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CNN Connie Chung Tonight
Kidnapped Girl's Courage Lauded; Former Jockey Speaks Out on Horrors of Excessive Weight Loss; Kayaker Rescued After Two Days in Peril
Aired August 02, 2002 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CONNIE CHUNG, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, I'm Connie Chung.
Tonight, the kidnapped girls, new details, what one of them chose to do.
ANNOUNCER: They lived a nightmare.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: I saw in their eyes, on their face, heard in their voice inflection, the terror.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Tonight, two teenage girls are back with their families, trying to put their lives back together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Both teenage girls are safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: For the first time, we'll hear from the boyfriend of one of the victims and hear a story of courage and survival.
Five military murders. What is going on at Ft. Bragg? Tonight, we'll hear from two of the victims' parent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're supposed to be the best of the best, the elite.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He told me that he wouldn't hurt my daughter, that he loved her.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Can the military defend its own on the home front?
Dying to work. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're done riding and they're already dehydrated, famished.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: How thin is too thin for a jockey?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When I was 25 years old, I had a heart attack.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Now, one former jockey tells his story and his mission to change the rules.
Swept out to sea with only a cell phone to save him, then the battery dies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was just an absolute miracle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Tonight, a story of survival.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He thought if he was not found today, that it would have been his last day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
This is CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT. Live from the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, Connie Chung.
CHUNG: Good evening.
An extraordinary story of courage and selflessness in yesterday's kidnapping ordeal, revealed for the first time tonight. The two girls kidnapped early yesterday morning are no longer being identified by name, since authorities revealed how they were assaulted. Their attacker, Roy Ratliff, was shot and killed by deputies yesterday. And today, we're learning more details of the shooting and the ordeal.
Just a short while ago, I spoke with Riley Zottola, boyfriend of one of the girls. He was not with his girlfriend at the time of the kidnapping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
Riley, thank you for being with us tonight. I know that you saw your girlfriend and talked to her last night, and I want to know how she is. But before we start, I want to be sure that you do not use her name because CNN is not using her name or the other girl's name, OK?
RILEY ZOTTOLA, BOYFRIEND OF ONE OF KIDNAPPED GIRLS: Yes. I did see her last night. She's doing very well. She's handling it good. It was a traumatic experience, and she's just happy to be with her friends again and her friends. She's handling it pretty well.
CHUNG: Where do you think she gets her strength?
ZOTTOLA: She's always been strong, as long as I've known her. Her dad is real strong. Her mom is strong-willed. So, that's where I think she gets it. But she's always been like that, as long as I've known her.
CHUNG: How long you have known her and how long you have been boyfriend and girlfriend?
ZOTTOLA: I've known her for almost four years now. We've been together for a year and a half.
CHUNG: All right. Can you describe her for me?
ZOTTOLA: She does very well in school, she always has. She was involved in cheerleading, very athletic, very fit. She's outgoing. She wanted to know everyone and everyone wanted to know her. She was nice to everyone. She's just very easy to get along with.
CHUNG: Had she ever taken any self-defense courses or gone to any lectures regarding self-defense?
ZOTTOLA: Not as far as I know. My dad, he's a retired sheriff, he showed me a couple ways to take someone down or to protect myself, and I just passed it on to her. That's really all I know.
CHUNG: Riley, tell me, when you talked to her, was she scared from the beginning as soon as this 12-hour ordeal began?
ZOTTOLA: She said she was scared. She didn't know what to think. She told me she didn't feel that it was real. She said it's something you see out of a movie. She didn't think it could happen to her. And I think she was terrified.
CHUNG: Do you believe that she actually thought she might not survive this ordeal?
ZOTTOLA: I think she did think that. She was just happy to be home. She wanted to see everyone the second she got back because I think she was afraid she would not make it.
CHUNG: But, in fact, the police were extraordinary. And the community was extraordinary. Talk to me a little bit how you think the police handled it and the community handled it.
ZOTTOLA: I think the police did a great job. They found her, or they found both of the girls real quick. The community, everybody came together, everybody was praying all over the state, making flyers, handing them out, you know, supporting the families and the friends of the victims. Everybody just came together and it was wonderful. It was great.
CHUNG: Now, I was told an extraordinary story about your girlfriend. A reliable source told me that, in fact, she had an opportunity to get away, to escape, but she did not take that opportunity because she wanted to save the other girl. She was afraid that she would be in danger. Does that sound like something your girlfriend would do?
ZOTTOLA: Yes, it does. It sounds just like her. She wouldn't -- she's always -- she sticks with everyone, always with them until the end. She's that kind of person that will fight through with you until the end.
CHUNG: Did she give you any indication what her relationship became with that other girl?
ZOTTOLA: Yes. She said that they would become very good friends. I mean, it was a very traumatic experience and it was the two of them together. So, I'm sure they bonded because it's the two of them sticking it out together, and they went on the ride together, they came back safe. I think that they'll become very good friends.
CHUNG: If, indeed, there were even opportunities for the other one to get away, I'm sure that they -- do you think that they credit each other for the fact that they're both alive?
ZOTTOLA: I'm not sure if they do. I mean, I think that the fact that there was two of them together, that made it easier for them. They were able to, you know, calm themselves down and just -- I mean, do what was asked of them to make it out alive. They did everything they were supposed to and they're just fine now.
CHUNG: Tell me, how did you learn that your girlfriend had been kidnapped, and what did you think?
ZOTTOLA: I got a phone call early in the morning and I was told to turn on the news. And I saw her picture and it said she was missing and I was shocked. It took about an hour and a half for it to sink in. I mean, I didn't think it was real. It was impossible to imagine.
CHUNG: Did you fear that you would never see her again, I mean, particularly because there have been all of these kidnappings, certainly of younger girls, but nonetheless, kidnappings recently?
ZOTTOLA: Yes. I was scared at first, but I knew she would be fine, she'd get out of it OK because she's very strong and she could get out of anything she wanted to just as long as she put her mind to it and tried. I really believed that she would make it out fine, and we prayed for her, everyone prayed for her and both the girls were returned safely.
CHUNG: Do you know if she's -- do you know if she's going to get any counseling?
ZOTTOLA: I have no knowledge of that. I do not know.
CHUNG: How do you think you can support her as her boyfriend?
ZOTTOLA: I just have to be there for her. I have to be strong and let her know that I'm OK with everything. If she wants to talk with me, then I'm there to listen. If she doesn't, then I don't want to force her to. I want her to make progress when she wants to. I'm not going to try to get anything out of her. I'm going to let her do this whenever she's ready.
CHUNG: OK. Riley, thank you so much for being with us. And the next time you talk to her, give her our best and tell her we're so glad she's safe.
ZOTTOLA: OK.
CHUNG: Thank you, Riley. Good night.
ZOTTOLA: Thank you. Good night.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: Riley Zottola.
What was an amazing revelation was that girlfriend had a chance to escape, but gave up that opportunity because she did not want to leave the other girl with the kidnapper. My reliable source told me that the other girl credits that selfless act with saving her life.
Yesterday's ordeal produced an unusual moment today, one that seemed to demonstrate just how tough it can get, not just for the victims and their loved ones, but for the people trying to protect them. Kern County Sheriff Carl Sparks responded to criticism of his remark yesterday that Ratliff, quote, "had nothing to lose" by killing the girls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERIFF CARL SPARKS, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: If I've offended the family in any way, I regret that. I understand there is some concern that the grandmother of one of the girls wants an apology from the sheriff. I can give her that apology in person. I can do it now. You know, what I meant at the time was to set to everybody the frame of mind of this suspect. He'd already done what he wanted to do. Those girls were of no use to him and he was finding a place to dump them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: And that same news conference, Sparks responded to questions about whether the deputies should have fired while the girls were still held captive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) SPARKS: You talk to the guys back here in uniform and they'll tell you, I'm an emotional guy, I have got 38 years in this place. These people are my family, and we came very close to losing them. And I understand the concern about the girls. I do. I understand the concern about the girls. But when that suspect pointed a gun at a deputy sheriff, he got exactly what he deserved. You don't point guns at Kern County's deputy sheriffs. I hugged both deputies and told them, way to go.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: Bless his heart. Police have said the girls were not visible when the deputies first opened fire. Investigators will examine the shoaling, which is standard procedure. Still, this gives us an interesting glimpse of the toll these things can take, even in unexpected quarters.
When we come back, two dads speak from their hearts about the loss of their children at Ft. Bragg. We'll be right back.
ANNOUNCER: Still ahead -- he was lost more than 100 miles offshore in a kayak.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was just like, let them see me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: His first-person account of the dramatic rescue when CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: At Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, the casualties are rising, and so is the prisoner count. Just this week, for the fifth time in the last couple of months, a spouse was accused of murder, but this time it was a woman. Joan Shannon, charged in the shooting of her husband, Major David Shannon. The toll now stands at seven -- five murders, two suicides. How did this happen? We're joined now by two fathers who've lost their daughters in the domestic violence at Ft. Bragg.
Andrea Floyd was killed by her husband, Sargent Brandon Floyd, who then killed himself. Andrea's father, Leroy Zeigler, joins us from Alliance, Ohio. Archie Watson is the father of Jennifer Wright. Police say she was strangled by her husband, Master Sergeant William Wright. Mr. Watson joins us from Cincinnati.
Thank you, gentlemen, for being with us tonight. We really appreciate it.
Mr. Zeigler, I know Andrea -- Andrea had been in the military as well, and she met her husband in Germany. After having three children, they were having some marital problems. Did your daughter ask for a divorce? LEROY ZEIGLER, DAUGHTER KILLED IN MURDER-SUICIDE: I guess she asked for a separation, and under North Carolina law, you have to be separated for one year before you can get a divorce, and I think she was in the process of coming to Ohio so she could speed the process up.
CHUNG: Mr. Watson, I know your daughter had met her future husband in high school, and they got married. They eventually had three children. What did you -- in the beginning -- think of him?
ARCHIE WATSON, DAUGHTER KILLED IN FT. BRAGG: I always treated Bill just like a son to me. And he treated me like a father. I liked Bill.
CHUNG: All right. She, too, was asking for a divorce, wasn't she?
WATSON: They were in the process of talking about a divorce.
CHUNG: What was she unhappy about?
WATSON: His life in the military, being gone all the time.
CHUNG: When he got back from Afghanistan, was he any different?
WATSON: Yes. He was more withdrawn.
CHUNG: He wasn't...
WATSON: Quieter.
CHUNG: He wasn't talking to you as much?
WATSON: No.
CHUNG: And then it was about a month later that he called you and he said that your daughter was missing, that Jennifer was missing. And then you saw him face to face, and what did he say to you?
WATSON: He told me that he wouldn't hurt my daughter, that he loved her.
CHUNG: And in fact, he had already killed her, according to authorities.
WATSON: Yes.
CHUNG: He had allegedly killed her. At the time, did you believe him?
WATSON: I believed there was something in his eyes that wasn't right, and what he had told me that she had just left, that didn't -- that wasn't -- couldn't have been true, because she had three boys that she loved very dearly and she wouldn't have left them without telling me or her mother.
CHUNG: Did your son-in-law ever seek help from the military because he was having these marital problems?
WATSON: Yes. I was shown some e-mails from a lady that works in -- she was a liaison officer between judge advocate's office and the military.
CHUNG: And what did his e-mail say?
WATSON: They were basically asking for legal aid, I guess, about the divorce.
CHUNG: Was he also asking for some mental health and family advice?
WATSON: Yes.
CHUNG: And did he get any help, do you know, at Ft. Bragg?
WATSON: Not that I know of for sure. I was -- I don't know whether a chaplain visited him in prison or before.
CHUNG: I see. Mr. Zeigler, did your son-in-law ever seek some help from Ft. Bragg?
ZEIGLER: Not that I'm aware of.
CHUNG: Tell me, Mr. Zeigler, you were in the military, you were in Vietnam. Is there a special breed when it comes to Special Operations men and women?
ZEIGLER: Yeah, I would say so. I know the training that they have to go through, and what kind of life they are going to have to live after they make the grade. So I would say there is.
CHUNG: And is there a stigma for these people to get some mental help or marital help?
ZEIGLER: It could be. They might have ego problems. Who knows? They're supposed to be the best of the best, the elite, and maybe their pride is keeping them from seeking help.
CHUNG: Mr. Watson, did you -- do you hold the Army responsible for what happened to your daughter, Jennifer?
WATSON: I hold them partly responsible, yes.
CHUNG: Why?
WATSON: They didn't give Bill help when he asked for it.
CHUNG: Were you satisfied with the way the Army handled everything?
WATSON: No.
CHUNG: What did you want the Army to do? WATSON: I think they should have treated her like a casualty of war. They wouldn't help me with her funeral. They wouldn't -- they sent her back in a galvanized metal box. I had to put her in a casket. And the children went on social services.
CHUNG: Mr. Zeigler, do you hold the Army responsible for what happened to your daughter, Andrea?
ZEIGLER: Not directly, but maybe indirectly. With the training that they have received and the stress that they put the soldiers under, I'm sure it's a big burden on their home life, too.
CHUNG: So what should the Army have done?
ZEIGLER: Well, maybe they have to figure out a way of reprogramming these guys. They're coming back -- I don't know if they all walked into their family lives right away or it's been a few months since they've been back -- I really don't know the story on most of them, but with my son-in-law, he was home for six months, so I think that this has got to do more with his marital problems than the Army.
CHUNG: So, bottom line, Mr. Zeigler, you said that you thought that Special Ops guys have maybe sort of a different view of themselves, maybe some of these guys have big egos and they might have a hard time asking for counseling. So what do you think should be done? Because you're a Vietnam veteran.
ZEIGLER: Well, I would like to address the parents of not just the military, but parents of people everywhere. If you notice that your children are having mood changes, if they're having financial problems, marital problems, if they're short-tempered with their family, if they're alienating themselves from their friends and their family, I think it's time for the parents to step up and get involved. And if you're worried about your children being mad at you for getting involved in their lives, I would much rather have my daughter here and mad at me as to be doing this interview with you today.
CHUNG: Is it just a coincidence that there are five spouse murders at Ft. Bragg, at the same place?
ZEIGLER: I don't think it's a coincidence. I think the -- for such a small community, this is a black eye for the Army. They're putting up a smoke screen right now with this Afghanistan. And I think they're just searching for the real answer, so right now they're just throwing a smoke screen at us.
CHUNG: Mr. Watson, do you think that it is more than a coincidence that these murders should occur at Ft. Bragg?
WATSON: I think the Army is so puzzled by it that they don't know what to do.
CHUNG: Gentlemen, thank you so much. We appreciate you being with us.
WATSON: Thank you.
CHUNG: And joining me now from Fayetteville, we have Ft. Bragg garrison commander Tad Davis, and in Washington, Lieutenant Colonel Glen Bloomstrom, a Pentagon chaplain and family ministry officer. Thank you, gentlemen, for being with us. We appreciate it.
LT. COL. GLEN BLOOMSTROM, CHAPLAIN, U.S. ARMY: Thank you, Connie.
CMDR. TAD DAVIS, FT. BRAGG GARRISON COMMANDER: Thank you, Connie.
CHUNG: All right. Commander Davis, you just heard Mr. Zeigler, one of the fathers, tell us that he believes that the Army -- that this is a black eye for the Army, and that the Army is just putting up a smoke screen, sort of using Afghanistan as an excuse. What do you think?
DAVIS: Well, number one, our hearts and thoughts go out to each and every one of the families, particularly the children of each of these families, the grandchildren of Mr. Zeigler and Mr. Watson. I can tell you, having grown up as a young boy in the military and witnessing firsthand the situation that my own family went with when my father was in Vietnam, that I think I have a pretty good understanding of some of the challenges and some of the stresses of military life above and beyond the average soldier.
CHUNG: Well, then, doesn't that say...
DAVIS: In addition, I'd like to say that...
CHUNG: ... that because there are stresses, that there needs to be sort of an extra measure of counseling, and that these people obviously didn't get it?
DAVIS: Well, Connie, one of the things tat we're doing here at Ft. Bragg is taking a very detailed look at each and every one of the incidents that have occurred here to find out exactly what occurred, to look into some of the things that we have talked about tonight, the reaching out for assistance, the e-mails that were mentioned by Mr. Watson and some of the stressful situations that Mr. Zeigler mentioned with regard to his daughter.
And so what we hope to do as a result of our investigations, is to find out what was going on out there in each one of these families, what was going on in each and every household so we can determine what it is that we need to do to improve the programs that we currently have.
CHUNG: Can I take from what you're saying that you don't believe it wasn't just a coincidence that five spouse murders occurred at Ft. Bragg?
DAVIS: Connie, what I'm telling you is that there were five tragedies that occurred here at Ft. Bragg, we're deeply saddened by them, and as we go through the investigations, we're going to look to see if there is any common thread that can tie them together. And I think that any of those common threads that we find will really help us, significantly, in terms of determining what we need to do differently than we're doing right now.
CHUNG: Sir, would you say that common sense would tell you something is terribly wrong at Ft. Bragg? Otherwise, why would these five incidents occur?
DAVIS: Connie, let me just talk a bit about Ft. Bragg. We have over 45,000 soldiers assigned here, over 26,000 families, and if you include our retiree community, Ft. Bragg provides services for over 250,000 customers in this area, so...
CHUNG: Well, forgive me, sir, I'm just wondering have you ever had five spouse murders at Ft. Bragg? In the history of Ft. Bragg?
DAVIS: No, we've not, Connie. We've not had a series of incidents such as this. But in discussions we've had with local law enforcement, both in Fayetteville and Cumberland County, we spent quite a lot of time talking with the law enforcement officers, and one of the things that they tell us, time and time again, is that what we're seeing here in our local community, with regard to our soldiers and their families, is not uncommon with regard to other crimes committed in other cities throughout this country.
CHUNG: I see. Although, I'm told that there are statistics that show that there is more domestic violence, problems with -- in the military. Let me ask you one other question. Mr. Watson was very concerned that he felt the Army didn't treat his daughter well. He felt that she should have been a casualty of war, that in fact funeral expenses should have been picked up -- after all, she's a dependent of a military man. And you know, he also felt that the Army sort of washed its hand with the case, because they dishonorably discharged her husband, and he's being taken care of in a criminal court.
DAVIS: Connie, we have many ways in which we can assist the families. In a particular -- the three young children in each of these two families, we'll be looking out for them, and we will attempt to do as much as we can to provide assistance to them.
CHUNG: All right. Lieutenant Colonel Bloomstrom, tell me, do you agree with Mr. Zeigler that there are certain people in the military who would feel that there is stigma to getting counseling, and that might be one of the problems?
BLOOMSTROM: First of all, Connie, let me say, as a pastor and as a chaplain, my heart goes out to Mr. Watson and Mr. Zeigler, and I think there is a lot of wisdom in what Mr. Zeigler was saying tonight, especially to the parents and to the American public. We need to intervene. We need to get involved. And as chaplains, we have that opportunity to do that.
CHUNG: Tell me, is it standard operating procedure to counsel after a soldier comes back from a war zone, or has been away a lot, and you know there are long separations in the military. BLOOMSTROM: Yes. Connie, we have what's called pre-deployment and redeployment briefings that are done by unit chaplains. Unit chaplains are integral to the battalion. They train together, they go through the same rigors and sufferings that soldiers do. And so consequently, they have credibility with soldiers and family members.
Prior to deployment, we offer pre-deployment briefing that seeks to normalize the tensions that might build during the train-up period, and perhaps even an argument that might erupt because of the intensity of the pre-deployment process. We try to help folks to understand that it is very normal to begin that process before deployment.
We also cover a lot of dynamics of the sustainment period once they get there, and then prior to coming back to the United States from an overseas deployment, we go through and try to highlight and, again, normalize the process of reintegration.
CHUNG: Lieutenant colonel...
BLOOMSTROM: To take your time.
CHUNG: ... I'm so sorry to interrupt you, but I think we have to move on. We so appreciate your joining us and talking to us about this problem. Thank you, Commander Davis and Lieutenant Colonel Bloomstrom. Sorry again to interrupt you.
Still ahead -- swept out to sea, days adrift, until salvation came right out of the sky. Stay with us.
ANNOUNCER: Still ahead -- could the ways to keep their jobs as jockeys be running them ragged? A former rider said this job is risky business. CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT will continue in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: What could drive a man to do everything he could, even risking his life, just to keep his weight below 115 pounds? You're about to meet a guy who did just that for more than 20 years.
He says he had to do it to keep his job. So what was his job?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over): The race begins.
But long before climbing on top of a horse, many jockeys have already put themselves through a much more grueling kind of race.
The only way to win is to lose.
EDWIN KING, THOROUGHBRED JOCKEY FOR 24 YEARS: You do the speed, do lasix (ph), do your laxatives and then you go out and run, you hit the -- I mean, these are guys doing all of that in the same day, you know, and then heaving on top of that.
CHUCK LOPEZ, WON 156 RACES IN 2001: Just out of sheer starvation, desperation, even, go to the counter, fill up, soda, food, chew it up real good, and get it real lubed up with some soda and go to the bathroom and heave it all back up, long enough to step on the scale so that it's the proper weight. And then go out and ride.
CHUNG: Jockey Chuck Lopez says riders are guiding 1,000 pound animals to the finish line at speeds topping 40 miles per hour, but they're often handicapped with blurred vision or dizziness all because they are starving themselves.
LOPEZ: I've seen them faint on the racetrack or come off, they're done riding and they're already dehydrated, famished and just pass out on the scale where you got to put them on a stretcher and carry them to first aid.
CHUNG: Most riders try to lose about three pounds every day, or even triple that number. That means spending hours in a steam room sweating pounds off and forcing themselves to throw up the one meal a day they do eat.
JUAN DUARTE ARIAS, WON OVER 700 RACES IN CAREER: I had the heart attack. I think I was in the hospital for two months. And then when I left the hospital, that was it. I couldn't continue doing that no more, because the doctor told me that I couldn't keep abusing my body the way I was doing it.
CHUNG: Duarte Aria was only 25 when his heart failed him. Many jockeys start their careers as teenagers, but as they get older, their bodies change and the real problems begin.
LOPEZ: It goes from, I want to be a jockey, and this is what I have to do to be a jockey to, this is what I have to do to stay in business to provide a good living for my family.
CHUNG: For some jockeys, the issue of weight is a matter of life and death. They want a five-pound increase in weight limits.
But thoroughbred owners, trainers and even some jockeys argue that extra weight could lead to injuries to their million-dollar investments: the horses.
JOHN FORBES, TRAINER FOR 35 YEARS: Our handicapping system and the whole system of horse racing is based on how much weight the horse carries.
KING: The problem never ends, because now the guy is bigger. He says, well I can make the five pounds now, and he's back doing the same things over and over and over again.
FORBES: We're looking out for the horse. You know, you don't have to be a jockey, but you have to be a racehorse.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: Joining me now from Louisville, Kentucky, former jockey Randy Romero, who's making a crusade out of fighting for higher weight limits, and his wife Cricket. Thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it.
RANDY ROMERO, FORMER JOCKEY: Hi Connie.
CRICKET ROMERO, URGED HUSBAND NOT TO LOSE WEIGHT: Thank you Connie.
CHUNG: Randy, how many pounds on average would you try to lose every day?
R. ROMERO: It depends on the weight that I had that day. Well, most of the time it was like 13. I would try to stay at that weight there. And you had to probably weigh about 109 stripped, with your gear and all that.
CHUNG: Wow. Did you say 13 pounds a day?
R. ROMERO: No, no, I lost probably about three, and some days five.
CHUNG: OK. How did you do it? Laxatives? Steam rooms? Starvation?
R. ROMERO: It was a little use of all of it. It was laxatives, fluid pills, the flipping, and the sauna.
CHUNG: Flipping meaning vomiting?
R. ROMERO: Yes, that's correct. And you don't have enough -- you're never full, so you keep on doing it, constantly, during the day. And...
CHUNG: You mean eating food and then vomiting again, and eating food and vomiting?
R. ROMERO: Yes, because there's -- I mean the weight is -- three pounds is a lot to a rider.
CHUNG: Sure.
R. ROMERO: And you did it because you was hungry and you needed some nutrition, and they wouldn't give you much weight to work with.
CHUNG: Now Randy, one time, which I just can't believe, you actually caught on fire in a sweat box when you were trying to sweat off pounds.
How did that happen?
R. ROMERO: I was in a sauna, I had rubbed myself with the alcohol, and the alcohol had oil in it. And I sat in there a while and started sweating, I hit a light bulb and it exploded. And I was burned 60 percent of my body, second and third-degree burns.
CHUNG: Oh my gosh. Unbelievable. And then also now you have liver and kidney problems. You go in for dialysis. Why would you do this to yourself? Why in the world would you continue to just batter your body?
R. ROMERO: Well, I loved the game. And I still love the game. And I was good. And I wished I wouldn't as good a rider, I wouldn't be in the position I'm in now. But I love the game and I love what racing is.
And why I did it? Because I was good at it. And I had goals and -- since I was a kid to ride in the derbies and win the big races. It's a kid's dream. And after a while you get older, you get heavier, you know, and...
CHUNG: It's a problem, isn't it?
R. ROMERO: Yes.
CHUNG: Cricket, I don't know how you could, you know, watch this happen, because I know you knew, and yet you are familiar with horses, you've been a horse woman yourself.
How could you sit there and watch him do this to himself?
C. ROMERO: Connie, it's really hard because, you know -- you know what they're doing to their body, but they love the game so much that you just have to respect that -- you know, their opinions and sit back on the sidelines and watch what they're doing.
CHUNG: I know that you and Randy want to raise the weight limits just five pounds. But critics say that you'll endanger the horse.
Now, do you get that? I'm looking out there and I'm wondering if anybody can fathom what the critics are saying.
R. ROMERO: I disagree on that. What we really want to do is increase the weight from the bottom, not the top.
CHUNG: Yes, but can you think about this, I mean, try and explain to me: They're saying that you're going to endanger the horse; that the horse is going to have more injuries -- Cricket.
C. ROMERO: You know, in my opinion, Connie, the horse is 1,500 pounds. You have exercise riders in the morning that are on these horses seven days a week that weigh 145 pounds. You have races that they run every day with 125, 123 pounds. You have a fall high weights (ph) in New York that runs up to 140 pounds.
CHUNG: So essentially are they treating -- I mean, the owners and trainers are thinking more about the horses than they are about the riders?
C. ROMERO: Right. And they need to think about the guys that are on the horses, because if they weren't on them, then there wouldn't be any racing.
R. ROMERO: And Connie, the...
CHUNG: Oh Randy, we've run out of time. I apologize.
We've been a little jammed up tonight, and I wish I could go on with you. But thank you, Randy. Thank you Cricket.
C. ROMERO: Thank you Connie.
CHUNG: Maybe we can revisit this issue.
R. ROMERO: OK.
CHUNG: Thank you so much for being with us, the Romeros.
C. ROMERO: Thank you.
CHUNG: Still ahead: your cell phone just died and you're stranded out at sea in a kayak -- now what?
ANNOUNCER: Still ahead: alone in the Pacific Ocean, lost for days. Tonight, a first person account of the dramatic rescue.
CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT will continue in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: Julie Krone knows something about the sacrifices sometimes required to be a jockey. She started riding at the age of 3 and dropped out of high school to pursue a career in a sport dominated by men. 4-10-1/2 and 100 pounds, she had to fight on and off the track to prove herself.
In 1993 her tenacity paid off when she became the first female jockey to win a Triple Crown race, Riding Colonial Affair to claim the Belmont Stakes.
But later that year she had one of the worst of many serious injuries.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JULIE KRONE, RETIRED JOCKEY: It's a passion for riding races and being in the winner's circle. And I can't emphasize enough that, now I know how dangerous it is and I'm willing to make that trade-off, and so are all the other jockies in the room, not just me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANNOUNCER: Krone became eligible for racing's hall of fame in 1996, but by the time he retired in 1999, she still wasn't in.
What happened?
The answer when we return.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ANNOUNCER: Pioneering female jockey Julie Krone retired in 1999 with 3,500 wins to her credit, one of the top 20 earners ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRONE: It was worth all of the times I spent in hospitals and by myself and, you know, and things that were -- those muddy days when you finish dead last 20 times and you go, why am doing this?
ANNOUNCER: So why wasn't she in the hall of fame?
A year after she retired, she made it, becoming the first female jockey to be inducted.
KRONE: The feeling of doing something and communicating with an animal that you just love so much -- and I got to do that every single day of my life. And now I'm sitting up here and I'm honored by all the people that I admire.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHUNG: Twenty-eight year old Jon Stockton was checking out his new kayak off Hawaii Saturday when strong winds capsized him. He stayed with his kayak, unable to set it right, as it drifted farther and farther from shore. He was rescued Tuesday after more than two days at sea, after frantically trying to signal search crews and after managing to call for help on his cell phone before the battery died. Never has the phrase, "can you hear me now," meant as much as it did for this guy. Jon Stockton joins me now from Honolulu along with the guy who finally spotted him, Petty Officer First Class Gary Phillips. Hi. How are you?
JON STOCKTON, KAYAKER RESCUED AFTER TWO DAYS: We're fine.
CHUNG: John, I was trying to figure out, are those bandages on your arm or is that part of your shirt?
STOCKTON: They are. They're bandages from the chafe burn that I got from paddling and rubbing against the boat.
CHUNG: Are you OK?
STOCKTON: Yes. My body feels like one big open wound, but it's just general discomfort. Physically, I'm in pretty good shape.
CHUNG: Good. When you capsized, you were only, what, about a mile from shore or half a mile from shore? Why didn't you swim back to shore?
STOCKTON: Well, I was actually only about 300, 200 to 300 feet from the shoreline. And I was going around a point, and that's when I saw the big sheets of wind in front of me. And I trimmed my sails immediately and began to turn around knowing that the wind would be too much to paddle against.
CHUNG: Right. STOCKTON: And when I actually did overtake me, when I was turning around, I capsized. And as I tried to rock the boat back up in the wind, the jib sail, the front sail, popped up and violently was filled with air and just started dragging me out to sea. And I was basically holding on for dear life.
CHUNG: Oh dear. Tell me, you capsized some 30 times. Did you have any food or anything to drink?
STOCKTON: I did have. I had two -- I had about a liter and a half of water in some -- had these camel back water bladder bags that had the little hose that you can bite and suck the water out. Those were my main water bags. I had dry pineapple and some beef jerky that got contaminated by salt water. I did eat them the next day, but I threw them up two hours later.
CHUNG: How long were you out there, again, in those rough waters?
STOCKTON: I started -- the last time I left land was Friday morning at 9:00 a.m., and I didn't get rescued until Tuesday, about 1:15.
CHUNG: Oh, my gosh.
STOCKTON: So, it was about five days out at sea.
CHUNG: Oh, my heavens. I know that you actually wrote out -- began to write out a will. You thought you were going to die?
STOCKTON: Yes. You know, the short summation of the story was on Friday night, I just tried to hold my position and thought I would be able to paddle to shore on Saturday. And when I tried all day Saturday to get there, just paddle from six until about three in the morning the following day, I collapsed. And I woke up an hour and a half later and I was about 30 miles off to shore. And I knew that I wouldn't be able to paddle into the wind to get back to shore. That's when I called the Coast Guard and knew that I was...
CHUNG: On your cell phone.
STOCKTON: That's right. I had a cell phone and I just happened to -- I just tried it. I really didn't think that it would be in range. But I did have one little signal strength of -- one bar of signal strength for the cell phone to call in the emergency call.
CHUNG: And had you tried your cell phone any time before that?
STOCKTON: No, I hadn't. I'd been way too busy and the weather had been so severe, didn't even want to take the phone out for fear that I would lose it in the water. It really was a full time task and 20-foot swells just to stay inside of the boat and try and keep myself dry overnight so I didn't get too hypothermic. It was quite a rustle just to stay in the boat.
CHUNG: And did you see planes go by and try to wave them down and say here I am?
STOCKTON: Well, the first day I did see -- I saw a big barge going out, and I tried to get his attention. Now, this was just maybe two hours after I capsized, and he gave me a loud foghorn kind of honk. But that's all. He just kept going. I didn't see any planes until I did call in the emergency call Sunday evening, and I did see two flyovers on Sunday evening. But, unfortunately, we ran out of time and they couldn't spot me that night.
CHUNG: But luckily, Gary, you did. You saw this tiny little spec, right? How did you spot him?
P.O. GARY PHILLIPS, U.S. NAVY: That's right. Well, basically, what we do is we just fly a ladder with -- every two miles, we fly a leg of a ladder and just -- and hope to visually see him. We have other censors on the plane. We have an infrared camera that we can use, and the radar also. But he was so small that we knew our best chance was to see him visually. And just on one of those legs, we had searched over 1,600 square miles before we actually saw him and you stare at open ocean all day long. We were into our sixth hour of searching, and his kayak just went by the back window and it was almost unreal.
CHUNG: I'll bet. But I guess the main thing is that if you thought you were kind of maybe seeing things or not seeing things, Jon, you were the one who was really delusional by the end of that encounter, weren't you? And -- unfortunately, I only have about 15 seconds left, so just tell me.
STOCKTON: Well, the Monday was the real discouraging day. The planes were flying over me and just not seeing me, sometimes just right overhead. And on Tuesday morning, I just prayed, I knew it had to be that day or my chances were gone.
CHUNG: All right.
STOCKTON: I came through.
CHUNG: Thank you so much. Jon Stockton, we're so glad that you're back. And Gary Phillips, thank you. We appreciate it.
CHUNG: We'll be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: Next month, it will be one year since the terrorists attacks on America. All of our lives have changed since September 11 because of September 11. We want to know how yours changed. Did you move or change careers, enlist in the Armed Forces, volunteer at home? Could be anything. In whatever way you've changed, we want you to tell us about it on tape. We just might use it.
Send your tapes to CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT, P.O. Box 5138, New York, New York, 10185. And be sure to include your name and address, but sorry, we won't be able to return your tapes. On Monday, closing arguments in trial of Danielle van Dam's accused killer. And the man who turned detective, he spent a decade tracking the priest who allegedly abused him.
And coming up next on "LARRY KING LIVE," Sylvia Browne, author of "The Book of Dreams." Thank you for joining us. And for all of us at CNN, good night, sweet dreams and see you on Monday.
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