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Interview With Pilot Lucas Kadar
Aired April 18, 2003 - 14:50 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: Well, as you know, if you have been watching CNN, we've been following the long journey home for the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, at sea now for nine months. The Lincoln was due to start home in January, but got sent to the Persian Gulf instead, and, well, you know the rest of the story.
I got to know the ship, its people pretty well in the first couple weeks of that war, and that includes Lieutenant Lucas Kadar. He is one of the youngest F-14 pilots out there, but already shock is awe is his stock and trade. We've got him on the phone -- Lucas, how are you?
LUCAS KADAR, PILOT: Hi, Kyra. How are you doing?
PHILLIPS: All right. The question is, how are you doing? What are you doing to pass the time on the ship, since you don't have any bombs to drop?
KADAR: Well, I'm doing great. I can't believe you made it home from the gulf before I did, but passing time out here is a little bit difficult, to say the least, after coming off of the war that we did. We watch CNN a lot. We eat. We watch movies, and we try to sleep as much as possible.
PHILLIPS: Understandably. I know you didn't get a lot of sleep when you were out there. Lucas, we are looking at video right now, the night of shock and awe, the classified brief we were able to sit in on, and you are getting briefed there. Talking about the mission. Take me back to that night. What do you think was the most memorable about that evening?
KADAR: Well, the -- the first night of the air campaign when we launched off, it was just the sheer magnitude of it is what really sticks in my mind.
I remember it was a night strike, lifting off the Abraham Lincoln and seeing just how many aircraft were heading north into Iraq was mind boggling. It just definitely set the tone for what we were about to do in the next half hour or so as we were heading to our front side tankers to get our airborne gas, and then proceed on mission to strike our targets and handle the threat. So it was just the magnitude that was overwhelming. Maybe not overwhelming, but just very impressive.
PHILLIPS: Your first war. Also the first time you got shot at, right?
KADAR: Shot at as much as I did. Yes, that was definitely an eye opener. It more than I've ever seen in the past.
PHILLIPS: Did you accomplish everything you wanted to do, Lucas?
KADAR: Kyra, it was incredible. Working as part of that coalition force to help liberate Iraq was more than I could have ever asked for. It's kind of like being able to, if you are on a football team, being able to play in that big game and go to the super bowl or, obviously, if you are a race car driver, being able to finally hit the Indianapolis 500. That's what we train for, that is what we serve our country to do. And you can't get, I don't think, any greater feeling of pride and satisfaction, especially with that kind of environment than you do when you are flying fighters.
PHILLIPS: As you flew over Iraq, specifically over Baghdad, what you could see on the ground, what you could see, what was happening, Iraqi positions...
KADAR: Sure.
PHILLIPS: ... do you think, as you look back now, Operation Iraqi Freedom, is it justified to you?
KADAR: It is. It definitely -- I believe it was very justified. Everyone had a strong sense about it and that what we were doing was good. We felt the support that was coming from the -- from back home in the U.S. It was great. So that also helped out. And you mentioned what we see when we were flying, especially over Baghdad and the Karbala regions and more towards the central part of Iraq. The thing was, you never really knew what you were going to see. It could have been a night where the SAMs and the triple A wouldn't stop, and other times it may have been a little bit quieter and less nerve- racking. But all in all, you just continue to execute, handle the threats accordingly, and continue to put hurt on the enemy until Iraq was finally liberated.
PHILLIPS: Lucas, how did it make you feel when you heard about the POWs. I mean, you were able to see troops on the ground. You knew what was going on. You participated in the close air support missions. How did that affect you, when you knew that you could make a big impact on whether those guys stayed alive or not?
KADAR: It was an incredible impact for me, Kyra. Flying with Lieutenant Gregory and I, we were a FAC-A, forward air controller, airborne, so every time we checked into the theater, they definitely wanted our assistance, helping out the Army's 5th Corps and the Marines 1st meth (ph), we were always being called in to provide what you refer to as close air support for those guys.
And there is no greater sense of satisfaction when you are working with the guys on the ground. They come up with you realtime on the radios. You can hear what they are going through. Often times they were troops in contact, meaning they were in direct contact with the enemy. And you can hear the excitement in those guys' voice, post-mission, when you are coming off target, and they are thanking you for everything you've done and for the ordnance that you put on target. It's an incredible -- it is an incredible feeling. That is the greatest reward right there.
PHILLIPS: Well, on that note of post-mission, I had a chance to talk to you when you got back that night after shock and awe. Let's take a listen to what you had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KADAR: I'm doing this for my country and that goes way back, like you said, all the training, everything we do, all the workups. For me, it's a privilege. It's a privilege to fly the F-14D Super Tomcat. It is the greatest fighter right now in this theater, and to do that for the people that I love back home and for the homeland, the U.S. of A., that is why I am doing this right now. With the crews that we've had, going on into our ninth month. I'll be out here for another year if that's what it takes, doing what we did tonight. It's just a privilege to do that for the U.S.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: You talked about loved ones back home. Could you possibly be talking about Marie Hodges (ph)?
KADAR: That's the love of my life right there. Definitely Marie Hodges (ph), and my family and friends, but, yes, Marie has been the -- she's really what made this cruise all come together for me.
PHILLIPS: Well, I think we have a picture of the two of you, Lucas. We tried to get her up in the studio, but we had some technical difficulties. I apologize. But we are looking at a picture of you guys right now. I know you are excited to get home and see her. She's excited to see you, and it was a pleasure talking to you aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. We'll see you at the homecoming, Lucas.
KADAR: Likewise, Kyra. Thanks so much.
PHILLIPS: All right.
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 18, 2003 - 14:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, as you know, if you have been watching CNN, we've been following the long journey home for the U.S. aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, at sea now for nine months. The Lincoln was due to start home in January, but got sent to the Persian Gulf instead, and, well, you know the rest of the story.
I got to know the ship, its people pretty well in the first couple weeks of that war, and that includes Lieutenant Lucas Kadar. He is one of the youngest F-14 pilots out there, but already shock is awe is his stock and trade. We've got him on the phone -- Lucas, how are you?
LUCAS KADAR, PILOT: Hi, Kyra. How are you doing?
PHILLIPS: All right. The question is, how are you doing? What are you doing to pass the time on the ship, since you don't have any bombs to drop?
KADAR: Well, I'm doing great. I can't believe you made it home from the gulf before I did, but passing time out here is a little bit difficult, to say the least, after coming off of the war that we did. We watch CNN a lot. We eat. We watch movies, and we try to sleep as much as possible.
PHILLIPS: Understandably. I know you didn't get a lot of sleep when you were out there. Lucas, we are looking at video right now, the night of shock and awe, the classified brief we were able to sit in on, and you are getting briefed there. Talking about the mission. Take me back to that night. What do you think was the most memorable about that evening?
KADAR: Well, the -- the first night of the air campaign when we launched off, it was just the sheer magnitude of it is what really sticks in my mind.
I remember it was a night strike, lifting off the Abraham Lincoln and seeing just how many aircraft were heading north into Iraq was mind boggling. It just definitely set the tone for what we were about to do in the next half hour or so as we were heading to our front side tankers to get our airborne gas, and then proceed on mission to strike our targets and handle the threat. So it was just the magnitude that was overwhelming. Maybe not overwhelming, but just very impressive.
PHILLIPS: Your first war. Also the first time you got shot at, right?
KADAR: Shot at as much as I did. Yes, that was definitely an eye opener. It more than I've ever seen in the past.
PHILLIPS: Did you accomplish everything you wanted to do, Lucas?
KADAR: Kyra, it was incredible. Working as part of that coalition force to help liberate Iraq was more than I could have ever asked for. It's kind of like being able to, if you are on a football team, being able to play in that big game and go to the super bowl or, obviously, if you are a race car driver, being able to finally hit the Indianapolis 500. That's what we train for, that is what we serve our country to do. And you can't get, I don't think, any greater feeling of pride and satisfaction, especially with that kind of environment than you do when you are flying fighters.
PHILLIPS: As you flew over Iraq, specifically over Baghdad, what you could see on the ground, what you could see, what was happening, Iraqi positions...
KADAR: Sure.
PHILLIPS: ... do you think, as you look back now, Operation Iraqi Freedom, is it justified to you?
KADAR: It is. It definitely -- I believe it was very justified. Everyone had a strong sense about it and that what we were doing was good. We felt the support that was coming from the -- from back home in the U.S. It was great. So that also helped out. And you mentioned what we see when we were flying, especially over Baghdad and the Karbala regions and more towards the central part of Iraq. The thing was, you never really knew what you were going to see. It could have been a night where the SAMs and the triple A wouldn't stop, and other times it may have been a little bit quieter and less nerve- racking. But all in all, you just continue to execute, handle the threats accordingly, and continue to put hurt on the enemy until Iraq was finally liberated.
PHILLIPS: Lucas, how did it make you feel when you heard about the POWs. I mean, you were able to see troops on the ground. You knew what was going on. You participated in the close air support missions. How did that affect you, when you knew that you could make a big impact on whether those guys stayed alive or not?
KADAR: It was an incredible impact for me, Kyra. Flying with Lieutenant Gregory and I, we were a FAC-A, forward air controller, airborne, so every time we checked into the theater, they definitely wanted our assistance, helping out the Army's 5th Corps and the Marines 1st meth (ph), we were always being called in to provide what you refer to as close air support for those guys.
And there is no greater sense of satisfaction when you are working with the guys on the ground. They come up with you realtime on the radios. You can hear what they are going through. Often times they were troops in contact, meaning they were in direct contact with the enemy. And you can hear the excitement in those guys' voice, post-mission, when you are coming off target, and they are thanking you for everything you've done and for the ordnance that you put on target. It's an incredible -- it is an incredible feeling. That is the greatest reward right there.
PHILLIPS: Well, on that note of post-mission, I had a chance to talk to you when you got back that night after shock and awe. Let's take a listen to what you had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KADAR: I'm doing this for my country and that goes way back, like you said, all the training, everything we do, all the workups. For me, it's a privilege. It's a privilege to fly the F-14D Super Tomcat. It is the greatest fighter right now in this theater, and to do that for the people that I love back home and for the homeland, the U.S. of A., that is why I am doing this right now. With the crews that we've had, going on into our ninth month. I'll be out here for another year if that's what it takes, doing what we did tonight. It's just a privilege to do that for the U.S.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: You talked about loved ones back home. Could you possibly be talking about Marie Hodges (ph)?
KADAR: That's the love of my life right there. Definitely Marie Hodges (ph), and my family and friends, but, yes, Marie has been the -- she's really what made this cruise all come together for me.
PHILLIPS: Well, I think we have a picture of the two of you, Lucas. We tried to get her up in the studio, but we had some technical difficulties. I apologize. But we are looking at a picture of you guys right now. I know you are excited to get home and see her. She's excited to see you, and it was a pleasure talking to you aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. We'll see you at the homecoming, Lucas.
KADAR: Likewise, Kyra. Thanks so much.
PHILLIPS: All right.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
