of Americans use mosquito repellents regularly, and there are several reasons why many people don't particularly like deet. Some people complain that deet has a powerful odor. Some cases it can cause skin irritation as well. The two that I'm talking about, picaridin supposedly does not irritate. I haven't used it myself, but there are a couple of products we're going to show you. It's much lighter on the skin. Unlike deet, it's odorless as well, and it's been used in other countries for years.

Now available, recommended by the government here. Also, Lemon Eucalyptus, that's the Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, is aromatic; it's going to smell more. It's widely available in all sorts of lotions and sprays, and might be good for people who want a plant-based alternative. So a couple of options, you know, here.

HEMMER: And on the table, too, we have them, right?

GUPTA: Yes, let's just show you here. This is the Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, and these two products. You've seen the name brands before, but they contain the picaridin, which is the new...

HEMMER: So they're not saying not to use deet, but just that this new one offers, as you saw, odorless? GUPTA: They're saying, look, it's important for people to use mosquito repellent. There's concerns about West Nile Virus. If you don't like deet, there are some other options for you.

HEMMER: Let's talk about the sun right now. Because this is the time of year a lot of people are getting outside. Is there any new information that we need to know about taking care of ourselves this summer?

GUPTA: Well, you know, people talk about sunburns and suntanning quite a bit. If you're going to catch some sun in the summertime, parents especially need to watch out for your children. New research by the American Academy of Dermatology found in a survey of 500 teenagers about 80 percent know tanning and getting sunburns can lead to skin cancer, yet 60 percent got sunburned just last summer.

So that's an alarming problem, actually, because considering the studies, getting five or more sunburns doubles your risk for skin cancer. It doesn't end there, as well. Indoor tanning is reportedly popular among kids under 18. Some people believe in getting a base tan before going outdoors to get even more sun. Don't do this.

So is it possible to bask in the sun safely? This is a question we get a lot. Experts say there is no such thing as a safe tan from the sun or even a tanning salon. U.V. exposure out there can do a lot of things. But you need to protect yourself. The sunscreen should be SPF-15 or higher and one ounce should cover the entire body. Don't skimp on the amount that you use. I mean, use the stuff up. Also, be sure to apply sun screen of 15-20 minutes before you go out and reapply it every two hours to continue to get the protection.

HEMMER: Excellent recommendations. We do it every time -- every time of the year right around right now.

GUPTA: Kurt Vonnegut, in one of his graduation speeches, one of the pieces of advice he gave to people that many years ago was wear your sunscreen. It's good advice.

HEMMER: Oh, he knew. You're not such a downer after all.

GUPTA: Thank you. Thanks. Enjoy your summer.

HEMMER: All right.

O'BRIEN: Sir Bob Geldof is expected to make a huge announcement this morning. He's going to reveal details on his follow up to Live Aid. Toure takes a look back at the 1985 original. That's coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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O'BRIEN: Well, the name has changed, but the goal remains the same. In the next 15 minutes or so, the man who staged Live Aid 20 years ago is going to announce another star-studded benefit concert for famine relief in Africa. It's called Live Eight.

CNN's pop culture correspondent Toure is going to talk about the original and really the one that's coming up, as well. Good morning.

TOURE: Good morning, Soledad.

Live Aid is called the Woodstock of its generation. Both were iconic multi-act concerts that had their hearts in the right place. Woodstock had a sequel in the '90s, and now Live Aid will have one, too, on July 2, called Live Eight. The Eight is for the leaders of the world's most powerful nations, who will be meeting in Scotland at the G-8 summit just days after the concert. Organizers hope Live Eight will put pressure on those leaders to cancel debt owed by developing countries.

Fans who attend the free shows in London, Philly, Rome, Berlin, Paris, hope it all rocks just like the first one.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOURE (voice-over): On July 13, 1985...

(MUSIC)

TOURE: An encyclopedia of rock stars gathered in London, Philadelphia, Moscow and Sydney for a day-long concert called Live Aid. It was meant to raise money for famine-stricken Ethiopia and it became this generation's ultimate social conscience concert.

The seed was planted months before, when Bob Geldof, lead singer for a group called the Boomtown Rats, co-wrote the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and convinced some of rock's biggest stars to record it.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: Performing under the name Band Aid, the song was released in December 1984 and became the fastest-selling single ever, raising millions. Live Aid was next.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: Geldof lined up rock royalty like Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Bob Dylan and Tina Turner, and the 16-hour concert was beamed to a record two billion viewers in 169 countries.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: During the concert, a comment on stage by Bob Dylan spawned another mission, and two months after Live Aid came Farm Aid.

(MUSIC)

TOURE: Artists like Willy Nelson, John Mellencamp and Dylan raised money to help American farmers in need of financial assistance. The first concert took place in September 1985 and Farm Aid has been a regular event ever since.

(END VIDEOTAPE) TOURE: Live Eight takes place July 2, with performances by another encyclopedia of artists. U2, the Stones, McCartney, Sting, Madonna, Eminem. And on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Stevie Wonder and the Dave Matthews Band. Now, Soledad, I know you're excited. There's talk of a Spice Girls reunion.

O'BRIEN: I heard no way.

TOURE: Well, right now they're still just talking. Maybe.

O'BRIEN: Really?

TOURE: They will see. The whole she-bang will be webcast simultaneously on aolmusic.com.

O'BRIEN: Do you think it's mostly a political point they're trying to make or is there a lot of money they're hoping to raise?

TOURE: Well, I think right now, they're trying to make the political point to have this right before the G-8 Summit and let them know, let the world leaders know, that there are millions of people around the world who are concerned.

O'BRIEN: Looking at the pictures from the '80s, unbelievable. Thanks, Toure. Looking forward to it. And of course, as we mentioned, the announcement we're expecting to hear pretty soon. We're going -- Dave Matthews Band, we mentioned, one of the performers and one of the headliners at Live Eight. We're going to talk to the frontman, Dave Matthews himself, in just a few minutes.

Well, was there something other than glory behind Charles Linbergh's transatlantic flight? Jack takes a look at that in "The Cafferty File." That's up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

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HEMMER: All right. Welcome back. Here's Jack.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The folks who get a bigger chunk of your paycheck every year say there's never enough. But now, they're going to shutdown the little offices where you used to be able to go and get some help. That story and a preview of the markets, here's Andy Serwer "Minding Your Business."

Good morning, Jack.

ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Jack.

More and more companies and government agencies concluded there's no reason for you to interact with a live human being. Let's talk about the Internal Revenue Service, first of all. There are 400 walk- in tax centers across the country. The IRS is now looking to cut costs. So what are they going to do? They're going to shut them down. Sixty-eight of them are going be closing in 29 states across the country. Who does this hurt? Senior citizens. Poor people. People that don't speak English we well. JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: They don't count.

SERWER: Yes, I know. I was going to say, that's near and dear to your heart, Jack.

CAFFERTY: It was a joke, Soledad.

O'BRIEN: I know.

CAFFERTY: I was setting him up, and he just took it.

O'BRIEN: Thank you. I know.

SERWER: All right. They're saying that people just need to go to the Web site now, 128 percent increase in Web traffic, excuse me, at the IRS Web site. So no reason to have any more people out there. But this is a trend we're seeing across the country. You know, these check-ins at the hotels, the kiosks now, they have these. The Sheraton has a self-check-in kiosk so you never have to talk to anyone. There you go. The employees, though, at the Sheratons call this the dust collector apparently, because no one ever uses it. So people still matter there, I guess.

CAFFERTY: But I would.

SERWER: You would use it.

CAFFERTY: Rather than standing at the counter for 18 minutes watching two people through a partially open door on the back room on the Internet doing tic-tac-toe instead of coming out and seeing if they can help you get checked into the hotel before the rates go up again.

SERWER: I bet you use the satellite ticket offices for the airlines, too. Do you ever use those, Jack?

CAFFERTY: I use all available technology at my disposal to avoid human contact whenever I can do it.

SERWER: I think that's enough.

CAFFERTY: If I can just figure this out.

O'BRIEN: I was going to say, you're stuck with us right here.

SERWER: Yes. All right, let's talk about the markets last week. Let's look at the year-to-date chart, because the markets were up smartly last week and they have been in May, but we're still down for the year, particularly the Nasdaq, the most volatile of your stock indices. And let's see. Futures are down a little bit, though, this morning.

CAFFERTY: All right. Thanks.

SERWER: And that's it. I'm sorry about this human interaction. I apologize. CAFFERTY: Try to keep to it a minimum.

SERWER: OK, yes, sir.

CAFFERTY: It's time for the "Cafferty File." The bride wore fur at the wedding of Zorro and Lele. For that matter, so did the groom. These two tigers got married in a traditional ceremony Sunday in northeastern China. This is pretty cool. Zorro's an 8-year-old male rare white tiger. Lele is a 7-year-old female Siberian. The bride carried to the ceremony in a horse and cart, after which she ate the horse. Not true. This was followed by dozens of tourists. A bear and monkey played traditional Chinese musical instruments. After the wedding and reception, the couple retired to their honeymoon cage for a little purring.

SERWER: People have a lot of time on their hands. They have a lot of time on their hands.

CAFFERTY: A new book about Charles Lindbergh reveals his 33-hour solo trans-Atlantic flight was apparently just an excuse. What Lindbergh was really doing in Europe was visiting his mistresses and his children. Apparently, Lindbergh had three -- count 'em, three -- German mistresses simultaneously, and seven secret children whom he supported for decades. Lindbergh had six kids with his American wife, Ann Morrow (ph) Lindbergh. It's a new book titled the double life of Charles Lindbergh. It says Lindbergh had a thing with a Munich hat maker beginning in 1957. They had three kids. He also romanced the hat maker's sister and a third woman, an acquaintance of the two sisters named Velesqa (ph). She was Lindbergh's translator and private secretary.

SERWER: I bet she was.

CAFFERTY: Finally the answer to exactly how late is late? ten minutes 17 seconds. Researchers in England found that 10 minutes 17 seconds is the lateness threshold at which people feel it's necessary to call and admit they're going to be late.

Not surprisingly, almost 70 percent of young women think it's acceptable, if not fashionable, to be late for a first date. When it comes to people older, though, in their 50s, 80 percent say they're never late for anything, because they feel anxiety about being late for a crucial event.

O'BRIEN: You can't be early for your date. I mean, come on. It's like a big loser.

HEMMER: It's happened. Lindbergh, he had a whole litter, didn't he? About nine?

CAFFERTY: Apparently he was very busy.

SERWER: It was those Munich hatmakers.

CAFFERTY: Surprising he could find 33 hours to spend in the cockpit of his airplane in order to fly across the Atlantic. HEMMER: Thanks, guys.

Get a break here. In a moment, expecting this big announcement from Sir Bob Geldof. Revealing details on his follow-up to Live Aid of 1985. Dave Matthews takes part now in 2005. He's our guest live next hour on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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