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Memorial to Honor Fort Hood Fallen; Investigators Say Gunman Acted Alone; Virginia Governor Denies Clemency for D.C. Sniper
Aired November 10, 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: Tony, thanks so much.
We are pushing forward. Fort Hood, Texas, a place well accustomed, like most military posts, to loss, grief and resolve, but the ceremony that gets under way one hour from now reflects a different kind of grief from a different kind of loss.
President Obama will join the Fort Hood family in remembering the victims of last week's rampage, the deadly gunfire at a readiness center for G.I.s going to war.
As you know, 12 soldiers and one civilian were killed. More than 40 others were hurt, including the suspect, Army psychiatrist Nidal Malik Hasan. Military sources say Hasan communicated months ago with a radical Muslim cleric, who after the shootings called Hasan a hero. Still, the FBI says it believes Hasan acted alone and was not part of a terrorist blot.
Now, we want to take you to some live pictures out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The body of Sergeant -- Sergeant Krueger, 29 years old of Kiel, Wisconsin, she had joined the Army after the 2001 terrorist attacks and vowed to take on Osama bin Laden.
There's going to be a six-block procession through town for the hometown of this young woman, Private First Class Amy Krueger.
She arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday. She was scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan in December. Her life was taken when the alleged shooter, Nidal Hasan, opened fire there at Fort Hood.
CNN's special live coverage of the Fort Hood memorial starts at 1:30 Eastern. That's 30 minutes from now, anchored by colleague Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
Wolf, how about a preview?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks very much, Kyra.
It will be an emotional service. The memorial service for these 13 Americans who were gunned down last Thursday at Fort Hood. You're looking at live pictures from the memorial service.
The president of the United States will be delivering remarks, as will the Army chief -- chief of staff, General George Casey. The commanding general of Fort Hood, Lieutenant General Robert Cone, will be speaking. All of the -- the major elements of Fort Hood will be on hand, especially the surviving family members and friends. It will be emotional. There will be renditions of scripture, "Amazing Grace," benediction, and then the final roll call and firing of volleys.
John King, our chief national correspondent, is on the scene for us.
John, these photos we're seeing and the video, it's all very dramatic. It should be somber and highly respectful.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And Wolf, the troops are gathering here. They expect some 5,000 on the green behind me, just outside the 3rd Corps headquarters.
They say they're grateful the president will be here. For them the most important thing is to pay tribute to their fallen colleagues.
As we speak now, Wolf, the president is meeting with the families of the fallen, the families of those 13 victims: 12 military service members, as you noted, one civilian, a retired military official, a doctor. They're from 12 different states. They range in age from 19 to 62. And the Fort Hood family, and you see them preparing to say good-bye to them.
If you look up at the front of the stage, the military is -- knows how to do these memorial services. Sadly, there have been far too many on this base, this post and others, in the past eight-plus years. And there are a picture of each of the victims up there; also military combat boots, a rifle, dog tags, a tribute post for each of the victims.
And I was at a memorial service just last week out at Fort Lewis in Washington state, and these are quite moving. They will call out the names. They'll call out a roll call, and they will call the names of people who are here in the audience. They will call the names of each of the victims to make point -- to make the point, when there is no answer, that they are remembering one of their fallen colleagues today.
And Wolf, as we prepare for this service and to listen to the president, this is a post that has seen more than its share of pain the past eight years. More that 521 troops stationed at Fort Hood have been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. So they have had many such services on this post, none like this, though.
And that is what is most shocking to everyone, from the top command of the Army to the privates on this post, that it happened here, where they're supposed to be safe, where they come home from combat to heal their wounds, whether those wounds are physical or psychological. Where they train before they go off to combat. This is the largest installation in the Army, a population of some 70,000 people, so the fact that it happened at the place where they are supposed to be most safe and most at home is what makes this so stunning.
BLITZER: It's going to be a sad day indeed as we remember these 13 fallen heroes, each one of them a hero in his or her own right. John, we're going to be getting back to you.
Kyra, you know, it's really chilling, when you read these reports from these eyewitnesses who were there, who say that Major Hasan allegedly went after those wearing the military uniform, didn't kill those wearing civilian outfits or whatever, but deliberately went after those wearing the uniform.
And that's why these 13 -- these 13 U.S. military personnel, including one who was a civilian, retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael Cahill, are dead, because he allegedly deliberately targeted those, methodically going after the United States military as he went on this rampage.
Very, very disturbing material that all of us need to digest and learn from -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And, Wolf, you know, as we watch the memorial today, we carry it live on -- here on CNN, it is so important to remember all the victims and remember what happened to these individuals.
At the same time, I think it's our responsibility as journalists to stay on top of the other part of that story, and that is who failed everybody? And how was this alleged shooter allowed to be at one of the largest mobilization platforms in the U.S. military? He had a dossier a mile long of being someone who was in trouble, and we don't want to see that happen in any other parts of our military.
BLITZER: It's absolutely true. And there's going to be several investigations -- inquiries going on. The Senate Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Joe Lieberman, already announcing it's going to have a full-scale investigation.
Other committees in the House and the Senate will do the same, but I believe the FBI, the U.S. military itself, the Army, they're going to have a full-scale review. Because they want to learn how this could happen, who didn't connect the dots, who missed signals out there. They want to make sure this never happens again.
And I'm also told, Kyra, that the president, the commander in chief, he's ordered everyone in the U.S. government to come up with the lessons learned to make sure we never see this kind of tragedy happen again.
PHILLIPS: Wolf, great talking to you.
Today's memorial will have all the military honors, as you'd expect. It's going to start with songs by the 1st Cavalry Division band, and then an invocation by the chaplain of the 3rd Corps, based at Fort Hood. Then remarks by the post commander, the Army chief of staff, and of course, President Obama. Helping close out the service, a somber final roll call and the playing of "Taps."
Now the investigation that Wolf and I were just talking about. Suspected gunman and U.S. Army Major Nidal Hasan is expected to be tried in military court. That reflects, in part, the belief that he wasn't part of a terrorist conspiracy.
Still, I mentioned that his contact, his late last year, with the Jihadist imam, who now lives in Yemen but once preached in a Virginia mosque attended by Hasan's family.
CNN's special investigations unit is all over this angle. Drew Griffin joins me now from Washington.
Drew, the feds intercepted those e-mails. Why did they lose interest in Hasan after that?
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATION UNIT CORRESPONDENT: The FBI explained this last night this way.
They're confirming they did begin this investigation of Major Nidal Hasan in November. When they found this U.S. Army major communicating with somebody that the FBI says it was already looking into. It's presumed it's that very cleric you were talking about. The FBI won't say that, though. The Army does say the major was in contact with this radical Islamic cleric, thought to be in hiding in Yemen and, Kyra, most definitely linked to radical Islamic ideology.
There were as many as 10 to 20 of these communications taking place. But in the end the terrorism investigators who were looking at these conversations determined that what was being said was consistent with the Army major's work as a psychiatrist. In other words, the terror investigators thought Nidal Hasan was strictly doing research for his work with soldiers, so the investigation, they decided just to drop it. They didn't see anywhere to go.
What is maddening about all of this is if Hasan did this. Now, we all believe he did this, but we have to say, you know, he's not been tried in court yet, is that he was operating so out in the open, everybody kind of knew him. And in this town he was actually -- in Washington, D.C., attending anti- or counterterrorism conferences over at George Washington University. And the guy who runs that program was pretty shaken up when he learned that this guy was in his conferences.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FRANK CILLUFFO, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: You're going to have folks who aren't necessarily on anyone's radar screens, who are coming up with their ideas on their own and acting on some of those ideas. So there's no conspiracy. There's nowhere to pulled thread on the investigative chain. So clearly, that is a concern.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRIFFIN: So even though he was communicating, because there weren't any links being drawn, no co-conspirators, no plot, it was really not the hot button that would flag this to -- to a terrorist investigation. And quite frankly that's got a lot of people shaking their heads about what we're dealing with here.
PHILLIPS: So if the FBI is finding no co-conspirators, no real motive or any connection to a broader terrorists plot, then what do they have?
GRIFFIN: Kyra, what they may have here is a disgruntled human being who was acting out. One senior law enforcement source said this may be 90 percent disgruntled person, 10 percent Islamic radical. They really don't know what they have.
You know, on your show last week, Thursday we had a shooting, Friday we had a shooting, Friday's shooting in Orlando was some despondent guy who had lost his job. We might be talking about the same person here. So it's really hard to say if, quote/unquote, anybody slipped through the terror investigative cracks or if we've just got a crackpot.
PHILLIPS: Drew Griffin, investigating the story for us. Drew, thanks.
We're going to continue our coverage of the services at Fort Hood. They're set to begin in less than an hour. Right now a look at some of those men and women who lost their livers.
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PHILLIPS: The hourglass is running out of sand, and the D.C. sniper is running out of options. Virginia's governor has denied clemency for John Allen Muhammad. His date with the gurney and the needle, 9 Eastern tonight. It's punishment for the terror of seven years ago, when the sniper and his accomplice picked off 10 people in the D.C. area. Terror that still resonates among those who were there at that time.
Charles Ramsey was D.C.'s police chief in 2002.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COMM. CHARLES RAMSEY, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: It's bringing something to closure. I think the punishment is appropriate. I think that, you know, Mr. Muhammad, certainly the kinds of crimes that he committed, the fear that he instilled upon everybody who was associated with that, that lived in the region, and across the country for that matter. Certainly, I'm glad that we were able to finally apprehend him, but he certainly deserves to die tonight.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Apparently it is going to happen unless Virginia Governor Tim Kaine gives him either a stay or delays or commutes the sentence. There were some who say that, perhaps, he shouldn't be put to death. What is your reaction to that? Do you think this execution is very likely to take place tonight?
RAMSEY: First, I mean, every all, I disagree with them. I think if anybody should receive the death penalty, it's John Allen Muhammad. So I feel absolutely no regrets about that whatsoever. In fact, if I was there, I'd push the button.
CHETRY: Well -- well, a number of victims were killed or wounded, as we know, by Muhammad and his accomplice, Malvo, as they were driving across the country before reaching the Washington area. You know, and some investigators have linked them, perhaps, to some of these earlier shootings, but they've never stood trial for them. Evidence hard to come by. Do you feel confident that this investigation is closed completely?
RAMSEY: Well, I mean, there may be some more homicides that they're responsible for, but we know for a fact that they're responsible for the ten homicides in the Washington, D.C., area and the 13 shootings in total.
This was a very, very vicious crime. I've been a policeman 40 years. And this was the most intense period I ever experienced during that 40-year period.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Once again, we want to reiterate that Virginia's governor has denied clemency for John Allen Muhammad.
Now tonight on "LARRY KING LIVE," the families of Muhammad's victims speak, live from the state prison, about an hour south of Richmond. That's 9 Eastern right here on CNN.
And we're about 45 minutes from the start of memorial services at Fort Hood, CNN bringing that to you live. Right now a look at some of the victims of last week's shooting.
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PHILLIPS: And a live look at Fort Hood, Texas, a scene of chaos last week, but today a scene of mourning and respect. Services set to begin 2 p.m. Eastern, and we'll bring it to you live.
Top stories now.
Three Florida teens accused of setting a schoolmate on fire are being charged as adults. They each face one count of attempted second-degree murder. Right now police are not charging two other teens in the case. Michael Brewer is still in critical condition nearly one month after that attack.
And remember the former astronaut accused of driving from Texas to Florida to assault a romantic rival? Well, Lisa Nowak is back in court this hour, where she's expected to consider a plea deal offered by prosecutors. Her trial is set for next month.
In cash-strapped Michigan, a rally for education. Students, parents, teachers and school leaders all at the state capitol to pressure lawmakers for more money. School budgets will be slashed again next month unless lawmakers agree to raise taxes or set aside more money for education. That on top of a budget cutting bill that took effect last month. And there are a lot of ways to go. Being smooshed by a subway train because you're drunk and sloppy? Not really a great one. A Boston woman comes within inches, if that. Watch her tumble off the T platform, nearly clipping the third rail. Well, as the train bears down and frantic witnesses do everything that they can, a T inspector there actually radios the driver with seconds to spare. The driver yanks the emergency brake and stops right there on top of the woman.
But other than some scrapes and probably a wicked hangover, she's fine. T driver Charice Lewis and her colleague, Jacqueline Osorio, honored yesterday by bosses and state officials. Nice job, ladies.
And we're going to kick into our special coverage of the Fort Hood memorial service in just a few minutes. Right now, let's take a moment to recognize more of the people who lost their lives in last week's shooting.
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PHILLIPS: A live look once again at Fort Hood, Texas, the president arriving there within the last hour. A memorial service is set to begin at 2 Eastern, and CNN's special coverage will begin in just a few minutes.
Right now, a quick look at some of the other stories making news today.
Bill Clinton speaking out about health care this hour to Senate Democrats, and they should be all ears. Clinton, of course, was in the White House when he failed big-time in trying to overhaul the nation's health-care system. His message today: what's needed to get an overhaul bill passed and on the president's desk this year. Democratic Senator Dick Durbin saying that's not likely to happen.
Any Senate bill would have to be combined with the House bill. Then both chambers would have to pass the final legislation.
He was a fighter on the NBA courts. And now Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is fighting a rare form of leukemia. Abdul-Jabbar was diagnosed last December, but he's keeping a pretty good sense of humor about it. He was live on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING" today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: What were some of the symptoms that you felt that made you think, "I better go to the doctor and see what's going on here?"
KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR, NBA HALL OF FAMER: For me I was having hot flashes and sweats. And you know, the -- I'm not -- I'm not having menopause, you know. So what...
CHETRY: You can rule that one out, right?
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: That you know about (Ph). ABDUL-JABBAR: What was that all about, you know? So I went and spoke to my doctor about it. He said, "Let's go to the lab and get some blood work done."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: But after the laughs there, Abdul-Jabbar did have a very serious message about health care.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABDUL-JABBAR: We have the best technology in the world. We're supposed to be the can-do nation, and our health-care system really fails so many people, especially poor people, people who don't have the means to go to private doctors. I think we should change that. I think it's absolutely crucial. And it certainly -- it's a just and noble cause to make health care available to everyone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Abdul-Jabbar, by the way, is a paid spokesman for Novartis, the company that makes a drug used to treat leukemia. He approached the company to get the word out about the disease.
And just about a half hour to the memorial service at Fort Hood, Texas, honoring the 13 people shot and killed there last week. CNN is carrying that service live. Our special coverage continues now with Wolf Blitzer.
BLITZER: We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world.
We're getting ready for this memorial service that should begin in about a half hour. You're looking at live pictures. Thousands of U.S. troops have gathered on the greens at Fort Hood in Texas to remember the 13 fallen heroes. Those Americans who were gunned down, allegedly by a United States Army Major Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan.
You see that flag flying at half-staff. The president of the United States has been meeting with some of the family members. He's there with the first lady, the Army chief of staff, Genearl George Casey is there as well. Lieutenant General Robert Cone, commanding general over at Fort Hood. They will all be speaking.
This will be a moment that the country will remember, I am sure, for a long time. Our chief national correspondent, John King, is on the scene for us at Fort Hood. John, there's a lot of sad people there today remembering many of their colleagues and friends.
JOHN KING, CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it's quite a somber mood on this, the Army's largest installation. This post is home to some 70,000 people at Fort Hood. It's had over the last eight years, memorial services for more than 520 of its members -- its family members who have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But this one hits harder, many of the troops here say, because it happened right here where they believe they should be most safe on post. They're all asking the question we are all asking, why? Why did one of our own, an Army major, lash out against them, killing 12 members of the military and one retired military doctor, who is a civilian now working on the installation.
You see behind me the green here outside the 3rd Corps headquarters, waiting for this memorial service. The president, as you noted, not only meeting with the family families of the fallen, the families who were killed in this horrific tragedy, but also with many of those who were wounded as well and their families as well as he spends about four hours here on Fort Hood.
The victims, as I noted, Wolf, 12 active members of the military, one civilian. They come from all across the country. Twelve soldiers from 12 different states, from Maryland and Virginia in the East, Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin as you go across the Midwest. Illinois, Minnesota, Utah, here in Texas. They range in age from 19 to 62. One of them was just back from Iraq. She's from Chicago. She was pregnant. She was preparing to go home soon.
One of course, as I noted, that gentleman from Texas here, Michael Cahill from Cameron, Texas. He is a retired military official who had a heart attack just two weeks ago. He wanted to get back to work as soon as possible to help care for the troops on this installation.
So, as you see, the breadth of the tragedy -- and there you see the preparations on stage -- it is from the platform where you'll hear from Lieutenant General Cone, who commands this base. Genearl George Casey, who is the Army chief of staff, and finally the commander in chief, the president of the United States.
You know this Wolf, from your own days covering the White House, and I had many conversations with the former President Bush about this. They say about the hardest thing a commander in chief does is not only issue the orders, but meet with the families. That's been the task today for the president and the first lady as we prepare -- a little under 30 minutes now -- for this solemn ceremony to get underway at Fort Hood.
BLITZER: And John, it comes at a time when the president is making a final decision on whether to deploy more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. Some of those killed, many of those on the base getting ready to move to Afghanistan as part of the deployment, including Major Hasan himself. He wasn't very happy about that, didn't want to go.
The president no doubt will be speaking about all of the commitment that these volunteers have, especially as we're approaching Veterans Day in the United States. I'm sure that would be a theme as he remembers each and every one of these fallen heroes.
KING: Without a doubt, Wolf. We are told the president will mention each of them by name, and he will also talk about the bigger challenge and bigger strain on the United States military. For a moment, just let me tell you, as you see these pictures, up front there you see the framed portraits and combat boots. It's a two-tier system set up. There's one platform for each of the victims. Their portrait down below, combat boots up above. And it's tradition at these ceremonies, these memorial services, after you will see members of the community walk up, sometimes one by one, sometimes in partners, and they will salute, and many will drop a memento.
I was at a service for one gentleman from Louisiana, who was killed in Afghanistan just last week at Fort Lewis, Washington. Some people dropped flowers, some drop the coins that they get for their service in their units. Each military unit has their coin. Some drop a note. It's quite solemn ceremony. You see the helmets atop the rifles there.
This is part of the ceremony that the Army and military believes is so important, to pay tribute and say farewell. You see it all right there, laid out underneath the presidential seal where the president will speak. To your larger point, Wolf, Veterans Day is tomorrow. This installation, since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan and now through Iraq, has been going through constant deployments. There are people on this base who have deployed three, some four times to Iraq and Afghanistan. And they know, even as they're optimist as the drawdown is underway in Iraq, they know the president is likely to send 20,000, 30,000, perhaps more than that -- more troops into Afghanistan.
And as they come home from deployments, maybe for a year or 15 months, there are other deployments down the road, which is why these communities are so tight-knit. And you have the members of the military on this green, and the family as well. And they know, they know, this constant strain on these families, and in this case, the strain that hit home where they believed, most of all, they're supposed to be safe.
BLITZER: Yes. It's one thing to be killed on the battlefield, it's another to be killed (AUDIO GAP) Texas by a fellow soldier.
John, stand by. Retired U.S. Army Lieutenant General Russell Honore is joining us. He's over at Arlington National Cemetery here in Washington. An appropriate time to reflect and think.
It's not supposed to happen, General Honore, that American troops are killed on their own base. One thing if they're killed in battle, but it just doesn't happen at home. And yet, it has happened and people are asking, how could this happen?
LT. GENERAL RUSSELL HONORE, RET. ARMY: Wolf, well said. I mean, our military installations are a sanctuary. The military go through great resource and expense to make sure those sanctuaries, those Army posts are secure, yet this has happened to us. This will be a gut check for the Army and for all of our military to ensure we don't let this happen again.
BLIRZER: For you personally, General Honore, you're a former commanding general at Fort Hood. You know this facility about as well as anyone. You understand all the symbolism. We see the boots, the photos, the coins being placed. Help us better appreciate what we're about to see.
And let me just give our viewers a little advance notice. There will be a prelude concert that the 1st Cavalry Division band will play, leading up to the National Anthem. The Third Corps chaplain will then have the invocation and then we will hear the remarks from Lieutenant General Robert Cone, the commanding general, 3rd Corps. And at Fort Hood, General George Casey, chief the staff of the U.S. Army. President Obama will speak as well.
And then we will hear the 1st Cavalry Division Master Sergeant, Natasha Harley, sing "Amazing Grace," followed by Scripture readings, benedictions and what the U.S. military calls the final roll call.
We see Senator John McCain, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services committee, a Vietnam War veteran himself in the U.S. Navy. He's made his way from Washington to Texas to be on hand for this memorial service. When we spoke with him yesterday, he was rather emotional and thinking about what's going on. No doubt he will be emotional today. And then there will finally be the firing of the volleys and "Taps" as they conclude the service.
General Honore, each one of these elements in this memorial service is highly scripted, well organized, rich in U.S. military tradition. But help us better appreciate what we're about to see.
HONORE: Well, the (AUDIO GAP) ceremonies is the unit chaplain along with the commander. These ceremonies are designed to be official, to be solemn, to be religious, as well as to, at the end, the firing of the volleys and playing of "Taps." That final recognition, Wolf. At that moment, there will be few dry eyes in the audience as fellow soldiers and family members start to close this soldier's chapter of his life and start looking and reflecting on the future.
That's the important of these ceremonies, Wolf. Not only for those who have died, but for their survivors.
BLITZER: We're going to cover every moment of this memorial service. There's -- you're going to see it live unfolding here on CNN, and our coverage will continue right after this.
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BLITZER: They've gathered on the greens at Fort Hood, the III Corps. The U.S. military personnel, family, friends, they've come together to remember the 13 fallen heroes who gunned down brutally last Thursday, allegedly by a fellow soldier, Major Nidal Malik Hasan.
We want to welcome back our viewers. We're getting ready to watch what's going on at this memorial service. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Barbara Starr is here, our Pentagon correspondent. Michael Gersen (ph) is here. He helped President Bush prepare speeches similar to what we're about to hear from the president of the United States, Barack Obama. But let's go out to the gate at Fort Hood right now. CNN's Ed Lavandera is standing by. Ed, the people who have come in -- was this open to the community? Or only to military personnel? Their families, their dependants on this post?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was open to the public, as they've been making their way on this morning. What really strikes you now, as we're here at the front entrance to the Fort Hood installation. This is an entrance to this Army post that is usually just traffic coming in and out constantly.
What I'm struck by right now, Wolf, is just how quiet it is, completely still. You get the sense that people are settling down for the next couple hours to take in this moment. But there is an eerie quietness out here this afternoon.
BLITZER: It's -- I guess that eerie quiet, is it in solemn memorial, in solemn appreciation of what's happened. This is a moment that people come together, and you're looking at these live pictures, including some dignitaries that have come to Fort Hood. John McCain in the middle of the your screen over there, just talking to soldiers and others, as we get ready to begin the formal process.
Barbara Starr is here, our Pentagon correspondent. Barbara, walk us through some of the symbolism that we're about to see. For example at the end, we're told the president has brought a coin, the Army chief of staff has brought a coin. They'll be laying coins there. Help us better appreciate what that symbolizes.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: All of this, Wolf, is to try and give some individual respect to the memories of the fallen. The laying of the coins, we are told by the military, goes back to an old Greek tradition of putting a coin in the boots of the fallen to help them pass into the afterlife. This, of course, dates to ancient times.
I think we have pictures, which we have often seen from Iraq and Afghanistan of the helmet, the bayonet rifle, the boots for each of the fallen military members here. And that also very much a battlefield tradition. The helmet, the I.D. tags signifying the fallen soldier, the rifle, the boots, all of it sort of remembering this was, if you will, their last march, their last time in battle.
BLITZER: Now, General Honore is with us as well, General Russell Honore, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, a former base commander at Fort Hood. This final roll call that will be read out by Command Sergeant Major Donald Felt. Tell us what this final roll call -- how it goes, because they'll be reading names and there will be silence.
HONORE: Yes, that's the Army tradition, normally done by the first sergeant of the unit, or in this case, the command sergeant major. It's a way of signifying, calling the names of the members of that unit, and (AUDIO GAP) he will mention that name twice, and there will be no answer. This is a very moving part of the ceremony, and it gives recognition to each of those who are honored at this very sacred and honored ceremony, saying farewell to our comrades in arms, those who have worn our nation's cloth.
BLITZER: General Honore, as I pointed out to our viewers, you're a former commanding general there at Fort Hood. This must be so personally devastating for you to watch this and to see what's going on. You love the U.S. Army, you love the men and women who volunteer to serve, and to see this kind of senseless slaughter occur on a U.S. military base, it makes no sense whatsoever. But give us some thoughts on what's going through your mind right now.
HONORE: Yes, well, Wolf I was a deputy commander for 1st Calvary. This is a post that is deep in military tradition and history in preparing some of the finest soldiers in the Army, legendary units in our Army.
And to see this happen on our military installations, on our sanctuary by one of our fellow brothers in arms, is disheartening. It's a violation of our oath and our soldier creed to take care of one another on the battlefield and to not leave a fellow comrade. This goes all against that, what these soldiers have committed themselves to, and how they have committed themselves to one another on the battlefield and at home.
BLITZER: You're hearing music from the 1st Cavalry Division band. They've already started performing the prelude concert, leading up to the formal start of this memorial service that would begin with the national anthem.
Michael Gerson is here as well. He was a speechwriter to President Bush. You helped him prepare some of those speeches right after 9/11. This is a moment for the president, whether this speech -- I remember Bill Clinton's speech after the Oklahoma City bombing. I was in Oklahoma City. I covered that memorial services. Many of our viewers will remember Ronald Reagan's speech after the Challenger blew up.
Help us appreciate what's going through the White House as they prepare special remarks by the president for this kind of memorial service.
MICHAEL GERSON, SPEECHWRITER FOR FMR. PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: For me, it was really shades of 9/11. The president had to speak a few days after 9/11, where both civilians and military died in that conflict.
And you have to accomplish a few things that are very difficult. You have to provide a sense that there's purpose, even when the evidence of your senses is that things seem purposeless, and that gives you really a religious emphasis, that there's a broader meaning involved here. President has to provide that.
I think a president in a certain way has to show a little steel, that he's offended as commander in chief when something like this happens. I'll be looking for that today. I think he's more than capable of that, but it will be an interesting moment for him.
And you're absolutely right that these type of moments in grief and tragedy are some of the most memorable of any presidency. You take the words very, very seriously. You have very little amount of time to put together these remarks. But it's not a burden, having participated in it. It's a tremendous honor, to try to speak for the American people in a moment of sympathy and tragedy.
BLITZER: Because he's the leader of the American people. He's also the commander in chief, Michael, so that has a special resonance, a special responsibility as the leader of the U.S. military.
GERSON: Yes. Commander in chief in time of war, with troops that were headed to the field, he needs to fully assume that role. Barack Obama on the national stage has largely been domestic in his presidency. You're talking about health care and climate change and other important issues.
But this is a moment for him to emerge as a commander in chief in time of war and in time of tragedy. I think that's an opportunity for him.
BLITZER: Let's go to the war zone right now. Chris Lawrence, our Pentagon correspondent, is in Kabul with the U.S. military. He's been there now for a few weeks.
Chris, I suspect that military personnel, especially in Afghanistan, where so many of these fallen heroes were supposed to be heading will be watching and listening and trying to grasp what's going on.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, as much as they can, Wolf. But, you know, the operations don't stop. The missions don't stop because of what happened in Fort Hood.
I'm getting no sense, a tempo of the fights that are going on in Afghanistan have slowed down at all because of that. They really in no way, they can't.
I got a couple e-mails from the soldiers I spent time with last week in Kandahar. One of them said to me, he just could not believe it happened there. He said, "If it happened here in Afghanistan," he said, "I could see that. You know, if one of our bases got something like that happened here I could kind of take it, but not there." Another soldier wasn't so much shocked as angry. He said, "I'm just glad that guy is alive." Didn't use the word guy, used a word you can't say on TV. He was very angry and wanted him to face some sort of punishment.
We've been really trying the last few days to find out what kind of resources are available here, trying to talk to the military about what kind of counseling is out there, if soldiers have questions out here in the war zone. They're a long way from these big bases with their full staffs and family support when they want to talk over something like this.
The military has been somewhat, if not, very closed off. Not really allowing access, not answering questions about what is out there. Seems to have really closed down on any sort of information or any sort of talk that even relates to Fort Hood. Wolf?
BLITZER: And as we've been pointing out, the president is on the verge of making a major decision whether to dispatch additional thousands of U.S. military personnel to Afghanistan. He seems to be getting closer, although the White House says he has not yet made a final decision. Lots of anticipation, though, that 20,000 or 30,000 or 40,000 additional troops could be on way, not just for the short term but the next several years. We're watching this part of the story very closely, indeed.
Chris, since the massacre, and we call it a massacre, last Thursday at Fort Hood, has there been immediate reaction that you've seen from the U.S. military personnel on the front lines there? Has there been stepped-up security, stepped-up concern, worried about -- is there -- I guess the blunt question is, are some worried about other fellow soldiers?
LAWRENCE: Well, the thing is, Wolf, is this is something that you don't want to judge in a matter of a couple days. The key is going to be how this plays out over the next few weeks and months. I talked to a lot of soldiers who just weren't comfortable working with local Afghan army and police.
It remains to be seen if they look at an incident like this and start to, you know, take that to the next level, to say, who can I trust out here? Can I trust some of the people that I'm working with? Already some nervousness. It's going to remain to be seen how much that nervousness dissipates or turns into outright fear or even worse emotions than that. You know, as we get weeks and months down the road.
BLITZER: That's an excellent point. And one that's chilling.
General Honore, you know about U.S. military personnel in times of war. It's one thing to be worried about the enemy. It's another thing to be worried about fellow soldiers, whether Afghan allies, Iraqi allies, who are in their respective military or police forces. Wondering if someone isn't exactly who they thought he or she would be.
HONORE: That is correct. I mean, we had a soldier that had sworn himself to the Constitution and obey the orders of the president of the United States, and in this case he turned and killed his fellow soldiers. This is a kick in the gut. It's a disappointment, but it's a reminder that we must always be prepared, we must always be vigilant and must listen to those in the formation who in some way might be indicating that something's wrong and we may have missed that on this major.
BLITZER: A lot of people, General Honore, are saying that people didn't connect the dots. That was an expression we heard after 9/11 -- the hijackers. But in this particular case, there were some signals that were out there. Unfortunately, the authorities didn't connect the dots. Is that a fair assessment, General Honore?
HONORE: I think for -- that would be the opinion of most people who watch this. The investigation is still ongoing, but something was missed in this major's tone, his demeanor, and the things that have been reported that he has said. We could have possibly done more to help him before he got that far and killed his fellow soldiers.
BLITZER: General Honore, thank you very much.
John King is there on the Fort Hood post right now. John, I guess the president and the first lady, they're expected to arrive momentarily there and then this memorial service will begin. We hear the music in the background from the 1st Cavalry Division band. Looks like there are some family members have come in to pay respects to their loved ones. This is a sad moment, John.
KING: You see now, Wolf, the procession you see coming down the steps out of the headquarters building are the family and the closest relatives and the VIP party is up behind the giant flag, including the president of the United States as we prepare for this service to begin in a few minutes.
I can tell you, Wolf, sitting here, we got here early. As people milled around -- I don't mean this in disrespect, but there was a looser mood. People were finding friends and saying hello and coming over and chatting with members with the news media. When the band struck up about 10, 15 minutes ago, a somber mood already turned to just much more serene and quiet.
Everyone just -- you see the members of the military here, all in their uniforms listening to the band. Everyone started looking down and reflecting and people who are having conversations stopped having conversations, and everyone just seemed to have their own private moment, even though there are about 5,000 people out on the green here. Everyone just -- the mood just dropped down.
As it does, if you visit where General Honore is at Arlington or walk past the Vietnam Memorial or any of the great memorials in Washington, D.C., you can walk in smiling and chatting and then suddenly feel yourself come down. That is the mood on the grounds at the moment as we wait for the official service to get under way in a few moments, Wolf.
BLITZER; Looks like -- may be November, but it looks like a sunny day at Fort Hood. What's the temperature like there, John?
KING: It is a very warm, sunny Texas November day. The temperature is up around 70 degrees. Anyone who has served on this post knows that this might be a time where if you get the chance to go see your family in Chicago or Minnesota or Boston, that it's cold when you go home. But when you return to post, you're in the heart of Texas and it can be sunny and 70 as it is today.
See Governor Perry of Texas among those there on your shot on screen. A very, very warm sunny day. Which in its own way has allowed people to linger and wander and arrive early without any fear of the elements. Spectacular day in terms of the sunshine and the calmness and just a few puffy clouds in the sky. If you will, a perfect day to have time outdoors together as a group. As you see the family of Fort Hood, to reflect and pay tribute and say good-bye.
BLITZER: These 13 heroes. Each with a family, with many loved ones and many, many friends. We saw the governor, as you pointed out, Rick Perry of Texas. I think that was Eric Shinseki sitting next to me, the secretary of veterans affairs, also a retired Army chief, four-star general.
The president has brought a delegation aboard Air Force One to this memorial service. He and the first lady should be arriving momentarily. They're there. They've been meeting with family members, but they'll be coming out to formally begin this procedure.
For the military, Barbara Starr -- you cover the Pentagon, have for many years. It's one big family, especially the Army. This is something they stress.
STARR: Wolf, this is family business today. I think there is a much broader theme emerging here, which is this is respect today being paid to those fallen here at Fort Hood, but really truly all of those who have fallen in service of the country, whether it's been in Iraq or Afghanistan. I think that one will expect to see the president and the other speakers remark about this.
This -- it is worth remembering, this is an all-volunteer force. These people have sworn that oath of duty, honor, and country. They want to serve their country. Everyone who has fallen has been a volunteer, has wanted to be in the military, and this is what we keep referring to as the commander in chief moment. The president is speaking not just to Fort Hood, not just to these families, but all of the military that has sacrificed so much.
And those family members watching the coverage across the country who have also lost a loved one on the battlefield and there has been no national memorial for them. These are quiet funerals that take place all across the country for their loved ones. They will be watching today because for the president, of course, the next commander in chief moment is when he does come out and tells the country his next plan for the troops in Afghanistan.
All of the military around the world is watching. They will want to see that the president understands their grief, understands their feeling, and, most of all, understands their concept of serving the country -- Wolf.
