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CNN Live At Daybreak
America's New War: USS Roosevelt Moves Out of Port
Aired September 19, 2001 - 08:19 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's move now to Jeanne Meserve, who joins us from the USS Roosevelt, or alongside it, in Norfolk, Virginia -- good morning again, Jeanne.
What's happening there now?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula.
From our vantage point down here on Pier 12, we can catch a little bit of the activity taking place up on the decks of the USS Theodore Roosevelt. A couple of minutes ago out of our view, the Stars and Stripes were raised on the stern and then lowered to half mast in honor of the victims of the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York.
This ship will be setting sail later today with the ships that make up its battle group; also ships that make up the Marine's Bataan amphibious ready group, 15 vessels in all. One of those Marine vessels, the USS Whidbey Island, will be stopping first in Morehead, North Carolina to pick up 2,200 marines, and then the battle group will move on; destination unknown at this point. It is being praised vaguely now as the Mediterranean and possibly points east.
Joining me now is one of the men who will be embarking with the USS Roosevelt later today, Nate Schneider, a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy.
A 20-year veteran of the Navy, you were in Desert Storm, Desert Shield. You helped with the evacuations of Beirut.
Is this deployment different?
LT. NATE SCHNEIDER, U.S. NAVY: Yes, I think it is. I think it's sad and it's -- and there is an angry crew aboard. I think we're ready. I think we're very ready to go do this. It's just an unknown enemy right now. In those other events, we knew who we were going to fight.
MESERVE: You say an angry crew. What do you mean?
SCHNEIDER: Well, I believe that terrorism is -- and the events of the past week, have really just kind of hurt the military. And I think they are angry and want to go fight in defense of America.
MESERVE: The foe in this particular battle is a bit elusive. Do you think that the U.S. military is ready and able to take this on?
SCHNEIDER: I think we're ready to begin the fight and do what's necessary to find them.
MESERVE: You help take care of the aircraft on board this vessel; 72, I believe, in all. Tell me a little bit about what's going to be on this aircraft carrier.
SCHNEIDER: There is going to be three different formant squadrons aboard, that's the F-18, one Tomcat squader, and we have an E-2C squader and a Helo squader, and the C-2 will be attached -- COD will arrive (ph) later. And I know I'm missing some -- the EA-6B squader. And anyway, that's the gist of what we have aboard.
MESERVE: A lot of firepower in other words.
SCHNEIDER: Absolutely -- armed and ready.
MESERVE: OK. Lieutenant Nate Schneider, thanks so much for joining us here today.
SCHNEIDER: Thank you. I appreciate it.
MESERVE: We're going to get a press briefing in just a little while, and then later this morning Gordon England, who is the secretary of the Navy, will come here to this pier to say farewell to the 15,000 sailors and marines who are about to embark for they know not where or what -- Paula, back to you.
ZAHN: Thanks so much, Jeanne. As Jeanne just made very clear, there are a lot of men and women in the military who are in a state of limbo; among them a group of pilots from Fallon in Nevada, a top flight school.
And Kyra Phillips had the opportunity to take a tour of the school and talk with some of those pilots that might ultimately be deployed.
Here is her report.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fallon, Nevada -- you've probably never heard of it. It's a bit of a sleepy town but its U.S. naval air station roars.
These are the sounds of Cagnon -- call sign Show Gun because the first strike will define survival in the inevitable danger zone.
These fighters are among one of the most elite air wings in the U.S. military. Nine squadrons, fully integrated and ready for combat.
Military readiness that's preparing these aviators for air superiority and airborne battle management.
CAPTAIN R.C. THOMPSON, AIR WING COMMANDER, UNITED STATES NAVY: The ability to focus fire power where they want and the most important thing is the ability to minimize the damage that's done -- to minimize our exposure to risk while maximizing the potential destruction on the enemy.
PHILLIPS: Captain R.C. Thompson commands this air wing -- an air wing that's prepared for whatever the President of the United States says it has to do.
President Bush says we're at war. Has that sunk in with your air wing?
THOMPSON: Sure. I think that it probably sunk in the day that footage came on television as to what happened in New York City.
PHILLIPS: It's 7:30 a.m.
LIEUTENANT MORGAN HAMON, FIGHTER PILOT, UNITED STATES NAVY: Welcome to the . . .
PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Morgan Hammond briefs his strike element on the day's simulated air to air combat mission.
HAMON: Everyone will go one way -- except Cag, I'd like you to go two ways as a low looker to help out Gus.
PHILLIPS: I other words, practicing to go in and defend against any enemy attack.
These aviators are integrating all warfare areas to disrupt and destroy the enemy, making sure they're in control of their air space and that all bad guys are out of the sky.
HAMON; It's very important to get all elements working together -- the E-2 controllers, the F-18's, the F-14s, all the strike fighters doing missions together so that we can operate.
PHILLIPS: Mission for the day accomplished.
HAMON: We're not just strapping on the jet people and flying. We have specific missions and there's a lot of coordination that we have to practice in order for it to work. It's a dangerous business whether you're doing training or a contingency operation.
PHILLIPS: Americans say they want justice. What does this airway want?
THOMPSON: We're all human -- we have emotions, we have feelings just like every other American but we're also very professional. And quite frankly what we want is to -- is to do our job right. We want to represent the American people when the time comes. We don't want to let them down.
PHILLIPS: Kyra Phillips, CNN, Fallon, Nevada.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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