Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Homeward Bound

Aired April 17, 2003 - 13:19   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.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln is speeding home today after a month at war and almost eight months at sea before that. As if the conflict weren't stressful enough, for a while there, those sailors and flight crews also had to put up with me. We said we'd keep in touch. So today, with Everett (ph), Washington in the distance, a couple of them joined us by phone.
On the line, we have got Lieutenants Bill Fallon and Steve Ures, both veterans of "Shock and Awe" in Iraq.

Steve, let's begin with you. How are you feeling?

LT. STEVE URES: Hi, Kyra, how you doing?

PHILLIPS: Are you excited about getting home?

URES: Yes, absolutely. We've been -- as you know, we've been underway for nine to 10 months right now. It's been a long time. So everybody's excited about getting back home and seeing loved ones, friends, family.

PHILLIPS: Of course, friends and family. What's the first thing you're going to do once you get home, Steve?

URES: I think I'm going to have a steak and a cold beer. To be honest with you, they've served so much chicken on this boat, I don't think I could handle another chicken for a couple months.

PHILLIPS: All right, we're going back and looking at video, Steve. That big night, the night of "Shock and Awe," you were one of the first ones off the deck to participate in that bombing run, a massive bombing run, more than 100 aircraft out there over Iraq. Take me back, tell me what was going through your mind, as you were out getting in your jet that night.

URES: Yes, well, I was probably the nervous -- the most nervous I've ever been flying. I -- you know, I said a little prayer, please, don't let me screw this up. And there was a huge, huge event. So many different pieces of that puzzle. And of course we were just a small part of it. But it was an amazing experience seeing off in the distance, the explosions begin at the very first time on target, and then an explosion every couple of -- actually about three or four per second for a good hour, as we pressed in, just getting closer to that, seeing some of the heaviest surface to air fire I've ever seen. Probably that was the worst night for surface to air fire that we experienced in the rest of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" while we were there. PHILLIPS: And I know when you came back the first time -- the first thing you said to me, I got shot at. I've never been shot at before. How did you handle that? How did you defend? How did you still manage to hit your targets? How did you keep everything in perspective?

URES: Well, we had the benefit of going at night, and we certainly have an advantage at night. One of the things is we see a lot of that stuff. We saw it, we defended the way we were trained to. The tactics worked, and we also had a lot of people there watching out for us, people that were there to help protect us from those types of things and, you know, everybody there doing their job. Got us home safe, so definitely a team effort. A lot of people involved in getting us home safe that night.

PHILLIPS: It was an amazing coalition effort.

Steve, I'm going to ask you to pass the phone to Lieutenant Bill Fallon. We're going to get Bill on the phone now and ask him to sort of do some reflection for us also.

Bill, why don't we start, though, with how you're feeling? You're on your way home. What's going through your mind right now?

LT. BILL FALLON: Kyra, hi.

PHILLIPS: It's good to hear your voice. How you feeling? Are you excited to get home?

FALLON: I'm feeling great, and I am really excited to get back, looking forward to getting together with my friends, and family and girlfriend and catching up on old times.

PHILLIPS: We're looking at picture of you inside your cockpit, Bill...

FALLON: Uh-oh.

PHILLIPS: I know a lot of things were going through your mind at that point. Let's go back to the night of Shock and Awe. You were in the same F-14 strike package as Lieutenant Steve Ures. As you were heading over Iraq, what was going through your mind. You had a little time to think before you got over the capital.

FALLON: We did have a lot of time to think, as we were getting ready, came off the tankers. And for myself, I was really worried about making sure I had done everything correctly I had to do and I was going to do, so a lot of the mental review, we'll say, make sure all my switches were right and everything was wired, what I had to do. It was kind of eerie, because even from far away at night you can see the explosions on the horizon, and especially with the aid of nightvision devices. You can see well in advance of getting there what you were getting into. That was kind of an interesting feeling to have.

PHILLIPS: What do you think, Bill, you're going remember the most, as you're heading home now, and reflecting on shock and awe, on "Operation Iraqi Freedom," when it was first announced? what's going to stick in your mind the most as the years go on?

FALLON: I think a lot of it -- you know, wow, it's the first time I've ever been in a situation like that, and very well could be the last. So obviously, the actual events of what transpired are always going to be there. Also, all the folks, all the guys I'm working with, all the folks I'm flying there with, all the folks keeping our jets up and flying, that's going to stick with me, because all the work they put into it, all the effort everything of each other they gave. Everyone gave their utmost and then a little bit. That's always going to stick with me, and how everyone came through to help out. Obviously, a conflict that I don't think we really understood why we were there possibly, so and the fact that everyone worked hard and seeing the actual results in Baghdad is pretty neat.

PHILLIPS: Well, my photographer Brian Pearson (ph) and I both felt really lucky to be part of that night and just the entire time with both of you. Lieutenants Bill Fallon, Lieutenant Steve Ures, strike fighter pilots on the USS Abraham Lincoln, headed home now. We'll be there for that homecoming. Thanks so much guys.

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 17, 2003 - 13:19   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln is speeding home today after a month at war and almost eight months at sea before that. As if the conflict weren't stressful enough, for a while there, those sailors and flight crews also had to put up with me. We said we'd keep in touch. So today, with Everett (ph), Washington in the distance, a couple of them joined us by phone.
On the line, we have got Lieutenants Bill Fallon and Steve Ures, both veterans of "Shock and Awe" in Iraq.

Steve, let's begin with you. How are you feeling?

LT. STEVE URES: Hi, Kyra, how you doing?

PHILLIPS: Are you excited about getting home?

URES: Yes, absolutely. We've been -- as you know, we've been underway for nine to 10 months right now. It's been a long time. So everybody's excited about getting back home and seeing loved ones, friends, family.

PHILLIPS: Of course, friends and family. What's the first thing you're going to do once you get home, Steve?

URES: I think I'm going to have a steak and a cold beer. To be honest with you, they've served so much chicken on this boat, I don't think I could handle another chicken for a couple months.

PHILLIPS: All right, we're going back and looking at video, Steve. That big night, the night of "Shock and Awe," you were one of the first ones off the deck to participate in that bombing run, a massive bombing run, more than 100 aircraft out there over Iraq. Take me back, tell me what was going through your mind, as you were out getting in your jet that night.

URES: Yes, well, I was probably the nervous -- the most nervous I've ever been flying. I -- you know, I said a little prayer, please, don't let me screw this up. And there was a huge, huge event. So many different pieces of that puzzle. And of course we were just a small part of it. But it was an amazing experience seeing off in the distance, the explosions begin at the very first time on target, and then an explosion every couple of -- actually about three or four per second for a good hour, as we pressed in, just getting closer to that, seeing some of the heaviest surface to air fire I've ever seen. Probably that was the worst night for surface to air fire that we experienced in the rest of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" while we were there. PHILLIPS: And I know when you came back the first time -- the first thing you said to me, I got shot at. I've never been shot at before. How did you handle that? How did you defend? How did you still manage to hit your targets? How did you keep everything in perspective?

URES: Well, we had the benefit of going at night, and we certainly have an advantage at night. One of the things is we see a lot of that stuff. We saw it, we defended the way we were trained to. The tactics worked, and we also had a lot of people there watching out for us, people that were there to help protect us from those types of things and, you know, everybody there doing their job. Got us home safe, so definitely a team effort. A lot of people involved in getting us home safe that night.

PHILLIPS: It was an amazing coalition effort.

Steve, I'm going to ask you to pass the phone to Lieutenant Bill Fallon. We're going to get Bill on the phone now and ask him to sort of do some reflection for us also.

Bill, why don't we start, though, with how you're feeling? You're on your way home. What's going through your mind right now?

LT. BILL FALLON: Kyra, hi.

PHILLIPS: It's good to hear your voice. How you feeling? Are you excited to get home?

FALLON: I'm feeling great, and I am really excited to get back, looking forward to getting together with my friends, and family and girlfriend and catching up on old times.

PHILLIPS: We're looking at picture of you inside your cockpit, Bill...

FALLON: Uh-oh.

PHILLIPS: I know a lot of things were going through your mind at that point. Let's go back to the night of Shock and Awe. You were in the same F-14 strike package as Lieutenant Steve Ures. As you were heading over Iraq, what was going through your mind. You had a little time to think before you got over the capital.

FALLON: We did have a lot of time to think, as we were getting ready, came off the tankers. And for myself, I was really worried about making sure I had done everything correctly I had to do and I was going to do, so a lot of the mental review, we'll say, make sure all my switches were right and everything was wired, what I had to do. It was kind of eerie, because even from far away at night you can see the explosions on the horizon, and especially with the aid of nightvision devices. You can see well in advance of getting there what you were getting into. That was kind of an interesting feeling to have.

PHILLIPS: What do you think, Bill, you're going remember the most, as you're heading home now, and reflecting on shock and awe, on "Operation Iraqi Freedom," when it was first announced? what's going to stick in your mind the most as the years go on?

FALLON: I think a lot of it -- you know, wow, it's the first time I've ever been in a situation like that, and very well could be the last. So obviously, the actual events of what transpired are always going to be there. Also, all the folks, all the guys I'm working with, all the folks I'm flying there with, all the folks keeping our jets up and flying, that's going to stick with me, because all the work they put into it, all the effort everything of each other they gave. Everyone gave their utmost and then a little bit. That's always going to stick with me, and how everyone came through to help out. Obviously, a conflict that I don't think we really understood why we were there possibly, so and the fact that everyone worked hard and seeing the actual results in Baghdad is pretty neat.

PHILLIPS: Well, my photographer Brian Pearson (ph) and I both felt really lucky to be part of that night and just the entire time with both of you. Lieutenants Bill Fallon, Lieutenant Steve Ures, strike fighter pilots on the USS Abraham Lincoln, headed home now. We'll be there for that homecoming. Thanks so much guys.

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