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Nation Honors Veterans; Obama's War Cabinet to Meet; Military Mom Remembers Fallen Son; Fort Hood Addressing Mental Health Issues from Massacre

Aired November 11, 2009 - 13:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: We love our vets. Don't we?

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: We really do.

PHILLIPS: Yes, we do. Happy Veterans Day.

HARRIS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: All right, Tony. The nation fighting two wars right now, remembering its warriors. And we're live at Veterans Day ceremonies at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington.

He's narrowed his options, too. Is President Obama nearing a decision on Afghanistan? More troops might be the easy part.

And we're live at Fort Hood waiting for a news conference. Just moments from now, we're going to hear the latest on G.I.s wounded in last week's rampage.

A young veteran of the war in Iraq reading the Pledge of Allegiance to open ceremonies at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. Thousands of people have gathered there on the Mall on this rainy D.C. Veterans Day. Almost 4 million people visit the memorial every year.

And it's truly a powerful place. Inscribed on the first panel of the East Wall, these words, "In honor of the men and women of the armed forces of the United States who served in the Vietnam War, those names -- or the names of those who gave their lives and of those who remain missing are inscribed in the order that they were taken from us." More than 58,000 names now etched in into that black granite.

For President Obama, it's a second straight day of solemn tributes to Americans who have died in their country's service. A day after heart-rending ceremonies commemorating the victims of the Fort Hood rampage. The president paid his respects at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery.

But Vets Day isn't only for the dead. As you saw live on CNN, the commander in chief saluted America's best and bravest, past and present.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In an era where so many acted only in pursuit of narrow self-interests, they've chosen the opposite. They chose to serve the cause that is greater than self. Many even after they knew they'd be sent into harm's way.

And for the better part of a decade, they have endured tour after tour in distant and difficult places. They have protected us from danger, and they have given others the opportunity for a better life.

So, to all of them, to our veterans, to the fallen, and to their families, there's no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: So, just who should President Obama listen to when he finally decides whether to send more troops to Afghanistan? You're weighing in. By a narrow margin, people questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research poll say he that should listen to his military brass, his generals. The rest say he should take other matters into account, too.

Overall support for the war itself is still sagging. A majority, 58 percent, say they oppose it. Forty percent support it.

Benjamin Sherman loved his job as an Army paratrooper. His wife Patricia says that he also loved his tattoos. But most of all he loved the idea that he'd become a dad for the first time next March.

Military divers have now recovered Sherman's body from a river in western Afghanistan. He and another soldier disappeared last week as they tried to recover supplies. The Pentagon hasn't identified the two, but Sherman's family confirmed his identity.

Sherman and his wife are from Plymouth, Massachusetts. They began dating in the eighth grade. Sherman and his comrade, whose body hasn't been found yet, were in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Specialist Benjamin Sherman was 21.

And he's one of the 910 Americans who have given their lives in Afghanistan and around the world for Operation Enduring Freedom.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

PHILLIPS: And World War I was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Nice thought. You're looking at the World War II Memorial. Former employee at the V.A. made it possible for a group of veterans to visit there. We'll have more on that just a little later.

You know, according to the V.A., we're losing 900 World War II vets every day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: An Air Force veteran turned Gold Star mom, and now she's back with the service once more., four years after her son's death. You'll meet her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Next hour the president convenes his war cabinet. It's strategy session No. 8 on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and vital U.S. interests. CNN's Jill Dougherty joining me now with a preview.

And Jill, we understand it's come down to four main options possibly, yes?

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, four options, four scenarios, depending on what you want to call it. But essentially, they're looking at different factors, and let's start with the -- probably the most important one, and that is the number of troops.

There are four different scenarios, but one that is more fleshed out, and perhaps more popular, is this proposal for 34,000 more troops going to Afghanistan. How would that break down? Well, there would be three Army brigades totaling 15,000 troops, a Marine brigade, which would come up with 8,000 troops, a headquarters element, about 7,000 troops, and then finally, 4,000 to 5,000 support troops.

Then, of course, there are other scenarios, other mixes. And those would include different components, maybe more verging on the lower side, or higher numbers. Remember, General McChrystal was talking about maybe even up to 80,000.

So, the president now is in that question period, Kyra, where he's trying to figure that one out.

But it's just not the issue of the troops and the numbers. There are other factors involved, and that would include the cooperation of the Karzai government, accused of -- of corruption. What will he do about that? How can he really contribute to this effort?

Another part would be the civilian component. That's what Hillary Clinton, the secretary of state, deals with. Those civilian workers, people from USAID and from the State Department who deal with development.

And then, finally, you have the NATO component. How much will the NATO countries be contributing? In fact, there's going to be a meeting coming up on the 23rd in which they'll be dealing with training Afghan security forces.

So, it's a mix. And it's just one discrete element, such as the number of troops that will really decide this, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK, and Jill Dougherty, I understand that President Obama also went to make a special visit to remember those who have fallen in Afghanistan?

DOUGHERTY: He did. And significantly, he went to that section of Arlington National Cemetery that's called Section 60. And as he walked through those tombstones with the names of some people, some very young people, who have given their lives, both in Afghanistan and also in Iraq, you'd have to think that that's one of the things that is very, very much on his mind. He stopped, talked with some of the people who have relatives and friends who have died. And this is the dilemma, that the president will have to make a determination to send these people into harm's way.

PHILLIPS: Jill Dougherty, live from the White House. Jill, thanks so much.

Well, the head of the U.S. Central Command, four-star General David Petraeus, has a seat at that table at the Afghan war meeting, but first he'll join me live with an exclusive and amazing glimpse into not just the commander but the man.

And I promise you, you won't forget the connection Petraeus forged with a wounded warrior, a soldier more dead than alive. That soldier, now very much alive, will join us live, too. That's at the top of the next hour only here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And don't count on a health-care reform bill by the end of the year. That's not what President Obama wants to hear, but it's the word from key Democratic Senator Dick Durbin.

This is coming in as Bill Clinton held a closed-door session with Senate Democrats yesterday. He says an imperfect bill would be better than another failure like the one he and his party endured when he was in the White House.

Here's an appropriate question on Veterans Day: what's it like to be a veteran? For some, life could be a lot better.

The V.A. estimates, on any given night, 131,000 vets are homeless. And that 1 in 4 homeless men and women has served in the U.S. military, not to mention the thousands of veterans who went for colonoscopies and came away exposed to HIV and hepatitis, thanks to sloppy malpractices at the V.A. hospitals. Also, too much radiation for prostate cancer, treatments at a facility near Philadelphia.

The head of the V.A. talked about how he's trying to push forward on solutions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIC SHINSEKI, VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY: The blocky (ph) therapy, which you referred to, occurred in one hospital. We discovered it. We put the corrective actions in place. And then we made known to the general public what had happened, because transparency is one of our first priorities.

In the case of endoscopies, we discovered that in a V.A.-wide inspection. It occurred in three hospitals. We had failures in leadership in those hospitals, and we've taken proper action here and ensured that veterans have high quality, and they do, have a high quality of health care available to them and that -- and that it's safe, as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: And according to the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, in the last two years, more than 70,000 troops have been diagnosed with traumatic brain injury; 20,000 this year alone.

Her son Jeremy's life and her military career have been intertwined from the very start. Michelle Norris enlisted in the Air Force on Jeremy's 4th birthday. She re-upped with the Reserves on the 10th.

Well, he made her proud when he joined the Army National Guard in 2004 and broke her heart when he was killed in Iraq.

Last month, Michelle re-enlisted, nearly four years to the day he died.

Gold-Star mom and Staff Sergeant Michelle Norris joining us now live from Washington.

No doubt this is a bittersweet day for you, Michelle.

STAFF SERGEANT MICHELLE NORRIS, U.S. ARMY: Oh, it sure is. First of all, I would just like to say happy Veterans Day to everyone out there, all of our veterans.

PHILLIPS: Well, I'll tell you what. Your son served with so many brave men and women. And I know that that is not the call that you wanted to get when he decided to join the military, but he followed your footsteps. You -- you joined when he was young. He watched you. He watched how you conducted your life. And how did that make you feel when he said, "Mom, I'm going to join the military, too"?

NORRIS: I was extremely proud that he had come to me, and we had talked about what branch to go into. Obviously, I'm Air Force. And I asked him, I said, "Why don't you come into the Air Force, honey>"

And he says, "No way. I want to go into the Army." So, instead of following my footprints, he basically created his own.

PHILLIPS: Well, he was a pretty amazing kid, wasn't he? He always sort of did his own thing. He was very strong; he was very disciplined. Brag about him for a minute there, Mom.

NORRIS: He was absolutely wonderful. He always had to be in the forefront of things. He had to be leading. And that not only in his childhood but as he was such a young adult, he had to give all that he had. And he was truly, truly a special child.

PHILLIPS: And he served for 1 1/2 years. And you were contacted. Tell us about that moment, no doubt the worst moment of your life.

NORRIS: It was truly a horrific thing in my life. I will never forget that. It -- a day we were together. And I had family at the house. And we had grilled, we were grilling. And the news came to me and it was like a Mack truck that just hit me. PHILLIPS: What happened to him?

NORRIS: He was -- he was leading a convoy. I had talked to some of -- some of his fellow comrades. And -- and the interesting thing about it, he was talking about how he never took a day off. Unfortunately, that was one of the days that somebody else wanted to take off. And Jeremy was very proud and wanted to lead the convoy. And, unfortunately, an IED had -- had hit his -- his Humvee.

PHILLIPS: Are you re-enlisting for him?

NORRIS: I'm re-enlisting for several different reasons. I'm re- enlisting, because I truly believe in the mission of our military. Because of my family's support and my son's strength, I truly think that I can get through this.

I feel very, very fortunate that I have -- or I'm going into a career field that I've been experienced in about 15 years now. I just finished my education, and I'm confident that I can truly make an impact in our mission.

PHILLIPS: And I know you're going to. Michelle Norris, happy Veterans Day. We lift up your son, and, boy, we lift you up, too, as you get ready to go for it again.

NORRIS: Thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Michelle.

Right now, our eyes and ears on Fort Hood. We're listening in on a news conference we're going to take for you live. Hopefully, we'll get some more information on the conditions of the wounded, the suspect, and the investigation.

COL. JOHN ROSSI, U.S. ARMY: There are still 15 wounded in local hospitals: 4 in ICU and 11 in wards. All are in stable condition.

I'd like to take a moment to focus on yesterday's memorial service with respect to its significance to Fort Hood. One may ask how it impacted individuals such as a family member, a retiree, or even a child, and that is best left for them to explain in their own words. And next to me are a few that will offer what it means to them in just a few seconds.

But there are several things that the ceremony represents to Fort Hood as a whole, and I'd like to address them.

First, it demonstrates our recognition of the ultimate sacrifice paid by our fallen comrades while serving their nation. And just as importantly, it recognizes the sacrifices made by each of their families. Many of the fallen's family members have left the local area, but they will always remain with us.

The last note of "Taps" being played by our bugler did not represent the end of our relationship, but instead served as a symbol of a continued and enduring commitment to them. Second, the ceremony represents one of the important steps the fort has taken to grieve as a family by moving through the healing process. Healing will take some time. We are certain of that. But with our local community by our side, we will move through this together.

Lastly, the ceremony served as a stepping stone. This is a stepping stone back to the pathway, the pathway that carries the duties and tasks our nation has charged us to accomplish. Simply put, our mission at Fort Hood continues.

And I think you saw it highlighted by the return of our soldiers last night from 31 Cav. We have units training in the field right now. The military aspect of this and our mission requirements are upon us, and we will continue to pursue them.

We continue -- we appreciate the continued demonstration of respect and concern for the privacy and well-being of the fallen's families and those injured, as well.

At this point I'll take a few questions before introducing our comrades.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you let us know the number of personnel in the hospitals?

ROSSI: Yes. I think I just gave that, it's 15: 4 in ICU and 11 on the wards. And they're making great progress. I visited yesterday with Sergeant Munley (ph) and another one of the soldiers. And -- and I think she was basically telling us and telling everyone that she's doing fine, and she really appreciates the support that continues to be provided to her.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colonel, can you address the differing accounts of what happened? (INAUDIBLE) We're hearing that it was actually (INAUDIBLE) gunshot.

ROSSI: Those are specific to the investigation. I'm not going to address that. And, again, tomorrow at 12, Mr. Gray will provide an update on the case.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Colonel, we understand that Major Hasan's passport was revoked yesterday, or notice was provided that his passport would be. Can you confirm that? (INAUDIBLE)

ROSSI: No, any -- any questions regarding Major Hasan need to be referred to his defense counsel (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

ROSSI: One of the things we're working very hard on is the, again, the behavioral health and a close look at all those involved. Again, approximately 600 people at the scene that day to include soldiers, to include civilian workers, and on location and many first responders... PHILLIPS: We apologize for that. You were watching, actually, a live news conference there from Fort Hood. Colonel John Rossi addressing reporters. So far, this is what we were able to gain. He's back -- let's go ahead and take it again.

ROSSI: ... where they are. And truthfully in behavioral health, we're looking at this as you can look at this in two ways with this kind of event. Is this the calm after the storm after right now, where in some cases, as I mentioned, from the military's side of it, we're picking up and moving on with our military missions.

But in behavioral health, truthfully, we could be at the eye of the storm, because it might take some time for some of these problems to manifest themselves. And we're committed to finding them as soon as possible, if there are, and helping those as problems arise to work through them.

Last night specifically, I walk into my quarters, and there were three of the behavioral health experts talking to the senior spouses of the commanders on the installation about what to look for in -- and how to help assist families for indicators of these kind of problems. So, they're reaching out.

We've got numerous elements of expertise in behavioral health that we brought in to help with this situation, and we're continuing to pursue this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

ROSSI: Well, the -- again, last night an element of 31 Cav came back, and we will see that over the next several months, the return of the 1st Cavalry Division that have been deployed, and we'll see that the next three or four months. The -- right now, there were announcements made a few weeks back about the 3rd ACR and 41 Cav being redeployed. Our headquarters, 34 headquarters, is preparing for deployment, General Cone's headquarters, early next year right now.

And, again, that really highlights the fact that the mission has to continue here when the corps headquarters is preparing for deployment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

ROSSI: That has not been confirmed, if you will. Obviously, it's being reviewed for the units that lost some soldiers or had soldiers that were wounded. And some of the folks that are here today are going to talk in a few minutes, were in one of the units that are affected by it. But we have no confirmation that any of the deployments are delayed or moved to the right at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you clarify on Major Hasan and (INAUDIBLE)?

ROSSI: Again, I'm going to refer all questions regarding Major Hasan to his defense at this time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) put in place both for evaluations and for taking care of (INAUDIBLE). Any update on (INAUDIBLE) now?

ROSSI: The area that we're looking at, obviously, are the physical security of the installation. We're looking closely at that. When we say we're taking a close look at ourselves, as General Casey said, the Army is going to look closely and review.

From a Fort Hood perspective, obviously the security posture, which we always focus on. And you've seen us go from a very tight posture the day of the incident and gradually reduce that back to sort of a steady state. We're reviewing those type operations and routines, if you will.

And then on the other side, what we're really looking for right now is we just want all of the soldiers across the post and those that are tied to the units -- there's two things we really need now. We need leadership, and we need friendship, OK?

The Army prides itself on its leaders. And leaders are expected to know their soldiers and know their subordinates. So, we expect leaders to be invasive. This is a 24/7 business. You need to know your soldiers. So, it's OK to ask them how they're doing and encourage them to seek help if they need it. We want leadership doing that right now from the command level, down to your sergeant, who might be in charge of two or three soldiers.

The other piece is friendship. A lot of times it's your peers, your battle buddies, that know you better than anybody else. And if your battle buddy may have been affected by this or is, you know, saying some things that may have you concerned, out of friendship, we'd expect you to tell folks that -- and talk to him and say, "What can we do to help?" It is absolutely OK to do that, and that's what we're looking for.

We need that now, because most of that information's going to come from the people that are dealing with the soldiers that may be troubled on a daily basis, rather than counting on someone brought in from outside to try and find it. Let's find it from within and then seek the help of an agent (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you say that, brought in from outside, when federal investigators are investigating somebody outside of the military. Would that information be relayed to you? Is there every a breakdown?

ROSSI: That's fine (ph) from the case. I'm really focused on the behavioral health piece of this, where we are absolutely communicating about the -- what's best for the soldiers on the installation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

ROSSI: Obviously, that will be worked out on an individual basis. And we are focused on the well-being of the wounded, of the care of the families that were involved with this, and the individuals that were at the scene or affected by this. And that will be handled on a case-by-case, individual basis with medical experts, unit leadership. And as you know, we had civilians -- or our contract -- our government police that are involved. This is -- this that important that it's handled one person at a time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

ROSSI: Truthfully, it goes -- some folks deploy out of here as individual, as augmentees downrange, one person at a time if they're filling a certain position as an individual.

You have units that you'll get to talk here in a second that are mobilized here. Fort Hood serves as one of the mobilization and training stations across our Army, whereas the reverse component is brought here, in this case as a detachment. They train for a period, and then they deploy to theater.

And then you have the active units here, for example, the brigade combat teams that get a movement order to go for a training period and move out.

So, without -- I will not get into specifics of dates and units that are deploying. But the message about Fort Hood is this continues, on an average, one-third of the units on the installation are deployed. And one-third is in a cycle of just returning, which you see happening right now, and the other third is preparing to go downrange. So, that cycle does continue.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How many soldiers deployed last night?

ROSSI: I believe it was 298, if I have the number correct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

ROSSI: No, again, that's -- that's tied to the investigation. The investigation is ongoing, and we're going to let that -- we'll let Mr. Gray (ph) tomorrow discuss the case at that point.

At this time, I want to bring up -- if you can move the gentleman forward. I'd like to introduce some special people to you. With me are 1st Sergeant James McCloud, Specialist Gary Cole, and Specialist Grant Moxon (ph) from the 467th Combat Stress Control Attachment. And again, this is an Army reserve organization that was mobilizing and training here at Fort Hood in preparation for their move to Afghanistan.

And they -- I want to allow these soldiers some time, as I said earlier, to let an individual speak about what these events, and yesterday and today, Veterans Day, means to them. And so I'm going to turn it over to them.

1ST SERGEANT JAMES MCCLOUD: Good afternoon. My name is 1st Sergeant James McCloud. I am the 467th first sergeant. The CSC is Combat Stress Control.

The unit as a whole is doing quite well. We have sergeant training, specialist training today, so we are moving forward on mission. I wanted to let the families and friends know that everyone is doing fine, that we totally appreciate all the support from everyone who has sent in care packages, wrote e-mail messages, just telephone calls all over.

Last night -- last night we had a wonderful barbecue that the Building Bridge organization -- I believe that's the name -- put on for us. It was really, really nice. They gave us some nice Texas (ph) big belt buckles, and we listened to a lot of music.

Today, it's a special day because it is Veterans Day. We are -- more than citizens. We are reservists who were called to active duty to do a job, and that's what we plan on doing. It's been my experience that the reserve soldiers are the best-kept secret in the world. And this is just -- this is just a perfect example showing that.

With that said, does anyone have any questions for me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you talk about the (INAUDIBLE) Thursday, how that's impacted you?

MCCLOUD: Well, the soldiers were going through an SRT (ph) process, and what that is basically is it's to prepare them to deploy, make sure that all the physical and financial things are in order. And so during that time, that's what most of the units were dealing with.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

MCCLEOD: Basically, I mean, just a series of events happening. I can't really speculate on anything, because it's an ongoing investigation but ...

QUESTION: What did you see? Don't speculate. Tell us what happened to you.

MCCLOUD: What happened to me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

MCCLOUD: Well, I was a first responder. I helped in rendering care and helped in securing the area.

QUESTION: So, what was it like when you got there? Kind of paint a picture.

MCCLOUD: Well, it wasn't really chaotic, being that the United States soldiers are the best trained in the world. Everyone went in to doing their job immediately. There -- people knew exactly what they need to do, and they were trained to do the job.

PHILLIPS: We're going to fool this Fort Hood news conference for you, but just a quick update from Colonel John Rossi. Fifteen of those shooting victims from that shooting that took place last week in stable condition in area hospitals now.

Also the big focus, and I think we all knew this was coming, of course, is behavioral health. Sixteen people were there on the scene when that shooting took place. Major Nidal Hasan opening fire there on his -- on his base.

Defense attorneys for him speaking a little bit about the investigation. The military's not commenting on that at this point. But reassuring everybody involved there at the scene that day and pushing forward that behavioral health and holding leadership accountable for those issues will be a number one priority there at Fort Hood. And we'll continue, of course, to follow that.

Also saluting our veterans all day today. We're doing it today and hopefully every day. The CNN iReport page is featuring 17 vets and their stories, really great look at the diversity of our armed forces. Check it out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Six days now since the shooting at Fort Hood. We just heard that 15 of the wounded are making great progress, including the civilian police officer who shot the suspect. Army Major Nidal Hasan recovering from gunshot wounds and likely helping prepare his defense. He will face military justice and could face the death penalty. His lawyer suggesting it will be tough to get a fair trial at Fort Hood.

And do you know why this Vietnam vet in Florida got a visit from the FBI? I'll tell you why. He tried to send Major Nidal Hasan flowers in the hospital. On the card, he wanted this Koran verse written. Quote, "In God's eye and those who submit, you are a hero." End quote.

A hero? A reporter asked Dan Ross to explain.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN ROSS, VIETNAM WAR VETERAN: The FBI were the ones that actually killed those 13 people, because they were well informed that this guy was against the United States of America and there's part of Christianity is you're supposed to love your enemies and do good to them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the flowers never made it. The florist in Killeen, Texas, is the one who tipped off the FBI. And by the way, Ross' son is a Navy officer and his daughter is in ROTC.

If it weren't for Sergeant Kimberly Munley, the death toll at Fort Hood could have been even higher. The civilian police officer took down the killer with four shots and got shot in the process. Well, we're now hearing the story, directly from her, for the first time. Sergeant Munley relived last Thursday with Oprah.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OPRAH WINFREY, HOST, "OPRAH": Was there a moment of confusion or uncertainty? SGT. KIMBERLY MUNLEY, SHOT HASAN DURING SHOOTINGS: Yes. The entire incident was -- was very confusing and chaotic. There was many people outside, pointing to the direction that this individual was -- was apparently located, and as soon as I got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill is -- is when things started getting pretty bad. And we started encountering fire.

WINFREY: I heard reports that grazed your head -- the bullet grazed your head.

MUNLEY: No, ma'am. Actually, the first round that I took was on my knuckle of my right hand. I did not get a graze to the head, no, ma'am.

WINFREY: You did not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Right next to Munley there is Senior Sergeant Mark Todd, not sure if he was at the shooting or not, but we'll try to clarify that.

Meanwhile, tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, through the eyes of the victims. Dr. Sanjay Gupta was granted access to soldiers wounded in the shooting. He goes one-on-one with the survivors to recreate the ordeal and look at the road to recovery. "AC360" tonight at 10:00 Eastern.

The leading cause of death to women around the world. Any guesses? Well, here's a pretty big hint. Some people think of it as the gay man's disease.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's not the gay or IV drug users' disease any longer. Growing more indiscriminate and pervasive. A new study finds HIV and AIDS are the leading cause of death for women ages 15 to 44. Dr. Katherine Fritz is the director of Gender and HIV for the International Center for Research on Women.

Were you surprised as we were by these statistics and who it's affecting like this?

DR. KATHERINE FRITZ, DIRECTOR OF GENDER AND HIV, INTERNAT'L CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON WOMEN: No, I wasn't surprised at all. I think these are very sobering findings, however, and somewhat disappointing, frankly. We've known for a couple of decades, and my organization, International Center for Research on Women, has certainly been drawing awareness to the vulnerability of women.

And I think that what these results help us to show is that we're just not meeting the challenge that we're faced with in terms of our prevention strategy -- our HIV prevention strategies and the ways in which they are actually meeting women's needs.

PHILLIPS: So, why is that? Why have we failed? I mean, we've been studying this for 20 years, and, you know, putting millions of dollars into research?

FRITZ: I think that there -- and it's not to say that progress has not been made. I think there has been. I think that in many -- in many ways, many of our HIV-prevention strategies remain very gender-blind, however. And they're just -- they're not attuned to the specific vulnerabilities that women face.

PHILLIPS: When you say vulnerability, are you saying about social vulnerability? Are you saying younger women are having more unprotected sex, that there are more drug users using dirty needles? Be specific with me. What is it that women are vulnerable to, and what are they doing that has increased these numbers?

FRITZ: When we talk about vulnerability, we're usually talking about social and economic as well as biological vulnerability. And women face all three of those, and because of that, they're un -- they're burdened disproportionately by HIV.

I think the economic vulnerability very much has to do with a lack of resources that women have access to. And for women, in general, their main access to economic security is through their male partners. And without expanding economic opportunities for women, so that they can have autonomous access to capital, to property, to credit, it becomes extremely difficult for them to negotiate the terms of safe sex within their relationships.

PHILLIPS: I know ICRW is doing a lot to try and prevent these numbers. Dr. Katherine Fritz, always good talking to you. I encourage everyone to check out your Web site. Thanks so much, Doctor.

FRITZ: Thank you very much.

PHILLIPS: Young man mugged at gunpoint, his pockets emptied. But that's when the robbers actually changed their minds and replaced their guns with gratitude. So, who was this guy?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Hubble space telescope showed us galaxies, planets, even exploding stars. Things we had never seen before. In 2014 its successor will take us to infinity and beyond.

PAUL GEITHNER, JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE PROGRAM: It's going to see that part of space and time when the very first galaxies and the very first stars formed. More than 13 billion years ago.

TUCHMAN: Named after the man who pioneered the first moon landing, it's called the James Webb Space Telescope or JWST. It's made up of 18 foldable mirrorsreaching two stories high. But just how far will it go?

All these giant parts will neatly fold up into the nose cone of a rocket, that will blast about a million miles into space. And since it'll be too far away for repairs by hand scientists have designed options on board, so problems like the Hubble's blurry lens of are less likely to happen again.

GEITHNER: We designed in enough adjustability that we can get it all aligned on orbit.

TUCHMAN: NASA expects the JWST it to keep us tuned in, perhaps delivering as many surprises as Hubble, maybe more.

GEITHNER: Whenever we look at nature with a new tool, with new capabilities, we always discover amazing things.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So, he had no gun, no flak jacket, just the best crime prevention weapon ever. His military I.D. Four guys mug a young Army reservist in Milwaukee when he was coming home from work at 1:15 a.m. on Tuesday. The soldier said the hooded hoods came out between two houses and just took him down. They put a gun to his neck, snatched his wallet, cell phone, 16 bucks and we're still not sure about this one, a Powerbar wrapper.

But this is her his enemies turned into allies. One of the muggers saw his Army I.D. So, what did he do? He told the others to give the -- give back the goods. Including the Powerbar wrapper, by the way. And that's not all. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KYLE WINDORSKI, U.S. ARMY RESERVES: Actually handed my wallet back to me. Said they actually apologized for the whole situation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did one of these guys actually try to give you a fist bump or a handshake?

WINDORSKI: One of the individuals came back and gave me a fist bump on their way out and said thank you for what you do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A fist bump.

But the story doesn't end there. Police suspect that the same robbers approached another man about 40 minutes later and took his wallet. But he didn't have a military I.D. He had a Department of Corrections I.D. because he was convicted burglar. In this case, no apology and no fist bump.

They are Americans veterans. It's only fitting that they see the war memorials dedicated to their service. Next stop, D.C. Dream Flights and the journey of a lifetime.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: A token of appreciation and the trip of a lifetime. I want to tell you about a relatively new, all-volunteer airlift called Honor Flights, specifically for America's vets. Giving them the chance to see Washington's war memorials, the ones dedicated to them. CNN photojournalist Rich Brooks and producer Alicia Eakin take on this inspiring wing-and-a-prayer story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good to see you! Glad to see you're getting to go finally.

JIM MCLAUGHLIN, CHAIRMAN OF HONOR FLIGHT NETWORK: The program was started, and it was named Honor Flight, the idea of being able to provide a flight of honor in honor of the World War II veterans. They are so humbled and so appreciative of the entire thing. And to suddenly give them an entire day -- first of all, they're overwhelmed by the generosity of it. And they're even more overwhelmed when they get to the memorial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have a great trip, OK? Thank you for your service.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thinking about coming has brought back the emotions and the memories.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to see good morning and welcome aboard. Air Tran Airways (ph) Honors Flight to Washington, D.C.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning, sir! Welcome to Washington, D.C.

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Washington, thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Chills come over me. It's very seldom that you see something like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right there is your memorial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's awesome, it's so big. I didn't imagine it would ever be this big.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The troops are on their way.

FRANK BALES, B-24 CO-PILOT: My name is Frank Bales and I'm from Idaho originally. August 18, 1944 is when I crashed. That was a horrible mistake, we shouldn't have got down. We shouldn't have even been hit that day because we were the only plane in that group to get hit. And some German gunner must have been a moment of ecstasy. "I got one, I got one." That was a bad day, and (INAUDIBLE) in the crash. Five of us survived. I almost didn't, I was reported as deceased, but I wasn't.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have a very emotional journey in about five minutes to go through the memorial.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very fortunate to be able to be here, and there's so many that didn't make it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See, look at those gold stars.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At that memorial. It's a reminder of the thousands and thousands who didn't make it.

MARCUS LEE LONG, U.S. NAVY TASK FORCE: I miss a lot of my buddies. We went in the service together, and they didn't make it back. There's 40 of those stars that belonged to my division. (INAUDIBLE) So, about 13,900 in the infantry division. Hoo-rah, Marines!

SGT. TOM RONE, U.S. MARINE CORPS: My name is Tom Rone. I'm a Marine from World War II. I was in the (INAUDIBLE) in the first Marine Division, Fifth Regiment.

On August 7, 1942, we made the first invasion of World War II on Guadacanal (ph), Invading the beaches wasn't all that bad, some of them were later, much worse, but it was after we landed that everything broke loose. The Japanese didn't like the fact that we had taken the airport away from them. So, they began to land troops both north and south of us. And they were determined to take us off the island.

My memory of war is not good. I remember some wonderful men and boys. And they really were young. The average age of First Marine Division was not 21 years when we landed on Gaudalcanal. We were mostly 17, 18, 19 years old. And when you join, you think you're doing something for your country, and you feel you certainly are, but you don't realize what it's all about until you're there. And now someone's trying to kill you, and you realize what war is all about.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Washington, D.C. Thanks for serving our country.

RONE: When you look at my flag, they say were you in the Marine Corps? And I say yes. And they say when? And I said World War II. And they said thank you.

RONE: It feels very good inside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The day was perfect, it was more than we expected. A lot more than we expected. MCLAUGHLIN: We hear back from family members that say dad, my husband, my grandfather has never spoken of the water before. Now he's talking about it. A lot of them, thank God, are recording them on video cameras. Because when this is gone, this history is gone.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Call it Veterans day, Armistice Day, Remembrance day. It's the 91st anniversary of the end of World War I, a time to honor fallen heroes of many generations and conflicts the world over. We also remember the heroes who came home and who serve today.

This morning, President Obama led Veterans Day ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery. Half a world away, U.S. and NATO forces fighting one of America's two wars paused to salute fallen comrades. This is Kabul, Afghanistan, where after eight years of battling the Taliban, the future is less certain than ever.