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Nation Celebrates Veterans' Day; Remembering Jack Palance
Aired November 11, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: From Arlington National Cemetery to the Gulf shores of Mississippi, to the battlefields in Afghanistan, America pays tribute to its veterans today.
Welcome to this special edition of the CNN NEWSROOM.
Hello, everyone. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Coming up, you'll see tributes from around the world, including a live report from the Blue Angels air show in Pensacola, Florida.
But first, a quick check of the other day's headlines.
Veterans Day on the frontlines. Hundreds of U.S. troops in Afghanistan held a memorial service today honoring veterans who lived and died before them. Emotional ceremonies are being held all over the world, including at the nation's capital.
A live report straight ahead.
A reward is being offered in the search for this U.S. soldier abducted in Iraq. The Army Reserve specialist was kidnapped nearly three weeks ago in Baghdad while visiting his Iraqi wife and family. The U.S. military is offering up to $50,000 for information leading to his recovery.
In New York, a plan to free the USS Intrepid, a warship-turned- museum that got stuck in the mud on Monday while being towed for renovation. The Navy plans to dredge mud from underneath the ship to help free its propellers.
And stuck in the snow in the Midwest. Several states, including Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota, got more than a half foot of snow yesterday. In one Iowa town, three and a half inches fell in just one hour.
Saluting the men and women who have fought in America's wars with parades and solemn ceremonies. The nation gives thanks to its uniformed heroes. From Valley Forge to Baghdad to New York, it is Veterans Day 2006.
This holiday finds Americans fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. And after the recent midterm elections, promise to change some course in the Iraq war.
We'll start with our coverage from the White House with CNN's Kathleen Koch -- Kathleen. KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka. The vote Tuesday was widely seen as a referendum on the Iraq war. And to that end, the U.S. military has acknowledged that it has begun reevaluating its strategy there.
But President Bush, the commander in chief himself, today was less focused on the Iraq war and how to proceed and more on honoring the brave men and women serving there. The president going to Arlington National Cemetery, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. He thanked all veterans for their service, for their sacrifice.
The president particularly honor to the 1.4 million now on active duty in the U.S. armed forces, calling them "our nation's finest citizens."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: They confront grave danger to defend the safety of the American people. They brought down tyrants. They've liberated two nations. They have helped bring freedom to more than 50 million people.
Through their sacrifice, they are making this nation safer and more secure, and they are earning the proud title of veteran.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And on this Veterans Day holiday, Democrats, too, paid homage to members of the U.S. military past and present in their radio address, expressing their determination to find a new way forward in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: On Tuesday, Americans across the country made it clear that they want a new direction in Iraq and in the war on terror. Voters also made it clear they want defense policies that are tough and smart.
Our agenda includes a new direction in defending America at home and around the world. We will listen to the military and take their advice and ensure that our troops and agencies have the tools and equipment that they need to defend our freedom. And we'll keep our promises to our brave men and women when their service is done.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KOCH: And Iraq will be high on President Bush's agenda Monday. He and his national security team are going to be meeting with a bipartisan commission tasked with crafting a new strategy for the war in Iraq. The Bush administration clearly very interested in getting a readout from the Iraq Study Group before it issues its final report -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Kathleen Koch at the White House. Thank you so much.
Well, a group of military families opposed to the war in Iraq is commemorating Veterans Day this way. The group displayed an exhibit of hundreds of flags and photographs at the National Mall in Washington. It is to honor the more than 2,800 Americans who have died in the war. Many of the families involved in today's event have lost loved ones themselves in Iraq.
Tonight, "CNN PRESENTS" "Combat Hospital." CNN goes inside the 10th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad for a riveting look at the life-and-death struggles that mark operations every day there, starting tonight and tomorrow at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
Veterans Day is also being observed at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. The black granite wall has served as the backdrop for Veterans Day observances for the past 25 years now. Veterans of the Vietnam War and other military conflicts are being honored at that event.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL WYNNE, AIR FORCE SECRETARY: To those Vietnam veterans who know difficult circumstances at home and abroad, what a wonderful day and a wonderful spot to again say welcome home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, it's been a great Veterans Day for many families and members of the 101st Airborne Division. There, nearly 1,900 soldiers of the famous Screaming Eagles are returning from Iraq.
One U.S. soldier had a different sort of homecoming. Sergeant Luke Murphy was on routine patrol with the Army's 101st Airborne Division when his Humvee was struck by a roadside bomb. It's a combat experience that has changed his life.
CNN's Thomas Roberts has his story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For Sergeant Luke Murphy, pictures of the past are a sharp contrast to pictures of today.
SGT. LUKE MURPHY, U.S. ARMY: The enemy took this from me.
ROBERTS: Murphy is talking about his right leg and his ability to walk. In April, he and his unit were on a routine mission near Baghdad when their Humvee hit an IED, a roadside bomb.
MURPHY: I remember the heat of the round coming through -- you know, the shrapnel coming through the vehicle. You know, blasting right through our armor, you know, like nothing. And I remember the heat, and then -- then the smoke. And I remember choking on the smoke.
And I lifted up my leg and my boot just stayed on the ground. And I was like, "Oh, no." You know, that was gone.
And then I checked this leg and it was just, you know, mangled. And then I was like, "Oh, what about my guys?" And then I heard the moaning.
ROBERTS: The others in Murphy's Humvee were also injured, but his were some of the worst. He was immediately rushed for treatment.
MURPHY: There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to make it. I knew for a fact, no problem. I'll make it through this. I've just got to stay calm.
ROBERTS: Luke Murphy kept a cool head but not his right leg. His left leg so damaged, it's now filled with pins and pain.
MURPHY: Any time you get 16 pins going right through your bones, you're going to tend to be in a little bit of pain. It's a bad problem.
ROBERTS: Murphy, with his girlfriend Christine (ph) by his side, is now in rehab at Walter Reed Medical Center.
MURPHY: I don't think I'm going to be able to walk today. Again.
ROBERTS: He has good days and bad days. Today might be a bad day.
MURPHY: I'm starting to sweat it hurts so bad.
ROBERTS: For Luke, this is excruciating work, and Christine (ph) knows it, watching his every move, sometimes catching herself counting the leg repetitions he's performing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's easier for me to support Luke because he is the love of my life. And he's just a really special guy.
MURPHY: It's hard. And, you know, when I push myself as hard as I do, you know, the next day I get mad because I can't do it again.
ROBERTS: But Luke Murphy knows every leg lift, every stretch, every painful exercise brings him one step closer to walking on his own.
MURPHY: I've got my eyes and my arms and all my senses, and there's a lot of guys here that are hurt much worse. So I got it -- I kind of got off lucky with losing a leg.
ROBERTS: In Atlanta, Thomas Roberts, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: So what happens to so many other veterans when they come home? Monday night, Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta take an in-depth look at life after war. Watch "Coming Home" Monday night at 10:00 Eastern on an unforgettable "ANDERSON COOPER 360."
And now in our "Going Global" segment today, a lone trumpet pierces the still Trafalgar Square. The U.S. is not alone as it marks Veterans Day.
In Britain, Remembrance or Armistice Day signals the end of World War I. And red poppies commemorate the blood shed by the nearly one million British men who died fighting it.
In France, the losses were even more staggering. Today President Jacques Chirac led ceremonies in Paris to honor more than 1.3 million French soldiers who died in World War I and more than 2.5 million who were wounded.
Talks aimed at giving the militant group Hezbollah more power in Lebanon's government collapsed today. It happened after two Hezbollah ministers and three of their allies resigned from the cabinet. However, Lebanon's prime minister is refusing to accept the resignation. Hezbollah is seeking more control over the cabinet in order to have veto power over key decisions.
And remembering Yasser Arafat. Tens of thousands of Palestinians converged on Arafat's grave site today to mark the second anniversary of his death. At the same time, the United States vetoed a U.N. Security Council draft resolution seeking to condemn an Israeli military offensive in Gaza.
Sony's PlayStation 3 made its highly-anticipated debut in Japan today. Throngs of people lined up for hours to buy the video game console. It didn't take long for many stores to sell out of the supplies, a pattern that is expected to be repeated around the world.
And who better to talk about veterans of war than someone who has experienced the heat of battle himself. Up next on this special edition of the CNN NEWSROOM, veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General David Grange.
Also, love letters four decades old solve the mystery of a pilot missing since the Vietnam War.
Plus, four generations of U.S. military service in one family.
And now live pictures of CNN's Warrior One at Keesler Airbase in Biloxi, Mississippi. CNN producers, video journalists and correspondents used that very vehicle when they were embedded with the 1st Battalion 7th Marines in the war in Iraq back in 2003. After Warrior One's tour of military bases and other sites across the country, it will be auctioned off. And the proceeds going to the Fisher House Foundation, an organization that builds comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel.
(WEATHER REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: People across the country are taking part in Veterans Day celebrations. There are parades and solemn observances.
But what's the best way to honor those who fought for our freedoms? Who better to ask than CNN military analyst retired U.S. Army Brigadier General David Grange. He joins us now from Oak Brook, Illinois.
Thanks for being with us. And first off, thanks for your service.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, thank you. And a little -- the earlier comment, I would have been quite a little guy to have been in the Korean War. I served in the Vietnam War.
WHITFIELD: Well, you know, that's so funny you said that, because I asked that before I went on the air. I said, "To me, he just doesn't seem like he could have possibly been able to do that."
GRANGE: Well, thank you so much.
WHITFIELD: So correction noted. Correction noted.
GRANGE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, let's talk about today. You know, today is a day that so many of us are to thank and pay homage to the men and women who have served our country in so many different capacities.
Is it your concern that people understand, you know, what this day is all about and if, indeed, in your view, military men and women are given the tribute that they deserve?
GRANGE: Well, not everybody understands or observes Veterans Day, but I think quite a few do. And what I've seen, at least around the Chicagoland area, including the ceremony we had at our foundation at our park, at our military museum, was quite a nice turnout. And I think most people understand.
I think the positive coverage that CNN and others are doing today helps immensely because the media is the outreach to the American people, and this kind of coverage really kind of lets people know what kind of sacrifices, what their fellow citizens in the armed forces are doing.
WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk about the direction of the strategy in the war in Afghanistan, as well as Iraq. Now with a changing of the guard, if you will, of the defense secretary helm, in your view will military men and women be able to see and experience the differences of one secretary versus another? Outgoing Secretary Rumsfeld and now Secretary Gates.
GRANGE: Well, a little bit. But what's going to happen is you have -- if you are -- if you're working a patrol in the streets of Baghdad, or you are in a vehicle convoy heading up from Kuwait, a lot of the things, you're not going to see a whole lot of change. But what's going to happen and actually what started before the changing of the guard is that the strategy had to be re-looked.
It had to be reassessed because conditions have changed immensely from the original strategy. And so that was already starting to take place.
So you'll see a lot of changes there. There's still six main groups of concern in Iraq that have to be taken on. And I think maybe a more refined effort will take place.
WHITFIELD: And secretary -- appointed secretary Gates, he is no stranger to the U.S. commanders who are dealing with the two ongoing wars. He also has his experience through the first Bush administration.
How helpful might that be for him to carry out what he believes to be a new direction?
GRANGE: Well, you know, it's going to be tough for Mr. Gates because, you know, here the strategy is changing. A lot of mistakes were made very early on. It made conditions very, very tough to accomplish this mission now. And he has to jump into the fray right now and be successful.
But I think they're going to take a hard look at what Iran is doing, influencing in Iraq's affairs -- Syria. I think that the taking on of both the coalition and the Iraqi forces, criminals, insurgents and terrorists will be business as usual.
The real internal tough piece is going to be what to do about the militias. Do you have some kind of a negotiated deal? Do you take them down?
I think there will be a combination of that, but hat cannot be ignored. And I think that's going to be the toughest thing to look at for Iraq.
WHITFIELD: General Grange, thanks so much for your time. And again, thank you for your service.
GRANGE: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And tonight at 5:00, Lou Dobbs has a special report called "Heroes," saluting men and women in uniform who are protecting Americans at home and abroad.
And a familiar face, indeed. He was a villain in the classic movie "Shane" and a hero in his Oscar-winning role in "City Slickers." We remember Jack Palance next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Mourning the loss now of two great entertainers. Gerald Levert, the passionate singer of R&B love songs, died yesterday in his Cleveland home, according to his record label, Atlantic Records. Over his two-decade career, Levert sold millions of albums and had numerous R&B hits like "Casanova" and "Baby I'm Ready." He was the son of the lead singer of the O'Jays, Eddie Levert.
Gerald Levert was 40.
Hollywood is remembering one of its greatest character actors. Tough guy Jack Palance died yesterday at his home in Montecito, California. Palance first won fame as a fast-shooting, often villainous cowboy. Later, when accepting his first Academy Award, he won the hearts of many when in his 70s he did one-armed pushups on stage.
Sibila Vargas has more on his six-decade career.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JACK PALANCE, ACTOR, "SHANE": What have you heard, Shane?
ALAN LADD, ACTOR, "SHANE": I've heard that you're a lowdown Yankee liar.
SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice over): With his chiseled features and hulking presence, Jack Palance made quite an impression in 1953 as the cold-blooded gunslinger opposite Alan Ladd in the western classic "Shane". It was one of the many tough-guy roles played by the former professional boxer who was born Vladimir Palanuik in Pennsylvania in 1919.
A lifetime of playing villains followed, all the way until the 1980s. He shared the screen with Jack Nicholson as crime boss Carl Grissom in Tim Burton's "Batman," faced off against Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell in "Tango & Cash," and took on the brat pack in "Young Guns."
PALANCE: What's been taking so long? We didn't want the army here.
VARGAS: Then at age 70 Palance switched to comedy, introducing himself to a new generation of fans in 1991's "City Slickers" as crusty trail boss Curly.
PALANCE, "CITY SLICKERS": You know what the secret of life is?
BILLY CRYSTAL, ACTOR, "CITY SLICKER": No, what?
PALANCE: This.
CRYSTAL: Your finger?
PALANCE: One thing. Just one thing.
CRYSTAL: That's great, but what's the one thing?
PALANCE: That's what you've got to figure out. VARGAS: Palance won an Oscar for his cantankerous performance and performed a one-armed pushup while accepting his trophy. Despite his tough-as-nails image, Palance enjoyed peaceful pursuits such as writing poetry and painting.
PALANCE: We have a beautiful world, beautiful place to live. And if there is a heaven, I'm sure that that would be exotically, wondrously beautiful. But for the time being, this is really enough.
VARGAS: Sibila Vargas, CNN, Hollywood.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Jack Palance was 87 years old.
And we'll continue to take a look at how the nation is honoring veterans on this day.
Plus, how a military widow got some answers about her missing husband through love letters.
Also, women in war. An Iraq war veteran talks about females in the military. Are they often forgotten?
And here it is, folks. CNN's Warrior One. Right now it's in Biloxi, Mississippi, as part of a nationwide tour.
CNN producers, video journalists and correspondents used this very vehicle when they were embedded with the 1st Battalion 7th Marines in the war in Iraq back in 2003. After Warrior One's tour it will be auctioned off, and the proceeds will go to the Fisher House Foundation, which is an organization that builds comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel.
So start your bidding.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHOSHANA JOHNSON, FMR. IRAQ POW: I think Americans can celebrate Veterans Day by showing respect to those veterans around them, just saying a thank you, acknowledging the sacrifices that were made by veterans, but also the family of veterans. We don't do this alone. We have a wonderful support system within our families and they make sacrifices also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: You remember that war hero, former Army Specialist Shoshanna Johnson, knows. You'll recall she was abducted in Iraq back in March of 2003, making her the first African-American female POW in U.S. military history. After 22 days of captivity, she and Private Jessica Lynch were rescued by Marines. Johnson later retired from the military with several distinctions and honors, including the Bronze Star, the Prisoner of War Medal, and the Purple Heart.
As former Army Specialist Johnson clearly illustrates, women have come a long way in the American military. For more on that, two- time Iraq war veteran Elizabeth Lopez joins us now, live from El Paso, Texas.
Good to see you.
ELIZABETH LOPEZ, ARMED SERVICES VETERAN: Hi. Nice to see you.
WHITFIELD: Well, give me an idea of your observations now, 28,000 women among about 274,000 service members who are deployed. Yet do you still find that there are obstacles that women encounter in the military, particularly when they are in combat duty?
LOPEZ: My personal experience was a very positive one. You're correct. There's limited women in the military. The ratios are greatly favoring men. However, I felt -- I was on a convoy security team, and I felt that I was part of the team. I don't feel that I was ever looked at on gender. I think I was evaluated most of the time based on my skills.
WHITFIELD: So, that sounds like that's your point of view in terms of other comrades. Now, how about when you were in Iraq, when there are very -- there's, I guess, very narrow roles for many women in the cultures there. How are you perceived among Iraqis as a woman in uniform?
LOPEZ: As Iraqis -- I'm sorry, I didn't understand.
WHITFIELD: How did Iraqis perceive you being an American woman in uniform.
LOPEZ: Most of the time, the Iraqi are not very close to -- at least our unit, wasn't -- there was times we did run into each other however, most of the time you are covered up with your uniform and you have a flack vest, you have a flak jacket you have gear covering you up so they can't really tell whether you are a male or a female.
And again, I was on a convoy security team, and it was perceived that most of us were males on the team. Most of them were males on the team so the few females in there blended in very well, and I don't think it made a difference.
WHITFIELD: What do you want people to know about some of the roles that women fill in the U.S. military armed services?
LOPEZ: I think that women are very capable of holding some of the same roles that men do. They're doing an excellent job in Iraq right now, Afghanistan. Anywhere women are, right now, in the military, they are fulfilling the military's needs.
WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth Lopez, thanks so much for your time and thank you so much for your service.
LOPEZ: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: A 41-year-old mystery has been solved for the widow of an Air Force pilot shot down over Vietnam, thanks to love letters. Here's CNN's Barbara Starr.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Along this row of shops inside the Pentagon, a 41-year-old love story. Saleswoman, Patricia Scharf, a military wife, has stood behind these counters for decades, waiting for her husband, Chuck to come home. Back in 1965, she was a young Air Force wife in Florida, seen her fighter pilot husband off to war in Vietnam. She recalls standing on the flight line as his jet lined up for takeoff.
PATRICIA SCHARF, WIDOW OF VIETNAM WAR PILOT: The canopy started to shut and he saluted me. I had a scarf on my head and I waved so big to him. I said, "I love you." You know?
STARR: It was the last time she saw him. On October 1, 1965, just three weeks before he was to come home, Captain Scharf was shot down over North Vietnam. Patricia, who married at 18, whose only child was stillborn, was alone. And like other wives, in that war, wondering if her husband might be alive in a North Vietnamese prison camp.
(on camera): How many years did you send packages to Vietnam?
SCHARF: I would say from about -- until they started sending them back and I would say that would be the first year. And I've always had hope he'd be back. Always. That he'd walk even into the shop here one day.
STARR (voice-over): Finally, in 1992, U.S. and Vietnamese investigators began digging at Chuck's crash site. They found his I.D. card and wallet and bone fragments, evidence he had died in the crash.
But they still had to find a DNA match. Then Chuck reached out one more time across the years. These love letters Patricia had saved had traces of his saliva where the fighter pilot licked the envelope shut before sending them off to his young wife. That provided the positive I.D. -- 41 years after seeing him off to war, Patricia will bury Chuck's remains at Arlington National Cemetery in a few weeks.
SCHARF: I now have somewhere to go to talk to my husband on a Saturday or a Sunday or just go up and just say -- put a flower there.
STARR: From her Pentagon counter, Patricia has watched troops go off to war for decades. She says she often thinks of today's young military widows.
SCHARF: I would love to go to a base and talk to the young women who are in the same position I was. It's a different war now, but I know their feelings.
STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And what's it like for so many war vets who come home? Monday night at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta take a in-depth look at life after war. Watch "Coming Home," Monday at 10:00 Eastern on CNN.
You could say it's a family tradition, a family with four generations of war veterans.
And it wouldn't be Veterans Day without the spectacular sights of the Blue Angels. We'll look at one of today's performances.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON YOUNG, FORMER POW: Imagine a guy laying in a foxhole in Vietnam, World War II, World War I, all the way back to the Revolutionary War, you know, cold, damp, just absolutely miserable. And think about the reason that these guys are making the sacrifice in their mind is because they're trying to make the world a better place for those that come behind them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A woman taking her company to new height on today's BLUE CHIPS. After 20 years in the banking industry, Sally Jewell switched gears and signed on with outdoor retail giant REI. Last year, she rose to CEO and the co-op scored a record $1 billion in revenue.
SALLY JEWELL, PRESIDENT & CEO, REI: Success certainly is defined financially, but success is also defineD by what kind of a difference you are making in the lives of people around you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Jewell is leaving her mark by extending health benefits to part-time employees and donating more than $4 million to outdoor recreation and conservation causes this year.
JEWELL: Best piece of advice I've ever received came from a friend. And he talked about living his life in thirds: One-third for family, one-third for the community, and one-third for work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This Veterans Day, many of you have been sharing photos and memories of family and friends who have served this country in the military. If you have stories or pictures, send them to CNN's I-Report. You, the viewer, can be our eyes and ears and if you capture a great picture or perhaps even video on your camera or cell phone, send it to us. Log on to CNN.com or punch I-Report at CNN.com on your cell phone. Your report is your chance to share what you have witnessed.
And here is one story we've received for this Veterans Day.
Thomas Schaffrey (ph) was in his third year of medical school when he was drafted into the military for World War II. He served as an Army medic on the front lines in France and Central Europe. Since he was a medic, he often ended up in the middle of battle without a weapon. One time he became separated from his unit. For several days, he spent the time hiding in a building suffering from dysentery. And during that tense time, he was called on to deliver a baby. The boy was named Thomas Alosias in his honor.
On a romantic note now, Captain Schaffrey (ph) met his wife Alice when she was serving as an army nurse in London during the war.
Today's Veterans Day edition of the NEWSROOM is part of our special weekend-long coverage honoring the men and women who have served in the U.S. military.
And serving in the U.S. military, it's somewhat of a tradition for one Maryland family, which has answered the call of duty generation after generation.
Here's CNN's Gary Nuremberg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NUREMBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Meet an American family with an American record of service.
VINCENT GIGLIOTTI, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I'm Vincent Gigliotti, I was assigned the 11th Airborne during World War II and later on assigned to 101st Airborne during the Korea conflict.
GREG GIGLIOTTI, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I am Greg Gellotti. I'm 52 years old. I spent 31 years in the military. I don't regret any bit of it.
ANTHONY GIGLIOTTI, U.S. ARMY VETERAN: I'm Anthony Gellotti. I'm 27 years old, went into the military to do active duty for four years.
G. GIGLIOTTI: This is my youngest boy, Jake Gigliotti. He's in Iraq for his second tour of duty.
NUREMBERG: The tradition started with an attempt to become an American family.
V. GIGLIOTTI: My father was in World War I with the Italian Army. Later he joined the American Army so he'd become a citizen of the United States, made me feel that it was the duty of all our Americans to stick with each other and to believe in the purpose of freedom for all.
NUREMBERG: That lesson learned from Vincent's dad has been passed on to Vincent's son.
G. GIGLIOTTI: If we didn't have people stand up and protect and serve in the armed forces for the things we believe in, then we just ought to succumb to the terrorist activities that are happening now in the world.
NUREMBERG: A belief that influenced generation four.
A. GIGLIOTTI: I did feel some type of obligation to serve the country. And like my father said, I think everyone in the United States should at least do, at least one tour of duty.
NUREMBERG: The beliefs, the advice to serve, seem almost genetic in this family, even with 20-year-old Jake with the Marines in Iraq.
G. GIGLIOTTI: You have to think real hard if you did the right thing. It's hard to send your boy off to war.
NUREMBERG: The hard truth lived by American families since the republic was born.
Gary Nuremberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And tonight at 7:00, John Roberts is live in Baghdad for a look at what's next in Iraq after Donald Rumsfeld's resignation as defense secretary.
Plus, the war of words between President Bush and the majority party in Congress, THIS WEEK AT WAR, tonight at 7:00.
Also straight ahead, more of the NEWSROOM with Carol Lin.
CAROL LIN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: That's right. Fred, one of the most enduring images, I think, in the last couple of months was a picture of an American soldier, Sergeant John Gephardt, holding an Iraqi baby girl.
WHITFIELD: Everyone loves that picture.
LIN: You remember this? She was shot in the head, so severely wounded and was only comforted when she was lying in his arms.
WHITFIELD: Her whole family wiped out, right?
LIN: Her whole family wiped out. And here he was. So, I'm actually going to get a chance to talk to the man. He is stateside now. And I'm going to talk to both him and his wife. And talk about what that experience was like.
WHITFIELD: Yeah.
LIN: And how he could make such a difference. They have older kids. But, you know, to hold that baby and make a difference in her fragile little life.
WHITFIELD: I hope he's able to give us an update of how that little girl's doing...
LIN: You bet.
WHITFIELD: Now that he is stateside.
LIN: You're going to get it all.
WHITFIELD: Great.
LIN: 10:00 tonight.
WHITFIELD: We'll be watching.
LIN: All right.
WHITFIELD: Well, it is a Veterans Day tradition that a lot of families like to enjoy, right here, watching the Blue Angels. And today, the Blue Angels are celebrating a milestone. A live report from Florida, next.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I'm meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center. Just when you think you might catch a little break in the Pacific Northwest, another powerful storm poised to slam into the coast by late tomorrow. Find out just how bad this one is going to be coming up in just a few minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two-thirds all of adults and an alarming number of children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Tim Bartness wants to change that. He's working with Siberian hamsters to unlock the mystery of fat.
PROF TIMOTHY BARTNESS, BIOLOGY Georgia STATE UNIV: And they go from 50 percent body fat in the summer to about 20 percent body fat in the winter. And they do it in a very effortless way and so the idea was to try to understand how that happens. As you know, For humans it's very effortful to lose weight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Previously it was thought hormones triggered weight gain or loss. But Bartness says it's all in the brain with neurons actually telling your body how to process the fat.
BARTNESS: Finding a drug that goes to one of these specific drug areas and turns on only adipose tissue or body fat and not the heart or the liver or the kidneys will be the trick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Eat less, exercise more experts say. But in the future, perhaps there'll be a pill to kickstart the process.
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WHITFIELD: And on this Veterans Day, we want you to take a look at this. This is CNN's Warrior One, right now it's parked in Biloxi, Mississippi. This is the vehicle where CNN producers, video journalists, correspondents, all of them used this vehicle when they were embedded with the 1st Battalion 7th Marines in the war in Iraq back in 2003. After warrior One's tour of military bases and other sites across the country now, it will be auctioned off and the proceeds will go to the Fisher House Foundation, which is an organization that builds comfort homes for families of hospitalized military personnel. It's all for a great cause.
And now all eyes are skyward in Pensacola, Florida. That's where the Blue Angels are putting on a spectacular Veterans Day air show as they do every year. This year's demonstration is especially meaningful.
Joining us now, live from Pensacola, James Jackson from our affiliate WEAR.
How's it going?
JAMES JACKSON, WEAR CORRESPONDENT: Well Fredricka, the show wrapped up around 45 minutes ago and, as you can see behind me, people are still out here looking at airplanes on display. When the Blue Angels took to the air they wowed the crowd with their precision flying and acrobatic air maneuvers.
Now, these F-18s fly within four feet of one another at speeds around 400 miles-per-hour. The show, which is the last one of the year, attracted record crowds. Organizers say around 225,000 people came out this weekend compared to 150,000 last year. Even former pilots were impressed with today's performance.
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BILL SWITZER, FMR. BLUE ANGEL PILOT: You see these guys flying? The tiger blood is still flowing in you and the camaraderie is still as strong as ever and it's just wonderful.
SUE HENDERSON, SPECTATOR: It's just awesome. It's incredible, and it really makes you feel real patriotic to see them fly. You know you just get a rush of excitement for your country and they're just awesome.
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JACKSON: Now, if you would like to see Blue Angels air show, the next one takes place in El Centro California and that show is next spring -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And so James, did everything go off without a hitch today?
JACKSON: Well, there was one problem. Now this was before the Blue Angels air show. An F-18 Super Hornet was trying to land and during the landing blew a tire. But officials tell us the pilot is OK -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Oh, that's good news. Still a great show and everyone was able to enjoy there, out of Pensacola, Florida.
James, thanks so much.
Well, some pretty severe weather on both coasts this weekend. For more on that, let's check in with meteorologist Jacqui Jeras -- Jacqui.
JERAS: Hey, Fredricka. Have you ever seen the Blue Angels?
WHITFIELD: I have, yeah. Remarkable.
JERAS: It is, it's just so awesome. It's just show stopping, isn't it? I mean, I was driving down the traffic. They were here in Atlanta, last spring. Just stopped my car I had to pull over and watch them.
WHITFIELD: And you can feel it in your heart, you know, just the thunder.
JERAS: It's amazing.
WHITFIELD: It's assume.
JERAS: If you've never seen it at home and want to go to one of the shows.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, well, we'll do. Thanks so much.
More tributes to those who put their lives on the line coming up next.
And at the top of the hour, Lou Dobbs has a special report called "Heroes" saluting men and women in uniform who are protecting Americans at home and abroad.
Then we're headed live to Baghdad where CNN's John Roberts thing brings you THIS WEEK AT WAR at 7:00 Eastern. Then at 8:00 Easter CNN goes beyond the sanitized headlines to show you the frantic fight to save the lives of wounded troops inside COMBAT HOSPITAL. Don't miss this compelling CNN PRESENTS tonight at 8:00.
But first, sights and sounds from today's tributes to America's veterans of war.
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