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CNN Live Saturday

7 Former POWs Halfway Through Flight Back to U.S.

Aired April 19, 2003 - 15:07   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.


JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Seven former prisoners of war are just about half way through a grueling 13-hour flight back to the U.S. They got a hero's sendoff at Ramstein Air Force base in Germany and they left there, as they left for their bases in Texas. The first stop is Ft. Bliss, home to five members of the 507th Maintenance Company. The plane continues on to Ft. Hood, where celebrations are being planned for the other two soldiers.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is in Ft. Bliss, and Jamie Colby is with family members at Ft. Hood. We begin with Thelma.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Jonathan. Well, three of five of the soldiers have family members who are flying to El Paso from other parts of the country to be here for the homecoming celebration. We're told that the POWs, the former POWs are expected to arrive at Ft. Bliss sometime between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. tonight, and when they do there will be a huge celebration on the tarmac. We're told family, friends, the whole celebration is open to the public, and anybody who wants to attend. They're expecting thousands of people here tonight.

Well, this morning all seven former POWs boarded an aircraft at the Ramstein air base in Germany to being their long journey home. They appeared to be in high spirits; eager to finally be reunited with loved ones back home. One of those people is Theresa Rowland. She is Shoshana Johnson's friend, and she told us that when she first heard her friend's voice on the telephone, it was an emotional moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA ROWLAND, FRIEND OF FORMER POW: I answered the phone and she goes, hi can I speak to Theresa Rowland? And I'm like this is Theresa. She goes, "it's me, fool." And I'm like, oh my God, Shana. And I just started screaming and crying and she told me don't cry. She said, I'm coming home, don't cry. And I told her; I said I can't help it. I said you have no idea how much I worried about you, how much I prayed for you. I said I don't think I've ever prayed so much in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Even though friends and family are going to celebrate tonight and that this is a very joyous occasion of them, the people here on base at Ft. Bliss told me that they have not forgotten their fallen comrades who were also based here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN OFFUTT, PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR, FT. BLISS: This is a celebration for us even though we do this with a bittersweet feeling. You know that nine other soldiers did die. And we have about 5,000 still there. So when they all come home, we'll really celebrate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: And we're told tomorrow, Easter Sunday will be more quiet and private time for the soldiers and their families. This after a very public celebration that should get under way a little bit later tonight. And now for more, let's go to my colleague Jamie, who is at Ft. Hood, Texas where two of the former POWs will be returned -- Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thelma, thank you. Was there any question of what the headline would be today? The "Killeen Daily Herald," "Hood Ready to Welcome Two Ex-POWs." It's the day that they've been waiting for, and all day long they've been making preparations, but particularly all eyes glued to the TV, watching the seven former POWs load that Air Force plane, and the two Apache pilots, Ron Young and David Williams sitting on top of that plane waving an American flag.

Well, that put everything in full speed. They will actually, after they leave Bliss, go to their hangar, the hangar that house their unit, and there they will have what a Major just told me here at the base, appropriate pomp and circumstance. They will speak briefly to the media, though they won't be taking questions. But what we're all waiting for and I'm sure the families are too, that first hug.

I spoke a short time ago to Michele Williams. She is the wife of David Williams. They are an American love story. They met at Ft. Rucker in flight training school. He flies Apaches; she flies Black Hawks. Don't ask them who flies better. In the meantime, the two of them have two beautiful children; 2-year old Jason and 6-month-old Madison. I asked Michele a short time ago, during her last conversation with David, what was it he wanted to know? She said he wanted to know how long has Madison's hair gotten? She's only 6 months old, and it's gotten apparently much longer since he left.

The plans for the weekend? Family and friends in town from all over. Both sets of parents; a big barbecue; they haven't said where. And I also asked Michele whether or not David will be flipping the grill. She's not sure about that yet, but she sure is happy that the day has come for her to wrap her arms around her husband and share him with family and friends. And we will be there later this evening, when that plane rolls in from Ft. Bliss, and now I'll send it back to you -- Jon.

KARL: All right. Jamie Colby in Ft. Hood and Thelma Gutierrez in Ft. Bliss, thank you both.

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 April 19, 2003 - 15:07   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN KARL, CNN ANCHOR: Seven former prisoners of war are just about half way through a grueling 13-hour flight back to the U.S. They got a hero's sendoff at Ramstein Air Force base in Germany and they left there, as they left for their bases in Texas. The first stop is Ft. Bliss, home to five members of the 507th Maintenance Company. The plane continues on to Ft. Hood, where celebrations are being planned for the other two soldiers.
CNN's Thelma Gutierrez is in Ft. Bliss, and Jamie Colby is with family members at Ft. Hood. We begin with Thelma.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Jonathan. Well, three of five of the soldiers have family members who are flying to El Paso from other parts of the country to be here for the homecoming celebration. We're told that the POWs, the former POWs are expected to arrive at Ft. Bliss sometime between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m. tonight, and when they do there will be a huge celebration on the tarmac. We're told family, friends, the whole celebration is open to the public, and anybody who wants to attend. They're expecting thousands of people here tonight.

Well, this morning all seven former POWs boarded an aircraft at the Ramstein air base in Germany to being their long journey home. They appeared to be in high spirits; eager to finally be reunited with loved ones back home. One of those people is Theresa Rowland. She is Shoshana Johnson's friend, and she told us that when she first heard her friend's voice on the telephone, it was an emotional moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA ROWLAND, FRIEND OF FORMER POW: I answered the phone and she goes, hi can I speak to Theresa Rowland? And I'm like this is Theresa. She goes, "it's me, fool." And I'm like, oh my God, Shana. And I just started screaming and crying and she told me don't cry. She said, I'm coming home, don't cry. And I told her; I said I can't help it. I said you have no idea how much I worried about you, how much I prayed for you. I said I don't think I've ever prayed so much in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Even though friends and family are going to celebrate tonight and that this is a very joyous occasion of them, the people here on base at Ft. Bliss told me that they have not forgotten their fallen comrades who were also based here.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN OFFUTT, PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR, FT. BLISS: This is a celebration for us even though we do this with a bittersweet feeling. You know that nine other soldiers did die. And we have about 5,000 still there. So when they all come home, we'll really celebrate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: And we're told tomorrow, Easter Sunday will be more quiet and private time for the soldiers and their families. This after a very public celebration that should get under way a little bit later tonight. And now for more, let's go to my colleague Jamie, who is at Ft. Hood, Texas where two of the former POWs will be returned -- Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thelma, thank you. Was there any question of what the headline would be today? The "Killeen Daily Herald," "Hood Ready to Welcome Two Ex-POWs." It's the day that they've been waiting for, and all day long they've been making preparations, but particularly all eyes glued to the TV, watching the seven former POWs load that Air Force plane, and the two Apache pilots, Ron Young and David Williams sitting on top of that plane waving an American flag.

Well, that put everything in full speed. They will actually, after they leave Bliss, go to their hangar, the hangar that house their unit, and there they will have what a Major just told me here at the base, appropriate pomp and circumstance. They will speak briefly to the media, though they won't be taking questions. But what we're all waiting for and I'm sure the families are too, that first hug.

I spoke a short time ago to Michele Williams. She is the wife of David Williams. They are an American love story. They met at Ft. Rucker in flight training school. He flies Apaches; she flies Black Hawks. Don't ask them who flies better. In the meantime, the two of them have two beautiful children; 2-year old Jason and 6-month-old Madison. I asked Michele a short time ago, during her last conversation with David, what was it he wanted to know? She said he wanted to know how long has Madison's hair gotten? She's only 6 months old, and it's gotten apparently much longer since he left.

The plans for the weekend? Family and friends in town from all over. Both sets of parents; a big barbecue; they haven't said where. And I also asked Michele whether or not David will be flipping the grill. She's not sure about that yet, but she sure is happy that the day has come for her to wrap her arms around her husband and share him with family and friends. And we will be there later this evening, when that plane rolls in from Ft. Bliss, and now I'll send it back to you -- Jon.

KARL: All right. Jamie Colby in Ft. Hood and Thelma Gutierrez in Ft. Bliss, thank you both.

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