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Interview With Jim Kear
Aired April 25, 2003 - 15:05 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.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: To say this is a happy day for many U.S. troops and their families, the number of units returning home, an understatement. That includes the U.S. Army Rangers based at Fort Benning, Georgia. One hundred members of the 75th Rangers returned to central Georgia this morning, and just a short time ago, the USS Shiloh and the Mobile Bay returned to port San Diego. Our David Mattingly was on shore with those rather eager families. There are some still there. I'm surprised they haven't gotten out of town, or done something.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Miles, there aren't as many here as before. We had those huge crowds before. In fact, we've got our cameras set up. We can probably show you what's going on right now. The sailors came off the boat, they exchanged their hugs, their kisses and they got out of here. So the big majority of the crowd now on its way for the more private reunions that are going on, the private parties that have been planned for so money people coming home.
But this was the scene a little bit earlier today, the spectacular homecoming as the Mobile and the Shiloh pulled into port. There were about 700 sailors on board those two ships, and that meant there were thousands of people here to greet them. These people were separated from their loved ones a lot longer than they expected to be. This cruise was normally supposed to last about six months. They went over to the Persian Gulf, did their work and they were on their way back. They got as far as Australia, but in Australia, they got the orders that they had to turn around and go back to the Persian Gulf to be a part of the war.
And during the war, they launched cruise missiles at targets in Iraq. It was considered a mission well done. Of course, everyone came back even better because not a single sailor was injured during this entire tour. And that is something definitely to be proud of and giving everyone here something extra to celebrate.
We have a special guest with us right now. Captain Jim Kear, the commanding officer of the USS Mobile. How was it these extra three months, going back into war after you'd already done your tour?
CAPT. JIM KEAR, CAPTAIN, USS MOBILE BAY: Well, I'll be very honest with you, David. When we first got the word after being in Australia, and we were starting to shift toward going back home after six months at sea, there was a little bit of disappointment on the part of the crew. But one of the things that is such a wonderful testimony to our sailors is within about two days, the total shift of focus and the commitment by these young American men and women that they had a job to do, and they went back, and these last three months, I've got to tell you, flew by because we were so focused on the mission at hand.
MATTINGLY: You were already on the way home. How was the mood different when you were on the way home the second time?
KEAR: Well, it was even more euphoric, although we joked a little bit on the ship in terms of, gee, I wonder if we'll get called back again. But we knew that we had been very, very successful in our mission and it's been a euphoric three-week transit coming back to San Diego.
MATTINGLY: I heard you were playing Barry White as you were coming into port. What was that all about?
KEAR: Well, I think there's no way, when you hear a Barry White song, you can't feel good. And so that, along with a bunch of other songs that we played as we came through San Diego Bay, just seemed to capture the moment and the euphoria that everybody felt as we saw the American coastline this morning and sailed back into a bay that was lined with people, along the dock yards and everything else, waving and saluting these great sailors and heroes.
MATTINGLY: Captain, thank you so much, and definitely, definitely everyone feeling good today, whether you had the right kind of music or not. Back to you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, David Mattingly.
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 25, 2003 - 15:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: To say this is a happy day for many U.S. troops and their families, the number of units returning home, an understatement. That includes the U.S. Army Rangers based at Fort Benning, Georgia. One hundred members of the 75th Rangers returned to central Georgia this morning, and just a short time ago, the USS Shiloh and the Mobile Bay returned to port San Diego. Our David Mattingly was on shore with those rather eager families. There are some still there. I'm surprised they haven't gotten out of town, or done something.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Actually, Miles, there aren't as many here as before. We had those huge crowds before. In fact, we've got our cameras set up. We can probably show you what's going on right now. The sailors came off the boat, they exchanged their hugs, their kisses and they got out of here. So the big majority of the crowd now on its way for the more private reunions that are going on, the private parties that have been planned for so money people coming home.
But this was the scene a little bit earlier today, the spectacular homecoming as the Mobile and the Shiloh pulled into port. There were about 700 sailors on board those two ships, and that meant there were thousands of people here to greet them. These people were separated from their loved ones a lot longer than they expected to be. This cruise was normally supposed to last about six months. They went over to the Persian Gulf, did their work and they were on their way back. They got as far as Australia, but in Australia, they got the orders that they had to turn around and go back to the Persian Gulf to be a part of the war.
And during the war, they launched cruise missiles at targets in Iraq. It was considered a mission well done. Of course, everyone came back even better because not a single sailor was injured during this entire tour. And that is something definitely to be proud of and giving everyone here something extra to celebrate.
We have a special guest with us right now. Captain Jim Kear, the commanding officer of the USS Mobile. How was it these extra three months, going back into war after you'd already done your tour?
CAPT. JIM KEAR, CAPTAIN, USS MOBILE BAY: Well, I'll be very honest with you, David. When we first got the word after being in Australia, and we were starting to shift toward going back home after six months at sea, there was a little bit of disappointment on the part of the crew. But one of the things that is such a wonderful testimony to our sailors is within about two days, the total shift of focus and the commitment by these young American men and women that they had a job to do, and they went back, and these last three months, I've got to tell you, flew by because we were so focused on the mission at hand.
MATTINGLY: You were already on the way home. How was the mood different when you were on the way home the second time?
KEAR: Well, it was even more euphoric, although we joked a little bit on the ship in terms of, gee, I wonder if we'll get called back again. But we knew that we had been very, very successful in our mission and it's been a euphoric three-week transit coming back to San Diego.
MATTINGLY: I heard you were playing Barry White as you were coming into port. What was that all about?
KEAR: Well, I think there's no way, when you hear a Barry White song, you can't feel good. And so that, along with a bunch of other songs that we played as we came through San Diego Bay, just seemed to capture the moment and the euphoria that everybody felt as we saw the American coastline this morning and sailed back into a bay that was lined with people, along the dock yards and everything else, waving and saluting these great sailors and heroes.
MATTINGLY: Captain, thank you so much, and definitely, definitely everyone feeling good today, whether you had the right kind of music or not. Back to you.
O'BRIEN: Thank you, David Mattingly.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
