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CNN Live Today
One Soldier's Journey in Iraq; Pakistan Struggles to Recover From Earthquake
Aired December 27, 2005 - 10:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(NEWSBREAK)
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: "These are the times that try men's souls." Thomas Paine wrote those words in 1776, but they still hold true today. A half a world away, U.S. troops are among those searching their souls for answers, as Iraq wages its own fight for independence.
Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson has one man's story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Marine Corporal Kenny Nolla is singing the blues.
CORPORAL KENNY NOLLA, U.S. MARINES CORP: The song is about -- the son is seeing his father go through all his Vietnam experiences.
ROBERTSON: The 28-year-old Puerto Rican is halfway through his third tour of duty in Iraq. He doesn't have a son or a daughter yet, but says he wants to start a family with his Georgia-born wife.
NOLLA: I think I'm done with the military. It's been seven to eight years now. It's been very rewarding.
ROBERTSON: What's eating him up is not dangerous overnight raids or guard duty in a battle-scarred outpost, or even the nail-biting drives down one of Iraq's most bombed roads. It's the weight of fighting an enemy that hides among civilians.
NOLLA: We saw these people digging a hole in the street and we thought that they were planting an IED and we fired on them. And the other day, when we go on post after a few hours and we get a better view out of the fog, they were just building the walls for their house.
ROBERTSON: He's been struggling with his conscience. He knows every time he leaves base, it could happen again.
NOLLA: It's either them or us that are going home and it's always going to be us. That's the sad thing, that the morality dictates that we -- our life is worth more here than theirs.
ROBERTSON: How to face danger is a circular issue. Nolla and his fellow marines talk it through like there is no tomorrow. LANCE CORPORAL JAY BERTRAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: I think (INAUDIBLE) folks in Iraq know it's a hay stop, you know what I'm saying? They're not going to listen. Just like if (INAUDIBLE). If you put a gun in their face, they're going to listen.
ROBERTSON: These rare moments to think between missions are a luxury. Lance Corporal Jay Bertran, also a three-tour veteran here, tries to boil the marines' relationship with Iraqis down to easily digestible chunks.
BERTRAN: It's not that they don't want us here and it's not that we don't want to be here. It's just that these people are so -- they're broken people. And we're just -- we're not here to fight or kill them.
NOLLA: But that's the thing. When did that happen? I mean, because the thing that I remember about, like, when they told me in school about these people is, like, they were like nomads with their own sense, like, hospitality.
ROBERTSON: Barely is the debate warming before they're back to work. Nolla listens nervously, as his next mission is called.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Northridge O.P. (ph). Corporal Nolla, Lance Corporal Nolla.
ROBERTSON: He's not afraid to die, he says, if he can help someone else.
NOLLA: This is people to live well. I mean, I see them all of the time on the street and on the bridge with their sandals and their -- I don't know, their eyes just always, like, subservient.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God!
ROBERTSON: In the minutes before they leave, conversation turns from deep debate to lighthearted banter.
NOLLA: And the armor. This is the thing I love the most. I love this. Jesus Christ. And this trusty one. I've had this since I was a little kid.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I had a dream that we had (INAUDIBLE) armor that came all the way down to here. And I was so happy, I was like, yes! Screw it, but it was just a dream.
ROBERTSON: Now it's back to the reality that awaits them here. Time for Nolla to face his demons again.
NOLLA (singing): Oh, God, please, help me make it through .
ROBERTSON: Nic Robertson, CNN, Ramadi, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And now on to a story that was trumped by the year's other natural disasters. Months later, though, Pakistan's earthquake survivors are still burying the dead and struggling to keep themselves alive. A look at this still unfolding tragedy is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: It has been nearly three months since a massive earthquake laid waste to much of northwestern Pakistan and neighboring Kashmir. Tens of thousands were killed, more than three million left homeless, and now a deepening danger approaches with winter.
CNN's senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We had heard the numbers over and over: more than 80,000 dead and more dying every day. But it was numbers and just numbers, and it wasn't until I walked right into the middle of a funeral procession that it started to really sink in.
It happened just moments after we arrived at the small village of Maraponalia (ph) in northeastern Pakistan. We learned quickly -- and perhaps it was obvious -- even if they lived no one here escaped this earthquake.
(on camera): Malik Nurasen (ph) has lived right here. His entire family now lives with him. On the morning of October 8th, you could actually see what happened, all the devastation. A crack appeared. The entire earth started moving and parts of his home just completely washed away, wiped away by the earthquake, falling down the hill.
(voice-over): Malik Nurasen will try to brave the winter here in his own home, reluctant to ever leave his property. You see, there are no land deeds in many parts of Pakistan. He is worried he will never get his land back.
But many others didn't have that as an option. Their homes beyond ruined, they all have a new and they hope temporary way of life.
(on camera): One of the things I was so struck by was just how massive this place is. Those are the Himalayan Mountains all behind me, and we are in the foothills of those mountains. This is one of the many villages of tents that sprung up immediately after the earthquake. There's about 6,000 people living here in about 1,000 tents. That's six people per tent. That's actually considered pretty good.
I want to point out a couple of things, though, that are concerning. One is these tents are not winterized. They will not protect against the rain. The will not protect against the immense cold, and it is getting colder here now, much more colder at night, below freezing for sure. The ground is getting hard, and it's become increasingly difficult to dig, so you can pound these stakes into the ground.
Still, the U.N. informs these people that they'll be living here for about six months. At this altitude even I'm becoming a little bit short of breath.
Still, the people so concerned they are about aftershocks and more debris coming down from the mountains. They want to live as high as possible, so people are continuing to move up the hill.
(voice-over): Gofer Azkan (ph) used to live way up in the mountains. He has put together two tents for his family. He tells me this one sleeps six and has absolutely no heat.
This is all the food for his entire family: a half a pot of rice, a quarter bag of flour and a small handful of sprouts.
Even though he's optimistic, I couldn't help, but wonder which would be more difficult for him to overcome, the cold or the starvation.
These are all the stories, tales of so much death and the struggle to survive, at nearly 3,000 feet above sea level, in 30- degree temperatures as winter comes, roaring so far away from help.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Maraponalia, Pakistan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: At least some help is on the way for earthquake survivors. The U.S.-based charity Mercy Corps has been delivering 12- foot sections of corrugated metal, and that can be used to help winter-proof the temporary shelters. Tools are also being brought in, and survivors are being paid to help complete the job as the heavy snows approach.
The cards are on the table, the slot machines are spinning, the story of the latest sign of rebirth in coastal Mississippi. That story is up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: All right, baby boomers, this next story is about you. A new study suggests that baby boomers have not signed up for direct deposit of paychecks and government checks, and that omission could wind up costing all taxpayers. The government study found 59 percent of baby boomers do have direct deposit. That compares to 72 percent of American seniors.
Reasons given for not having direct deposit: people like depositing the checks themselves. They don't trust direct deposit, or they like to receive the paper check, but that costs the government 75 cents more to get a paper check to you compared to a directly deposited one.
(MARKET REPORT) KAGAN: Here's another way to spend that post-Christmas money. Some of them taking their money to slot machines. The first land- based casino in Mississippi opened for business yesterday, four months after Hurricane Katrina blew through.
Leeah Brennan from our affiliate WPMI was there, and she has this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEEAH BRENNAN, WPMI REPORTER (voice-over): Once filled with Katrina's storm surge, now this casino lobby is filled with a sea of eager faces.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're just going do the first everything.
BRENNAN: Paula Rossi (ph) is first in line at the Isle of Capri opening. She's been waiting five hours. She was also first at Imperial Palace, and the Pop's Ferry (ph) Bridge.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're all so happy that things are starting to open up, and that's the main thing, is getting back to what was normal.
BRENNAN: Waiting in line, she isn't far from remnants of devastation. Some areas are still blocked off. There's still a wreck. But inside the refurbished areas, you'd never know.
(on camera): There are 950 slot machines, 27 gaming tables and nine poker tables.
(voice-over): All of it where the ballrooms and conference rooms were. For overnight guests, 550 of 750 rooms are ready.
Here's your first peek at the standard room and the jacuzzi suite, accommodations surrounded by debris.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looked a thousand times worse than what it does today.
BRENNAN: Today they're filled with hope.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And that was Leeah Brennan from our CNN affiliate WPMI bringing us that story.
Let's check the time. Right now it is 9:48 in Biloxi, and it's 7:48 in rainy, Sacramento, California.
A check of the morning forecast is coming up.
Plus, he used to make us laugh on prime time television. Now a former sitcom star is doing his part to get New Orleans back on track.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) (WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: You might remember the actor Harry Anderson. Remember him? he played crazy Judge Stone from that sitcom "Night Court"? Well, the New Orleans people there know him as the club-owning wise guy. He's holding a totally different court now in the French Quarter, the one with constant laughs even in the midst of tragedy.
CNN's Alina Cho has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, come on!
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Harry Anderson sees a bit of humor in everything, even tragedy.
HARRY ANDERSON, COMEDIAN, NIGHTCLUB OWNER, RESIDENT: So we haven't caught Osama, but we've pretty much ruled out the Ninth Ward.
CHO: The actor/comedian, who used to perform every week at the New Orleans nightclub he owns, is now giving his audience a different kind of show.
ANDERSON: Tonight is election night. In case you didn't know it, our election has been postponed.
CHO: Every Wednesday, Anderson opens his doors to the public. His dark, smoky nightclub serves as a backdrop for a little laughter, information...
ANDERSON: You can make your opinions known to the governor regarding this issue.
CHO: And lively debate.
ANDERSON: Ray Nagin can get up there and say whatever he wants and nobody calls him down on it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
ANDERSON: Huh?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's tyranny.
ANDERSON: We can laugh, we can cry often over the same thing, you know? What doesn't seem to be horrifyingly tragic seems to be unbelievable absurd. There's very little middle ground. We're an exciting place.
CHO: Anderson should look familiar.
ANDERSON: Boy, I must really be depressed.
CHO: He played Judge Harry Stone in the popular TV series "Night Court." But after several years in Hollywood, he wanted a change and settled in New Orleans, the same place he performed magic tricks in the 1970s. Today, he and his wife are business owners in the French Quarter. Anderson says post-Katrina the jokes come easy.
ANDERSON: Wilma, you know, took out hotels in Miami like God intended hurricanes to do. But Katrina and Rita, don't trust a hurricane named after a stripper. This is, I think, the lesson we've learned. Next year when Hurricane Tiffany comes, we're all out of here.
CHO: Joking aside, he says the weekly meetings at his club are not just a forum for discussion, but change. In October, the group held a sit-in at a local bar to protest curfews. The curfews were later extended. And now, he says, not even enforced.
ANDERSON: We have to accept the things that we can't change and we have to roll up our sleeves and start dealing with the things that we can change.
CHO: Anderson says the new New Orleans is not perfect, but he still can't imagine being anywhere else.
ANDERSON: We laugh more hours. We enjoy more of our day. We do have things that we have to deal with now, but we're still oddly very happy.
CHO: It's home.
Alina Cho, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Still ahead on CNN LIVE TODAY, stopping suicide bombers. American police learning plenty from their Israeli counterparts. Ahead, we'll share some of the lessons with you.
Plus, iPods. They let you zone out and forget where you are, and that's exactly what thieves are hoping for. We'll explain the new threat.
The second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY begins right now.
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