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CNN Live At Daybreak

Still on a High From Capture of Saddam Hussein

Aired December 17, 2003 - 05:30   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: U.S. troops from the 4th Infantry Division are no doubt still on a high from their capture of Saddam Hussein.
Our Alphonso Van Marsh was embedded with the unit at the time and joins us from Tikrit via video phone with some new pictures shot by one of the soldiers right after the capture.

These are fascinating pictures, Alfonso.

Tell us about them.

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Sure. Of course. As you know, I'm here with the 4th Infantry Division, behind me, in a former palace of Saddam Hussein, which is now a U.S. military base. And remind our viewers, over the weekend we saw exclusive pictures on CNN of U.S. service members coming back from that historic raid where they brought in Saddam Hussein.

In those pictures, we were able to see the service members taking pictures. We saw military leadership, the leading commander, Colonel James Hickey, giving a pep talk to troops after they got back, congratulating them on a mission well done. Well, now today, and first here on CNN, we're getting actual footage, as you mentioned, taken by the service members down on there at that spot.

Let's take a listen here and see what they said in that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Come on, smile back there.

Hello?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN MARSH: Now, what you just heard there was hoo-ha (ph). That's a kind of a generic term for the U.S. Army where they -- it can mean yes, it can mean no, it can mean we're happy, it can mean whatever. But hoo-ha in this particular circumstance certainly meant satisfaction for a job well done.

Again, those pictures you see first here on CNN. Now back to you.

COSTELLO: Yes, Alfonso, they look a little stunned. Did they expect -- you have to wonder if they realized that they were making history, history that will last forever.

VAN MARSH: Well, that's exactly it. At the point -- I've been talking to these U.S. service members. I'm actually embedded, is the phrase here. I get to see these service members every day. I eat with them. I see them coming back and forth from their jobs and their duties, their guard duty. And at that moment in the video, they had just learned what they had suspected coming home, that target number one, as the U.S. calls him, Saddam Hussein, was in their custody and they played a huge role in bringing him back in.

So, yes, stunned would be an appropriate description.

COSTELLO: Just a few more questions about their state of mind now.

Have they called home? Have they gotten a chance to talk to their families about this event? How much detail can they give their family members back home, etc., etc.?

VAN MARSH: Well, there's a general rule here under the term operational security. And that means that U.S. service members and actually journalists who are embedded with them aren't allowed to give out details that -- of operations that are ongoing or details that would give away future operations or plans. So it was a very, very tense and giddy night. After those service members got in, like I said, I see them every day, I talk to them, but that evening they certainly weren't talking to me, at least on the details of what had just taken place.

They were told to keep their mouths shut until the announcement came out. As it turns, CNN broke that story. But once the news was out there and once the military brass made that announcement, oh, there was certainly a rush to let their families know that they, indeed, had been a part of history out here.

COSTELLO: Just amazing.

And just for you personally, because so many people have been interested in the fine coverage that you've been giving to CNN -- in fact, I saw you on "Entertainment Tonight" last night, Alfonso.

VAN MARSH: Yes, I did do that interview and was very, very happy to. What's really interesting about this, you know, CNN has been in Iraq for years and years, during Saddam's regime, now that Saddam Hussein is gone, and we'll always be here in terms -- as long as there's a great story. CNN is committed to that kind of coverage.

I've been here for a little over a month now, being embedded with the 4th Infantry Division, and I've been embedded with a lot of different troops. And these troops here, they're very excited. The morale is very high. You have to keep in mind that they were here in the heat of the summer for the heat of the war. Now they're here in the cool of the winter, and knowing that they're going to be here during the holidays and also knowing that they took part in this historic raid, is certainly a way of them making feeling -- making themselves feel better, especially considering how they'll be away from their families during the holiday season.

COSTELLO: And it's safe to say they've made many Americans feel better, too, with the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Alphonso Van Marsh, great work, live from Tikrit 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 December 17, 2003 - 05:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: U.S. troops from the 4th Infantry Division are no doubt still on a high from their capture of Saddam Hussein.
Our Alphonso Van Marsh was embedded with the unit at the time and joins us from Tikrit via video phone with some new pictures shot by one of the soldiers right after the capture.

These are fascinating pictures, Alfonso.

Tell us about them.

ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure. Sure. Of course. As you know, I'm here with the 4th Infantry Division, behind me, in a former palace of Saddam Hussein, which is now a U.S. military base. And remind our viewers, over the weekend we saw exclusive pictures on CNN of U.S. service members coming back from that historic raid where they brought in Saddam Hussein.

In those pictures, we were able to see the service members taking pictures. We saw military leadership, the leading commander, Colonel James Hickey, giving a pep talk to troops after they got back, congratulating them on a mission well done. Well, now today, and first here on CNN, we're getting actual footage, as you mentioned, taken by the service members down on there at that spot.

Let's take a listen here and see what they said in that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

Come on, smile back there.

Hello?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VAN MARSH: Now, what you just heard there was hoo-ha (ph). That's a kind of a generic term for the U.S. Army where they -- it can mean yes, it can mean no, it can mean we're happy, it can mean whatever. But hoo-ha in this particular circumstance certainly meant satisfaction for a job well done.

Again, those pictures you see first here on CNN. Now back to you.

COSTELLO: Yes, Alfonso, they look a little stunned. Did they expect -- you have to wonder if they realized that they were making history, history that will last forever.

VAN MARSH: Well, that's exactly it. At the point -- I've been talking to these U.S. service members. I'm actually embedded, is the phrase here. I get to see these service members every day. I eat with them. I see them coming back and forth from their jobs and their duties, their guard duty. And at that moment in the video, they had just learned what they had suspected coming home, that target number one, as the U.S. calls him, Saddam Hussein, was in their custody and they played a huge role in bringing him back in.

So, yes, stunned would be an appropriate description.

COSTELLO: Just a few more questions about their state of mind now.

Have they called home? Have they gotten a chance to talk to their families about this event? How much detail can they give their family members back home, etc., etc.?

VAN MARSH: Well, there's a general rule here under the term operational security. And that means that U.S. service members and actually journalists who are embedded with them aren't allowed to give out details that -- of operations that are ongoing or details that would give away future operations or plans. So it was a very, very tense and giddy night. After those service members got in, like I said, I see them every day, I talk to them, but that evening they certainly weren't talking to me, at least on the details of what had just taken place.

They were told to keep their mouths shut until the announcement came out. As it turns, CNN broke that story. But once the news was out there and once the military brass made that announcement, oh, there was certainly a rush to let their families know that they, indeed, had been a part of history out here.

COSTELLO: Just amazing.

And just for you personally, because so many people have been interested in the fine coverage that you've been giving to CNN -- in fact, I saw you on "Entertainment Tonight" last night, Alfonso.

VAN MARSH: Yes, I did do that interview and was very, very happy to. What's really interesting about this, you know, CNN has been in Iraq for years and years, during Saddam's regime, now that Saddam Hussein is gone, and we'll always be here in terms -- as long as there's a great story. CNN is committed to that kind of coverage.

I've been here for a little over a month now, being embedded with the 4th Infantry Division, and I've been embedded with a lot of different troops. And these troops here, they're very excited. The morale is very high. You have to keep in mind that they were here in the heat of the summer for the heat of the war. Now they're here in the cool of the winter, and knowing that they're going to be here during the holidays and also knowing that they took part in this historic raid, is certainly a way of them making feeling -- making themselves feel better, especially considering how they'll be away from their families during the holiday season.

COSTELLO: And it's safe to say they've made many Americans feel better, too, with the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Alphonso Van Marsh, great work, live from Tikrit 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