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CNN Live Saturday
USS Abraham Lincoln en Route to Home Base
Aired May 03, 2003 - 12:34 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The voyage for the USS Abraham Lincoln is almost, but not quite, over. Thousands of war weary sailors on the Lincoln were reunited yesterday with families in San Diego. Now the aircraft carrier is headed to its home port in Everett, Washington for more reunions there, and CNN's Frank Buckley is along for the ride. Live from the rather colossal carrier -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fredricka. We are finally under way -- about an hour under way, in fact, off the coast of California right now. Earlier, the ship deployed, without any ceremony. There are -- we didn't see the huge crowds that we saw yesterday when we came into San Diego. We left San Diego this morning about an hour ago in a pretty steady rain. Rain's still falling, as we look at Point Loma, which means that we are just now clearing the channel of San Diego bay there, and heading out into the open blue waters of the Pacific and heading up in the direction of Everett, Washington, which is the home port of this aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln.
Some of the guys who are eager to go home here soon are this group of sailors here. Among them is Seaman Shawn Capps (ph), and you've got a 7-month-old, you are a new dad. Tell me what you're looking forward to when you get home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter. I can't wait to see her.
BUCKLEY: And you haven't seen her. Can you try to explain to people what it's like to be at sea, knowing that your daughter has been born, Justine Marie, and you haven't seen her? What is that like for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like going home for a big Christmas gift, the greatest one in the world, and one that will -- you'll always enjoy for the rest of your life. I mean, it's tough to think about it -- she's growing up, she's walking -- well, she's crawling now, and she's teething, she's getting all these wonderful things that I'm not there to see, but, you know, I will be there soon. So hopefully I get to enjoy the rest of her life.
BUCKLEY: That is a great way to put it. Thanks very much. Also, here is Damian Sutherland (ph), an airman.
Damian (ph), this is your first cruise, it was a wartime cruise, almost 10 months long. Tell me what it's been like for you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's been kind of rough. I left my family on short notice, didn't know a lot of what I was getting myself into. But over the months, it just -- it got a little fun, got a little stressful, but something I handled. It's really nothing I couldn't handle.
BUCKLEY: Is it -- do you -- will you look back on this period of your life, whether or not you stay in the Navy, how will you remember this period of your life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was -- I look back at it like -- I don't know. I really don't know. It's something like a great feeling though, something I never dreamed I'd be doing something this good for my country and all that, so, it has been just a wonderful feeling for my family and all.
BUCKLEY: Thank you very much.
Now, I didn't get a chance to ask your name. Tell me your name and your rank.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Petty Officer Camara (ph).
BUCKLEY: And let me ask you, is -- when you're on a cruise for this long, there must -- even though they feed you four times a day and you got a gym here to work out and everything, there must be things that you crave, that you want. Is there anything like that that you've been thinking about, for a long time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of things I'm thinking about, you know, like sitting at home, chilling, eating a home like a cooked meal. I miss a lot of things. Not just those two, but a lot of things I -- won't pop up in my mind right now, but I just had my family out there yesterday, and that's one thing I miss, being with my family, so...
BUCKLEY: So, your family was able to greet you here in San Diego, even though your home port is Everett. Tell me, after so many months, what that was like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it had a weird feeling, but it's, like, I haven't seen my family in, like, 10 months. That was, like, the longest I've ever been -- but it was -- the best feeling, being able to see your family.
BUCKLEY: I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Thanks to all of you for taking time with us. Just some of the sailors, about 3,000 sailors, now, left on the ship after the air wing has taken off and gotten off there in San Diego. About 3,000 sailors left, bound now for Everett, Washington -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, Frank, it's understandable why they have such mixed feelings, some of the sailors there, because they really haven't had a chance to really reflect on what they've been through over the past ten months. How much longer before their journey officially ends in Washington? How many more hours to go?
BUCKLEY: Well, they still got a -- still got a weekend to go. We expect to arrive in Everett, coming down through the Puget Sound, there, on early Tuesday morning.
There were a few thousand people on the pier here in San Diego. Everest is the home port of this ship. Several thousand people expected to greet this warship when it arrives there in Everett, Washington, and as you know, it often is a little drizzly or rainy up there in Everett. I suspect, whatever the weather, they will be out there by the thousands.
WHITFIELD: All right, Frank, it's understandable why they're counting the moments. Thanks very much, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on its way to Everett, Washington, back to its home base.
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 May 3, 2003 - 12:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The voyage for the USS Abraham Lincoln is almost, but not quite, over. Thousands of war weary sailors on the Lincoln were reunited yesterday with families in San Diego. Now the aircraft carrier is headed to its home port in Everett, Washington for more reunions there, and CNN's Frank Buckley is along for the ride. Live from the rather colossal carrier -- Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Fredricka. We are finally under way -- about an hour under way, in fact, off the coast of California right now. Earlier, the ship deployed, without any ceremony. There are -- we didn't see the huge crowds that we saw yesterday when we came into San Diego. We left San Diego this morning about an hour ago in a pretty steady rain. Rain's still falling, as we look at Point Loma, which means that we are just now clearing the channel of San Diego bay there, and heading out into the open blue waters of the Pacific and heading up in the direction of Everett, Washington, which is the home port of this aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln.
Some of the guys who are eager to go home here soon are this group of sailors here. Among them is Seaman Shawn Capps (ph), and you've got a 7-month-old, you are a new dad. Tell me what you're looking forward to when you get home.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking forward to seeing my daughter. I can't wait to see her.
BUCKLEY: And you haven't seen her. Can you try to explain to people what it's like to be at sea, knowing that your daughter has been born, Justine Marie, and you haven't seen her? What is that like for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like going home for a big Christmas gift, the greatest one in the world, and one that will -- you'll always enjoy for the rest of your life. I mean, it's tough to think about it -- she's growing up, she's walking -- well, she's crawling now, and she's teething, she's getting all these wonderful things that I'm not there to see, but, you know, I will be there soon. So hopefully I get to enjoy the rest of her life.
BUCKLEY: That is a great way to put it. Thanks very much. Also, here is Damian Sutherland (ph), an airman.
Damian (ph), this is your first cruise, it was a wartime cruise, almost 10 months long. Tell me what it's been like for you. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it's been kind of rough. I left my family on short notice, didn't know a lot of what I was getting myself into. But over the months, it just -- it got a little fun, got a little stressful, but something I handled. It's really nothing I couldn't handle.
BUCKLEY: Is it -- do you -- will you look back on this period of your life, whether or not you stay in the Navy, how will you remember this period of your life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was -- I look back at it like -- I don't know. I really don't know. It's something like a great feeling though, something I never dreamed I'd be doing something this good for my country and all that, so, it has been just a wonderful feeling for my family and all.
BUCKLEY: Thank you very much.
Now, I didn't get a chance to ask your name. Tell me your name and your rank.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Petty Officer Camara (ph).
BUCKLEY: And let me ask you, is -- when you're on a cruise for this long, there must -- even though they feed you four times a day and you got a gym here to work out and everything, there must be things that you crave, that you want. Is there anything like that that you've been thinking about, for a long time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of things I'm thinking about, you know, like sitting at home, chilling, eating a home like a cooked meal. I miss a lot of things. Not just those two, but a lot of things I -- won't pop up in my mind right now, but I just had my family out there yesterday, and that's one thing I miss, being with my family, so...
BUCKLEY: So, your family was able to greet you here in San Diego, even though your home port is Everett. Tell me, after so many months, what that was like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it had a weird feeling, but it's, like, I haven't seen my family in, like, 10 months. That was, like, the longest I've ever been -- but it was -- the best feeling, being able to see your family.
BUCKLEY: I appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Thanks to all of you for taking time with us. Just some of the sailors, about 3,000 sailors, now, left on the ship after the air wing has taken off and gotten off there in San Diego. About 3,000 sailors left, bound now for Everett, Washington -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Well, Frank, it's understandable why they have such mixed feelings, some of the sailors there, because they really haven't had a chance to really reflect on what they've been through over the past ten months. How much longer before their journey officially ends in Washington? How many more hours to go?
BUCKLEY: Well, they still got a -- still got a weekend to go. We expect to arrive in Everett, coming down through the Puget Sound, there, on early Tuesday morning.
There were a few thousand people on the pier here in San Diego. Everest is the home port of this ship. Several thousand people expected to greet this warship when it arrives there in Everett, Washington, and as you know, it often is a little drizzly or rainy up there in Everett. I suspect, whatever the weather, they will be out there by the thousands.
WHITFIELD: All right, Frank, it's understandable why they're counting the moments. Thanks very much, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln on its way to Everett, Washington, back to its home base.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
