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Jessica Lynch Will Soon be Heading Home; Memorial Service Held for Fallen Members of 507th Maintenance Company
Aired April 11, 2003 - 15:52 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: The former American prisoner of war, Jessica Lynch, will soon be heading home. She's scheduled to leave an American military hospital in Germany tomorrow, fly to Washington for further treatment at Walter Reid -- that's the Army medical center in the District of Columbia. The 19-year-old Army private from West Virginia has numerous injuries, including a head wound, an injury to her spine, and bone fractures.
Coalition forces are still searching for five members of Private Lynch's unit who were also taken prisoner in Iraq. Nine of her other comrades were killed. CNN's Ed Lavandera standing by now live at Fort Bliss, Texas, where a memorial service is being held for the fallen members of the 507th Maintenance Company -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN DALLAS BUREAU CHIEF: Good afternoon, Wolf. We're about an hour and 10 minute away from the beginning of this memorial service here at Fort Bliss. This is the deployment center on the Fort Bliss post, and it was from this point back in mid-February that the 507th Maintenance Company deployed. This is the last building they saw on this base before being deployed for the Middle East.
And a lot of the soldiers from this base starting to show up here for this memorial service. If you look behind me, yellow ribbons on the outside symbolizing hope. On the inside, a subtle touch, the white ribbons, symbolizing resurrection.
Of course several emotions playing out here at this memorial service. A lot -- great sadness for the nine soldiers of the 507th that were killed. But with five POWs whose fate still hasn't been determined, still much hope for the family members that are showing up here today. And so a lot of different emotions.
On the inside, which we're being promised a very emotional and very poignant memorial service, inside you can see the pictures of the nine soldiers with the purple heart dressing the frames of pictures. Also the helmets, dog tags and M-16 rifle and the boots from there, symbolizing all that was allowed to come home for those particular soldiers. So they say here a very emotional service to come up here in about an hour's time -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Ed. CNN of course will have some live coverage of that service on "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS." That's coming up 5:00 p.m. Eastern. About an hour or so from now, 2:00 p.m. on the West Coast.
One additional programming note. I'll have a special interview Sunday on "LATE EDITION" with the commander of Operation Iraqi Freedom. General Tommy Franks will be my guest on "LATE EDITION." That's Sunday at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Held for Fallen Members of 507th Maintenance Company>
Aired April 11, 2003 - 15:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: The former American prisoner of war, Jessica Lynch, will soon be heading home. She's scheduled to leave an American military hospital in Germany tomorrow, fly to Washington for further treatment at Walter Reid -- that's the Army medical center in the District of Columbia. The 19-year-old Army private from West Virginia has numerous injuries, including a head wound, an injury to her spine, and bone fractures.
Coalition forces are still searching for five members of Private Lynch's unit who were also taken prisoner in Iraq. Nine of her other comrades were killed. CNN's Ed Lavandera standing by now live at Fort Bliss, Texas, where a memorial service is being held for the fallen members of the 507th Maintenance Company -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN DALLAS BUREAU CHIEF: Good afternoon, Wolf. We're about an hour and 10 minute away from the beginning of this memorial service here at Fort Bliss. This is the deployment center on the Fort Bliss post, and it was from this point back in mid-February that the 507th Maintenance Company deployed. This is the last building they saw on this base before being deployed for the Middle East.
And a lot of the soldiers from this base starting to show up here for this memorial service. If you look behind me, yellow ribbons on the outside symbolizing hope. On the inside, a subtle touch, the white ribbons, symbolizing resurrection.
Of course several emotions playing out here at this memorial service. A lot -- great sadness for the nine soldiers of the 507th that were killed. But with five POWs whose fate still hasn't been determined, still much hope for the family members that are showing up here today. And so a lot of different emotions.
On the inside, which we're being promised a very emotional and very poignant memorial service, inside you can see the pictures of the nine soldiers with the purple heart dressing the frames of pictures. Also the helmets, dog tags and M-16 rifle and the boots from there, symbolizing all that was allowed to come home for those particular soldiers. So they say here a very emotional service to come up here in about an hour's time -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thanks very much, Ed. CNN of course will have some live coverage of that service on "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS." That's coming up 5:00 p.m. Eastern. About an hour or so from now, 2:00 p.m. on the West Coast.
One additional programming note. I'll have a special interview Sunday on "LATE EDITION" with the commander of Operation Iraqi Freedom. General Tommy Franks will be my guest on "LATE EDITION." That's Sunday at noon Eastern, 9:00 a.m. Pacific.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Held for Fallen Members of 507th Maintenance Company>
