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CNN Live At Daybreak

America's New War: Final Test for Air Assault School

Aired September 21, 2001 - 07:55   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: It's time now to check in on the ground troops. Our own Brian Cabell is standing by at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with that.

Brian, hello again.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula, it is the final day, it is the final test of air assault school here at Fort Campbell. Take a look, these are soldiers with 45 pounds on their back finishing a 12-mile road march. They have to complete it in three hours or less. They are about 2:58 right now. This is a 10-day school. The dropout rate in this school is some 50 percent after two weeks and we are told at least 5 or 10 of these soldiers will not make it through.

This is a routine school. It goes on 52 weeks a year, but you have to believe that over the last two weeks or so it's a little more meaningful for some of these soldiers because they know that Fort Campbell troops are among the very first to head out to war when ground troops are called for.

Again, we're at about 2:59 now, and these troops are straggling in, but it looks as though they will make it. But, as I say, there will be some who have gone through 10 days and made it all the way but will not make it in the required three hours.

Also, they have to do 10 pushups immediately afterwards. Take a look, here is one of the soldiers right now. They have to do 10 elevated pushups after this, and then immediately after that, they have to lay out their rucksack. If they have lost any items along the way, they fail the course. We are told that one solder once finished the course, did it in the required three hours but then was lacking an earplug and failed.

So, once again, final day of air assault school, final test, graduation comes up in a few hours.

Paula, back to you.

ZAHN: Brian, I know you reported on this earlier in the week but I can't remember the statistic, how quickly could these troops be deployed if called?

CABELL: There is a special force here that could be called out within 36 hours. Most of these troops would get more time than that but there is one special force that could go out within a day and a half.

ZAHN: And do you get the sense that any of these troop members you've talked to are sort of on standby expecting this to happen?

CABELL: Emotionally they and their families are preparing themselves, but they've gotten no word. We checked again just about a half-hour ago. There have been no deployment orders, but emotionally, they are certainly set for the possibility.

ZAHN: All right. Brian Cabell, thanks so much for that report.

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