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CNN Crew, U.S. Army Treat Wounded Iraqi Soldier

Aired April 04, 2003 - 15:51   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: Earlier today, CNN's Walter Rodgers delivered a live, firsthand report on the battle for the Baghdad airport. In the course of that battle, the CNN crew discovered a wounded Iraqi soldier in need of immediate medical attention. Here's how the story unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a live, as it happens, real-time war. Again, a few seconds ago, the Iraqis fired another rocket propelled grenade over our heads.

This unit's been under almost constant fire for some time. Again, let me repeat that we have been showing you pictures earlier in the morning of burned-out armored personnel carrier and a burned-out Soviet T-72 -- Soviet vintage T-72 tank. We have seen a number of bodies there, but as one of our crew was walking by, it turns out that one of those soldiers is still alive. We're not sure of the condition.

We do have a little good news for you about that wounded Iraqi soldier back in the road up there. My cameraman, Charles Miller (ph), was up there and said his leg appears in pretty bad shape, but it appears as though he will live.

Charlie Miller (ph) is showing you Jordan (ph), our AKE (ph) security guard administering first aid to this Iraqi soldier who was injured five hours ago.

Paul Anderson (ph), our security guard, is administering first aid because U.S. Army medics cannot come forward to our position. They're taking fire in the rear. This Iraqi soldier that you're looking at has been lying between these two metal bars for more than a few hours now. We think about five hours.

We say that, because that was when the armored convoy of 10 vehicles tried to overrun the U.S. Army positions. They were unsuccessful at it. Most of this soldier's colleagues were killed. As a matter of fact, all of them were. They are littered about us elsewhere.

You can see him lying on his side now. The medics and the Paul Jordan (ph), the CNN security guard who travels with us, is wrapping a bandage around this fella. You can see his head rolling. He appears to at least have recovered far enough to know that he is in good hands. They're trying to staunch what appear to be bullet wounds in the fleshy part of his hip and in the fleshy part of his is thigh. That being the case, he's well enough to brace his right arm up against the road berm, and he's holding himself in that sideways position to assist the medics who are now working on him.

As I say, he appears quit happy now. Again, we're not allowed to show his face, but he is smiling. We can see Captain Davis (ph), Paul Jordan (ph), and one of the Army medics lifting this fella up. He's in great pain, going over a berm. But now he's on the stretcher, and in the not too distant future, perhaps less than 20 or 30 minutes, he'll be in a rear echelon unit where his wounds will receive immediate attention, and he'll be treated like any other combat soldier here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Aren't those remarkable pictures? U.S. medics working on a wounded Iraqi soldier. That's something else.

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 4, 2003 - 15:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Earlier today, CNN's Walter Rodgers delivered a live, firsthand report on the battle for the Baghdad airport. In the course of that battle, the CNN crew discovered a wounded Iraqi soldier in need of immediate medical attention. Here's how the story unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a live, as it happens, real-time war. Again, a few seconds ago, the Iraqis fired another rocket propelled grenade over our heads.

This unit's been under almost constant fire for some time. Again, let me repeat that we have been showing you pictures earlier in the morning of burned-out armored personnel carrier and a burned-out Soviet T-72 -- Soviet vintage T-72 tank. We have seen a number of bodies there, but as one of our crew was walking by, it turns out that one of those soldiers is still alive. We're not sure of the condition.

We do have a little good news for you about that wounded Iraqi soldier back in the road up there. My cameraman, Charles Miller (ph), was up there and said his leg appears in pretty bad shape, but it appears as though he will live.

Charlie Miller (ph) is showing you Jordan (ph), our AKE (ph) security guard administering first aid to this Iraqi soldier who was injured five hours ago.

Paul Anderson (ph), our security guard, is administering first aid because U.S. Army medics cannot come forward to our position. They're taking fire in the rear. This Iraqi soldier that you're looking at has been lying between these two metal bars for more than a few hours now. We think about five hours.

We say that, because that was when the armored convoy of 10 vehicles tried to overrun the U.S. Army positions. They were unsuccessful at it. Most of this soldier's colleagues were killed. As a matter of fact, all of them were. They are littered about us elsewhere.

You can see him lying on his side now. The medics and the Paul Jordan (ph), the CNN security guard who travels with us, is wrapping a bandage around this fella. You can see his head rolling. He appears to at least have recovered far enough to know that he is in good hands. They're trying to staunch what appear to be bullet wounds in the fleshy part of his hip and in the fleshy part of his is thigh. That being the case, he's well enough to brace his right arm up against the road berm, and he's holding himself in that sideways position to assist the medics who are now working on him.

As I say, he appears quit happy now. Again, we're not allowed to show his face, but he is smiling. We can see Captain Davis (ph), Paul Jordan (ph), and one of the Army medics lifting this fella up. He's in great pain, going over a berm. But now he's on the stretcher, and in the not too distant future, perhaps less than 20 or 30 minutes, he'll be in a rear echelon unit where his wounds will receive immediate attention, and he'll be treated like any other combat soldier here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: Aren't those remarkable pictures? U.S. medics working on a wounded Iraqi soldier. That's something else.

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