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CNN Live At Daybreak

Proud To Serve; Hard Times for H.R.

Aired August 04, 2005 - 06:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello and Chad Myers.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. Chad will have your forecast in just a minute.

Also coming up this half-hour, more on the tragic week in Iraq. We'll talk to a retired Marine general of how the corps deals with the loss of so many men while staying on dangerous duty.

And trouble in the workplace. Is human resources really the place to turn for help? We'll get the other side of the story.

But first, "Now in the News."

A day after completing the repair on the shuttle Discovery's underbelly, NASA engineers are looking at another repair mission. They're considering working on a damaged thermal blanket under one of the cockpit windows. They're trying to determine if it will tear or fray during re-entry.

A Florida woman is in trouble with the police. She apparently tried to open an airplane door while the plane was about 4,000 feet over Seattle. Police are attempting to learn if alcohol or prescription drugs affected her behavior.

At least 130 people have been killed in three days of violence in Sudan. Residents of Khartoum, the capital, say the streets were quieter overnight. The violence erupted after Vice President John Garang was killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday.

To the forecast center.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: On to Iraq now and the latest in the fight for that country. Three more American soldiers were killed in an explosion in Baghdad. They were all members of the 3rd Infantry Division, Army personnel. President Bush has vowed to stay the course in the wake of this week's deaths. The president said a completed mission is the ultimate honor to the fallen troops.

With this week's attacks, a total of 1,824 U.S. troops have been killed since the war in Iraq began. And all of the Marines killed this week could be described as dedicated to their mission and to the Marine Corps.

David Clinch tells us more about fallen heroes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CLINCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): "This is what I was born to do." That was the one message Lance Corporal Timothy Michael Bell, Jr. had for his parents when they took him to deploy for training in Columbus, Ohio. He'd wanted to be a Marine since he was 6 years old.

His father describes the 22-year-old judo black belt as the last of the John Waynes, but tougher. He adds, his son has always been protective of his three younger sisters and applied that same ethic to the military.

Bell was killed in Wednesday's roadside bombing in Iraq. His father now has one message for America. He wants everybody to know his son -- quote -- "Did this for them."

His comrade, Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin, Jr. had just turned 22 two days before he was killed while on sniper patrol Monday. He had big plans for his life after Iraq. His sister says the former high school football player wanted to open a rental property business and to restore cars, which was his passion. Now, the planning focuses on his funeral. The vintage cars Deyarmin loved to tinker with will be part of his funeral procession. His family is comforted in knowing he loved being a Marine who believed in his country.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: David Clinch reporting.

The families are not the only ones dealing with the loss of loved ones. The Marines themselves have lost friends and brothers.

For more on the Marine mentality, we're joined by retied Brigadier General George Walls in Cary, North Carolina.

Good morning, general.

BRIG. GEN. GEORGE WALLS, U.S. MARINES CORP. (RET.): Good morning, Carol.

COSTELLO: The 25th Regiment out of Ohio has been hit so very hard. And it just didn't start this week; actually back in May. As a whole, the 25th Regiment suffered 20 dead in May and June. And then with Wednesday's bombing and two attacks on Monday, the number of dead more than doubled to 41 -- 41 members from the same regiment.

And I want to read you a quote out of "The Washington Post." This is a man talking. He's a former Marine. He says: "Let me ask you, is the 3rd Battalion of the 25th Marines fighting the entire war? This battalion is disseminated. I'm just losing count."

As a commander, how do you deal with that?

WALLS: Well, this is just -- first of all, Carol, you know, whenever you have a Marine hurt or wounded, it's a terrible thing. And when you have so many come from one unit like this, it just -- not to be flip about it, but it's just incredibly bad luck that this unit has had so many casualties.

And no, that battalion is not fighting the war by themselves, but they are in one of the toughest areas and have just been hit by some just unbelievable casualties.

COSTELLO: So, when you have so many dying from one regiment, do the remaining members continue on duty? Or do their duties change?

WALLS: No, absolutely not. What happens is, is that unit will continue to fight. There will be replacements sent in for the killed and wounded, and they will continue on with their mission.

COSTELLO: You know, being a Marine is a special thing, I know. And there's a certain mindset that goes along with it. They used to call one of the -- I don't know -- one of the squads within a regiment "lucky Lima." They don't call them that anymore. But when you're training to be a Marine, what is in your mind that could make you deal with something like this?

WALLS: Well, as you said, it's a very special thing to be a Marine. And the training is such that it prepares you for the adversities that you run into in combat situations. It trains you to rely on the Marine to your left and right and on your training, and the understanding that your leaders are going to provide you with the absolute best leadership they can under any conditions that you're under.

COSTELLO: General, President Bush came out yesterday and gave quite a powerful speech in support of the Marines and the mission in Iraq. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The violence in recent days in Iraq is a grim reminder of the enemies we face. These terrorists and insurgents will use brutal tactics, because they're trying to shake the will of the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Does this help? I mean, will the Marines get his message?

WALLS: Well, I think it's absolutely important that the president shows his support for all of the service people in Iraq. And any time that you have a situation like this, you know, it's a tough thing. You've got young people there who are fighting (AUDIO GAP). And, yes, I think these kinds of words from our leaders are helpful.

COSTELLO: I wanted to talk a bit about this amphibious assault landing vehicle that the Marines were traveling in when they hit that bomb. A very large -- this weighs 25 tons. The bomb or the mine that this thing hit must have been massive.

WALLS: It was a very large explosive device that would cause that vehicle to flip. That is a heavy armored vehicle. And, yes, it had to be a pretty large device to cause that kind of damage.

COSTELLO: Does it speak to the sophistication of the bombers that they're now -- they know that -- I don't know -- perhaps the Marines are riding in more fortified vehicles, and they're building bombs to accommodate that?

WALLS: Well, I think that in this case it was just such a large device that it would not have mattered what kind of vehicle went over it the same kind of damage would happen. That assault vehicle is not armored as a tank would be. But, again, the mass, the volume of that explosion is what caused that damage, and it would have been the same for any vehicle that went over it.

COSTELLO: Brigadier General George Walls joining us live this morning. Thank you so much for your insight.

It's very sad to say it has been a brutal week for U.S. forces in Iraq. The week's not over. Of course, we'll be talking more today about what's going on there.

CNN's Soledad O'Brien joins us now for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Carol, good morning to you.

Yes, brutal I think is exactly the word. As you pointed out, in just two days 19 Marines from the same Ohio-based unit killed in Iraq as well. For families, of course, the news is utterly devastating.

This morning, we're going to talk to the mother and father of one of the Marines that's been killed. We'll also talk to the Marine commander who has got the difficult task of notifying those families. We'll ask him how the military helps these families cope with their losses, which are just immense.

Those stories are ahead this morning on "AMERICAN MORNING," Carol, right at the top of the hour in about 20 minutes.

COSTELLO: All right. We'll be here. Thank you, Soledad.

We're going to take a short break. We'll be back with much more on DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets are in negative territory this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei is down more than 98 points, the London FTSE down by 12, the German DAX lower by 26.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 6:42 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning. It's being called the largest public police presence in London since World War II. Police are checking bags and packages of many transit riders. Four weeks ago today bombings on the city's transit system killed 52 people.

In money news, XM Radio and "The New York Times" have a new deal. The satellite radio company will carry a classical music channel from the radio unit recently created by "The New York Times."

In culture, Mariah Carey has been added to the star-studded list of performers at the MTV Video Music Awards. The show will be hosted by Sean P. Diddy Combs and air live from Miami on August 28.

In sports, legendary jockey Pat Day is climbing out of the saddle for good. The Hall of Famer is retiring with almost 9,000 victories over his 32-year career. Oh, that is mind boggling. Nine of those wins came in Triple Crown races, including the 1992 Kentucky Derby.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: What's your best resource for help on the job? Just ahead on DAYBREAK, we'll investigate the real help that's available from your human resources department. Boy, did we make H.R. employees mad the other day.

It's time to say happy birthday now, though.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Welcome back. It's 6:49 Eastern. Here is what will be making news today.

Investigators hope information from the voice and data recorders will help determine what caused Air France Flight A358 to crash. The devices were recovered. All 309 people aboard survived.

A New York civil rights group plans to file a lawsuit today alleging subway bag searches are unconstitutional. Police in New York began doing random bag searches after the deadly London bombings last month.

In about four hours from now, President Bush and the first lady will welcome Columbia's president and his wife to Crawford, Texas. The visit comes a day after the State Department said Columbia's government has met human rights standards needed to qualify for full funding of U.S. assistance programs.

A month after those deadly London terror attacks, we're learning much more about how the bombs were built.

Let's check in with CNN's Miles O'Brien for a look at what's coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING."

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Carol.

It is troubling. We're learning that those London attackers used some basic household items. It wasn't high-end military explosives as investigators first thought. How are authorities here using that information? The release of that information by New York authorities has some folks in London upset. We'll get into all of that.

I don't know, Carol. Is it more or less troubling to you that it was household items as opposed to something exotic in the military stockpile?

COSTELLO: You know, it really doesn't matter.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Either way it's troubling, right?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: I'm with you on that.

The space shuttle as well. They are very busy right now trying to determine if they need to do spacewalk number four to fix that tattered blanket, tuck it in or do something to it. The concern is that blanket, which is loose up near Eileen Collin's cockpit window -- she looked at some pictures which came down overnight from space. It's kind of an off-duty day today for the crew. The concern is that that tattered blanket could cause some damage to the surface of the orbiter coming in. They're analyzing all of that. We'll keep you posted on that as well.

All of that is coming up on "AMERICAN MORNING" -- Carol.

COSTELLO: We'll be here. Thank you.

It's so great to know you guys out there are watching. We got a lot of reaction to a segment we did earlier this week. You'll remember. It was based on an article in "Fast Company" magazine. The author's spin was, I hate H.R.

Here is some of what we talked about.

In a recent survey, only 40 percent of employees said their company retains high-quality workers. And that would be the job of the human resources department. Forty-one percent said evaluations are fair. And 58 percent said the company provides proper job training.

And here's what the magazine's executive editor said about H.R.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK VAMOS, "FAST COMPANY" MAGAZINE: The reality is that the function of H.R. tends to be to protect the company against its employees. And it's true that these people have to deal with a horrible thicket of laws and regulations. But it's also true that they really seem to be taking the side of the company often against the employee, and the idea that they're there as strategic partners to develop the talent of the company tends to be an unfortunate fiction.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Our guest today says that is simply not true. Sue Meisinger is president and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management.

Good morning and welcome.

SUE MEISINGER, SOCIETY FOR H.R. MANAGEMENT: Good morning.

COSTELLO: So, were you watching the interview?

MEISINGER: I read the transcript of the interview, yes.

COSTELLO: And you thought?

MEISINGER: Obviously this guy doesn't know what's going on. But, you know, "Fast Company," I won't comment on the editorial judgment of using words like "hate" on the cover, because I think it's pretty incendiary. But it's a company that, you know, it just got sold a couple of months ago. The chief editor left.

COSTELLO: Well...

MEISINGER: The publisher left. They're in transition. So, I'm going to give them a pass on this.

COSTELLO: But I'm telling you that that -- the title of that article struck a nerve. We got many e-mails agreeing with him. And the statistics that he cited, they don't lie. They don't come from "Fast Money" magazine.

MEISINGER: Well...

COSTELLO: Forty percent of employees said their company retained high-quality workers. Forty-one percent...

MEISINGER: Well, I don't know...

COSTELLO: ... said evaluations are fair.

MEISINGER: I don't know what the quality is of the survey research that you're pointing to. It was probably an online survey. Those are always a little bit suspect. I think H.R. is adding great value. And as many people who have had a run-in and an unhappy experience with H.R., I would bet there are 10 times as many people in the workforce who have benefited from or had a good experience with H.R. Because H.R. is -- part of its challenge is to ensure that the workforce is engaged in the workforce, because H.R. professionals know if people are engaged in their workforce, they have a good workplace, they are able to be productive. The company is going to be more successful. The employee is going to have a better work experience.

COSTELLO: But you must understand that behind all of this, I mean, employees know that human resources and the employees there are being paid by the company. So, there is this sense there already that H.R. will work more for the company than for the employee. MEISINGER: But the reality is H.R. professionals tend to be management, that's true. But what they do for management is help understand and help management understand how to leverage and provide a great workplace for employees. So, yes, it's management, but it's management on behalf of leveraging and benefiting the workforce, because they know a good workforce tends to result in a successful, profitable organization.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, let's talk about something extremely positive. Let's talk about how as an employee I can best use my human resources department.

MEISINGER: Well, I think when you run into a question or you have an issue with a manager, touching base with your H.R. department is always a good idea, to find out. Sometimes having a disinterested third party to give you a perspective that you hadn't thought of is the right way to go. Understand that H.R. is there to ensure that you are getting the feedback that you need to do a better job, and H.R. can work with a manager to make sure that the manager is doing a better job of providing useful feedback to a worker.

COSTELLO: OK. And the final word from you, because we want to be fair, is many H.R. employees work very hard. And they do go to seminars and things for extra training to better deal with employees.

MEISINGER: You know, I just came back from a conference that my organization ran. We had 12,000 people sitting in the audience, because they're eager to learn and to do more on behalf of the workforce.

COSTELLO: Sue Meisinger, thank you for joining DAYBREAK this morning. We appreciate it.

MEISINGER: Thank you.

COSTELLO: When we come back, more headlines and a look at your travel forecast. This is DAYBREAK for a Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Need I say more?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You need say nothing. The questions and the answers from yesterday. Good morning. What is the name of the astronaut making yesterday's repairs to the space shuttle Discovery? And that was Steve Robinson, not "Danger, Will Robinson."

COSTELLO: Danger, danger.

MYERS: Danger, danger, danger, Steve Robinson. And he did just fine, and everything worked out great. How much could some moviegoers receive as a result of the class-action lawsuit against Sony Pictures? Five bucks.

COSTELLO: A lousy five bucks. MYERS: Five dollars. And the winner from Muskogen, Michigan, Laurrie Cote. Good morning, Laurrie. Congratulations. Your mug is in the mail, as we say.

And now today's questions. This is going to be a tough one. You may have to look these up. Which states will have a tax-free back-to- school holiday this weekend? Tax-free. You go. You can buy stuff tax-free. What states this weekend? And which underground line reopened today for the first time since July 7?

COSTELLO: That's a hard one.

MYERS: And you have to think that would be in London.

COSTELLO: So the address is CNN.com/daybreak. Did I get that right?

MYERS: That's right. And there's a link there. Click on it and give us the answers.

COSTELLO: OK. We'll do. Travel -- you know, I just cannot talk anymore.

MYERS: Travelers, all right, here is your travel cast.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: From the Time Warner center in New York, I'm Carol Costello along with Chad Myers. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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