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Plane Crashes into Building; Reports: Ahmadinejad Survives Attack; Gay Marriage Ruling Expected; Vietnam Vet & Double Amputee Shares his Story
Aired August 04, 2010 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: It's the top of the hour and we're taking a closer look at the struggles of our troops -- both at home and at war.
And just like that, life is never the same. We're talking to the man who made this documentary, following four U.S. soldiers and their lives after war.
Plus, a new type of war means new types of traumas and devastation. CNN's Barbara Starr follows critically wounded troops and shows us the grim new realities for them and their doctors.
And later, you'll meet a wounded Vietnam vet who found therapy on the golf course. His story -- an inspiration for veterans and inspiration for all of us.
Now, I want to take you to the breaking news that we've been following for about an hour and a half now. It comes to us out of Phoenix, Arizona.
This is what we know, so far: one person has been killed in this plane crash. The FAA has said that that pilot was trying to land at Deer Valley Airport. We've actually just connected to KPHO, our affiliate.
Let's listen to what they're reporting.
REPORTER: There's a lot of industrial buildings here just short of this runway. So, if something does go wrong, there's not a lot of area or space that a pilot can land. It looks like he was about 100 yards or so away from that runway.
Again, we're still gathering information to find out how many people were on board that aircraft. But it doesn't appear to be any survivors.
Now, this is a clear blue-sky day. The winds are very calm. So, it doesn't look like weather may have played a factor in this crash. But as we learn more information, we'll bring it to you -- Scott, Kaylee.
PHILLIPS: All right, once again, that's one of our local affiliate reporters there with KPHO. If you're just tuning in, a small plane crash, an SR-22 aircraft crashing while trying to land at Deer Valley Airport. Apparently, it hit this warehouse -- a pest control business is located in this warehouse. One person has died, the individual that was piloting that aircraft.
Sidney Cross, the manager of Sonic, right there by that pest control business, actually witnessed the crash.
Cindy, what can you tell us?
CINDY CROSS, WITNESSED PLANE CRASH (via telephone): Just that it was a very scary experience to see. I was standing at the desk which facing the road on to Deer Valley, and looked up and there was just nothing but a total black plume of smoke. And you knew that it was something bad, because it just wasn't a normal fire.
PHILLIPS: And so did -- do you have any information -- well, first of all, did you go over to the scene, or did you stay at your vantage point?
CROSS: I had to stay here, because I am the manager of the Sonic, so you're not allowed to leave the store and it's, like, clear across the street, so you couldn't really see a lot of what was going on.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
CROSS: But we knew it hit a building and that it was bad.
PHILLIPS: So, Cindy, how close is the runway to that building? Is it farther in front of that building? Is it parallel to that building?
CROSS: It's a little farther in front of the building. It's behind the Sonic on the opposite side of the road on Deer Valley and 19th. And you can see it from here, but you can't see actually when the plane hits the ground. But you can still see the runway.
PHILLIPS: All right. Got it.
Now, do you know what else is in this warehouse building? We got reports that there's a pest control business inside this warehouse building. Do you know the name of this building and what else exists in that building?
CROSS: You know what? I'm sorry I don't. I wish I did. But, no, I don't.
PHILLIPS: OK. And I just for our viewers, it's all right, Cindy. Cindy, I just want to say let's be sensitive right now with this live picture coming to us from KPHO.
CROSS: OK.
PHILLIPS: Obviously, this is the remains of that individual. Maybe there's another shot we can go to, unless we think we have that well covered. That's always a tough live picture to look at when they're covering the remains. Thank you for switching that -- actually covering the remains of the individual that was killed in that plane crash.
Cindy Cross, the manager of Sonic, right across the street from where this happened.
These are pictures that were captured by another one of our affiliates right when that plane crashed and caught fire. That pilot, we are told, killed instantly. They were trying to land the SR-22 aircraft at the Deer Valley Airport. It's a small airport there just -- within Phoenix. But it's -- it's the airport that takes all the extra flights off the hands of the international airport that's located there in Phoenix as well.
Cindy Cross on the phone with us -- manager of Sonic, which is right across the street.
So, Cindy, you don't know how much about that building. So, when it crashed, did you see anybody leaving that building? Do you have any idea if anybody was inside when that plane crashed?
CROSS: No, we didn't actually have any understanding of what exactly -- what building they did hit. One of my customers that goes by there actually called me and told me that it was a building that they had hit. But he at that time wasn't positive that it was a plane. But when he told me that it -- the building was on fire, then I knew that it was a plane that hit. But they didn't say exactly what building it was or anything. Sorry, not much help.
PHILLIPS: No, no, that's OK. I appreciate you calling in. You actually are one of the only eyewitnesses that had actually seen that aircraft and had seen it actually hit that building.
Cindy Cross, appreciate you calling in.
And just to bring you up to date right now, we're looking at a number of various live pictures from our affiliates. As you can imagine, all of them located there in Phoenix, Arizona, are covering this story right now.
That -- those are -- that's the remnants, that's-the- the debris left from a plane crash that happened at 6:40 a.m. local time there in Phoenix, Arizona. We're told one person has died when trying to land an SR-22 aircraft there at Deer Valley Airport.
And as we heard from our eyewitness -- Cindy Cross there, she's the manager of Sonic, which is just across the street -- the airport is just in front of that building. So, as that pilot was trying to land that aircraft, still don't know what happened, what went wrong. We had reported earlier, possibly, it was a student pilot, but we cannot confirm that at this time.
They're still trying to figure out there on the scene what exactly happened. We are working, as many people as we can, to get you all the facts of what happened here at this -- at this crash in Phoenix, Arizona.
We'll bring you more information as we get it. Quick break, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Developing story right now out of western Iran. Conflicting reports as to whether someone actually tried to assassinate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Media reports say that a grenade exploded today near his convoy. But the Iranian presidential office is denying them, saying it was nothing but a firecracker.
I actually spoke with our Reza Sayah last hour from Islamabad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This doesn't seem like a serious incident, of course. There was a lot of conflicting reports that have been coming in over the past several hours that got a lot of attention. But about an hour ago, I spoke to an adviser for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and he told me everyone should calm down because no one tried to kill the Iranian president.
He described this item that apparently blew up as a toy firecracker. He said, "This was someone playing with a firecracker. The kind children play with, the kinds you use when you want to celebrate. This was a toy and there were no injuries, but the western media made it bigger than it is."
We should point out that, initially, it wasn't the western media that reported this. It was two Iranian government-linked Web sites that said the Iranian president had arrived in the city of Hamadan, which is about three hours west of Tehran. He got to the airport, got in his motorcade, and he was heading to city sports stadium to address a gathering when someone blew up a handmade, a homemade hand grenade.
The reports said he wasn't injured, but some reporters who were accompanying him may have been injured.
The reports also said the person who lobbed this explosive device was in custody.
What's interesting here is just yesterday, in another gathering, President Ahmadinejad said that Israelis were plotting to kill him. So, maybe because of that statement, this incident today got some attention. But, again, the president's adviser is telling us that this was no assassination attempt, and we shouldn't blow it out of proportion.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: And we did get this statement on Ahmadinejad from the White House. It says, quote, "White House aides are aware of the conflicting reports and are seeking more information to sort out what really happened."
Now, a developing story in California -- and the stakes couldn't be higher for gay couples looking to get married. Today, a federal judge decides whether California's ban on same- sex marriage is constitutional. Parts of that ruling expected to be released just hours from now, following years of legal back-and-forth on the issue.
Here's a quick look at how we even got to this point. You may remember back in May of 2008, the State Supreme Court voted 4-3 that gay and lesbian couples are entitled to get married. Well, then, six months later, Prop 8 passed with 52 percent of the vote. It outlawed same-sex marriage saying California only recognizes marriage between a man and a woman.
But in January, two gay couples headed to court saying the ban violates equal protection and due-process rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
And now, it's decision day. Both sides say that no matter what happens, this isn't the end of the fight.
Dan Simon is live in San Francisco.
So, Dan, what exactly can we expect today?
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the judge is going to hand down a ruling sometime after 4:00 Eastern Time.
And, Kyra, when you think about famous cases in the history of American law, you might think about Roe versus Wade, or Brown versus the Board of Education. Well, this case, Perry versus Schwarzenegger has the potential to join those in terms of being one of the most famous cases of all time, because ultimately whatever the judge decides here with Proposition 8, this case is headed to the Supreme Court, and it's there where the nine justices could ultimately decide the future of same-sex marriage in this country.
You talked about how we got to this point. Well, it really began in 2004. That's when the mayor of San Francisco decided to let same- sex couples get married here in the city. It was highly controversial at the time. You had many people rush to the courthouse and get married, same-sex couples.
Well, then, the California Supreme Court said, you know what, we're not going to allow that to happen. And that ultimately led to a series of lawsuits and led to this voter initiative called Proposition 8.
What Proposition 8 did is it defined marriage between a man and a woman. If you're living in California during that time, in 2008, you couldn't help but turn on the television and see commercials on both sides. It was a costly campaign, one of the costliest campaigns in history. More than $80 million spent on both sides.
Well, Proposition 8 won at the ballot booth by a narrow majority, 52 to 48. And that ultimately is what the judge is going to decide today, whether or not Proposition 8 is constitutional, and that ruling is going to come down sometime after 4:00 Eastern Time -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right. Dan Simon, we'll follow it. Appreciate it.
We'll, of course, be following all the developments throughout the day. Just keep it tuned to CNN right here for the latest on the ruling and, of course, what comes next.
All right. Let me update you on the breaking news story out of Phoenix, Arizona. The details keep changing, obviously, from when we first received them. So, I want to clarify a couple of things.
Right now, we cannot confirm who exactly was killed. Earlier on, we reported a student pilot. We cannot confirm that at this point, but we can tell you one person is dead after an S-22 aircraft crashed into this warehouse, right near Deer Valley Airport.
They were trying to land. Something went wrong. And as you can see what happened next, that aircraft in flames.
Now, we haven't been able, apparently, to find a tail number on this aircraft. So, it's been hard for officials there on the scene to try and determine whose aircraft this was, where it was coming from, who was piloting this aircraft.
Let's get to Captain Scott Walker from the Phoenix Fire Department on the phone with us.
Captain Walker, do we know anything about the pilot of this aircraft?
CAPT. SCOTT WALKER, PHOENIX FIRE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): Well, good morning. Unfortunately, at this time, we still don't have any information about the pilot. What we know is that they were taking off from Deer Valley Airport. Witnesses say they heard some sputtering from the engine, possibly some smoke, the plane appeared to be turning back trying to re-land at the airport when it crashed into the City Wide Pest Control Facility out there in northwest of the airport.
PHILLIPS: Oh, I see. So, it had already taken off from that airport and noticed that something was wrong with the aircraft and was trying to come back and land when it hit the warehouse?
WALKER: That seemed to be what the witnesses believe and what we're getting from the airport at this time. Like you said, they don't have a tail number. The plane was fully consumed. So, without that, it's very difficult to track down who owned the plane, who was in the plane, any flight plans that have been reported for the plane.
So, we're trying to go through all the information and get all we can right now.
PHILLIPS: Is that normal, Captain, not to have a tail number?
WALKER: Well, no, the plane, I'm assuming, had a tail number. But because the plane was consumed by fire, it was literally destroyed.
PHILLIPS: Got it.
WALKER: So, we don't have any way to know what the tail number is out here.
PHILLIPS: OK. But the tower knew who was taking off and landing, right? Somebody knows -- you have to check in and say who you are, identify yourself and if you're taking off from the airport. So, somebody knows who this person is, right?
WALKER: Well, the tower -- plane, you know, they don't have, you know, know exactly who was in the plane at the time it took off. They don't necessarily record that. That's why we're trying to get the tail number to determine who owned it and get some more information who is in the plane.
PHILLIPS: Was there anybody else in the aircraft besides the pilot? Do you know that?
WALKER: At this time, we believe there was just the one person that lost their life, and that's the pilot. It doesn't appear to be anybody else. But even that, we can't confirm due to the amount of damage to the plane. It's possible somebody else could have been killed.
PHILLIPS: OK. Was anybody in that warehouse when the plane hit it this pest control business?
WALKER: Yes. Fortunately, nobody was in the business. It's 6:00 out here, so people were just starting to come to work, so nobody was in that. Nobody was outside around the parking area. So, we have no injuries on the ground.
PHILLIPS: What's the name of that building, Captain?
WALKER: The facility's the City Wide Pest Control.
PHILLIPS: So, City Wide Pest Control. And that's -- and it's only the City Wide Pest Control that owns that building? That's the only business in that building?
WALKER: Well, that's the occupant of the building that was struck. I don't know for sure if they actually own that or if they're just a tenant in the facility. But that was the only business that was affected at all. And fortunately, the fire did not get into the building. We do not have any kind of hazardous chemical issues with the pest control or the plane out here.
So, it was all isolated just to the plane.
PHILLIPS: Got it. Captain Scott Walker, Phoenix Fire Department, appreciate you calling in and we'll try and keep our viewers updated as we get more information. Captain, thanks.
WALKER: Thank you. PHILLIPS: We're going to switch gears now and talk about the fact that our troops -- well, they're coming home from war. They're already home from war. And those mental scars, well, they definitely linger.
We're going to take a look at post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries, and how our men and women in uniform are recovering. And if, indeed, they your getting what they need to recover.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Our men and women in combat confront scenes like this every single day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hold it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Kamikaze. Kamikaze.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: A patrol suddenly and violently interrupted.
Explosive devices are responsible for 64 percent of all American deaths and injuries in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thousands of soldiers have been hit by the bombs in nine years of war. They take a toll on survivors -- physically, emotionally and psychologically.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt like I was scatterbrained when it immediately happened. I started noticing it after.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Now, that interview was from a documentary in the making. It's called "Along Recovery." And it's about the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries on our men and women in uniform.
Justin Springer is the man behind the film. He actually fought in the Iraq war.
And Sergeant Jonathan Ryall served in Afghanistan. He lives day to day with a traumatic brain injury.
Guys, thanks so much for being with me.
And I just -- you know, I thought -- first I'd start and talk about the documentary. But, Jonathan, when you sat down, I would have never known what had happened to your face. I mean, the surgery is remarkable, and you look amazing. And -- but taking -- going back, though, to Afghanistan and what happened to you -- tell our viewers, because they would never know by meeting you, but tell them what happened.
SGT. JONATHAN RYALL, INSTRUCTOR, EOD TRAINING AT REDSTONE ARSENAL: Well, I'm part of the explosive ordnance disposal company, which if -- I'm not going to mention the movie that just came out that had those people in it.
PHILLIPS: Of course, the O-winning film, "The Hurt Locker."
RYALL: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Right. I mean, these are the guys that you train on a daily basis. But that is what you did when you were in Afghanistan. What happened?
RYALL: I was out on what's called a route-clearance mission is basically you go out and look for IEDs. You're embedded with engineers. They look for them. They use certain means of detection.
And once they find them, they call you forward. And as the EOD technician, you come up and you do what is called render the device safer, just make it safe and then take the explosive components out of the road if we have to and dispose of them somewhere else.
On this particular mission, we'd already found a few that day. Our lead vehicle got hit by an IED. And our standard practice was to go up and clear to make sure the medics could get in to check those guys out and make sure everything's OK. So, as I was clearing the scene to make sure there no explosive hazards, basically a device detonated when I was approximately, five, seven feet away from it.
PHILLIPS: Oh.
RYALL: And things got kind of fuzzy after that and I pretty much woke up in Texas.
PHILLIPS: And let's look at the before and after pictures.
Actually, I understand you just brought them in. We hadn't received them yet. But -- OK. So, we did see them already and I didn't.
Let's take a look. There is the before. And then, of course, we're looking at the after right now.
But tell me, what, is it -- is it shrapnel that -- tell me exactly what came across your face -- you know, obviously you didn't know at the time, but what exactly happened? Did it actually take off part of your forehead, your cheek? What happened?
RYALL: I'm not really sure exactly what happened directly after the incident. However, the -- a lot of the scars and stuff, the marks you see on my face there are from my eye protection that went into my face and just debris from the detonation and also the burns. And that's actually a post-surgery picture. I heard before that it was even -- even worse.
PHILLIPS: Worse than that. I can't even imagine.
All right, we're going to talk more about your story. Well, this is obviously your wife and son, yes?
RYALL: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Very, very relieved to be able to bring you home and to kiss you and hold your hand. And I want to talk about, you know, what you went through with that, that brain injury.
But, Justin, why did you want to put this documentary together? Because we haven't seen -- we talk so much about PTSD, we talk so much about the brain injuries -- I'm constantly really railing on the V.A., because I see how these cases are building up --
JUSTIN SPRINGER, PRODUCER/DIRECTOR, "ALONG RECOVERY": Sure.
PHILLIPS: -- and a lot more needs to be done. It's been ignored.
SPRINGER: Sure.
PHILLIPS: It hasn't been made a priority.
Was it that in addition to what you saw overseas where you thought, "I have got to tell this story in a human way"?
SPRINGER: Sure. I mean, it was a combination of both. I mean, I wouldn't say that the V.A. is not handling it. There's definitely a backlog as we all know.
PHILLIPS: We're talking about 1 million -- there was a point when there were 1 million cases that were backlogged, and guys and women weren't getting the treatment that they needed.
SPRINGER: Sure. But this wasn't traumatic brain injuries. These are things that you could have a bad knee when you come out of the military and you're waiting for your compensation.
But, by and large, at the active duty military hospitals and the military treatment facilities that I've been to, the guys are getting the help they needed. It is there. It is a complex injury.
But, I mean, to get back to your question --
PHILLIPS: And PTSD, too? You actually feel that the men and women are getting what they need for PTSD?
SPRINGER: I mean --
PHILLIPS: That was part of the backlog as well.
SPRINGER: Sure. It's very complex. PHILLIPS: I don't want to paint the rosy picture that everybody is getting exactly what they needed because we have troopers that are taking their own lives because they're not getting treated for PTSD.
SPRINGER: Sure. It's a very come mix issue, as well. It's a very subjective injury. So, you can't just look at someone and diagnose it right away. It's not like a missing arm or a leg.
You know, part of the problem is also that stigma surrounding it in the military -- soldiers don't always want to come forward because they're afraid of the repercussions.
But, you know, to get back to your question, I guess, the reason I wanted to make it is, I was serving in Iraq with the 1st Engineering Battalion, doing a mission similar to what Jonathan did, the route clearance.
And in 2006, you know, there wasn't a lot about traumatic brain injury out there. I mean, obviously, the more severe cases where, you know -- you know, people are unconscious or don't come out of a coma. But as far as mild traumatic brain injury, it wasn't being talked about.
And what my unit saw because of the, you know, vehicular armor that we had, was guys were surviving and walking away from the blasts -- really horrible blasts -- completely fine, or what we thought was completely fine.
And about halfway through our deployment, our medics and our physician's assistant began, you know, expressing some concern about -- all right, repetitive blasts are going to take their toll. Repetitive concussions are not good, so what are we going to do about that.
And at the same time, out of nowhere, the Army kind of came forward with this huge TBI awareness campaign, and I saw this in Iraq. I mean, I had to sit through this mandatory class -- you probably sat through the same one -- that, you know, you and traumatic brain injury, what you need to know, a lot of guys just laugh and we shrug it off and go back to our mission. But --
PHILLIPS: Yes. Until something happens, right? And you followed four guys, correct?
SPRINGER: Yes.
PHILLIPS: And I just -- I want to play another clip. I believe this is Ryan Soto, Specialist Ryan Soto. Let's go ahead and take a look at that clip.
SPRINGER: Sure.
PHILLIPS: And then I want to ask you about it, OK?
SPRINGER: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPECIALIST RYAN SOTO, U.S. ARMY: Yes. There's a lot of stuff that is -- I don't feel normal anymore.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Just a sample of what he deals with, with PTSD, right? What is it -
SPRINGER: Well --
PHILLIPS: Yes?
SPRINGER: To be fair to Ryan, I actually spoke with him last on the phone. I mean, he's a great guy and to take 20 seconds of his life that was in the movie and say this is Ryan altogether, it's not the case. Ryan is a great guy and he made -- well, I'm not going to tell you how he fared because I want you to see my movie.
But, you know -- yes, that's the stuff that the guys deal with. PTSD, like I said, and traumatic brain injury, both are very subjective brain injuries. So, one person can be suffering in ways that another person is not.
And, you know, it's important I guess for the doctors really not to worry, in my opinion, the doctors not really worry about calling it one thing or another, because at the end of the day, it's about treating symptoms and making sure that guy is OK to sleep, his headaches are controlled or he's not in pain -- rather than just focus on, OK, you have TDI, you have -- you know, you have PTSD or, you know, worrying about, you know, that they're suffering so much because, you know, they have lives.
You know -- I've lived with them 24/7. They have social lives. They're not sitting staring at a wall all day long.
PHILLIPS: And I got to tell you, these clips don't even give justice to what's in your documentary. Parts of -- I feel like make we should have rolled a little bit more just to give folks an idea of what these guys deal with on a daily basis.
I mean, Jonathan, when you got back, life totally changed for you. You know, give an example of when you wake up, what you have to do differently -- like, for example, you have to set alarms constantly on your phone, right, to remind you of things that affected your memory? I mean, give us an idea what you deal with daily that you had to change in your routine?
RYALL: I used to have a very, very good memory. I never had t write things down, never had to worry about -- somebody told me something, I would remember it -- and not so much anymore. Now, I find myself more -- for example, if you were to say, hey, you need to go pick something up next Tuesday from a certain place, I would have to set an alarm on my phone for next Tuesday so it ring and I'd say, oh, OK, I got to go pick this up. So, and that -- you know, that's just some of the things at the TDI clinics and things like that they give you little tricks or whatever to cope with your memory loss. And it's not an easy thing to deal with, especially when you can remember -- well, I used to be able to remember things.
PHILLIPS: Yes.
RYALL: But not so much anymore.
PHILLIPS: And when you're training EOD guys now in Alabama, do you talk about this with them? Do you let them know, "Look, this is what could happen and this is how your life could change"? Is that part of the training now?
RYALL: Well, I think we -- as EOD techs, we all know that could happen.
PHILLIPS: It's the obvious.
RYALL: We're all very aware of the risks of the job.
PHILLIPS: Right.
RYALL: I mean, you can only play with fire so many times before you get burned.
RYALL: What I try to do is I tell them my story, I tell them what I did in more detail than I can get into here and try and help them so they don't have to come home the same way I did. That's really how I see myself contributing to the fight now. Helping the guys out, saying, hey, this is what I did, I was on the ground, I did this, that, and the other thing and it blew up and this is what happened. So, don't do that.
Hopefully it helps some guys out.
PHILLIPS: Explains exactly what not to do.
Sometimes, though, you can be doing the right thing and you just never know what the enemy has in store.
Before we go, Justin, what is it about this documentary that's so different from other stories that have been told about our men and women that are fighting this war?
Why is it so important for people to see your documentary?
SPRINGER: I think it's important, you know, there's -- you know, I've been asked what the message of the film? I didn't sit down and have a message, but my only kind of intent was to allow -- give the soldier's perfective, let a soldier talk instead of reading the headlines or watching24-hour news. Let's watch a film.
Let's watch an hour and a half of what happens over the course of two years to someone who had this injury and let's look at it and let's not be afraid of it and stigmatize it. Let's actually look what happens. The four guys that I followed for over a year, that's what we did. Whether they made a full recovery in the public's eyes or not, they're still out there and integrated into civilian society again.
PHILLIPS: There's one guy that sticks in my mind and he's going through all these pills -- I have to take this, I have to take this, I have to - oh, Percocet, that's the last thing I want to take. I mean, that's what really put it into perspective for me is how, on a daily basis, whether it's drugs, whether it's rehab, whether it's daily reminders on your phone, that it's not easy at all to have to deal with this on a regular -- day-to-day basis.
SPRINGER: No, it's not. The men and women who deal with this injury, I can't tip my hat off enough to them.
What I learned about the injury, traumatic brain injury in general is that I went in to making the film having seen guys who had just been evacuated from my unit and who were not doing well at all. And it was kind of scary because I knew who and what they were before they had this injury.
So, I went into the idea of making the film that I was going to find all these guys who couldn't talk and walk and they had to wear dark glasses and stumble around. That's what I thought. Once I got to the hospital, I found out that those guys exist. They're there. But it's a very small percentage. Very small. But unfortunately that's who we want to focus on. And, not that their story shouldn't be told but --
PHILLIPS: But we should point out the success, and that's you, Jonathan.
SPRINGER: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: That is you. You're the prime example of that. And that's one of the reason why we did want to talk to you because you've got a message to tell these guys that you can come home and you can be OK, yes?
RYALL: Absolutely. You can come home, have a normal life. Yes, things are going to be different but that's just the way it is. You can still live a fulfilling life, despite what you've been through.
PHILLIPS: Thank you for what you continually do for your country. It means a lot to us.
RYALL: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Justin, great job.
SPRINGER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: I want to actually ask folks, if you don't mind, to check out this documentary. You can actually go to longrecovery.com. For full disclosure, Justin needs just a little bit more funding to get the documentary done. You can actually donate, help him out, and then the entire world can see this documentary. And we can push that message out, the message that Justin has to tell and also survivors like Jonathan, as well.
Gentlemen, thank you so much. Appreciate your time.
RYALL: Thank you.
SPRINGER: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right.
Well, Mike Reeder was a medic in Vietnam. He actually came out of there with a traumatic injury. It changed the course of his life. Literally. He wouldn't trade places with anyone now. This veteran, who lost his legs in war, is such a good golfer that he's now headed to the Sports most hallowed spot. This is a postwar story that will inspire vets and non-vets alike.
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PHILLIPS: We're still following the breaking news out of Phoenix, Arizona. That plane crash that we've been reporting at the Deer Valley Airport.
This is what I can tell you happened. At about 6:40 a.m. local time there in Phoenix, apparently the pilot had taken off from that airport, and there was trouble. Not sure what was wrong. The tower realized there was trouble. The pilot realized there was trouble.
So, the pilot was trying to make his way back around to land at that airport and that's when he hit the warehouse there and was killed instantly. It's actually -- this building is called the Citywide Pest Control building. Nobody was in there at the time. So far we're getting word it was just the pilot that was killed. He was flying an SR-22 aircraft and when the plane exploded they were not able to get a tail number. So right now, according to one of the captains of the Phoenix Fire Department, we are trying to find out the identity of that pilot that was killed and what exactly happened that caused that aircraft to go down. We'll stay on top of the story for you, bring you more as we get it.
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PHILLIPS: Back in World War II and even Vietnam, it took weeks for our wounded soldiers to return stateside. But now, because of extraordinary medical care, airborne hospitals can get them back home within two or three days of being hurt.
CNN was granted exclusive access to see the medical care that makes it possible.
Here's Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Got it? UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got it.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Eight hours after leaving the war zone, words of comfort.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the hospital.
STARR: For some, the rush into intensive care, even the stretchers keep coming off the overnight flight from Afghanistan. These critically wounded troops have just arrived from Afghanistan here at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, and some of them are suffering from massive injuries. They have been in roadside bomb blasts, mortar attacks. It is here that you can begin to see the price that the wounded are paying in this war. In the last several weeks, Trauma Director Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Fang has seen firsthand what is happening to the troops carrying out the strategy of protecting Afghan civilians.
LT. COL. RAYMOND FANG, LANDSTUHL REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: We see a lot more injured, what we call dismounted IED injuries where people are on foot patrol when they're injured, and here we are seeing truly devastating extremity amputations. We've been seeing a lot more than three or four extremity amputations than I had seen in the conflict in Iraq.
STARR: Specialist Gary Davis arrived here from Afghanistan a couple of days ago. He survived a massive roadside bomb, and portions of both legs have been amputated.
SPEC. GARY DAVIS, U.S. ARMY: We flipped over and everybody had the seat belts and stuff on, but we were in pain. I got out of the vehicle, undid my seat belt and I just flopped on to the ground. With all of the adrenaline going through me, I did notice that my legs were messed up, but I crawled as far as I could to the door. That is all of the energy I had and I kept on yelling, help me, help me.
STARR: Davis is on constant pain medication, but still, doctors will try to get him out of bed and into a chair. He will fly home within hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take him to the E.R.
STARR: Back out front with the teams who handle the wounded, Specialist Shalandra Reddin giggles about her new braces, but quickly this 27-year-old begins to open up.
SPEC. SHALANDRA REDDIN, U.S. ARMY: We have seen so many people with missing legs, arms, eyeballs, I mean, no -- it has been crazy.
STARR: She tells us that these days, there may be as many as four buses of wounded a day, and it used to be just one. Shalandra talks to the troops.
REDDIN: One story I heard that particularly stuck in my mind is that he said that he was looking out the window in Iraq, and the next thing he woke up, he was here. So, he had no legs. So. STARR: That is a lot for you the deal with at the age of 27.
REDDIN: Yes.
STARR: It is hard?
REDDIN: Yes. It is. But, I'd rather help someone that it be the other way around, that is how I look at it.
STARR: As soon as the wounded are stabilized enough to fly again, they leave Germany and are loaded one last time onto a cargo plane for the nine-hour flight back to the United States. Medications are checked, and rechecked.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Number 20.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go ahead. Lower.
STARR: More gear is loaded, turning the C-17 cargo plane into a flying intensive care unit. For this critically wounded soldier, equipment that would take up an entire hospital room stateside. From hospital bed to cargo plane. You are now on the way home?
DAVIS: Yes.
STARR: What are they telling you? Where are you going? What is going to happen next?
DAVIS: I'm going to Walter Reed, and start my rehab there. My parents are supposed to meet me there at some time, so, I'm excited about that.
STARR: Young troops still have their priorities even now. DAVIS: For example, I asked if they had internet, and they said, oh, yes, don't worry, you will have a computer in your room so you can like do e- mails and stuff like that.
STARR: Still, at moments, the road is daunting. Right now, because of the medication and everything fairly pain-free?
DAVIS: I'm doing pretty good.
STARR: Yes? This is not such a good day?
DAVIS: Well, yesterday was tough, because they took me out of the bed.
STARR: For these troops, pain and exhaustion, but they are going home.
DAVIS: Thank you very much, and have a very good day.
STARR: That story tomorrow.
Barbara Starr, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE) PHILLIPS: Well, clearly, it's not easy being a veteran. You just can't have too many role models, role models like Mike Reeder. So, Mike might have died in Vietnam, but he wouldn't trade his new one for anything. His amazing story, live from the golf course, coming up next.
Let's see it, Mike.
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PHILLIPS: All this hour, heck all this year, we've shown you how hard it is to be a veteran. Two wars, horrific injuries, PTSD, a record rate of suicides, homelessness, the VA botching some health care, Arlington cemetery even dropping the ball. We're always looking for stories to inspire our men and women coming home from war. And we found one in Vietnam vet Mike Reeder.
He's with us from his second home, Forest Crossing golf course in Franklin, Tennessee.
Mike, good to see you.
MIKE REEDER, DOUBLE AMPUTEE GOLFER: Good morning!
PHILLIPS: So, OK, here's my question.
How did you realize you had a gift for golf? This happened by accident, right?
REEDER: It did. It did, Kyra. It happened by accident.
I went into a golf store to buy a friend a dozen balls for his birthday. And the fellow behind the counter asked me, have you ever tried swinging sitting down? And I told him, I said, you know, I figured that was something like pole vaulting or skydiving, something I just wasn't going to do.
But he had a net set up in the back and we went back there, and I tried to assume an athletic position, and I took a swing. And as the golf gods would have it, I hit it dead, solid perfect. Right in the middle of the face of the club and right in the middle of the target in the net. And I said, well, now I got to learn how to play this game.
PHILLIPS: And then that is just -- so, let me ask you, because, you know, Mike, Vets' issues are near and dear to my heart, to this team's heart. And so many times we're talking about, you know, sad stories, and it's heartbreaking And then we heard about your story, and we thought, oh, my gosh, not only do we have to tell this, but we've to see you in action.
When you came back from Vietnam, do you think you went through what our troopers are going through now, PTSD, the emotional struggles? Because back then, it didn't have the title PTSD, it wasn't recognized like it's recognized now. REEDER: No, of course, not. Back when dinosaurs ruled, it was called "combat fatigue" and even earlier than that it was called "shell shock." But, you know, it's depression, no matter how you want to color it up with fancy words. You are terribly depressed because your life has changed. In my case, I had been a musician and a drummer and that part of my life was gone. But you adapt, adjust, and overcome. You get through it.
PHILLIPS: And we're going to see you do that.
REEDER: And it took --
PHILLIPS: Yes?
REEDER: I was just going to say that everyone is different. Everyone has a different hill to climb. Or as Michael J. Fox says, a bag of hammers to carry. No matter how you carry it, it's going to bite you. And everyone's different. Everyone has a different way of coping with it.
PHILLIPS: Well, I would love --
REEDER: Mine happened to be a very beautiful woman.
PHILLIPS: Aww. And, let's not forget the beautiful game of golf.
And so what we're going to do, Mike, we're going to take a quick break, and then we're going to have a few golf lessons with Mike Reeder, OK?
REEDER: Very well.
PHILLIPS: All right. Stay with us, everyone. You won't want to miss this.
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PHILLIPS: Our inspiration, Mark Reeder. We are now actually going to get golf lessons from this Vietnam vet, a message not only to all of us, but to our troopers who are about to come home in just a couple weeks. That Mike, despite the horrors of war, you got a message to tell and show that you can come back and life can be OK.
Let's get right to it. You've got a pitching iron -- or, yes, you've got a pitching iron with you, right? A pitching wedge?
REEDER: Actually, it's a sand wedge, but close enough.
PHILLIPS: All right, you got a sand wedge. That's all right. OK.
Now, explain to our viewers as you line up the ball, how far away the hole is, and what you have to do differently as you approach the ball.
REEDER: Well, I'm about 100 yards from the hole, hence the sand iron. And it is with all golfers, whether you're seated or standing, it is grip, stance, and alignment. Because golf is a target game, you have to be aligned at your target. So, the grip is light grip pressure. Your stance is athletic. And your alignment is to the hole or your target.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Look at that. And just remind our viewers --
REEDER: And --
PHILLIPS: Yes, OK?
REEDER: Oh, go ahead.
PHILLIPS: No, no. I wanted to remind our viewers, you know, that this is something that a lot of us have worked on since we were kids. This is no easy sport, folks.
And, Mike, when I get up to the tee, I'm also thinking about the placement of my feet, and the rotation of my hips, and all these things are going through my mind. And it's different for you, and you have had to develop your own type of swing.
REEDER: Well, yes and no.
I have my own swing, yes. And I'm sitting down. But everything is done on tempo. If you've got a good tempo, you can make a good swing. And being a musician all my life, tempo comes fairly easy. Sometimes it takes me two or three holes to drop into the correct tempo where I'm not over-swinging. But that goes along with any golfer. Any golfer will understand that.
PHILLIPS: As you line up this --
REEDER: Now, my clubs --
PHILLIPS: Yes, I know these are not your clubs, your clubs are already at St. Andrews, which is where you are headed next, every golfer's dream.
REEDER: Exactly.
PHILLIPS: We want to make it perfectly clear these aren't your clubs. That's the excuse we always use. But I don't think you need an excuse, Mike, I think you could play with any type of clubs.
REEDER: Well, I've been known to, believe me.
PHILLIPS: Line up the ball, give us --
REEDER: I've gone through a lot of clubs.
PHILLIPS: Oh, I'm sure -- haven't we all.
Do me a favor, line up another shot for me.
REEDER: Yes. All right. PHILLIPS: As you're getting ready, tell me what's going through your mind as you get ready for your shot, what you're thinking about?
REEDER: Well, I get a little tune going in the mental jukebox that's at the tempo that I want. I make sure I'm set up to the target. And then, truthfully, I don't have a swing thought. If I have a swing thought in my head, it will be wrong. I just try to go blank and be target oriented.
PHILLIPS: And you --
REEDER: Caught that one fat, but it may get there.
PHILLIPS: You know what --
REEDER: There it is, right there.
PHILLIPS: Right next to the hole. I love it.
REEDER: Rolled right up. Right next to the hole.
PHILLIPS: Oh, mike Reeder, you are such an inspiration and I just thank you so much for hitting the course with us today.
REEDER: Thank you, dear.
PHILLIPS: Really, we've got so many men and women coming back with so many things coming back from these wars. And you are just a testament that life can be OK and it can be a beautiful thing when you come back. And you have inspired us all, Mike.
Thank you so much. REEDER: Well, thank you very much for the opportunity to show that the disabled do not have to be couch potatoes. You can get out and make something of yourself and be physical, get exercise, be out here in the fresh air, and today very hot sunshine. But come out and do it.
PHILLIPS: Amen. We're going to follow you to St. Andrews. Send us pictures. We want to follow-up, Mike.
REEDER: All right, will do!
PHILLIPS: All right. Have a fabulous rest of your game.
That does it for us here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Don Lemon, up next.
