Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Feast, Fun with Troops
Aired November 27, 2003 - 06:02 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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Most of you will be eating with your family and watching the Lions stuff the Packers. Although the football game won't be on in Iraq, there will be plenty of turkey and stuffing for U.S. troops. So on to Camp Mule Skinner and our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf.
Good morning -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
We wanted to show you how the troops here are celebrating Thanksgiving, and, as you mentioned, since so much of this is about food, just take a look at that line up here. Now, this is not the usual lunchtime spread. I'll tell you what we've got: shrimp cocktail, roast turkey, turkey drumsticks, glazed ham. And it goes on and on and on. They are feeding 3,000 troops here, many from the 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment from Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Now, these people have a rare chance to have a Thanksgiving spread and a little bit of time off. As you mentioned, there have been races. There is going to be football later on. And there have been a couple of other unusual things as well.
To tell us about some of them, we've got somebody here -- a sergeant major. We've got Sergeant Major Vera Harris from Dallas.
Now, Sergeant Major, if you could just step over here a little bit and just talk to me about -- you're not usually dressed like this. What is that hat about?
SGT. MAJ. VERA HARRIS, U.S. ARMY: Oh, no, I'm not. The 2nd Calvary Army Regiment -- and I'm a part of the regimental support squad -- and we served our soldiers today. And this is actually a Stetson that I'm wearing. I am a part of the Order of Calvary Spirits, and this is one of the uniforms that we wear. And so, we wore it today just to show our appreciation to the soldiers -- the soldiers that's out on the gate. They're guarding our safety every day. We just wanted to let them know that we really appreciate them.
And just to have the type of food that was served today brought home to a lot of folks that most of us have been over here anywhere from eight months, and just to have some turkey, some dressing, something with that familiarity was well indeed. The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) staff did a great job, and our soldiers -- I saw them, I've been with them since 6:00 this morning -- and they were happy to have this great meal.
ARRAF: Now, tell me about your spurs. You're wearing spurs.
HARRIS: Yes, I am. The Order of Calvary Spirits is a -- I wouldn't say a club, but it is just some different tasks that senior leaders go through. For instance, we may go through map reading and take a physical fitness test. And if you are successful, then you are able to have these spurs. And they are given by the commander.
ARRAF: And what's it like for the soldiers here? Eight months, a very difficult mission, attacks all the time. How is it?
HARRIS: It is difficult, but I have -- the Army has the greatest soldiers, I think. And they are here to do a mission. We train hard. It's like practicing some football, and you never get put in the game. So, we were put into the game, and we are here to take care and do our mission. We want to stand this country back up. We want to make them self-sufficient again. And I think being over here, we're able to do that.
ARRAF: Thank you so much.
HARRIS: Thank you.
ARRAF: That's Sergeant Major Vera Harris from Dallas, who was talking to us, after actually serving her troops. She and the other officers were behind in that line back there, serving out the turkey and ham to some of the 3,000 troops who are based here.
Now, again, this is a little respite in what has been a very difficult mission. But here, they're trying to give them a little bit of a taste of home, a little bit of that Thanksgiving ham dinner they normally would get. They'll get phone calls later on and a little bit of a chance to keep in touch -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, Sergeant Major Harris from Dallas. I bet her family misses her in Dallas, because she looks like quite the organizer. Thank you.
ARRAF: She sure does.
COSTELLO: She does.
ARRAF: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here to do.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
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 November 27, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Most of you will be eating with your family and watching the Lions stuff the Packers. Although the football game won't be on in Iraq, there will be plenty of turkey and stuffing for U.S. troops. So on to Camp Mule Skinner and our Baghdad bureau chief, Jane Arraf.
Good morning -- Jane.
JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Carol.
We wanted to show you how the troops here are celebrating Thanksgiving, and, as you mentioned, since so much of this is about food, just take a look at that line up here. Now, this is not the usual lunchtime spread. I'll tell you what we've got: shrimp cocktail, roast turkey, turkey drumsticks, glazed ham. And it goes on and on and on. They are feeding 3,000 troops here, many from the 2nd Armored Calvary Regiment from Fort Polk, Louisiana.
Now, these people have a rare chance to have a Thanksgiving spread and a little bit of time off. As you mentioned, there have been races. There is going to be football later on. And there have been a couple of other unusual things as well.
To tell us about some of them, we've got somebody here -- a sergeant major. We've got Sergeant Major Vera Harris from Dallas.
Now, Sergeant Major, if you could just step over here a little bit and just talk to me about -- you're not usually dressed like this. What is that hat about?
SGT. MAJ. VERA HARRIS, U.S. ARMY: Oh, no, I'm not. The 2nd Calvary Army Regiment -- and I'm a part of the regimental support squad -- and we served our soldiers today. And this is actually a Stetson that I'm wearing. I am a part of the Order of Calvary Spirits, and this is one of the uniforms that we wear. And so, we wore it today just to show our appreciation to the soldiers -- the soldiers that's out on the gate. They're guarding our safety every day. We just wanted to let them know that we really appreciate them.
And just to have the type of food that was served today brought home to a lot of folks that most of us have been over here anywhere from eight months, and just to have some turkey, some dressing, something with that familiarity was well indeed. The (UNINTELLIGIBLE) staff did a great job, and our soldiers -- I saw them, I've been with them since 6:00 this morning -- and they were happy to have this great meal.
ARRAF: Now, tell me about your spurs. You're wearing spurs.
HARRIS: Yes, I am. The Order of Calvary Spirits is a -- I wouldn't say a club, but it is just some different tasks that senior leaders go through. For instance, we may go through map reading and take a physical fitness test. And if you are successful, then you are able to have these spurs. And they are given by the commander.
ARRAF: And what's it like for the soldiers here? Eight months, a very difficult mission, attacks all the time. How is it?
HARRIS: It is difficult, but I have -- the Army has the greatest soldiers, I think. And they are here to do a mission. We train hard. It's like practicing some football, and you never get put in the game. So, we were put into the game, and we are here to take care and do our mission. We want to stand this country back up. We want to make them self-sufficient again. And I think being over here, we're able to do that.
ARRAF: Thank you so much.
HARRIS: Thank you.
ARRAF: That's Sergeant Major Vera Harris from Dallas, who was talking to us, after actually serving her troops. She and the other officers were behind in that line back there, serving out the turkey and ham to some of the 3,000 troops who are based here.
Now, again, this is a little respite in what has been a very difficult mission. But here, they're trying to give them a little bit of a taste of home, a little bit of that Thanksgiving ham dinner they normally would get. They'll get phone calls later on and a little bit of a chance to keep in touch -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes, Sergeant Major Harris from Dallas. I bet her family misses her in Dallas, because she looks like quite the organizer. Thank you.
ARRAF: She sure does.
COSTELLO: She does.
ARRAF: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) here to do.
COSTELLO: Jane Arraf reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
