Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Last U.S. Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq; NY Gov. Offers Compromise; Risky Rescue in Washington State, High Jobless Numbers Scares Investors

Aired August 19, 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: And today marks the new beginning in Iraq, the last U.S. combat brigade has rolled out of the country and into Kuwait. For battle-weary Americans, it's the day they dreamed about.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVEN BEAROR, U.S. ARMY: As far as going back to Kuwait. One, no one else will get hurt, and, two, I'm going home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, U.S. troops remaining in Iraq begin their official transition to a non-combat role. They'll assist and advise Iraqi forces so all U.S. forces can leave the country next year.

Here's a closer look at those numbers. Right now, there are 56,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. That number will be drawn down to 50,000 by the end of the month. The U.S. combat mission will officially end on September 1st. That's when the support mission, "Operation New Dawn" will officially begin.

Now over the past year and a half, 90,000 U.S. troops have streamed out of Iraq. One common destination is Camp Virginia in Kuwait. CNN's Ben Wedeman is there just outside the base. He joins us on the phone. So Ben, tell us what's going on there right now?

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (ON THE PHONE): Well, in the early hours of the morning, Kyra, about 4,000 troops from the Fourth Stryker brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division crossed over from Iraq into Kuwait. Now, they are on the base basically resting because it was a very long night.

Tomorrow, they're going to start with the cleaning of their gear, their equipment, their vehicles. Obviously, full of desert dust, and that is in preparation for the journey home for these men. What they're expecting is that obviously the trip home is going to take several weeks to organize and get everybody, as one of their officers said, they will be leaving Kuwait one flight at a time, but this is obviously a flight many of these men and women have been waiting for for a very long time.

Now, there's still, as you said before, a few thousand troops left that need to leave Iraq by the end of the month, about 6,000. Those are mostly logistical and support people involved in this whole effort to get the combat troops out of Iraq, but, hopefully, (INAUDIBLE) as they say here, by the end of the month all of those combat troops will be out. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. We've heard a lot of (INAUDIBLE) through the years, haven't we? Let's talk, Ben, about the role that the U.S. military will play in Iraq from here on out.

WEDEMAN: Well, this is tomorrow will be the beginning of what's known as "Operation New Dawn" and that is going to be an operation where U.S. troops will providing assistance, support and training for Iraqi forces in the hopes that they'll be able to take the responsibility of running that country, but it's a huge challenge. You have to realize it.

At the moment, Iraq has no functioning government. Months after elections were held for that purpose. So they're going to have to try to support the Iraqi forces in stabilizing the situation, and of course, as we know, things are not stable in Iraq at the moment. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It will be a long time until it is.

Ben Wedeman, thanks.

The last combat convoy to leave Iraq last night was the Fourth Stryker Brigade. We talked to one of those wives. Her husband actually is now in Kuwait and headed home. Jacqueline Murman on the phone, from Longview, Washington. Jacqueline, you two were newlyweds and you haven't even lived together yet.

JACQUELINE MURMAN, WIFE OF RETURNING SOLDIER (ON THE PHONE): Yes. It's crazy. I want to live with my husband.

PHILLIPS: And it's been 11 months, is that right?

MURMAN: Yes. He actually left September 11th.

PHILLIPS: Wow.

MURMAN: So it's been over 11 months, and we are ready for it to be over.

PHILLIPS: So, when will you actually see him and get to hug him and hold him and start your life together?

MURMAN: I have no idea. He didn't know. I don't know. Obviously, that's something I'm really looking forward to finding out.

PHILLIPS: So you haven't even gotten those specifics yet?

MURMAN: No, I have no idea when he'll be here. I really don't.

PHILLIPS: Have you had a chance to talk to him? Do you know if he's out of Iraq - or I'm sorry, if he's out of country yet?

MURMAN: No. He hasn't been able to call, but, you know, he was in the unit that crossed over last night, so I am believing he's in Kuwait, but I haven't heard from him.

PHILLIPS: Have you just been counting the days and the minutes?

MURMAN: Oh, my gosh. Yes. Actually, I have a calendar at work, and I have every single day a countdown. I didn't know when it ended, but it's been going for months.

PHILLIPS: So what has been the hardest part, Jacqueline?

MURMAN: Oh, I think every day, you know, I will hear a car pull into the driveway and if someone is not planning on coming over, I run to the window. There's just that worry in the back of your head that, am I going to get a phone call today or is somebody going to drive up in my driveway, and as horrible as that sounds, it's reality, and something you worry about every single day when your husband's deployed. So to not have to worry about that and know he's going to be home and safe every single day, I think that's the best feeling in the world.

PHILLIPS: I think that's the best wedding present you could ever receive. Now you can finally start your life and hopefully start on having those babies. I heard you last night saying it's time to start a family.

MURMAN: I have been bugging him. He says, "honey, wait until I'm home, wait until I'm in the United States." I'm like, "no, let's talk about it."

PHILLIPS: Well, congratulations, Jacqueline.

MURMAN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: We look forward to hooking up with both of you when you are finally together again.

MURMAN: That sounds good.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Jacqui.

MURMAN: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Well, the road to democracy has often been a painful one for Iraqis. Their daily life has been plagued by horrific violence, power outages and food shortages.

CNN's Josh Levs is joining us now to give us a little bit more about what it's like on a daily basis for Iraqis and it is far from easy. Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. And there's a lot of work to be done. We're going to talk about this. Since we're talking about the conditions for Iraqis, before I begin with the humanitarian conditions, I want to show you something here, this chart that I think says a lot from Brookings Institution. I should be able to get through over here. Take a look at what it says here. You don't need to know the numbers, all you need to see is these little bumps all over the place. This is the estimated number of Iraqi civilian casualties by month, since the beginning of the war. Boom, 2003, it went all the way up to here. We're on 2007, 2008, more than 3,500 casualties a month and then boom, all the way down here, in 2010. So we're talking about in that sense, what's going on in terms of the violence on the ground. The Brookings Institution there, talking us through some basics, it helps show you at least in that part of the violence, you're seeing a tremendous improvement.

Now, let's talk about daily life. And we're going to start off with the poverty line here. Right now, about 23 percent of Iraq's population is below the poverty line and that's according to the U.N.. That's about twice the U.S. level here. And it is a lot. It is a lot.

But the U.N. also says it's about the same for the Arab world in general, around 23 percent poverty. I can show you that here. Another one to take a look at is food insecurity. The hunger figures are relatively low. You're talking about three percent food insecurity in the country, compared to some other countries that are ravaged by conflict. This is pretty good.

The World Food Program says it's about three percent there but it also says a lot more people is dependent on the program to keep giving them food. Millions more could fall into food insecurities, could become hungry if they are left without that.

A couple more things to take a look at. Any one time I want to look at how conditions are on the ground in a country, one of the first things we need to know is access to power. In order to do basics, people need electricity. Well 66 percent of the electricity demand is currently being met, and according to the U.S. inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, supply is only, you know, meeting that much, which means ultimately you got millions of people with no power. They're saying outside of Baghdad, millions of people have just about four hours of electricity a day.

A couple more things to show you here. 22 million Iraqis currently have access to potable water. That's something. That's good but that still leaves about seven million Iraqis who don't. So a long way to go there. And two more things to talk about here. One of them is refugees. I think we have some video. One of the things to understand about what's happened with Iraq and the way that it's changed so much throughout this whole time is that all these people have been displaced, lots of people fled the country and lots of people are displaced from their own homes even within the country.

Well, more than a million refugees remain abroad, most of them in Syria and Jordan. Another 1.5 million people are displaced internally. So you still have a lot of people who are unable to access what was once their homes, build a home and build a future. And another thing a lot of people want to know about is the oil, the crude oil because ultimately this is supposed to help Iraq get on its feet economically and potentially help build a new economy. And what they're saying there, according to the latest statistics there is that it's been flat for the last 2 1/2 years. It's around 2.4 million barrels per day, which is just below what the level was before the war.

So Kyra, it's a mixed bag. You know, if you are going to look at some of the basics in Iraq, we are seeing them and you have to accept, there are improvements, and that's great, but as you said, still a long way to go. Yes.

PHILLIPS: Yes. Thanks, Josh.

LEVS: You bet.

PHILLIPS: As the combat mission in Iraq nears a close, let's take a look at where we've been over the last seven years and five months.

War launched in March 2003. That was shock and awe. Less than a month later, Saddam Hussein fell. And a month after that, President Bush announced major combat operations over, but in 2004, we saw the war's bloodiest battle, Fallujah, 51 U.S. troops died in that offensive, and we learned about the Abu Ghraib Prison scandal as the United Nation's report finds no weapons of mass destruction.

2005, Iraq's first free election in half a century. Hopes were high it would break the insurgency. It didn't. 2006, Saddam Hussein is hanged, more hope of tumbling the insurgency. It didn't. 2007, the U.S. sent General David Petraeus and Petraeus launched the surge that turned the tie d and helped make the drawdown possible. This war has impacted lives all across this country and across the globe. We want to hear your thoughts on this milestone, especially if you have served. Just head to CNN.com/kyra. Let us know what you think. We'll read some of your comments throughout the hour.

A planned Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero has many people outraged, but at the Pentagon Muslims can pray every day just feet from where a jet crashed on 9/11.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: New York Governor David Paterson made a heartfelt offer to the developers of that controversial Islamic center and mosque planned near Ground Zero. He shared his idea last night on "Larry King Live."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. DAVID PATERSON (D), NEW YORK: People put their heads together, maybe we can find a site that's away from the site now but still serves the catchman area that would be a noble gesture to those who live in the area, who suffered after the attack on this country and at the same time would probably in many ways change a lot of people's minds about Islam, which is really a peaceful religion practiced by peace-loving people.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: The governor says he does understand there is no local, state or federal statute to stop the Islamic center from being built near Ground Zero. That bitter debate rages on in New York but Muslims have been praying for years right on another site of the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon.

And that's where CNN's Chris Lawrence takes us inside that chapel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Once a day, Muslim civilians and soldiers who work in the Pentagon come here to pray. Less than 100 feet from the terrible impact nine years ago where terrorists crashed a plane into the Pentagon and killed 125 people.

GEORGE WRIGHT, ARMY PUBLIC AFFAIRS: We're very tolerant here of one another and our faith.

LAWRENCE: Cameras aren't allowed in any of the actual services. But a chaplain tells me Muslim worshippers come at 2:00 every afternoon. Lay out their prayer mats and pray.

WRIGHT: We don't keep track of who comes in here. We don't count numbers. We have estimates, of course, 300 to 400 a week. But people are free to worship here as they see fit.

LAWRENCE (on camera): Unlike the controversy in New York where they're debating city blocks, here in the Pentagon, it's literally a matter of inches. That's the distance from the September 11th memorial to the front door of the chapel where Muslims worship.

(voice-over): It's not a mosque. All faiths get a chance to use the chapel. Take Wednesdays, for example, there's a Catholic mass at 11:30 followed by Protestant Bible Study, an Episcopal service and then the Muslim prayers.

On other days, Hindus and Mormons get their time slots, too. On Fridays, there's a Jewish service followed immediately by a Muslim one where a local imam actually comes in to lead prayers.

(on camera): Is it the same imam every week or pulled from a rotating group?

WRIGHT: I think it's pulled from a rotating group.

LAWRENCE (voice-over): There are nearly 3,700 Muslims in the U.S. military, but that's less than one percent of all service members. Some are deployed to the war zones. Now, the center proposed for lower Manhattan is a very different structure but the issue of Muslims worshipping at the site of the attack hasn't come up here.

WRIGHT: I've never heard of any complaints or issues or questions about it.

LAWRENCE (on camera): But no one here is minimizing the concerns some people have in New York. And several told us they think folks in Manhattan have some genuine concerns. Now, for its part, the Pentagon uses an outside Islamic organization to recommend and clear local imams for Friday prayers, same as they do for priests or rabbis.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: We're going to show you a daring rescue in Washington state. A woman who fell from a cliff and a Navy helicopter's delicate maneuver to save her life.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories - the number of homeless in the Pakistan floods has doubled to four million people now. Senator John Kerry says Washington plans to boost aid to the nation by $150 million. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton will make that announcement later today.

Admiral Thad Allen says the ruptured BP well is now expected to be permanently plugged the week after Labor Day.

Meanwhile in Washington, a House hearing will take up the issue of gulf seafood safety this afternoon.

And the last U.S. brigade combat team in Iraq left the country this morning. 6,000 more troops have to leave by September 1st to reach President Obama's goal of 50,000 U.S. troops in an advise and assist role only.

As we go to break, images from the Iraq war you probably remember.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is really the most astonishing thing. There he goes!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A young woman who had fallen from a cliff forced a dangerous rescue attempt. It took place in northwest Washington state where a helicopter had to hover below a bridge to actually save her. Reporter Gary Chittim, CNN affiliate, KING, was there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GARY CHITTIM, REPORTER, KING 5 NEWS (voice-over): It is a dizzying view from the top of a 420 foot high steel bridge, down into the canyon where the Mason County fire crews are treating a patient.

DEP. CHIEF DEAN BYURD, MASON CO., SHERIFF'S OFFICE: She is down there injured and she is becoming hypothermic. So her condition is getting a little bit more serious. CHITTIM: There's only one way out, up. DNR wildfire teams answer the call for help and race to the scene. They'll need every bit of their muscle to pull that young victim out. But, then, the Navy arrived and after carefully reviewing the scene, they did what most witnesses here still can't believe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They've gone under the bridge attempting that rescue right now.

CHITTIM: That's right, the Whidbey Island Navy crew flew under the high steel bridge. With just feet to spare on each side of the blades, the crew hovered over the river and then sent a rescuer into the water. Climbing teams on the bridge flocked to watch the incredible scene below.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty amazing.

CHITTIM: Nervous moments passed before the victim and rescuer wildly spinning in the crosswinds, were elevated into the helicopter.

(on camera): The good news is they are safely able to get her aboard and get her on the board and get her onto the aircraft. The bad news is that has totally changed the dynamics of the aircraft. The weight has shifted and they are in a very, very tight canyon.

(voice-over): With the family of the victim watching, the pilot steady as a rock backs the helicopter out of the narrow wind field canyon and safely pulls up.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we're so appreciative of everybody who rallied to pull this one off.

CHITTIM: When a teenager needed help at the bottom of the canyon, it arrived from every angle.

() Gary Chittim, KING 5 News.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, if you lost your job, then you might know Henry Segal's pain. Tomorrow he will have been jobless for two years. He can tell you how hard it is to start over when you are 58 years old. We're going to try and help him out in just a few minutes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The last U.S. combat brigade has pulled out of Iraq. An iconic image of American history, 4,000 troops rolling across the border into Kuwait. The Fourth Stryker Brigade 2nd Infantry Division otherwise known as the 42 is now expected back in America by mid- September.

56,000 troops are still in Iraq. That number will dip to 50,000 by the end of the month. They're staying behind to execute the next phase, "Operation New Dawn," which U.S. forces switch to an advise and assist role. But seven years before "Operation New Dawn" there were several nights of shock and awe. In March 2003, the U.S. and its allies launched a massive air assault. Tremendous explosion rocks targets in Baghdad and across the country.

I was there as the war started, side by side with the fighter pilots who were the first to bomb Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep the Gs on the jet.

PHILLIPS (voice-over): Here on the USS Abraham Lincoln, it's not night they've been training and preparing for, for months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mission objectives, we heard that. Hit the target. Kill (INAUDIBLE).

PHILLIPS: VF-31, the F-14 Tomcatters Squadron is about to take part in a massive aerial bombardment against Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his regime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A lot of lights, a lot of explosion. Don't get mesmerized by that. Focus on what you need to do.

PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Steve Yures (ph) doesn't know it now, but he will take a on a very crucial role.

(on-camera): The Tomcatters will have destroyed more than 100 (INAUDIBLE) and aircrafts. But they are expected to unleash more than 1,500 bombs and missiles in the next couple of days, converging on Iraq in the campaign that's being called shock and awe.

(voice-over): Armed with satellite and laser-guided bombs, and numerous types of missiles, this F-14 and F-18 strike fighters are about to make history.

Back in the Tomcatters ready room, fellow pilots wait and watch the news. They know what's about to happen. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A little shock and awe.

PHILLIPS: Military sites, Saddam's republican palace, and offices of the foreign ministry -- all hit. The initial strike takes only seven minutes. Life changes quickly, not only for Iraq, but Lieutenant Steve Yures. A chain of events puts him in the lead position of his F-14 division to and from Iraq. The end of the night debrief is emotional.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looked like something right out of Star Wars. It was very intense. A lot of adrenaline and just pretty much when you're flying in there and you see all of this, and there's so many moving parts to obviously what all happened tonight, you try to absorb it all, and it kind of feels like you're almost coming out of your skin.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of the feelings and emotions started coming back after we were headed home out of any threat area. Just kind of, wow, you feel the weight of what you just did and everything you saw really hits you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just hoping whatever we're doing out there makes it easier for the ground troops that are forcing in, that actually have - you know, we're lucky because we get to go in there, do our 20, 30 minutes, get out and come back here. But those guys have to be on the ground the whole time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is the first time I've ever been shot at with missiles that looked like they were guiding on us. It was nice that the training and tactics and stuff that we practiced actually worked and we were able to defeat the shots and get into the target, get our bombs off. They found their way to the appropriate target and we brought everybody back.

PHILLIPS: Now, the question is, how much longer will these pilots be in the fight?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

Retired Navy Admiral Timothy Keating was working in the Pentagon when 9/11 happened. He remembers well how the terrorists attacked us. But his Military career was about to take on something that he never expected -- Operation Iraqi Freedom. He commanded that shock and awe air campaign, the first bombs to fall on Baghdad. I spent a lot of time with him on the carrier and out on the battlefield. This video is from March 19th, the day that campaign started.

I spoke with him last hour, reflecting on the day that the war started and the controversy that followed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

I was actually going back to my journal, and you know, I've never kept a journal before, but for some reason, I felt that I should during that war. And I -- I'm going to leave some of the names out here, but Admiral, this is what I wrote, actually the day that you came aboard. I said, "last night, I had a briefing with commander so-and-so. He shared with me off the record for now the battle plan for from the air."

Twenty-two strikers and three prowlers will launch from the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln on the first night of strikes. Add in the two other carriers, "U.S.S. Constellation" and "U.S.S Kitty Hawk," and there will be more than 100 aircraft. Tomahawk missiles will launch from destroyers and cruisers and the air force will fly over Baghdad with B-52 bombers. The operation will be called "Operation Iraqi Freedom."

And then I went on to say "Admiral Keating came aboard today. He made his rounds to all the carriers to inspire the troops. He really amazed me with regard to how he is in front of those sailors. He is so good with them. He told all the men and women to call home and tell their families that they are about to be a part of history." And then I went on and said, "President Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave the country or face war. That time runs out tomorrow. Will we go to war tomorrow? All of us have our gas masks on our side."

That was a powerful speech that you made that day. And I know you'll never forget it. Do you remember the reaction from those sailors? Because you knew what was about to happen. You know, the U.S. was about to go to war.

VOICE OF NAVY ADMIRAL TIMOTHY KEATING (retired): I remember it very clearly, Kyra. And the picture you gave me helps capture that moment because I told you that I had to pass and spot my office and I go past it many times as a reminder. I was nervous, little apprehensive, but very, very confident that these kids, well trained and well equipped as any -- you know, they represent the most powerful best fighting force in the history of our world.

They were doing what they were learned (ph). They were trained for what they're going to do, and they're willing to make the sacrifice for all the right reasons. I'm very proud of them.

PHILLIPS: And the -- probably one of the toughest parts that you had to deal, and I got to ask you that question or this question is the criticism about that war. It started out as a very patriotic moment for this country. And then we started seeing how these terrorists played so unfairly and we saw so many lives being lost, and it became a very controversial war. How did you deal with that? And have you found peace with that as you had to take on a lot of criticism during the war?

KEATING: I have found peace with it, Kyra. It's a great question, and it's a fair question. One we need to ask ourselves time and again. As I mentioned, we were in the Baghdad and we're pulling down -- basic criticism. I mean, the marines were pulling down the statue. You all captured it. We thought a lot about and studied carefully lessons learned following the initial success. We did make mistakes as a country and as a department. We need to think more carefully about not just peacemaking but peacekeeping.

We were unprepared for some of the virtualities of the world. We learned the lessons, being applied by some of the same men and women that went into Iraq. So, long answer. We had some lessons to learn. We didn't think through careful enough. What would -- what has unfolded. The fact that the kids are coming out today, I think, is a testament to the initial smart decision that will enable our country's leaders.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That brings us to today's blog question. We want to hear from you about the pull-out of our troops in Iraq, and a lot of you are responding.

This comes from Major Virginia Vardon-Smith. I served in Iraq with the 10th Combat Support Hospital. I'm glad we are finally exiting Iraq, as I saw so many good people, our soldiers and civilians severely injured and wounded. And it's time the carnage stops. We saved so many lives and we made so many life-long friends. It's time that we turn the page. This is from Dennis. As a Vietnam vet, where we had with our tails between our legs with defeat, this could heal wounds for me. When I heard that soldiers say, we won, I started to cry.

This comes from CC. Yesterday was a day that will be remembered throughout our history. I'll remember it as the day my son was out of harm's way.

We always love hearing from you. Thanks so much for writing in. You can always log on to CNN.com/kyra and share your comments with me.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The numbers scaring investors today is half a million. That's how many people joined unemployment lines last week. Patricia Wu at the New York Stock Exchange with the details.

So Patricia, let's explain exactly what the number means.

PATRICIA WU, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, that number means that companies are still cutting jobs and laying people off. And things are worse than at the beginning of the year.

In January 2010, there were 456,000 new jobless claims. Last week the number hit half a million. So basically, companies are in a wait and see mode. They want to wait until they see a sustainable recovery before they hire. The problem is that could become a self-fulfilling prophecy of sluggish growth if they don't hire.

Now these weak job numbers that we're seeing, it's actually normal to hit this sort of a rough patch after the economy starts to recover. It usually just bounces along off its lows. There's rarely ever a very smooth recovery. We saw the same thing after the 2001 recession. So, there's been a lot of talk about a double-dip recession. But that is actually extremely rare.

Now there are two other weak economic reports that are adding to the losses. We'll take a look at the big board and check those numbers. Right now the Dow is it down triple digit losses, 148 at 10,267, and the Nasdaq down nearly 30.

Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Patricia, thanks.

Henry Siegel is unemployed at age 58. He says that trying to find a job over the last two years could be the hardest work he's ever done. Henry is an Emmy Award-winning TV producer. Sports is his specialty. He lives in Denver now, but his daughters go to school in Tennessee and he'd love a job in the Nashville area. New York? Well that'd be fine, too.

We're giving Henry a chance to woo a potential employer in our 30 second pitch.

Henry, tell us how frustrating this job has been for you. HENRY SIEGEL, EMMY AWARD WINNING PRODUCER: Well, of course it is, but you can't let that get to you. The important thing I've discovered throughout this period of time is that you have to remain hopeful, you have to remain optimistic, and you have to continue to believe in yourself.

PHILLIPS: And, not only that, you know, you're having to continue to believe in your daughters and your daughters in you. This is not good time to be out of work. You're putting them through school.

SIEGEL: Yes. That's particularly challenging. You know, if life went according to plan, I guess it'd be boring, or so I tell myself. But we have a terrific relationship and they're very proud of me, as I am of them, and I love them very much and I know they love me as well, regardless of what I do. It's not what I do. It's who I am.

PHILLIPS: And you've raised some fantastic daughters.

So let's get to it. You ready for the 30-second pitch?

SIEGEL: I'm ready.

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's start the clock. Go ahead, Henry.

SIEGEL: Where's the prompter. No prompter here? OK, Just kidding.

PHILLIPS: You're a producer, you don't need a prompter. You've already produced this segment. You know exactly what to do.

SIEGEL: Oh, that's right, that's right. I tell you what to do. All right, here I go.

I've produced thousands of hours of television programming. I've launched two sports networks, discovered and developed numerous TV personalities. The innovative productions I have created is due to my always challenging the conventional, a concept that is now more important than ever, as the way in which we watch TV is rapidly changing. As a member of your team, my skills and past experience can help ensure distinctive programs in your organization's future.

PHILLIPS: Look at that. Perfect producer. Under the clock. You had four seconds to go.

SIEGEL: There you go.

PHILLIPS: Well I hope CNN is listening. We wish you the best of luck. Henry, please let us know if you get any tips, any bites, all right?

SIEGEL: I sure will. And I just want to say you have a great production team there, as well. Your producer was very thorough.

SIEGEL: That's fabulous feedback coming from an Emmy Award- winning producer. Thank you so much.

SIEGEL: Sure.

PHILLIPS: If you are out of work and want to sell yourself to prospective employers, let us know. You can send your resume and a letter to 30secondpitch@CNN.com. Also, If you want to hire our 30- second pitchers, just like Henry there, you can go to our blog, CNN.com/kyra. All of their info and e-mails will be there.

Let's check our top stories. Before you cook eggs today, take a close look at the carton. An Iowa company has recalled 380 million eggs because of a possible link to salmonella. The tainted eggs are blamed for making hundreds of people sick in 17 states.

Tomorrow, President Obama and his family head to Martha's Vineyard for a week-long vacation. It'll be the First Family's second visit there. The President returns to Washington, August 29th.

And a last U.S. brigade combat team in Iraq left the country this morning. 6,000 more troops have to leave by September 1st to reach President Obama's goal of 50,000 U.S. troops in an advise and assist role.

As we go to break, more images from the war in Iraq. You'll never forget this moment, the capture of Saddam Hussein.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right. Let's talk to you about at Federal appeals court ruling that came out of Washington. The judges declared the Stolen Valor Act from 2006 is unconstitutional. Basically, that means that it's not a crime to tell folks that you won the Medal of Honor, a Purple Heart, a Silver Star, and so on, even if you never served a single day in the Military. No word yet if the Justice Department will a appeal.

Just because it's legal doesn't make it right, though, and it's a shame that we even needed a law like that in the first place. But the fakers and valor thieves, like Javier Alvarez is out there. This picture is from Channel 6 in San Diego. Alvarez told everyone he was a retired Marine, that won the Medal of Honor, the highest Military honor. Fairy tale, made it up, but not illegal.

A real slap in the face to the men and women -- living or dead -- who actually earned their medals.

Here's some of our genuine heroes. These six men received Silver Stars for real valor in Afghanistan. The ceremony was Monday at Ft. Bragg, and we covered it. Master Sergeant Julio Bocanegra (ph), who modestly said he was just doing his job. Sergeant First Class Antonio Gonzalez. Sergeant First Class Mario Pinilla (ph). Also Chief Warrant Officer, too, Mark Roland (ph). And Staff Sergeant Daniel Gould. And Sergeant First Class Jonathan Clouse (ph). And, of course, we don't want to forget Sergeant First Class David Nunez. He got his award posthumously. He was killed in Afghanistan two years ago. We salute every single one of you.

But for anyone thinking about faking it, pretending to be Military heroes, the court might have your back, but you still have to deal with Colin, Zach and Mack (ph). A former federal agent and a couple of former SEALS, they're now members of an elite team who hunt down the liars and fakers and expose them for what they really are. They're part of the Stolen Valor Investigative Team. Fake the medal, you better get ready to man up.

A Marine's wife gets the call he dreads in the middle of the night. Now the love of her life lives on in their daughter. A special Home and Away tribute, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's time for Home and Away, our daily tribute to a service member who has made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq or Afghanistan. And today we're lifting up Lance Corporal Thomas Pain Echols, from Shepherdsville, Kentucky. He was killed in combat in Anbar Province in Iraq in December of 2006.

And joining us via Skype, from her home in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, is tom's wife Allyson Echols.

Allyson, great to see you.

ALLYSON ECHOLS, WIFE OF LANCE CPL. TOM ECHOLS: You, too.

PHILLIPS: You guys were high school sweethearts, were you??

ECHOLS: Yes, we met towards the end of my junior year in high school at the end of his senior year.

PHILLIPS: And what was it about Tom, Allyson, that you loved so much at the age of 19?

ECHOLS: That's the thing. At first I couldn't stand him. He was the complete opposite of what I was looking for in a boyfriend at the time. He was proud and stubborn and just complete opposite. And then it actually took him a week to convince me to go out on a date with him. And it was after that date that I actually got to know how he really was and how genuine and sweet-hearted he was. And I instantly fell for him and it was all said and done after that first date.

PHILLIPS: Now, the tough part, you were actually pregnant with your only child when you found out the news, right?

ECHOLS: Yes, I was 16 weeks.

PHILLIPS: Tell us how it happened.

Where were you and how did you find out?

ECHOLS: Well, we found out a week before Tom deployed that I was pregnant, and he sent me back home. We were at Camp Jejune. He said, you have no family or friends here, go home, be with your family. I moved in with my mom for a bit and then we had to move in with my aunt. The address never got update with the Marine Corps. So they were actually looking for me and word got around and I got a phone call that there were some men in uniform looking for me. They met up with tom's brother, and Tom's brother brought them to my aunt's home. And it was early in the morning, about 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. when they finally found me.

PHILLIPS: Allyson, is it hard to see these troops coming home, and all this coverage of so many of these young men coming home now?

ECHOLS: I'm not sure yet. I'm happy that they're coming home and that no more soldiers or Marines have to die and add any more widows to our ranks. And I'm happy that we can say that we did a job well done and that my husband's death wasn't in vain.

PHILLIPS: And from what I understand your little girl Julia, you call her a mini-Tom.

How is she like your husband?

ECHOLS: She looks just like him, acts just like him. She has my dark hair but other than that, she has his bright blue eyes and his silly attitude and first one to always crack a joke and make everybody smile.

PHILLIPS: How does he remember daddy?

ECHOLS: She knows that daddy died when she was still in my belly and that he is in heaven, and that he was a Marine and he was a hero. She has a daddy doll, it's a little pillow with Tom's picture on it. And Daddy goes everywhere with us. He's been to the beach, he goes to school. Whenever she says, Mommy, I want to go see Daddy, we drop everything and go to Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville where Tom is buried, and we go and visit.

PHILLIPS: I tell you what. I saw the picture just a moment ago of her kissing Tom's tombstone, and that just gives you chills seeing something like that. But the beautiful thing is he's living on through her. That is for sure. We sure appreciate you sharing the story of your relationship and also your beautiful daughter.

Allyson, thanks so much.

ECHOLS: Thank you for having me.

PHILLIPS: My pleasure.

We want to hear about your loved one, of course. All you have to do is go to CNN.com/homeandaway. Type your service member's name in the upper right hand search field, pull up the profile. Send us your thoughts, your pictures, and we'll keep the memory of your hero alive, as well.