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Remembering Ramon

Aired February 10, 2003 - 13:38   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: More on the shuttle now. Remembering Ramon. Israeli Air Force Colonel Ilan Ramon, shown here during the flight of Columbia, was one of seven astronauts killed when the shuttle broke up on re-entry. There you see it. His remains were flown today to Lad (ph) Airbase near Tel Aviv, where a memorial service was held.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel is live in Jerusalem.

And what a touching ceremony, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was indeed, Carol, a very poignant ceremony, and it was as if Israeli said they had been touring (ph) that 16-day flight of the ill-fated mission, had come together not just to cheer on their man, their astronaut, the first Israeli in space, but to be brought together by him in pride, and admiration, and in a death, it was no difference. Of course, a tearful and bitter, and bitter memories.

But at the same time, they haven't lost that admiration and their pride in what he had achieved in bringing them together. That's one of the most poignant moments at this very emotional ceremony, very low key, but emotional ceremony, was when Colonel Ramon's wife, widow, Rona (ph), and the eldest of their four children, Asa (ph), took the podium and read, not saying something about her husband, but a lesson from one of the other astronauts aboard the Columbia, David Brown, who had written to them just the day before the disintegration of the flight, and he said something really dramatic.

He said, "Had I been born in space rather than on Earth, I know I would have aspired to go and visit that wonderful planet much more than I aspired to go into space from Earth." He says, "It's so beautiful from here."

But he also said, "It's amazing that something so beautiful can harbor such horrors."

Well, some poignant thought there from space, but this was a moment when Israelis came together to admire the man, to remember the man, and also to be brought together again in remembering him as they had been during the 16 days of his flight.

It's also another reason why Israelis seem to feel so much for Ilan Ramon, because he symbolizes, they seem to feel, the link, the indelible link, the pure link in life and death between them and their very best friend, the United States -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jerrold Kessel, many thanks to you, reporting live from Jerusalem this afternoon.

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 February 10, 2003 - 13:38   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More on the shuttle now. Remembering Ramon. Israeli Air Force Colonel Ilan Ramon, shown here during the flight of Columbia, was one of seven astronauts killed when the shuttle broke up on re-entry. There you see it. His remains were flown today to Lad (ph) Airbase near Tel Aviv, where a memorial service was held.
CNN's Jerrold Kessel is live in Jerusalem.

And what a touching ceremony, Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was indeed, Carol, a very poignant ceremony, and it was as if Israeli said they had been touring (ph) that 16-day flight of the ill-fated mission, had come together not just to cheer on their man, their astronaut, the first Israeli in space, but to be brought together by him in pride, and admiration, and in a death, it was no difference. Of course, a tearful and bitter, and bitter memories.

But at the same time, they haven't lost that admiration and their pride in what he had achieved in bringing them together. That's one of the most poignant moments at this very emotional ceremony, very low key, but emotional ceremony, was when Colonel Ramon's wife, widow, Rona (ph), and the eldest of their four children, Asa (ph), took the podium and read, not saying something about her husband, but a lesson from one of the other astronauts aboard the Columbia, David Brown, who had written to them just the day before the disintegration of the flight, and he said something really dramatic.

He said, "Had I been born in space rather than on Earth, I know I would have aspired to go and visit that wonderful planet much more than I aspired to go into space from Earth." He says, "It's so beautiful from here."

But he also said, "It's amazing that something so beautiful can harbor such horrors."

Well, some poignant thought there from space, but this was a moment when Israelis came together to admire the man, to remember the man, and also to be brought together again in remembering him as they had been during the 16 days of his flight.

It's also another reason why Israelis seem to feel so much for Ilan Ramon, because he symbolizes, they seem to feel, the link, the indelible link, the pure link in life and death between them and their very best friend, the United States -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jerrold Kessel, many thanks to you, reporting live from Jerusalem this afternoon.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com