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Private First Class Jessica Lynch's Family Celebrates
Aired April 02, 2003 - 12:17 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.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, a daring raid under the cover of darkness. An American prisoner of war freed. Private First Class Jessica Lynch is said to be in stable condition, being treated for multiple gunshot wounds she suffered more than a week ago when her unit was ambushed by Iraqi troops.
Central Command released this video of what it called a classic joint operation that reportedly began from a tip from an Iraqi civilian. Slipping behind enemy lines to rescue her were Army Rangers, Air Force pilots, Marines, Navy Seals and Special Forces. For her relatives, a week of worry has turned into days of celebration. CNN's Patty Davis is with them in Palestine, West Virginia -- Patty.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, screaming and shouting, that is how Jessica Lynch's relatives here at her family home in West Virginia say that they reacted to her rescue. But it was not until after her father determined that the news they got of that rescue was not, in fact, an April fool's joke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEE LYNCH, JESSICA'S MOTHER: It's just so exciting. I mean, it's just a whole different adrenaline feeling. It was wonderful.
QUESTION: Who answered the phone when the call came?
BARRY LYNCH, JESSICA'S FATHER: I did.
QUESTION: And what did they say to you, sir?
B. LYNCH: I kind of figured, well, this being April 1st was kind of a real bad deal to be doing this. And I asked three or four times just to make sure they said the same name. And I even went to the table and got a pencil and paper and wrote some numbers down because I just figured this was an April fool's deal.
QUESTION: When you do talk to your daughter, what do you want her to know? What do you want to tell her right now?
B. LYNCH: Oh that we love her, and the little brat's caused a big stir in this county.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: A lot of commotion here in this small West Virginia town of just under 1,000 people. They say that they still have not spoken to their daughter and they do not know the extent of her injuries. They say, though, they do hope to connect up with her by phone either tonight or tomorrow.
Now she disappeared on March 23rd, when her 507th Maintenance unit took a wrong turn. They were a supply convoy and they were ambushed by the Iraqis.
Her parents say they did not even know that she had been captured. They realized it when they got that phone call. And they say that they are very, very grateful to the rescuers who put their lives on the line.
Now they don't only have just one child who's in the military. They have another. And that is a 21-year-old son who's in the Army, who is on emergency leave right now while this situation is taken care of. And they have another daughter, 18-year-old Brandy (ph), who is set to go into the Army come August.
Her parents say that they are more than willing to have those three children be in the military. They think it's good for them. And even despite what happened to Jessica, they support their military careers -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Is it fair to say that they haven't spoken to her on a phone, put a cell phone next to her ear or anything, because she's in stable condition and physically is unable to do so? Or is there another reason they're giving the parents why they haven't been able to speak directly with Jessica?
DAVIS: That's a good question, Wolf. And it's something that reporters put to the parents. They simply just don't know. They're not being told enough information right now.
They say simply they know that she's stable. And they saw pictures of her, which they say she appeared to be very beautiful, very normal. That it didn't appear that she wasn't able to talk.
They just don't know. And they haven't really gotten an explanation, they say, from the military about why they haven't been able to speak to her yet -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Patty Davis with lot of happy people in Palestine, West Virginia. That's about 70 miles or so from Charleston. Thanks very much for that report.
We're standing by at the top of the hour, by the way. There will be a Pentagon briefing on all the late-breaking developments that's unfolding. CNN of course will have live coverage. We'll be at the Pentagon at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. on the West Coast.
But up next, we've talked a lot about the war efforts in Iraq. What about peace efforts? Next, who can best oversee humanitarian relief plans once the fighting stops? We'll talk with two key players. Plus, patrolling the skies over the United States while American troops are at war. We'll show you latest efforts, and that will be live.
And later, award-winning photographer David Turnley shows us day- to-day life inside one small village in northern Iraq. Stay with us.
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 April 2, 2003 - 12:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, a daring raid under the cover of darkness. An American prisoner of war freed. Private First Class Jessica Lynch is said to be in stable condition, being treated for multiple gunshot wounds she suffered more than a week ago when her unit was ambushed by Iraqi troops.
Central Command released this video of what it called a classic joint operation that reportedly began from a tip from an Iraqi civilian. Slipping behind enemy lines to rescue her were Army Rangers, Air Force pilots, Marines, Navy Seals and Special Forces. For her relatives, a week of worry has turned into days of celebration. CNN's Patty Davis is with them in Palestine, West Virginia -- Patty.
PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, screaming and shouting, that is how Jessica Lynch's relatives here at her family home in West Virginia say that they reacted to her rescue. But it was not until after her father determined that the news they got of that rescue was not, in fact, an April fool's joke.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEE LYNCH, JESSICA'S MOTHER: It's just so exciting. I mean, it's just a whole different adrenaline feeling. It was wonderful.
QUESTION: Who answered the phone when the call came?
BARRY LYNCH, JESSICA'S FATHER: I did.
QUESTION: And what did they say to you, sir?
B. LYNCH: I kind of figured, well, this being April 1st was kind of a real bad deal to be doing this. And I asked three or four times just to make sure they said the same name. And I even went to the table and got a pencil and paper and wrote some numbers down because I just figured this was an April fool's deal.
QUESTION: When you do talk to your daughter, what do you want her to know? What do you want to tell her right now?
B. LYNCH: Oh that we love her, and the little brat's caused a big stir in this county.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAVIS: A lot of commotion here in this small West Virginia town of just under 1,000 people. They say that they still have not spoken to their daughter and they do not know the extent of her injuries. They say, though, they do hope to connect up with her by phone either tonight or tomorrow.
Now she disappeared on March 23rd, when her 507th Maintenance unit took a wrong turn. They were a supply convoy and they were ambushed by the Iraqis.
Her parents say they did not even know that she had been captured. They realized it when they got that phone call. And they say that they are very, very grateful to the rescuers who put their lives on the line.
Now they don't only have just one child who's in the military. They have another. And that is a 21-year-old son who's in the Army, who is on emergency leave right now while this situation is taken care of. And they have another daughter, 18-year-old Brandy (ph), who is set to go into the Army come August.
Her parents say that they are more than willing to have those three children be in the military. They think it's good for them. And even despite what happened to Jessica, they support their military careers -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Is it fair to say that they haven't spoken to her on a phone, put a cell phone next to her ear or anything, because she's in stable condition and physically is unable to do so? Or is there another reason they're giving the parents why they haven't been able to speak directly with Jessica?
DAVIS: That's a good question, Wolf. And it's something that reporters put to the parents. They simply just don't know. They're not being told enough information right now.
They say simply they know that she's stable. And they saw pictures of her, which they say she appeared to be very beautiful, very normal. That it didn't appear that she wasn't able to talk.
They just don't know. And they haven't really gotten an explanation, they say, from the military about why they haven't been able to speak to her yet -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right. Patty Davis with lot of happy people in Palestine, West Virginia. That's about 70 miles or so from Charleston. Thanks very much for that report.
We're standing by at the top of the hour, by the way. There will be a Pentagon briefing on all the late-breaking developments that's unfolding. CNN of course will have live coverage. We'll be at the Pentagon at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, 10:00 a.m. on the West Coast.
But up next, we've talked a lot about the war efforts in Iraq. What about peace efforts? Next, who can best oversee humanitarian relief plans once the fighting stops? We'll talk with two key players. Plus, patrolling the skies over the United States while American troops are at war. We'll show you latest efforts, and that will be live.
And later, award-winning photographer David Turnley shows us day- to-day life inside one small village in northern Iraq. Stay with us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
