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Lou Dobbs Tonight

A Tribute to Heroes

Aired May 30, 2005 - 18:00 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.

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: On this Memorial Day, President Bush visited Arlington National Cemetery, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Mr. Bush honored generations of Americans who gave their lives for their country, and then -- then he turned to Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, two terror regimes are gone forever.
Meanwhile in Iraq, it was a deadly day for America as an Iraqi air force aircraft carrying four U.S. personnel and one Iraqi crashed. All on board are presumed dead. The aircraft was on a reconnaissance mission. No word yet on what the actual cause was.

An ominous message of hate from the most wanted man in Iraq. It's an audiotape attributed to terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. It surfaced today. The statement, which was addressed to Osama bin Laden, has Zarqawi claiming that he suffered only minor wounds in combat.

And in Atlanta, bail denied today for the man who spent days atop a crane. Carl Edward Roland was brought down Saturday after 56 hours and 350 feet in the air. Roland is suspected of murdering his ex- girlfriend. His next court appearance is Tuesday.

I'm Rick Sanchez. I'm going to be back with the very latest headlines throughout the evening for you. LOU DOBBS TONIGHT begins right now.

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening.

Tonight, our special report, "A Tribute to Heroes," the men and women who are willing to give their lives to freedom in this country and around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight, we share the incredibly inspiring stories of the heroes who defend our way of life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had 230 rounds of ammunition with him. To our knowledge, he used every last one of those rounds until he was no longer able to resist.

ANNOUNCER: Those who are dedicated to our country and the cause of freedom, no matter how high the cost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will be remembered forever for paying the ultimate sacrifice.

ANNOUNCER: This is a special holiday edition of LOU DOBBS TONIGHT. Sitting in for Lou Dobbs is Kitty Pilgrim.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Tonight we honor some of this nation's fallen heroes, as well as the men and women who fight today. In Iraq, Afghanistan and 120 other countries around the globe. Hundreds of thousands of American forces are deployed, and tonight we bring you just a few of their remarkable stories.

We begin with a story of Sergeant First Class John Setzer. Sergeant Setzer was wounded more than two years ago during his tour in Afghanistan. And now Sergeant Setzer has recovered from his wounds, he is a dedicated soldier, a decorated hero who says he would give up all his medals in a moment if it would just bring back two of his fellow soldiers.

Bill Tucker has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 06:00 at Fort Bragg. For Sergeant First Class John Setzer paratroopers today, it's a six-mile march carrying 55 pounds of gear. In early 2003, the sergeant was in Afghanistan with a platoon he had just trained, securing an area known to be occupied by insurgents.

SGT. FIRST CLASS JOHN SETZER, U.S. ARMY: The company commander wanted to move ahead and look at an old -- old staging area.

TUCKER: Insurgents attacked the first group and radio contact was lost. Sergeant Setzer moved his group of 10 soldiers forward.

SETZER: Once we got to the top of the hill, we heard leaders yelling to one another for the soldiers to engage and get down. You could smell the blood from the wounded.

TUCKER: The sergeant took shrapnel in the neck. Disregarding his own injuries, he evacuated a wounded airman to safer ground who would later die. He returned to evacuate more men but was attacked again.

SETZER: The machine gun opened up about 25 meters away, about, what, 30, 40 feet, and two rounds hit the T and the Z, and one round hit the E. It cut through the body armor, hit the tip of the plate, and it bounced up right here and it broke my jar, shattered my teeth, and went -- and just on the right-hand side, I have shrapnel all up in my face, and they pulled the pieces that were in my eye out. My young PFC was wounded, covered me out of that -- out of the vehicle.

TUCKER: The sergeant and Private Dennis were airlifted to Bagram Air Force Base. Sergeant Setzer was in surgery for four-and-a-half hours. When he came to, his first question was about Private Dennis.

SETZER: That's all that matters. It didn't matter about anything else.

You know, you have a young 18, 19-year-old man. He's got a lot to live for. They told me that they did everything they could for Dennis, but he lost too much blood and he didn't make it.

TUCKER: Sergeant Setzer was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze and the Silver Star.

SETZER: I would give up all those awards if I could have those two young men back.

TUCKER: The sergeant is now recovered and is able to return to combat. He has no intention of leaving the military.

SETZER: As long as I breathe, and as long as, you know -- I can still do it. I love to train. I love to lead.

TUCKER: Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: And Sergeant Setzer will continue to lead. This summer he will spend two months at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point teaching leadership skills to our nation's future Army officers.

Well, now the story of a Marine honored for bravery during one of the most critical battles in the Iraq war. Lance Corporal Thomas Adametz saved the lives of dozens of his fellow Marines during the fierce fighting in the battle of Falluja.

Casey Wian has his remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a Marine, Lance Corporal Thomas Adametz is remarkably soft-spoken. He's also remarkably brave even for a Marine.

LANCE CORP. THOMAS ADAMETZ, U.S. MARINES: Imagine going to hell and coming back.

WIAN: April, 2004, in Falluja, two squads of Marines were pinned down in a building by Iraqi insurgents. Lance Corporal John Paul Flores was there.

LANCE CORP. JOHN PAUL FLORES, U.S. MARINES: It was the scariest day of my life.

WIAN: Ten Marines wounded, the rest outnumbered and about to be overrun by the enemy.

FLORES: They were just throwing grenades everywhere, and RPGs. And they were real close. I mean, it's a miracle that he didn't get shot.

WIAN: A miracle because Lance Corporal Adametz ran into the open and began firing back. Wounded Lance Corporal Carlos Gomez saw Adametz in action.

LANCE CORP. CARLOS GOMEZ, U.S. MARINES: I saw a crazy maniac out there firing to make sure we all came back alive.

WIAN: But Adametz' M-16 was no match for the Iraqi attackers just 25 meters away.

ADAMETZ: I handed off my M-16 and I picked up a machine gun for more firepower. I was firing so much I was melting the extra barrels.

FLORES: It's really hard to change barrels when you're under fire. And he ended up getting burnt by the barrel melting. It melted on his hand. And fingerprints are still on the barrel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lance Corporal Adametz' aggressive actions and devastating fire were critical in repelling the enemy's attack.

GEN. JOHN SATTLER, U.S. MARINES: Based on the volume of fire he put out, his platoon -- you know, the 10 wounded warriors, were able to be safely evacuated. And the enemy, the enemy who thought they had the upper hand, learned differently at that point.

WIAN: This week Adametz received the Silver Star, the nation's third highest honor for bravery in combat.

ADAMETZ: I was just doing my job, just like all the Marines that were with us today.

ROBERT ADAMETZ, FATHER: Tom was always a low-key guy. You know, he never -- he's not out for the glory or anything.

SATTLER: How about joining me in a round of applause for a great warrior, one of your own, Lance Corporal Adametz.

(APPLAUSE)

WIAN: At 23, Adametz is uncertain about his Marine Corps future. What is certain, though, two dozen Marines have a future because of his actions.

Casey Wian, CNN, Camp Pendleton, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Now the astonishing story of an Army captain. He lost his foot in a landmine explosion in Iraq, and he made it his goal to become the first amputee to return to the battlefield. Captain David Rozelle shares his story in his new book, "Back in Action: An American Soldier's Story of Courage, Faith and Fortitude."

Lou Dobbs spoke with Captain Rozelle just a few weeks before he returned to Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Captain, thanks for being here. CAPT. DAVID ROZELLE, U.S. ARMY: Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be here.

DOBBS: An extraordinary life that you are leading. Extraordinary service in Iraq. Tell our audience how you lost your right foot.

ROZELLE: Well, I was traveling down a dirt road on the way to teach the first police academy in Hete (ph), Iraq, which was the area that I was in charged of. And en route, along that alternate route of the dirt road there, I hit a landmine in a Humvee. And it destroyed my foot, it basically took the right front end off the Humvee. And, you know, fortunately we were going slow enough where it didn't take the rest of me up in the air, as well.

DOBBS: In the book you speak of a cookie cutter hole coming through the center of the Humvee. Those traveling with you in the Humvee, they escaped unhurt.

ROZELLE: Amazingly, because I just stopped and started going again. We were not traveling at a speed where it would have detonated and gone off right underneath us. Fortunately, we slowed down and were able to take it fairly easy so most of the blast went up to the vehicle. And, you know, there was barely a scratch on the other two men. So I was very lucky.

DOBBS: Your book in which you -- the captain's wife and young son hearing about it for the first time, it's a remarkable chapter. What was your reaction? What were your thoughts as you had to tell your wife this had occurred?

ROZELLE: Well, you know, the hardest thing for me was -- was not having her there and not -- her not knowing and that I could have died. To imagine her being notified and going through that process would have been horrific.

But then to have to tell my wife that I was injured, you know, that's really something that I struggled with when I was laying there until she said the words, "I know." And it just allowed me to just release and made it OK, because she already knew.

And the Army does the right thing. They let the wives know the right way with the right people, and have the right professionals there to help out. And we're very lucky right now.

DOBBS: And your wife gave a pretty good tribute to the squadron leader's wife in her...

ROZELLE: Carolyn (ph), yes.

DOBBS: Right. Your -- those who have not known a man or woman who's lost a leg or a limb, people don't realize I think in many cases just how much guts you've got to have to deal with it, to bring -- to deal with the prosthetic.

ROZELLE: Yes. DOBBS: The people -- the people I've known who've had to deal with this, they've had to struggle against the way in which the amputation took place, the way in which it heals. Sometimes its an extraordinary year-after-year process. Tell us how quickly, how difficult, how much work it was to deal with that prosthetic.

ROZELLE: Well, Walter Reed actually went back and studied me since I was one of the first guys, top ten -- or first ten, not top ten to actually become an amputee. And I was about six months ahead of schedule the entire time, whether it was, you know, getting back to skiing again, to running again, to starting to do triathlons. And then within 14 months of my injury to do a triathlon.

DOBBS: That's incredible.

ROZELLE: And then run the New York Marathon. So absolutely my sports rehabilitation is the thing that got me back on my feet the fastest. And it really is the thing that prepared me to come back into active service and within a year of my injury take another cavalry troop and be prepared within the next two weeks to receive orders to again go to Iraq.

DOBBS: Captain, we thank you for your service, your bravery, your example...

ROZELLE: Thank you.

DOBBS: ... and for being here. We wish you all the very best.

ROZELLE: My pleasure.

DOBBS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Just a few weeks after that interview aired, Captain Rozelle did what many would have thought impossible, he became the first amputee to return to active duty in Iraq. Captain Rozelle is currently serving in Baghdad, and CNN's Ryan Chilcote has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Captain David Rozelle isn't the first soldier on his second tour in Iraq, but he is the first to return minus much of a limb. His first tour ended abruptly.

ROZELLE: I ran over an anti-tank mine, which is what took off the right front end of my Humvee and also destroyed my foot. It didn't actually blow my foot off. It blew part of my -- parts of my foot, but destroyed all the bones and tendons.

CHILCOTE: The Army offered him a way out of the service, complete with a retirement package and the half pay that comes along with it eight years early. ROZELLE: It's just standard operating procedure to hand me the paperwork for me to get out of the service. Some people think that, you know, going back to war like I have has -- is crazy. God, why would do you that when you can go retire?

It's like, you know, I'm 32 years old. I'm not going -- I'm not going to retire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smells real good.

ROZELLE: I was messing with this one.

CHILCOTE: Ten miles from where his foot and ankle were amputated two years ago, the military says Captain Rozelle is the first U.S. soldier to return to a combat zone a pioneer with a unique set of problems.

ROZELLE: But I've already sent home for another foot because I didn't like the way one of them was working here. I said I need something softer to walk through these rocks and stuff. And, you know, so I got a new foot in the mail. Probably the first guy to change his foot, you know, in combat.

CHILCOTE: But Captain Rozelle likes to pull his own weight, and much of what he does is right in step with his fellow soldiers. His dedication has earned him the respect of his subordinates.

SPEC. GRACE GIBSON, U.S. ARMY: Whenever I first heard he was still like in the troop, the first thing that popped in my head was like, I can believe that he's still in the Army. Like I would have -- I probably would have gotten out. So that gives me a lot more respect for him, that he's still out here and that he's out here again.

CHILCOTE: Captain Rozelle commands his company's headquarters. It's primarily an administrative job. Next frontier he believes is the front lines.

ROZELLE: Truly, if I was going and kicking doors down every single day and fighting and fighting and fighting, that would be -- that truly would be the next test of can my body physically handle it.

CHILCOTE: This summer, he goes back to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to manage its amputee program, prepare more soldiers to follow in his footsteps.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: When we return, the moving story of Captain Troy Cope. After half a century of waiting and hoping, one family is reunited for a final good-bye. An incredible story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: Hundreds of American families have lost loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan since the start of the war on terror. Most of those families were able to hold a proper burial and say good-bye to the people they lost. Tonight, we bring you the story of one family that waited for more than 50 years for the chance to say good-bye.

Barbara Starr has their remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Troy Gordon Cope was just 29 in September 1952 when he took off in his F-86 fighter named Rosie after his wife and headed for the Yalu River dividing North Korea and China. He never returned.

CARL COPE, BROTHER: Gordy was my little brother. He was three of five. He went to Korea and disappeared.

STARR: For half a century, his family could only wonder and hope. Troy Cope was one of more than 8,000 Americans missing in action during the Korean War.

Jerry Jennings leads the effort to find out what happened to American troops missing in action from all the nation's wars, but this case became special, a case with coincidences, mysteries and unprecedented international cooperation. So on a cold winter day, Jennings and his team came back to the very place Cope fell to thank the Chinese government for helping find him and to tell the story of a half-century search.

JERRY JENNINGS, ASSISTANT DEP. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Captain Cope and his wingman, Captain Carl Gitmer (ph), encountered four MiG- 15s near the Yalu. Carl Gitmer (ph) was able to chase away several of the MiGs, but he lost radio and visual contact with Captain Cope in the dense clouds. Captain Cope was never heard from again.

STARR: A trail of clues led to this site, a mountain site in China, now the front yard of a new house. This is where the remains of Troy Cope were found. The first American MIA of the Korean War ever recovered from China. The first break came in 1995.

JENNINGS: An American businessman who had visited the regional military museum here in Dandong reported that he had seen a metal identification tag or dog tag.

STARR: It was Cope's dog tag, proof he had crashed over China. But where?

(on camera): North Korea is just across the Yalu River from here in modern-day Dandong, China, where Troy Cope was shot down half a century ago.

(voice-over): On that day, Captain Cope had one of the most dangerous missions of the war, to engage North Korean MiG fighters before they could attack U.S. bombers. But Troy Cope flew into the jaws of an enemy he never expected.

The U.S. discovered they were facing highly-trained Russian pilots, not inexperienced North Koreans. This led to another discovery three years later.

American investigators examining Russian military archives were stunned to find a description of a ferocious dog fight written by a Russian pilot. The report noting the aircraft banked sharply to the left and started to fall out of control. The pilot, together with the aircraft, crashed into a Chinese peasant home. The details led to only one conclusion, this was Troy Cope and this was where he fell.

For years, Troy Cope's nephew Chris met each year with Pentagon officials about the fate of the uncle he never knew. In May 2004, unexpected news. The U.S. team was going to begin excavating in China. He was determined to be there.

CHRIS COPE, NEPHEW: When I saw his boot heel, I knew. There was no question in my mind that that was Gordy. Even though we knew that he perished in the crash, I knew where he was, I knew the circumstances of what caused his death. I knew there was an explosion on impact. You know, so all the pieces fit together.

STARR: For Troy's brother Carl, closure brought him by his own son.

CARL. COPE: After he told me what they had found, and that he actually saw it, he was convinced that it was my brother. And I -- that, of course, I felt, was good.

STARR: More than 52 years after his plane went down, Captain Troy Cope will be laid to rest in this Texas cemetery, a chapter closing but a family changed forever. Troy's father died without ever knowing what happened to his son, and his mother committed suicide. The family convinced a direct result of her son's unknown fate.

CHRIS COPE: There's no question in my mind that it was.

STARR: One last twist in this tale. Brigadier General Ralph Jodice, the defense attache in China, was once the commander of the 335th Fighter Squadron, Troy Cope's unit.

BRIG. GEN. RALPH JODICE, DEF. ATTACHE TO CHINA: He will be remembered forever for paying that ultimate sacrifice.

STARR: For the U.S. military, the 52-year hunt is a message to today's GIs, no one is left behind on the battlefield.

Barbara Starr, CNN, along the China-North Korea border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Next, more than two years after the war in Iraq began, the fighting continues. We'll introduce you to two men who have been part of the war in Iraq since the beginning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: On this Memorial Day, we as a nation pause to remember all the men and women who have given their lives in service to this country. And tonight, we also want to honor the brave men and women who are currently serving this country.

Aneesh Raman reports from Baghdad on the story of two soldiers who have been part of the war in Iraq since it began more than two years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years on, the rituals of war remain. And for Captain Daniel Getchell, who was part of the initial wave, so do the memories of those first weeks.

CAPT. DANIEL GETCHELL, U.S. ARMY: As I was coming in I remember getting shot at, bullets whizzing by my head. An RPG went flying by.

RAMAN: He is now back on his second tour, serving progress made. Getchell was one of the first people to start recruiting Iraqi forces, and today trains more than he can handle, a sign he thinks of things getting better. But at any given moment a stark reminder emerges of things that haven't changed. A potential car bomb forces the convoy to move on.

GETCHELL: It's a bit frustrating. But at the same time, it seems like to me that the -- that the insurgents know, or our enemies know that as long as Iraq progresses it's a danger to them.

RAMAN: Two years on, today's Iraq is defined by complexity. Here in Taji, there are still strongholds of pro-Saddam supporters. Yet here on the road, new forces, Iraqi security forces, continue to be trained.

Balancing it all is perhaps the military's greatest challenge. Major Clarke Taylor first arrived as Baghdad fell and now feels he must ensure that democracy rises.

MAJ. CLARKE TAYLOR, U.S. ARMY: I have no problem coming back this time. I have no problem coming back if I have to come back again, because if we don't finish this now, our children are going to have to do it 20 years from now.

RAMAN: Conflicts like these change people. The things they witness...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have seen over here probably the best and the worst of just humanity in general.

RAMAN: ... the lessons learned from those they have lost.

TAYLOR: We value the small things and we don't take things for granted. War is hard. It comes -- it's a cost we all know that we could possibly have to pay when we volunteer to serve our country.

RAMAN: Aneesh Raman, CNN, Taji, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Joining me now is General David Grange. General Grange served in the Army for 30 years. He was the commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division. He served as a Ranger and a Green Beret.

Well, General Grange, thank you, as always, for joining us.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: My pleasure.

PILGRIM: And, General Grange, I would love your perspective on Memorial Day for you. Why is it so important to this country?

GRANGE: Well, Memorial Day is important because it's the one day put aside for remembrance of those that gave their lives, those that took the ultimate sacrifice for their country, or just for whatever the political objectives were for this nation. And it's a day of importance, especially to the families that have lost relatives in combat.

PILGRIM: We have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan now. Do you think it resonates now because we have so many young people involved in an effort?

GRANGE: I think so. I think since 9/11, since the fighting in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, I do think it's more important to American citizens on the street that there are sacrifices being made.

A lot still to understand, that in fact this day is set aside for those that gave their lives. But I think people are more aware today than they were before 9/11.

PILGRIM: Has it always had this emotional significance during a war to the American people?

GRANGE: Yes, I think always during war. During war, of course, people -- their interest is peaked because fellow citizens are deployed somewhere around the globe in harm's way. And so it kind of hits you a little close tower home. But then it wanes a bit until another conflict starts, and then the significance picks up again for Memorial Day. So it its peaks and valleys to the feelings of the American people for Memorial Day.

PILGRIM: You have a long history of service. What Memorial Day do you remember most, or what was the a particularly significant time for you?

GRANGE: You know, I don't know if there's one that means the most to me. There's several that I recall, especially when you are a commander of a unit. You lose people, and your Memorial Day ceremony after that, whether it be the next day or the next month, whenever, how close it is to that Memorial Day, you think about coffins draped in the American flag, you think about your fallen comrades. There is always a memorial service, a short ceremony, a moment of silence to honor those that gave their lives. And it really hits home when they are a part of the organization. It really hits home when they are your friends. And of course, it really hits home to those that have relatives that have given their lives.

PILGRIM: You know, many Americans are very removed from this war effort. And they are just -- it's very hard for them to honor it, other than their traditional barbecue. What would you like to see? What's an appropriate way, do you think, for Americans to honor people on Memorial Day?

GRANGE: That's a key question. I think, first of all, it's more than a swimming pool opens up on Memorial Day or it's time for barbecue or a holiday. Those are supporting events. They are supporting events for the essence of what Memorial Day stands for, and that's the remembrance of those that gave their lives to the United States of America.

So I think it's important that people remember. That's the first thing. You must remember that it happened, the reason why. Whether you believe in it or not, they did give their lives.

I think the next thing is, if you are in an organization -- and I'm very fortunate to be in the McCormick Tribune Foundation, and every year we go over to an American cemetery overseas and we dedicate, along with American veterans, the M-vets, a caralon (ph), a belltower in an American cemetery overseas. And it's very emotional. They're beautiful locations. An appropriate place, if any can be appropriate for our fallen comrades. And it really pays tribute to those fallen.

The other thing is that I think it's important if you could just send a letter, send an e-mail, or just on the telephone, say thanks, say that you remember to parents, to sons or daughters, mothers or fathers, brothers or sisters, of those that gave their lives. It really means a lot. Because a lot of the people that have had relatives that have given their life, they do feel that they are forgotten. And it's important that all remember.

So if you do that, that really carries a lot of effect on those that are involved in Memorial Day very deeply.

PILGRIM: What a beautiful thing to do. Thank you very much for suggesting it to us. General David Grange, thank you.

Well, tonight's thought is on what it means to be a patriot. "Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotions, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." Those are the words of statesman Adlai Stevenson.

Retired Army Staff Sergeant Hilbert Caesar just completed the Boston Marathon. That would be a remarkable accomplishment by almost any measure, but Sergeant Caesar's accomplishment comes over a year after he lost his leg in an insurgent attack in Iraq. Casey Wian has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (voice-over): Once he gets moving on his hand cycle, retired Army Staff Sergeant Hilbert Caesar says it's hard to slow him down. That fierce determination carried him through seven years in the military, doing tours in Germany, Korea, Kosovo and Iraq, until April 18th, 2004, when Caesar's armored Howitzer drove by a roadside bomb while on a reconnaissance mission.

STAFF SGT. HILBERT CAESAR (RET.), U.S. ARMY: We were just rolling, and all of a sudden it's just boom, you know, this loud explosion. And everything had just paused, you know.

WIAN: Three soldiers were injured, including Caesar. The explosion severed his right leg just above the knee.

CAESAR: I saw a buddy of mine, you know, he was -- I saw him like collapsing down. Because he was -- I was inside the vehicle. As I was reaching over there to try to, like, you know, like, ease his fall, you know, I just like collapsed, just dropped. That's because, you know, my leg was gone.

WIAN: As a section chief with the 27th Field Artillery 1st Armored Division, Caesar commanded seven soldiers.

CAESAR: You know, they learned everything from me. And you know, I thought that was, that was my guys, that was, like, you know, that was my family there at the time. So it was difficult leaving them. You know, it really was. Because I -- like every day, that's who I was thinking about, you know, making sure they was all right. Hopefully I trained them well. And that they would step up to the plate and do their jobs, you know.

WIAN: An athlete all his life in team sports, Caesar thought long distance runners and cyclists a bit crazy. Since losing his leg, he's changed his mind. In fact, he competed in his first hand cycle race just four months after his injury, and has completed three marathons.

Most recently the Boston Marathon on April 18th, a year to the day after losing his leg.

CAESAR: Took me a little while to get here, but I made it. It's over and done. Feels pretty good. Awesome.

WIAN: If not for the injury, Caesar says he would return to active duty.

CAESAR: Thanks, thanks.

WIAN: Instead, he works for the Department of Veteran's Affairs and acts as an inspiration to his fellow soldiers.

CAESAR: Hopefully they see this and they kind of -- the guys that's their spirits are low and stuff, they can, you know, raise up and say, you know what, I can do that, too.

WIAN: Casey Wian, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Next, half a century after the battle of Iwo Jima, Marines travel back to remember the battle they won there, and the troops who lost their lives fighting for freedom. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most famous battles of World War II. Every year, survivors travel back to Iwo Jima to remember the battle they fought there so many years ago. Mike Chinoy has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the beaches of Iwo Jima, Teddy Draper sings the Navajo war song he composed 60 years ago when he was part of a moment captured on a single frame on Mt. Suribachi.

TEDDY DRAPER, WWII CODE TALKER: We came here from there. And we come this way.

CHINOY: Now for the first time, Teddy Draper is back on Iwo Jima, back at the summit he climbed in 1945 with the men who raised the flag.

Draper was a code talker, a Native American whose Navajo language was used by the U.S. military as a top secret code that the Japanese were unable to break. So valuable were the code talkers, they had orders to avoid capture at all costs.

DRAPER: If you had been captured, you had to do something. You had to suicide or kill yourself. That's what they told us.

CHINOY: And when those Marines secured Suribachi, it was Teddy Draper who sent out the coded message of success.

DRAPER: (SPEAKING NAVAJO). That means that the flag is raised.

CHINOY: Few of those who were there will ever forget the moment.

MARVIN PERRET, IWO JIMA VETERAN: Tears rolled down the cheeks of every one of us. And it was a moment of triumph.

DANNY THOMAS, IWO JIMA VETERAN: There was a radio man standing on the edge of his crater, had his helmet off. He was waving it in the air. Just dancing a jig. Saying, look on the mountain, look, look on the mountain. The flag is up, look, on the mountain. The flag is. And about the time he said "is," well, he got shot through the head.

CHINOY (on camera): When the flag went up here, a lot of the American soldiers down on the beaches thought the battle would soon be over. They were wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is D-Day at Iwo Jima.

CHINOY (voice-over): The struggle for Iwo Jima began with an amphibious assault. Thousands of Marines storming the beach to secure an island just 600 miles from Tokyo. But 22,000 Japanese troops were waiting for them. Marvin Perret was at the helm of a Higgins boat transporting Marines to shore.

PERRET: They were grim-faced. They weren't speaking to each other. They weren't speaking to me.

THOMAS: How in the hell did we get up this sand the first time?

CHINOY: On the thick volcanic where he landed, sand made even the simplest movement an ordeal, Danny Thomas confronts his demons. Danny was a medic. As he hit the beach, he saw his best friend, Chick (ph), apparently buried waste deep in the sand.

THOMAS: So I run on past him and look back. And that's when I saw the rest of Chick (ph). A couple of legs and looked like yards and yards of intestines. Other body parts scattered out over the sand. I fell to my knees and vomited, for, God, I don't know how long.

CHINOY: For more than 50 years, Danny suffered from nightmares every day.

THOMAS: I would stay awake sometimes two or three days at a time to keep from going to sleep, to keep from dreaming. It's not an easy thing to say I was thinking about suicide, but I was.

CHINOY: For the U.S., it was the single bloodiest battle in the history of the Marine Corps. There were 25,000 American casualties, including nearly 7,000 dead. Among those killed, three of these Marines who raised the flag.

Teddy Draper was pushing north from Mt. Suribachi when he was hit.

(on camera): Where did you get wounded?

DRAPER: Where that road is. Where that road is on this side. That's where I was wounded.

CHINOY (voice-over): The fighting was so savage because the 22,000 Japanese were dug into a huge network of underground caves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't this interesting?

CHINOY: Their orders, fight to the death, and most all of them did.

The caves are still around, and every so often remains of Japanese soldiers are found in them.

Once a year, survivors from both sides, their family, friends, visit Iwo Jima, offering prayers and pledges of reconciliation. But with the passage of time, there are fewer and fewer veterans from both sides.

Eighty-two-year-old Kiyshi Endo was a lieutenant in the Imperial Navy. This year, he was the only Japanese survivor to return.

"I'm so pleased we're together like this," he says. "We fought 60 years ago. We hated each other. Now all our hatred is gone."

When the flag raisers posed for this photo, they asked Teddy Draper to join them, but as a code talker, he had to keep his identity secret. He was lying on the ground just out of frame here.

For nearly a quarter century after the war, the Navajo code was kept classified, and the code talkers remained anonymous. During that time, Teddy Draper struggled with nightmares and financial troubles.

When the patriotism of the code talkers finally became public, the Pentagon had lost Teddy's records. It wasn't until last year that he received veterans' benefits and a Purple Heart.

This is Danny Thomas' third visit to Iwo Jima. The visits have helped put his nightmares to rest.

(on camera): Are you all right? Are you at peace?

THOMAS: Yeah, I'm doing fine now. I'm at peace, I think, right now. I think all my dragons have been buried, I hope. Because I sure as hell don't want to meet any more of them.

CHINOY: Teddy Draper brought his own flag this time, and on Mt. Suribachi, he raised it. An old soldier, paying a final tribute to the heroes of Iwo Jima.

Mike Chinoy, CNN, Iwo Jima.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Coming up, the emotional story of two of the unsung heroes of the war in Iraq. That and much more still ahead tonight. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: The Army's 507th Maintenance Company gained national attention after a unit of the company was attacked in the first days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Eleven soldiers were killed. Several others were captured, including Jessica Lynch, whose story has been widely told. But there were other heroes in the 507th. Two of them were awarded the Silver Star for bravery. You may not know their names, but they are heroes. And tonight, Jamie McIntyre shares the stories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Family photos document the 33 years of Army Sergeant Donald Walters' life, from beloved son to loving father to unsung hero.

ARLENE WALTERS, MOTHER OF DONALD WALTERS: This is his Silver Star and his citation. MCINTYRE: His parents, Arlene and Norman, had hoped his job would keep their son from the front lines.

A. WALTERS: I said, well, Don, you're a cook. I just thought he'd be in some big tent cooking. And he said, mom, he says, that doesn't matter. He says, I've got a gun. If I have to use it, I'll have to use it.

MCINTYRE: There were no American witnesses to Walter's valor. After his supply truck was disabled early on, no one knows exactly how he got separated from the rest of the 507th. But now Army investigators have concluded he fought his way south and was only captured after expending all his ammunition and being stabbed several times.

NORMAN WALTERS, FATHER OF DONALD WALTERS: He had 230 rounds of ammunition with him. And to our knowledge, he used every last one of those rounds until he was no longer able to resist.

MCINTYRE (on camera): Empty shell casings found where Walters was captured, along with intercepted radio transmissions in which Iraqis were overheard talking about a blond soldier who fought bravely, are the main evidence that Walters was the real hero of that day.

But he wasn't the only hero. A Silver Star was also awarded to a 23-year-old private who earned the affectionate nickname Redneck Rambo.

(voice-over): According to fellow soldier Shoshana Johnson, who was hit while taking cover, Private Patrick Miller dodged bullets fearlessly, while rushing to protect his fellow soldiers. The Army thinks Miller killed as many as nine Iraqis before his sergeant decided further resistance was futile. Most of the soldiers' guns jammed that day, but Miller got his working, as he explained in a 2003 interview with CNN's Paula Zahn.

PVT. PATRICK MILLER, U.S. ARMY: My round, it would fire but -- and it would eject the casing, but it wouldn't push the next round all the way into the chamber. So I had to push on the forward assist to get the bolt to push the round all the way into the chamber.

MCINTYRE: Miller made it home to tell his story, but Walters did not. Allegedly, a few days after his capture, Fedayeen fighters shot him twice in the back, in a case that remains under investigation as a war crime.

In Salem, Oregon, a yellow ribbon still hangs outside the Walters family home, and nearby a memorial is inscribed with his thoughts from a letter home.

A. WALTERS: "I would lay down my life for my family and nation if it is worth it, and this one is to let them appreciate the taste of their freedoms. Freedom isn't free, and someone must do what they must to preserve it. The Bible states, blessed is he who lays down his life for the sake of his friends. I fear not, and I'm motivated by the fear of the unknown and being a part of a bigger picture, whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

MCINTYRE: Sergeant Walters wrote those words one week before he died.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Next, a Marine pilot who earned the highest honor for his bravery in Iraq. Three dozen of his fellow Marines owe him their lives and their thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: Marine Captain Armando Espinoza was awarded the military's distinguished flying cross for risking his life to save the lives of three dozen fellow Marines. He successfully piloted a rescue helicopter into Baghdad during a fierce fire fight.

Bill Tucker has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCKER (voice-over): He's been awarded the highest honor a Marine navigator can receive for bravery while flying. But Captain Armando Espinoza says the real reward is knowing he saved the lives of 35 Marines.

CAPT. ARMANDO ESPINOZA, U.S. MARINE CORPS: We were doing our jobs. We were -- that's what our task was to do, was to get those Marines into a place where they can get help.

TUCKER: The Marines were injured during a firefight in Baghdad shortly after the war started. Captain Espinoza was flying a medevac helicopter. In a barrage of gunfire, he landed the chopper five separate times to rescue the wounded.

ESPINOZA: There's a helicopter spinning, I've got a headset on, I've got radio traffic coming in. All I see is the Marines just hit the deck and start shooting.

TUCKER: Espinoza credits his team for the mission's success.

ESPINOZA: I do remember a particular moment when I was asking our corpsman man in the back, HM2 Burnette (ph), how the casualties were doing. And he very calmly said over the radio, "They're doing fine, sir. Just fly the plane."

TUCKER: Espinoza served in Desert Storm and has completed two tours of duty in Iraq.

SGT. CHRIS OAKESON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Captain Espinoza is just one of those officers that the crew chiefs get along with because he's a good pilot and he's also a good person. So he attracts people.

TUCKER: A fellow pilot believes the distinguished Flying Cross is well deserved.

CAPT. DAVID ROEN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Captain Espinoza, rather than just sitting back and waiting to be told what to do, came over the radios and volunteered for it, and told us what he was going to do, basically. Marines are alive because of it.

TUCKER: Espinoza is a flight safety officer now, continuing to serve at Camp Pendleton, California.

Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Incredible story. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: Finally tonight some thoughts from just a few of the many heroes who serve this country so proudly and so humbly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK GRAUNKE, U.S. MARINE CORPS (RET.): I'm not a hero. I'm just another guy that was doing his job the best way he knew how. I just happened to get blown up -- doing my job. The people over there right now are all heroes. The people who saved us in World War II are heroes. The people who got spat on when they came back from Vietnam, they're heroes even though the American people didn't treat them as a hero. They're heroes. I'm lucky that the American people are kinder to the veterans now than they were back in the Vietnam era.

DERICK HURT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): You never thought as a grown man, you'd have to learn how to walk again, let alone with a fake leg. And your first few steps on your new leg is real shaky. And the ankle doesn't bend like a real ankle and it's tough. But the therapist, they do a wonderful job. And They'll have you running in no time. You realize that, hey, this ain't that bad. It could have been a lot worse.

RYAN KELLY, U.S. ARMY (RET.): When I woke up in Iraq in the hospital and realized that my leg was truly gone, it was just almost -- somewhat emotional, but it was more I was just happy to be alive. The recovery at Walter Reed medically tremendous. The 13 months I stayed there I had -- the physical therapy was wonderful. It allows me to do what I'm doing today.

STAFF SGT. SEAN FERGUSON, U.S. ARMY: My friends and family did all the signs and stuff. And they were there at the airport, a lot of my friends were and family. It's pretty neat, you know, to see everybody there that supported me. All the ribbons done by somebody that we don't know. I don't think I've really done anything that important, I just did what I wanted to do. Just do what was natural for me. So I don't think at all I'm a hero.

SGT. SCOTT MONTOYA, U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE: I used to a concept in the Marine Corps called, "As man sharp as man, still sharpen still." And that says there's only two powers in the world, the sword and spirit. And in the long run the sword is always defeated by the spirit. And I think that spirit is what is great about the Marine Corps.

LT. PETER WOOD, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: I believe more in it today than I did before I went to Iraq. Just because I met people in Iraq. I saw the good things that our soldiers were doing in Iraq, the positive effect that American men and women are doing every day to change lives and promote freedom. If I could go back today, I'd hop back on plane to go back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: That's all for this special edition of LOU DOBBS TONIGHT. We thank you for joining us. And for all of us here, good night from New York.

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 30, 2005 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: On this Memorial Day, President Bush visited Arlington National Cemetery, where he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Mr. Bush honored generations of Americans who gave their lives for their country, and then -- then he turned to Iraq and Afghanistan, saying that because of the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, two terror regimes are gone forever.
Meanwhile in Iraq, it was a deadly day for America as an Iraqi air force aircraft carrying four U.S. personnel and one Iraqi crashed. All on board are presumed dead. The aircraft was on a reconnaissance mission. No word yet on what the actual cause was.

An ominous message of hate from the most wanted man in Iraq. It's an audiotape attributed to terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. It surfaced today. The statement, which was addressed to Osama bin Laden, has Zarqawi claiming that he suffered only minor wounds in combat.

And in Atlanta, bail denied today for the man who spent days atop a crane. Carl Edward Roland was brought down Saturday after 56 hours and 350 feet in the air. Roland is suspected of murdering his ex- girlfriend. His next court appearance is Tuesday.

I'm Rick Sanchez. I'm going to be back with the very latest headlines throughout the evening for you. LOU DOBBS TONIGHT begins right now.

KITTY PILGRIM, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening.

Tonight, our special report, "A Tribute to Heroes," the men and women who are willing to give their lives to freedom in this country and around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Tonight, we share the incredibly inspiring stories of the heroes who defend our way of life.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had 230 rounds of ammunition with him. To our knowledge, he used every last one of those rounds until he was no longer able to resist.

ANNOUNCER: Those who are dedicated to our country and the cause of freedom, no matter how high the cost.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He will be remembered forever for paying the ultimate sacrifice.

ANNOUNCER: This is a special holiday edition of LOU DOBBS TONIGHT. Sitting in for Lou Dobbs is Kitty Pilgrim.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Tonight we honor some of this nation's fallen heroes, as well as the men and women who fight today. In Iraq, Afghanistan and 120 other countries around the globe. Hundreds of thousands of American forces are deployed, and tonight we bring you just a few of their remarkable stories.

We begin with a story of Sergeant First Class John Setzer. Sergeant Setzer was wounded more than two years ago during his tour in Afghanistan. And now Sergeant Setzer has recovered from his wounds, he is a dedicated soldier, a decorated hero who says he would give up all his medals in a moment if it would just bring back two of his fellow soldiers.

Bill Tucker has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's 06:00 at Fort Bragg. For Sergeant First Class John Setzer paratroopers today, it's a six-mile march carrying 55 pounds of gear. In early 2003, the sergeant was in Afghanistan with a platoon he had just trained, securing an area known to be occupied by insurgents.

SGT. FIRST CLASS JOHN SETZER, U.S. ARMY: The company commander wanted to move ahead and look at an old -- old staging area.

TUCKER: Insurgents attacked the first group and radio contact was lost. Sergeant Setzer moved his group of 10 soldiers forward.

SETZER: Once we got to the top of the hill, we heard leaders yelling to one another for the soldiers to engage and get down. You could smell the blood from the wounded.

TUCKER: The sergeant took shrapnel in the neck. Disregarding his own injuries, he evacuated a wounded airman to safer ground who would later die. He returned to evacuate more men but was attacked again.

SETZER: The machine gun opened up about 25 meters away, about, what, 30, 40 feet, and two rounds hit the T and the Z, and one round hit the E. It cut through the body armor, hit the tip of the plate, and it bounced up right here and it broke my jar, shattered my teeth, and went -- and just on the right-hand side, I have shrapnel all up in my face, and they pulled the pieces that were in my eye out. My young PFC was wounded, covered me out of that -- out of the vehicle.

TUCKER: The sergeant and Private Dennis were airlifted to Bagram Air Force Base. Sergeant Setzer was in surgery for four-and-a-half hours. When he came to, his first question was about Private Dennis.

SETZER: That's all that matters. It didn't matter about anything else.

You know, you have a young 18, 19-year-old man. He's got a lot to live for. They told me that they did everything they could for Dennis, but he lost too much blood and he didn't make it.

TUCKER: Sergeant Setzer was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze and the Silver Star.

SETZER: I would give up all those awards if I could have those two young men back.

TUCKER: The sergeant is now recovered and is able to return to combat. He has no intention of leaving the military.

SETZER: As long as I breathe, and as long as, you know -- I can still do it. I love to train. I love to lead.

TUCKER: Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: And Sergeant Setzer will continue to lead. This summer he will spend two months at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point teaching leadership skills to our nation's future Army officers.

Well, now the story of a Marine honored for bravery during one of the most critical battles in the Iraq war. Lance Corporal Thomas Adametz saved the lives of dozens of his fellow Marines during the fierce fighting in the battle of Falluja.

Casey Wian has his remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For a Marine, Lance Corporal Thomas Adametz is remarkably soft-spoken. He's also remarkably brave even for a Marine.

LANCE CORP. THOMAS ADAMETZ, U.S. MARINES: Imagine going to hell and coming back.

WIAN: April, 2004, in Falluja, two squads of Marines were pinned down in a building by Iraqi insurgents. Lance Corporal John Paul Flores was there.

LANCE CORP. JOHN PAUL FLORES, U.S. MARINES: It was the scariest day of my life.

WIAN: Ten Marines wounded, the rest outnumbered and about to be overrun by the enemy.

FLORES: They were just throwing grenades everywhere, and RPGs. And they were real close. I mean, it's a miracle that he didn't get shot.

WIAN: A miracle because Lance Corporal Adametz ran into the open and began firing back. Wounded Lance Corporal Carlos Gomez saw Adametz in action.

LANCE CORP. CARLOS GOMEZ, U.S. MARINES: I saw a crazy maniac out there firing to make sure we all came back alive.

WIAN: But Adametz' M-16 was no match for the Iraqi attackers just 25 meters away.

ADAMETZ: I handed off my M-16 and I picked up a machine gun for more firepower. I was firing so much I was melting the extra barrels.

FLORES: It's really hard to change barrels when you're under fire. And he ended up getting burnt by the barrel melting. It melted on his hand. And fingerprints are still on the barrel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Lance Corporal Adametz' aggressive actions and devastating fire were critical in repelling the enemy's attack.

GEN. JOHN SATTLER, U.S. MARINES: Based on the volume of fire he put out, his platoon -- you know, the 10 wounded warriors, were able to be safely evacuated. And the enemy, the enemy who thought they had the upper hand, learned differently at that point.

WIAN: This week Adametz received the Silver Star, the nation's third highest honor for bravery in combat.

ADAMETZ: I was just doing my job, just like all the Marines that were with us today.

ROBERT ADAMETZ, FATHER: Tom was always a low-key guy. You know, he never -- he's not out for the glory or anything.

SATTLER: How about joining me in a round of applause for a great warrior, one of your own, Lance Corporal Adametz.

(APPLAUSE)

WIAN: At 23, Adametz is uncertain about his Marine Corps future. What is certain, though, two dozen Marines have a future because of his actions.

Casey Wian, CNN, Camp Pendleton, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Now the astonishing story of an Army captain. He lost his foot in a landmine explosion in Iraq, and he made it his goal to become the first amputee to return to the battlefield. Captain David Rozelle shares his story in his new book, "Back in Action: An American Soldier's Story of Courage, Faith and Fortitude."

Lou Dobbs spoke with Captain Rozelle just a few weeks before he returned to Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: Captain, thanks for being here. CAPT. DAVID ROZELLE, U.S. ARMY: Thanks for having me. I'm glad to be here.

DOBBS: An extraordinary life that you are leading. Extraordinary service in Iraq. Tell our audience how you lost your right foot.

ROZELLE: Well, I was traveling down a dirt road on the way to teach the first police academy in Hete (ph), Iraq, which was the area that I was in charged of. And en route, along that alternate route of the dirt road there, I hit a landmine in a Humvee. And it destroyed my foot, it basically took the right front end off the Humvee. And, you know, fortunately we were going slow enough where it didn't take the rest of me up in the air, as well.

DOBBS: In the book you speak of a cookie cutter hole coming through the center of the Humvee. Those traveling with you in the Humvee, they escaped unhurt.

ROZELLE: Amazingly, because I just stopped and started going again. We were not traveling at a speed where it would have detonated and gone off right underneath us. Fortunately, we slowed down and were able to take it fairly easy so most of the blast went up to the vehicle. And, you know, there was barely a scratch on the other two men. So I was very lucky.

DOBBS: Your book in which you -- the captain's wife and young son hearing about it for the first time, it's a remarkable chapter. What was your reaction? What were your thoughts as you had to tell your wife this had occurred?

ROZELLE: Well, you know, the hardest thing for me was -- was not having her there and not -- her not knowing and that I could have died. To imagine her being notified and going through that process would have been horrific.

But then to have to tell my wife that I was injured, you know, that's really something that I struggled with when I was laying there until she said the words, "I know." And it just allowed me to just release and made it OK, because she already knew.

And the Army does the right thing. They let the wives know the right way with the right people, and have the right professionals there to help out. And we're very lucky right now.

DOBBS: And your wife gave a pretty good tribute to the squadron leader's wife in her...

ROZELLE: Carolyn (ph), yes.

DOBBS: Right. Your -- those who have not known a man or woman who's lost a leg or a limb, people don't realize I think in many cases just how much guts you've got to have to deal with it, to bring -- to deal with the prosthetic.

ROZELLE: Yes. DOBBS: The people -- the people I've known who've had to deal with this, they've had to struggle against the way in which the amputation took place, the way in which it heals. Sometimes its an extraordinary year-after-year process. Tell us how quickly, how difficult, how much work it was to deal with that prosthetic.

ROZELLE: Well, Walter Reed actually went back and studied me since I was one of the first guys, top ten -- or first ten, not top ten to actually become an amputee. And I was about six months ahead of schedule the entire time, whether it was, you know, getting back to skiing again, to running again, to starting to do triathlons. And then within 14 months of my injury to do a triathlon.

DOBBS: That's incredible.

ROZELLE: And then run the New York Marathon. So absolutely my sports rehabilitation is the thing that got me back on my feet the fastest. And it really is the thing that prepared me to come back into active service and within a year of my injury take another cavalry troop and be prepared within the next two weeks to receive orders to again go to Iraq.

DOBBS: Captain, we thank you for your service, your bravery, your example...

ROZELLE: Thank you.

DOBBS: ... and for being here. We wish you all the very best.

ROZELLE: My pleasure.

DOBBS: Thank you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Just a few weeks after that interview aired, Captain Rozelle did what many would have thought impossible, he became the first amputee to return to active duty in Iraq. Captain Rozelle is currently serving in Baghdad, and CNN's Ryan Chilcote has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Captain David Rozelle isn't the first soldier on his second tour in Iraq, but he is the first to return minus much of a limb. His first tour ended abruptly.

ROZELLE: I ran over an anti-tank mine, which is what took off the right front end of my Humvee and also destroyed my foot. It didn't actually blow my foot off. It blew part of my -- parts of my foot, but destroyed all the bones and tendons.

CHILCOTE: The Army offered him a way out of the service, complete with a retirement package and the half pay that comes along with it eight years early. ROZELLE: It's just standard operating procedure to hand me the paperwork for me to get out of the service. Some people think that, you know, going back to war like I have has -- is crazy. God, why would do you that when you can go retire?

It's like, you know, I'm 32 years old. I'm not going -- I'm not going to retire.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smells real good.

ROZELLE: I was messing with this one.

CHILCOTE: Ten miles from where his foot and ankle were amputated two years ago, the military says Captain Rozelle is the first U.S. soldier to return to a combat zone a pioneer with a unique set of problems.

ROZELLE: But I've already sent home for another foot because I didn't like the way one of them was working here. I said I need something softer to walk through these rocks and stuff. And, you know, so I got a new foot in the mail. Probably the first guy to change his foot, you know, in combat.

CHILCOTE: But Captain Rozelle likes to pull his own weight, and much of what he does is right in step with his fellow soldiers. His dedication has earned him the respect of his subordinates.

SPEC. GRACE GIBSON, U.S. ARMY: Whenever I first heard he was still like in the troop, the first thing that popped in my head was like, I can believe that he's still in the Army. Like I would have -- I probably would have gotten out. So that gives me a lot more respect for him, that he's still out here and that he's out here again.

CHILCOTE: Captain Rozelle commands his company's headquarters. It's primarily an administrative job. Next frontier he believes is the front lines.

ROZELLE: Truly, if I was going and kicking doors down every single day and fighting and fighting and fighting, that would be -- that truly would be the next test of can my body physically handle it.

CHILCOTE: This summer, he goes back to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to manage its amputee program, prepare more soldiers to follow in his footsteps.

Ryan Chilcote, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: When we return, the moving story of Captain Troy Cope. After half a century of waiting and hoping, one family is reunited for a final good-bye. An incredible story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: Hundreds of American families have lost loved ones in Iraq or Afghanistan since the start of the war on terror. Most of those families were able to hold a proper burial and say good-bye to the people they lost. Tonight, we bring you the story of one family that waited for more than 50 years for the chance to say good-bye.

Barbara Starr has their remarkable story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Troy Gordon Cope was just 29 in September 1952 when he took off in his F-86 fighter named Rosie after his wife and headed for the Yalu River dividing North Korea and China. He never returned.

CARL COPE, BROTHER: Gordy was my little brother. He was three of five. He went to Korea and disappeared.

STARR: For half a century, his family could only wonder and hope. Troy Cope was one of more than 8,000 Americans missing in action during the Korean War.

Jerry Jennings leads the effort to find out what happened to American troops missing in action from all the nation's wars, but this case became special, a case with coincidences, mysteries and unprecedented international cooperation. So on a cold winter day, Jennings and his team came back to the very place Cope fell to thank the Chinese government for helping find him and to tell the story of a half-century search.

JERRY JENNINGS, ASSISTANT DEP. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Captain Cope and his wingman, Captain Carl Gitmer (ph), encountered four MiG- 15s near the Yalu. Carl Gitmer (ph) was able to chase away several of the MiGs, but he lost radio and visual contact with Captain Cope in the dense clouds. Captain Cope was never heard from again.

STARR: A trail of clues led to this site, a mountain site in China, now the front yard of a new house. This is where the remains of Troy Cope were found. The first American MIA of the Korean War ever recovered from China. The first break came in 1995.

JENNINGS: An American businessman who had visited the regional military museum here in Dandong reported that he had seen a metal identification tag or dog tag.

STARR: It was Cope's dog tag, proof he had crashed over China. But where?

(on camera): North Korea is just across the Yalu River from here in modern-day Dandong, China, where Troy Cope was shot down half a century ago.

(voice-over): On that day, Captain Cope had one of the most dangerous missions of the war, to engage North Korean MiG fighters before they could attack U.S. bombers. But Troy Cope flew into the jaws of an enemy he never expected.

The U.S. discovered they were facing highly-trained Russian pilots, not inexperienced North Koreans. This led to another discovery three years later.

American investigators examining Russian military archives were stunned to find a description of a ferocious dog fight written by a Russian pilot. The report noting the aircraft banked sharply to the left and started to fall out of control. The pilot, together with the aircraft, crashed into a Chinese peasant home. The details led to only one conclusion, this was Troy Cope and this was where he fell.

For years, Troy Cope's nephew Chris met each year with Pentagon officials about the fate of the uncle he never knew. In May 2004, unexpected news. The U.S. team was going to begin excavating in China. He was determined to be there.

CHRIS COPE, NEPHEW: When I saw his boot heel, I knew. There was no question in my mind that that was Gordy. Even though we knew that he perished in the crash, I knew where he was, I knew the circumstances of what caused his death. I knew there was an explosion on impact. You know, so all the pieces fit together.

STARR: For Troy's brother Carl, closure brought him by his own son.

CARL. COPE: After he told me what they had found, and that he actually saw it, he was convinced that it was my brother. And I -- that, of course, I felt, was good.

STARR: More than 52 years after his plane went down, Captain Troy Cope will be laid to rest in this Texas cemetery, a chapter closing but a family changed forever. Troy's father died without ever knowing what happened to his son, and his mother committed suicide. The family convinced a direct result of her son's unknown fate.

CHRIS COPE: There's no question in my mind that it was.

STARR: One last twist in this tale. Brigadier General Ralph Jodice, the defense attache in China, was once the commander of the 335th Fighter Squadron, Troy Cope's unit.

BRIG. GEN. RALPH JODICE, DEF. ATTACHE TO CHINA: He will be remembered forever for paying that ultimate sacrifice.

STARR: For the U.S. military, the 52-year hunt is a message to today's GIs, no one is left behind on the battlefield.

Barbara Starr, CNN, along the China-North Korea border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Next, more than two years after the war in Iraq began, the fighting continues. We'll introduce you to two men who have been part of the war in Iraq since the beginning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: On this Memorial Day, we as a nation pause to remember all the men and women who have given their lives in service to this country. And tonight, we also want to honor the brave men and women who are currently serving this country.

Aneesh Raman reports from Baghdad on the story of two soldiers who have been part of the war in Iraq since it began more than two years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two years on, the rituals of war remain. And for Captain Daniel Getchell, who was part of the initial wave, so do the memories of those first weeks.

CAPT. DANIEL GETCHELL, U.S. ARMY: As I was coming in I remember getting shot at, bullets whizzing by my head. An RPG went flying by.

RAMAN: He is now back on his second tour, serving progress made. Getchell was one of the first people to start recruiting Iraqi forces, and today trains more than he can handle, a sign he thinks of things getting better. But at any given moment a stark reminder emerges of things that haven't changed. A potential car bomb forces the convoy to move on.

GETCHELL: It's a bit frustrating. But at the same time, it seems like to me that the -- that the insurgents know, or our enemies know that as long as Iraq progresses it's a danger to them.

RAMAN: Two years on, today's Iraq is defined by complexity. Here in Taji, there are still strongholds of pro-Saddam supporters. Yet here on the road, new forces, Iraqi security forces, continue to be trained.

Balancing it all is perhaps the military's greatest challenge. Major Clarke Taylor first arrived as Baghdad fell and now feels he must ensure that democracy rises.

MAJ. CLARKE TAYLOR, U.S. ARMY: I have no problem coming back this time. I have no problem coming back if I have to come back again, because if we don't finish this now, our children are going to have to do it 20 years from now.

RAMAN: Conflicts like these change people. The things they witness...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have seen over here probably the best and the worst of just humanity in general.

RAMAN: ... the lessons learned from those they have lost.

TAYLOR: We value the small things and we don't take things for granted. War is hard. It comes -- it's a cost we all know that we could possibly have to pay when we volunteer to serve our country.

RAMAN: Aneesh Raman, CNN, Taji, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Joining me now is General David Grange. General Grange served in the Army for 30 years. He was the commanding general of the 1st Infantry Division. He served as a Ranger and a Green Beret.

Well, General Grange, thank you, as always, for joining us.

BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: My pleasure.

PILGRIM: And, General Grange, I would love your perspective on Memorial Day for you. Why is it so important to this country?

GRANGE: Well, Memorial Day is important because it's the one day put aside for remembrance of those that gave their lives, those that took the ultimate sacrifice for their country, or just for whatever the political objectives were for this nation. And it's a day of importance, especially to the families that have lost relatives in combat.

PILGRIM: We have troops in Iraq and Afghanistan now. Do you think it resonates now because we have so many young people involved in an effort?

GRANGE: I think so. I think since 9/11, since the fighting in Afghanistan, the war in Iraq, I do think it's more important to American citizens on the street that there are sacrifices being made.

A lot still to understand, that in fact this day is set aside for those that gave their lives. But I think people are more aware today than they were before 9/11.

PILGRIM: Has it always had this emotional significance during a war to the American people?

GRANGE: Yes, I think always during war. During war, of course, people -- their interest is peaked because fellow citizens are deployed somewhere around the globe in harm's way. And so it kind of hits you a little close tower home. But then it wanes a bit until another conflict starts, and then the significance picks up again for Memorial Day. So it its peaks and valleys to the feelings of the American people for Memorial Day.

PILGRIM: You have a long history of service. What Memorial Day do you remember most, or what was the a particularly significant time for you?

GRANGE: You know, I don't know if there's one that means the most to me. There's several that I recall, especially when you are a commander of a unit. You lose people, and your Memorial Day ceremony after that, whether it be the next day or the next month, whenever, how close it is to that Memorial Day, you think about coffins draped in the American flag, you think about your fallen comrades. There is always a memorial service, a short ceremony, a moment of silence to honor those that gave their lives. And it really hits home when they are a part of the organization. It really hits home when they are your friends. And of course, it really hits home to those that have relatives that have given their lives.

PILGRIM: You know, many Americans are very removed from this war effort. And they are just -- it's very hard for them to honor it, other than their traditional barbecue. What would you like to see? What's an appropriate way, do you think, for Americans to honor people on Memorial Day?

GRANGE: That's a key question. I think, first of all, it's more than a swimming pool opens up on Memorial Day or it's time for barbecue or a holiday. Those are supporting events. They are supporting events for the essence of what Memorial Day stands for, and that's the remembrance of those that gave their lives to the United States of America.

So I think it's important that people remember. That's the first thing. You must remember that it happened, the reason why. Whether you believe in it or not, they did give their lives.

I think the next thing is, if you are in an organization -- and I'm very fortunate to be in the McCormick Tribune Foundation, and every year we go over to an American cemetery overseas and we dedicate, along with American veterans, the M-vets, a caralon (ph), a belltower in an American cemetery overseas. And it's very emotional. They're beautiful locations. An appropriate place, if any can be appropriate for our fallen comrades. And it really pays tribute to those fallen.

The other thing is that I think it's important if you could just send a letter, send an e-mail, or just on the telephone, say thanks, say that you remember to parents, to sons or daughters, mothers or fathers, brothers or sisters, of those that gave their lives. It really means a lot. Because a lot of the people that have had relatives that have given their life, they do feel that they are forgotten. And it's important that all remember.

So if you do that, that really carries a lot of effect on those that are involved in Memorial Day very deeply.

PILGRIM: What a beautiful thing to do. Thank you very much for suggesting it to us. General David Grange, thank you.

Well, tonight's thought is on what it means to be a patriot. "Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotions, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime." Those are the words of statesman Adlai Stevenson.

Retired Army Staff Sergeant Hilbert Caesar just completed the Boston Marathon. That would be a remarkable accomplishment by almost any measure, but Sergeant Caesar's accomplishment comes over a year after he lost his leg in an insurgent attack in Iraq. Casey Wian has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN (voice-over): Once he gets moving on his hand cycle, retired Army Staff Sergeant Hilbert Caesar says it's hard to slow him down. That fierce determination carried him through seven years in the military, doing tours in Germany, Korea, Kosovo and Iraq, until April 18th, 2004, when Caesar's armored Howitzer drove by a roadside bomb while on a reconnaissance mission.

STAFF SGT. HILBERT CAESAR (RET.), U.S. ARMY: We were just rolling, and all of a sudden it's just boom, you know, this loud explosion. And everything had just paused, you know.

WIAN: Three soldiers were injured, including Caesar. The explosion severed his right leg just above the knee.

CAESAR: I saw a buddy of mine, you know, he was -- I saw him like collapsing down. Because he was -- I was inside the vehicle. As I was reaching over there to try to, like, you know, like, ease his fall, you know, I just like collapsed, just dropped. That's because, you know, my leg was gone.

WIAN: As a section chief with the 27th Field Artillery 1st Armored Division, Caesar commanded seven soldiers.

CAESAR: You know, they learned everything from me. And you know, I thought that was, that was my guys, that was, like, you know, that was my family there at the time. So it was difficult leaving them. You know, it really was. Because I -- like every day, that's who I was thinking about, you know, making sure they was all right. Hopefully I trained them well. And that they would step up to the plate and do their jobs, you know.

WIAN: An athlete all his life in team sports, Caesar thought long distance runners and cyclists a bit crazy. Since losing his leg, he's changed his mind. In fact, he competed in his first hand cycle race just four months after his injury, and has completed three marathons.

Most recently the Boston Marathon on April 18th, a year to the day after losing his leg.

CAESAR: Took me a little while to get here, but I made it. It's over and done. Feels pretty good. Awesome.

WIAN: If not for the injury, Caesar says he would return to active duty.

CAESAR: Thanks, thanks.

WIAN: Instead, he works for the Department of Veteran's Affairs and acts as an inspiration to his fellow soldiers.

CAESAR: Hopefully they see this and they kind of -- the guys that's their spirits are low and stuff, they can, you know, raise up and say, you know what, I can do that, too.

WIAN: Casey Wian, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Next, half a century after the battle of Iwo Jima, Marines travel back to remember the battle they won there, and the troops who lost their lives fighting for freedom. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most famous battles of World War II. Every year, survivors travel back to Iwo Jima to remember the battle they fought there so many years ago. Mike Chinoy has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE CHINOY, CNN SR. ASIA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On the beaches of Iwo Jima, Teddy Draper sings the Navajo war song he composed 60 years ago when he was part of a moment captured on a single frame on Mt. Suribachi.

TEDDY DRAPER, WWII CODE TALKER: We came here from there. And we come this way.

CHINOY: Now for the first time, Teddy Draper is back on Iwo Jima, back at the summit he climbed in 1945 with the men who raised the flag.

Draper was a code talker, a Native American whose Navajo language was used by the U.S. military as a top secret code that the Japanese were unable to break. So valuable were the code talkers, they had orders to avoid capture at all costs.

DRAPER: If you had been captured, you had to do something. You had to suicide or kill yourself. That's what they told us.

CHINOY: And when those Marines secured Suribachi, it was Teddy Draper who sent out the coded message of success.

DRAPER: (SPEAKING NAVAJO). That means that the flag is raised.

CHINOY: Few of those who were there will ever forget the moment.

MARVIN PERRET, IWO JIMA VETERAN: Tears rolled down the cheeks of every one of us. And it was a moment of triumph.

DANNY THOMAS, IWO JIMA VETERAN: There was a radio man standing on the edge of his crater, had his helmet off. He was waving it in the air. Just dancing a jig. Saying, look on the mountain, look, look on the mountain. The flag is up, look, on the mountain. The flag is. And about the time he said "is," well, he got shot through the head.

CHINOY (on camera): When the flag went up here, a lot of the American soldiers down on the beaches thought the battle would soon be over. They were wrong.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is D-Day at Iwo Jima.

CHINOY (voice-over): The struggle for Iwo Jima began with an amphibious assault. Thousands of Marines storming the beach to secure an island just 600 miles from Tokyo. But 22,000 Japanese troops were waiting for them. Marvin Perret was at the helm of a Higgins boat transporting Marines to shore.

PERRET: They were grim-faced. They weren't speaking to each other. They weren't speaking to me.

THOMAS: How in the hell did we get up this sand the first time?

CHINOY: On the thick volcanic where he landed, sand made even the simplest movement an ordeal, Danny Thomas confronts his demons. Danny was a medic. As he hit the beach, he saw his best friend, Chick (ph), apparently buried waste deep in the sand.

THOMAS: So I run on past him and look back. And that's when I saw the rest of Chick (ph). A couple of legs and looked like yards and yards of intestines. Other body parts scattered out over the sand. I fell to my knees and vomited, for, God, I don't know how long.

CHINOY: For more than 50 years, Danny suffered from nightmares every day.

THOMAS: I would stay awake sometimes two or three days at a time to keep from going to sleep, to keep from dreaming. It's not an easy thing to say I was thinking about suicide, but I was.

CHINOY: For the U.S., it was the single bloodiest battle in the history of the Marine Corps. There were 25,000 American casualties, including nearly 7,000 dead. Among those killed, three of these Marines who raised the flag.

Teddy Draper was pushing north from Mt. Suribachi when he was hit.

(on camera): Where did you get wounded?

DRAPER: Where that road is. Where that road is on this side. That's where I was wounded.

CHINOY (voice-over): The fighting was so savage because the 22,000 Japanese were dug into a huge network of underground caves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Isn't this interesting?

CHINOY: Their orders, fight to the death, and most all of them did.

The caves are still around, and every so often remains of Japanese soldiers are found in them.

Once a year, survivors from both sides, their family, friends, visit Iwo Jima, offering prayers and pledges of reconciliation. But with the passage of time, there are fewer and fewer veterans from both sides.

Eighty-two-year-old Kiyshi Endo was a lieutenant in the Imperial Navy. This year, he was the only Japanese survivor to return.

"I'm so pleased we're together like this," he says. "We fought 60 years ago. We hated each other. Now all our hatred is gone."

When the flag raisers posed for this photo, they asked Teddy Draper to join them, but as a code talker, he had to keep his identity secret. He was lying on the ground just out of frame here.

For nearly a quarter century after the war, the Navajo code was kept classified, and the code talkers remained anonymous. During that time, Teddy Draper struggled with nightmares and financial troubles.

When the patriotism of the code talkers finally became public, the Pentagon had lost Teddy's records. It wasn't until last year that he received veterans' benefits and a Purple Heart.

This is Danny Thomas' third visit to Iwo Jima. The visits have helped put his nightmares to rest.

(on camera): Are you all right? Are you at peace?

THOMAS: Yeah, I'm doing fine now. I'm at peace, I think, right now. I think all my dragons have been buried, I hope. Because I sure as hell don't want to meet any more of them.

CHINOY: Teddy Draper brought his own flag this time, and on Mt. Suribachi, he raised it. An old soldier, paying a final tribute to the heroes of Iwo Jima.

Mike Chinoy, CNN, Iwo Jima.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Coming up, the emotional story of two of the unsung heroes of the war in Iraq. That and much more still ahead tonight. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: The Army's 507th Maintenance Company gained national attention after a unit of the company was attacked in the first days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Eleven soldiers were killed. Several others were captured, including Jessica Lynch, whose story has been widely told. But there were other heroes in the 507th. Two of them were awarded the Silver Star for bravery. You may not know their names, but they are heroes. And tonight, Jamie McIntyre shares the stories.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Family photos document the 33 years of Army Sergeant Donald Walters' life, from beloved son to loving father to unsung hero.

ARLENE WALTERS, MOTHER OF DONALD WALTERS: This is his Silver Star and his citation. MCINTYRE: His parents, Arlene and Norman, had hoped his job would keep their son from the front lines.

A. WALTERS: I said, well, Don, you're a cook. I just thought he'd be in some big tent cooking. And he said, mom, he says, that doesn't matter. He says, I've got a gun. If I have to use it, I'll have to use it.

MCINTYRE: There were no American witnesses to Walter's valor. After his supply truck was disabled early on, no one knows exactly how he got separated from the rest of the 507th. But now Army investigators have concluded he fought his way south and was only captured after expending all his ammunition and being stabbed several times.

NORMAN WALTERS, FATHER OF DONALD WALTERS: He had 230 rounds of ammunition with him. And to our knowledge, he used every last one of those rounds until he was no longer able to resist.

MCINTYRE (on camera): Empty shell casings found where Walters was captured, along with intercepted radio transmissions in which Iraqis were overheard talking about a blond soldier who fought bravely, are the main evidence that Walters was the real hero of that day.

But he wasn't the only hero. A Silver Star was also awarded to a 23-year-old private who earned the affectionate nickname Redneck Rambo.

(voice-over): According to fellow soldier Shoshana Johnson, who was hit while taking cover, Private Patrick Miller dodged bullets fearlessly, while rushing to protect his fellow soldiers. The Army thinks Miller killed as many as nine Iraqis before his sergeant decided further resistance was futile. Most of the soldiers' guns jammed that day, but Miller got his working, as he explained in a 2003 interview with CNN's Paula Zahn.

PVT. PATRICK MILLER, U.S. ARMY: My round, it would fire but -- and it would eject the casing, but it wouldn't push the next round all the way into the chamber. So I had to push on the forward assist to get the bolt to push the round all the way into the chamber.

MCINTYRE: Miller made it home to tell his story, but Walters did not. Allegedly, a few days after his capture, Fedayeen fighters shot him twice in the back, in a case that remains under investigation as a war crime.

In Salem, Oregon, a yellow ribbon still hangs outside the Walters family home, and nearby a memorial is inscribed with his thoughts from a letter home.

A. WALTERS: "I would lay down my life for my family and nation if it is worth it, and this one is to let them appreciate the taste of their freedoms. Freedom isn't free, and someone must do what they must to preserve it. The Bible states, blessed is he who lays down his life for the sake of his friends. I fear not, and I'm motivated by the fear of the unknown and being a part of a bigger picture, whatever doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

MCINTYRE: Sergeant Walters wrote those words one week before he died.

Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Next, a Marine pilot who earned the highest honor for his bravery in Iraq. Three dozen of his fellow Marines owe him their lives and their thanks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: Marine Captain Armando Espinoza was awarded the military's distinguished flying cross for risking his life to save the lives of three dozen fellow Marines. He successfully piloted a rescue helicopter into Baghdad during a fierce fire fight.

Bill Tucker has his story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TUCKER (voice-over): He's been awarded the highest honor a Marine navigator can receive for bravery while flying. But Captain Armando Espinoza says the real reward is knowing he saved the lives of 35 Marines.

CAPT. ARMANDO ESPINOZA, U.S. MARINE CORPS: We were doing our jobs. We were -- that's what our task was to do, was to get those Marines into a place where they can get help.

TUCKER: The Marines were injured during a firefight in Baghdad shortly after the war started. Captain Espinoza was flying a medevac helicopter. In a barrage of gunfire, he landed the chopper five separate times to rescue the wounded.

ESPINOZA: There's a helicopter spinning, I've got a headset on, I've got radio traffic coming in. All I see is the Marines just hit the deck and start shooting.

TUCKER: Espinoza credits his team for the mission's success.

ESPINOZA: I do remember a particular moment when I was asking our corpsman man in the back, HM2 Burnette (ph), how the casualties were doing. And he very calmly said over the radio, "They're doing fine, sir. Just fly the plane."

TUCKER: Espinoza served in Desert Storm and has completed two tours of duty in Iraq.

SGT. CHRIS OAKESON, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Captain Espinoza is just one of those officers that the crew chiefs get along with because he's a good pilot and he's also a good person. So he attracts people.

TUCKER: A fellow pilot believes the distinguished Flying Cross is well deserved.

CAPT. DAVID ROEN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: Captain Espinoza, rather than just sitting back and waiting to be told what to do, came over the radios and volunteered for it, and told us what he was going to do, basically. Marines are alive because of it.

TUCKER: Espinoza is a flight safety officer now, continuing to serve at Camp Pendleton, California.

Bill Tucker, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: Incredible story. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PILGRIM: Finally tonight some thoughts from just a few of the many heroes who serve this country so proudly and so humbly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK GRAUNKE, U.S. MARINE CORPS (RET.): I'm not a hero. I'm just another guy that was doing his job the best way he knew how. I just happened to get blown up -- doing my job. The people over there right now are all heroes. The people who saved us in World War II are heroes. The people who got spat on when they came back from Vietnam, they're heroes even though the American people didn't treat them as a hero. They're heroes. I'm lucky that the American people are kinder to the veterans now than they were back in the Vietnam era.

DERICK HURT, U.S. ARMY (RET.): You never thought as a grown man, you'd have to learn how to walk again, let alone with a fake leg. And your first few steps on your new leg is real shaky. And the ankle doesn't bend like a real ankle and it's tough. But the therapist, they do a wonderful job. And They'll have you running in no time. You realize that, hey, this ain't that bad. It could have been a lot worse.

RYAN KELLY, U.S. ARMY (RET.): When I woke up in Iraq in the hospital and realized that my leg was truly gone, it was just almost -- somewhat emotional, but it was more I was just happy to be alive. The recovery at Walter Reed medically tremendous. The 13 months I stayed there I had -- the physical therapy was wonderful. It allows me to do what I'm doing today.

STAFF SGT. SEAN FERGUSON, U.S. ARMY: My friends and family did all the signs and stuff. And they were there at the airport, a lot of my friends were and family. It's pretty neat, you know, to see everybody there that supported me. All the ribbons done by somebody that we don't know. I don't think I've really done anything that important, I just did what I wanted to do. Just do what was natural for me. So I don't think at all I'm a hero.

SGT. SCOTT MONTOYA, U.S. MARINE CORPS RESERVE: I used to a concept in the Marine Corps called, "As man sharp as man, still sharpen still." And that says there's only two powers in the world, the sword and spirit. And in the long run the sword is always defeated by the spirit. And I think that spirit is what is great about the Marine Corps.

LT. PETER WOOD, OREGON NATIONAL GUARD: I believe more in it today than I did before I went to Iraq. Just because I met people in Iraq. I saw the good things that our soldiers were doing in Iraq, the positive effect that American men and women are doing every day to change lives and promote freedom. If I could go back today, I'd hop back on plane to go back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PILGRIM: That's all for this special edition of LOU DOBBS TONIGHT. We thank you for joining us. And for all of us here, good night from New York.

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