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CNN Live Saturday

A Look at 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions

Aired March 08, 2003 - 17:28   ET

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

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


RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: If it comes down to a war in Iraq, some of the first U.S. forces on the ground will be members of the Army's 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Past soldiers in these elite divisions fought in Normandy on D-Day. In fact, the divisions have a rich history of being the first in and tackling the toughest jobs. It is anybody's guess what they will be called on to do this time, but we have someone who can make a pretty good guess. You see, retired Brigadier General David Grange served in both divisions during his 30-year career. He is now a CNN military analyst, and he joins us from Oakbrook, Illinois. General Grange, good to see you again.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good evening.

SAN MIGUEL: You know, you couldn't have two more storied divisions than these two. The 82nd, of course, was the one that Sergeant Alvin York (ph) was in, and the 101st had its story told recently on HBO, "The Band of Brothers." What have been their roles in past conflicts and what will their roles be in Iraq?

GRANGE: Well, normally each one of these units -- in World War II, they parachuted in -- or by gliders behind enemy lines. They were keyed secure bridge sites, attack enemy headquarters that controlled troops on the front, to help relieve some pressure on those -- on the attacks landing at Normandy, as an example, on the beach heads there. Just through North Africa, Sicily, northern France and then through the European campaign through Belgium and Germany itself. These units have great history.

They also have great history in Vietnam, especially the 101st. And they did not fight in the Korean War, but they definitely spent a lot of time, especially the 101st, in Vietnam, and in the Gulf War, both divisions were there in 1991 as well.

SAN MIGUEL: Let's take them one at a time, starting with the 82nd. These are the paratroopers. What type of targets might they go after in a war?

GRANGE: Well, they would go in to, let's say, seize an airhead, which is like maybe an air field to that you would land, expand the security of an airfield and then land fixed-wing aircraft to bring in heavier units like land tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. They may go in to secure oil fields, again, key bridges, intersections, to go into -- get some key terrain that overlooks enemy positions, to help keep, again, the pressure off ground units. But parachute option gives you a great capability to go anywhere in the world and drop troops at almost any kind of terrain to perform a combat mission once they hit the ground.

SAN MIGUEL: When it comes to seizing those enemy air fields, considering Turkey not allowing U.S. troops to be based there for the time begin, how much more important is the 82nd's role in maybe some of those air fields in northern Iraq?

GRANGE: Very important. But it would also be important even in western Iraq. I think you'll see these types of units used throughout Iraq to take down critical objectives that are time-sensitive, where you need speed and you need to go over obstacles to get to the objective area.

SAN MIGUEL: And now to the 101st, the Army's only air assault division. What kind of targets would it be assigned, and how would they go about their attack?

GRANGE: Very similar type of targets. It may be shorter range deployments. In other words, they could go 100 miles deep, as an example, with 4,000 to 5,000 troops in one lift. And that includes not only infantrymen on the ground, but taking in artillery. Slung from beneath, for instance, Chinook helicopters to provide indirect fire support to bring in Humvees, the wheel vehicles, with tow (ph) weapon systems, which are anti-tank systems on the vehicle.

But the 101st, once they get there, can then move again, leap- frog again to another objective area by just bringing in the helicopters and moving again. Back and forth, all over the battlefield, depending on the situation.

SAN MIGUEL: You mentioned Chinooks. What about Apaches and Blackhawks which have played a big part in some of the modern wars?

GRANGE: Well, the Blackhawks, of course, to move troops internally, infantry squads as an example. The Apaches, both the H-64 Apache and the newer version, the Longbow, a tank killer, take out enemy fighting vehicles, to take out -- hit certain windows in a particular building. Again, lethal on the battlefield and can -- it would provide superior fire power where you don't have tanks or other ground forces available because you infiltrated so deep behind enemy lines.

SAN MIGUEL: And you talk about hitting windows in a building, which brings up the issue of urban combat. Are these the troops that have been trained for that, and are these some of the ones that would likely see, if they have to, to go building to building in Baghdad?

GRANGE: I think one thing to keep in mind is that these are all infantrymen. In other words, once -- if you're an infantry soldier in a mechanized division like the 3rd Infantry Division, which is currently right down in Kuwait looking at the Iraqi border. Once you get out of that vehicle, you're an infantryman. Once you land on a helicopter, you're an infantryman. Once you hit the ground in a parachute, you're an infantryman. So they all have to be trained in how to fight in desert, fight in jungle, fight in built-up areas, they're (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Some train a little bit more than others in this, but they're all trained in urban fighting.

SAN MIGUEL: The technology may change, but the assignments, the roles, the missions seem to stay the same. General Grange, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate your insight.

GRANGE: My pleasure.

SAN MIGUEL: Fredricka, back over to you.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Renay. Well, right now, the 101st Airborne Division is stationed in Kuwait, and CNN's Ryan Chilcote is with them, at what has been dubbed Camp New Jersey. And he joins us by videophone -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the Screaming Eagles have been here for a bit more than a week here in Kuwait, but what most people don't know is until this morning they didn't have their stuff. They didn't have the bulk of their equipment. That all changed when the USS (UNINTELLIGIBLE) pulled into a port here in the Persian Gulf. On board, more than 1,400 vehicles belonging to the 101st Airborne. And very importantly, as the general was pointing out in the previous interview, approximately 100 helicopters, including the Apaches, Blackhawks and Chinooks he mentioned.

Now, if you were looking for a milestone in the U.S.' preparations for war and the buildup for war, this is one of them. Those helicopters are exactly what gives the 101st its ability to do its forte, to go behind enemy lines and attack its enemies from deep behind those enemy lines, to get really get into the fight deep.

Now, meanwhile the soldiers haven't exactly been sitting on their hands back here at Camp New Jersey. They've been training, doing what they can without their equipment. One of the things they were focusing on is acclimating to what has become yet another desert for these soldiers. These same soldiers, most of them, fought in Afghanistan. In fact, they just got back from Afghanistan about six months ago. So it's not like they need a whole lot of training, but they do need to acclimate to their new environment.

One of the things that they're also doing out here in addition to that training, unfortunately for the soldiers standing in line, we've had some pretty intense sandstorms here recently, and those sandstorms have carried away some of the tents, including some of the mess hall tents. So the soldiers have been standing in one hour, one and a half hour, two hour long lines to have breakfast and/or eat dinner. There's two meals a day served here at the base.

And just to get those meals, they've got to stand in those pretty long lines. It's one of the many inconveniences that the soldiers have to put up with here at Camp New Jersey to serve their country -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Ryan, you mentioned many of these guys were already in Afghanistan. As they acclimate then to the surroundings in Kuwait, are any of them expressing any real similarities or major differences between what they experienced in Afghanistan and what they're experiencing now in Kuwait?

CHILCOTE: Yes, there are a lot of similarities, absolutely. This is the desert. It's a little bit less defined -- the land characteristics here are a little bit less defined. It's a much more open desert. Afghanistan, after all, it did have some mountains, it did have some valleys. Very little of that here in Kuwait. Just pretty much a very open desert.

Also, it's a bit milder, the climate here right now. It's getting up into the, I guess, 80s, low 90s during the day, but it's a bit nippy in the evening. So it's not that bad in that respect.

However, one of the other similarities with Afghanistan is the sandstorms. And the soldiers that were in Afghanistan have been saying that the sandstorms we saw here over the last couple of days were actually worse than anything that they saw. In fact, I was there myself -- any of us saw in Afghanistan. Very intense sandstorms that really shut everything down for these soldiers. Very difficult to see, more than 20 feet in front of yourself. Very difficult for helicopters to fly in those kind of conditions. A lot of similarities, but some new stuff as well -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, and I noticed even blowing away some of their tents there. Ryan Chilcote, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired March 8, 2003 - 17:28   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN ANCHOR: If it comes down to a war in Iraq, some of the first U.S. forces on the ground will be members of the Army's 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Past soldiers in these elite divisions fought in Normandy on D-Day. In fact, the divisions have a rich history of being the first in and tackling the toughest jobs. It is anybody's guess what they will be called on to do this time, but we have someone who can make a pretty good guess. You see, retired Brigadier General David Grange served in both divisions during his 30-year career. He is now a CNN military analyst, and he joins us from Oakbrook, Illinois. General Grange, good to see you again.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good evening.

SAN MIGUEL: You know, you couldn't have two more storied divisions than these two. The 82nd, of course, was the one that Sergeant Alvin York (ph) was in, and the 101st had its story told recently on HBO, "The Band of Brothers." What have been their roles in past conflicts and what will their roles be in Iraq?

GRANGE: Well, normally each one of these units -- in World War II, they parachuted in -- or by gliders behind enemy lines. They were keyed secure bridge sites, attack enemy headquarters that controlled troops on the front, to help relieve some pressure on those -- on the attacks landing at Normandy, as an example, on the beach heads there. Just through North Africa, Sicily, northern France and then through the European campaign through Belgium and Germany itself. These units have great history.

They also have great history in Vietnam, especially the 101st. And they did not fight in the Korean War, but they definitely spent a lot of time, especially the 101st, in Vietnam, and in the Gulf War, both divisions were there in 1991 as well.

SAN MIGUEL: Let's take them one at a time, starting with the 82nd. These are the paratroopers. What type of targets might they go after in a war?

GRANGE: Well, they would go in to, let's say, seize an airhead, which is like maybe an air field to that you would land, expand the security of an airfield and then land fixed-wing aircraft to bring in heavier units like land tanks and infantry fighting vehicles. They may go in to secure oil fields, again, key bridges, intersections, to go into -- get some key terrain that overlooks enemy positions, to help keep, again, the pressure off ground units. But parachute option gives you a great capability to go anywhere in the world and drop troops at almost any kind of terrain to perform a combat mission once they hit the ground.

SAN MIGUEL: When it comes to seizing those enemy air fields, considering Turkey not allowing U.S. troops to be based there for the time begin, how much more important is the 82nd's role in maybe some of those air fields in northern Iraq?

GRANGE: Very important. But it would also be important even in western Iraq. I think you'll see these types of units used throughout Iraq to take down critical objectives that are time-sensitive, where you need speed and you need to go over obstacles to get to the objective area.

SAN MIGUEL: And now to the 101st, the Army's only air assault division. What kind of targets would it be assigned, and how would they go about their attack?

GRANGE: Very similar type of targets. It may be shorter range deployments. In other words, they could go 100 miles deep, as an example, with 4,000 to 5,000 troops in one lift. And that includes not only infantrymen on the ground, but taking in artillery. Slung from beneath, for instance, Chinook helicopters to provide indirect fire support to bring in Humvees, the wheel vehicles, with tow (ph) weapon systems, which are anti-tank systems on the vehicle.

But the 101st, once they get there, can then move again, leap- frog again to another objective area by just bringing in the helicopters and moving again. Back and forth, all over the battlefield, depending on the situation.

SAN MIGUEL: You mentioned Chinooks. What about Apaches and Blackhawks which have played a big part in some of the modern wars?

GRANGE: Well, the Blackhawks, of course, to move troops internally, infantry squads as an example. The Apaches, both the H-64 Apache and the newer version, the Longbow, a tank killer, take out enemy fighting vehicles, to take out -- hit certain windows in a particular building. Again, lethal on the battlefield and can -- it would provide superior fire power where you don't have tanks or other ground forces available because you infiltrated so deep behind enemy lines.

SAN MIGUEL: And you talk about hitting windows in a building, which brings up the issue of urban combat. Are these the troops that have been trained for that, and are these some of the ones that would likely see, if they have to, to go building to building in Baghdad?

GRANGE: I think one thing to keep in mind is that these are all infantrymen. In other words, once -- if you're an infantry soldier in a mechanized division like the 3rd Infantry Division, which is currently right down in Kuwait looking at the Iraqi border. Once you get out of that vehicle, you're an infantryman. Once you land on a helicopter, you're an infantryman. Once you hit the ground in a parachute, you're an infantryman. So they all have to be trained in how to fight in desert, fight in jungle, fight in built-up areas, they're (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Some train a little bit more than others in this, but they're all trained in urban fighting.

SAN MIGUEL: The technology may change, but the assignments, the roles, the missions seem to stay the same. General Grange, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate your insight.

GRANGE: My pleasure.

SAN MIGUEL: Fredricka, back over to you.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Renay. Well, right now, the 101st Airborne Division is stationed in Kuwait, and CNN's Ryan Chilcote is with them, at what has been dubbed Camp New Jersey. And he joins us by videophone -- Ryan.

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, the Screaming Eagles have been here for a bit more than a week here in Kuwait, but what most people don't know is until this morning they didn't have their stuff. They didn't have the bulk of their equipment. That all changed when the USS (UNINTELLIGIBLE) pulled into a port here in the Persian Gulf. On board, more than 1,400 vehicles belonging to the 101st Airborne. And very importantly, as the general was pointing out in the previous interview, approximately 100 helicopters, including the Apaches, Blackhawks and Chinooks he mentioned.

Now, if you were looking for a milestone in the U.S.' preparations for war and the buildup for war, this is one of them. Those helicopters are exactly what gives the 101st its ability to do its forte, to go behind enemy lines and attack its enemies from deep behind those enemy lines, to get really get into the fight deep.

Now, meanwhile the soldiers haven't exactly been sitting on their hands back here at Camp New Jersey. They've been training, doing what they can without their equipment. One of the things they were focusing on is acclimating to what has become yet another desert for these soldiers. These same soldiers, most of them, fought in Afghanistan. In fact, they just got back from Afghanistan about six months ago. So it's not like they need a whole lot of training, but they do need to acclimate to their new environment.

One of the things that they're also doing out here in addition to that training, unfortunately for the soldiers standing in line, we've had some pretty intense sandstorms here recently, and those sandstorms have carried away some of the tents, including some of the mess hall tents. So the soldiers have been standing in one hour, one and a half hour, two hour long lines to have breakfast and/or eat dinner. There's two meals a day served here at the base.

And just to get those meals, they've got to stand in those pretty long lines. It's one of the many inconveniences that the soldiers have to put up with here at Camp New Jersey to serve their country -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Ryan, you mentioned many of these guys were already in Afghanistan. As they acclimate then to the surroundings in Kuwait, are any of them expressing any real similarities or major differences between what they experienced in Afghanistan and what they're experiencing now in Kuwait?

CHILCOTE: Yes, there are a lot of similarities, absolutely. This is the desert. It's a little bit less defined -- the land characteristics here are a little bit less defined. It's a much more open desert. Afghanistan, after all, it did have some mountains, it did have some valleys. Very little of that here in Kuwait. Just pretty much a very open desert.

Also, it's a bit milder, the climate here right now. It's getting up into the, I guess, 80s, low 90s during the day, but it's a bit nippy in the evening. So it's not that bad in that respect.

However, one of the other similarities with Afghanistan is the sandstorms. And the soldiers that were in Afghanistan have been saying that the sandstorms we saw here over the last couple of days were actually worse than anything that they saw. In fact, I was there myself -- any of us saw in Afghanistan. Very intense sandstorms that really shut everything down for these soldiers. Very difficult to see, more than 20 feet in front of yourself. Very difficult for helicopters to fly in those kind of conditions. A lot of similarities, but some new stuff as well -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, and I noticed even blowing away some of their tents there. Ryan Chilcote, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com