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Post-POW Story; U.S. Army Remembers 30 Fallen Soldiers of 3rd Infantry Division

Aired April 30, 2003 - 15:44   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: And now, the first extensive comments from one of the Americans held in Iraq as a prisoner of war. Specialist Edgar Hernandez, of the 507th Maintenance Company, sat down with a reporter Steve Roldan of KFOX, our affiliate in El Paso, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SPC. EDGAR HERNANDEZ, FMR. POW: This is the entrance wound right here. It's healed already. This is the exit wound.

STEVE ROLDAN, KFOX (voice-over): You are getting your first look at the wounds suffered by Specialist Edgar Hernandez during the ambush of the 507 Maintenance Company near Nasiriya, Iraq. It's the first sit-down interview Hernandez or any prisoner of war has given since the attack.

HERNANDEZ: My platoon, we were supplying -- you know we have big trucks that carry equipment to other people and mechanics. So they carry -- I mean they drove wreckers and cargo trucks.

ROLDAN (on camera): And those are the ones that got ambushed, right?

HERNANDEZ: Yes. The curious thing is that -- thinking about if I was going to get out alive or if I was going to die. Just by thinking that, that was the scariest thing.

ROLDAN (voice-over): After five (UNINTELLIGIBLE) POWs surrendered, they were beaten by their Iraqi captors. And we saw some of their injuries just hours later in this video, showing Hernandez with bruises and blood on his face. Because the ambush is still under investigation, military censors wouldn't allow Specialist Hernandez to talk about the events during his captivity, but he does say Chief Warrant officer David Williams helped all of the POWs get through the ordeal. And he does remember the instant that it all ended when Marines came to his rescue.

HERNANDEZ: It was so exciting to see those Marines when they rescued us. I felt safe when we landed in Kuwait. When I got out of Iraq, that's when I felt safe.

ROLDAN: Hernandez says it was great to be rescued, but even better to be back on American soil. He says it was a long trip from Germany here to El Paso with the other former POWs, and that he was counting down the hours until his arrival.

HERNANDEZ: I was excited. After I got off the plane and I saw all the people, I mean, it was like exciting. And at the same time, I couldn't believe it when they told us -- well, one of my friends told me, "Hey, man, it's only like three hours to get there." I was like, whoa, it's getting closer and closer.

Then I started getting nervous. I started getting excited and nervous at the same time. And I just couldn't wait.

ROLDAN: Surprised and excited, specialist Hernandez says he's just glad to be home here in Texas. He says he'll never forget the ordeal and, most importantly, his newfound friends and fellow former POWs.

HERNANDEZ: We're going to keep in touch. And we're always going to be friends. And, you know, I know them. They are very close friends.

ROLDAN: And it's those friends, including himself, who the nation and the world view as heroes.

(on camera): Do you consider yourself a hero? Do you view yourself as a hero, even though people are calling you this?

HERNANDEZ: I mean -- it's cool, you know. I mean, it's nice to hear people calling you a hero. But I just think about it, when people say that, and I just think about what I did. And I was just captured. I mean, I didn't really do anything to deserve this.

ROLDAN (voice-over): Hernandez says he plans to enjoy his 30-day convalescent leave from the Army. And he also says he plans to use the time to thank all those who never forgot about him.

HERNANDEZ: I think them because, you know, they prayed for me, they prayed for all of us. And that's what I tell them, you know? That I'm very thankful for what they did.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That report from Steve Roldan of our affiliate KFOX in El Paso, Texas. And we thank them for that.

Now while Edgar Hernandez made it home safely, other soldiers, of course, did not. The U.S. Army is remembering more than 30 fallen members of its 3rd Infantry Division today. That unit lost more soldiers than any other single military group fighting the war in Iraq.

Family and friends are joining in a memorial ceremony this afternoon at Fort Stewart, Georgia, near Savannah. And CNN's Brian Cabell is there -- Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the latest figures we have indicate that 138 American troops so far have died in the fighting in Iraq. And of that 138, 34 of them came from the 3rd Infantry Division based here in Fort Stewart, along with some from Fort Benning, also part of the 3rd Infantry Division, and Hunter Army Airfield.

But 34, that's about 25 percent of the war dead. Why was that toll so high? Well, you might recall this was the unit that charged north from Kuwait up to Baghdad during the early days. Understandable that the casualties would be very high.

Sixteen thousand soldiers from Fort Stewart alone, about 90 percent of the base population actually went over to Iraq. Only a handful so far have returned. About 65 we're told.

Now of the 34, that's what this ceremony is for today. Take a look over there. You will see 34 helmets on top of 34 M-16s. That represents those soldiers.

Two late editions also, unfortunately. Specialist Edward Angiano (ph), you might recall he was an MIA who has just been listed as killed in action. Also, First Sergeant Joe Garza (ph), just two days ago amazingly and tragically killed in a Humvee accident in Iraq.

The ceremony, which will take place in about a half-hour or so, will consist of a few speakers. They'll be singing "America the Beautiful," the National Anthem. They'll play "Taps," they'll have a bagpiper out here. And, most important, they will be reading those 34 names.

Families of the 34 will also be invited. How many will show up, we don't know.

They will also be unveiling what they are calling Warriors Walk. That is a set of 34 trees that have just been planted, along with plaques with those 34 names. They are Eastern Redbud trees. We are told they are trees that bloom in the spring. Appropriate, they say, because that's when these soldiers gave their lives.

I talked to a corporal a little while ago and I asked him what the mood of the post was here. He said, "It's another workday, sir. It's another workweek." That is the way a soldier looks at things.

Of course there has been grief 34 times over. But now he says there's also some enthusiasm, because, Miles, he says the spouses, the families are now getting more and more phone calls from their soldiers. So there is a hope, there's an expectation that soon, they hope, maybe within a couple of months, even, they might see their soldiers back home. But these 34, of course, will not be coming back home -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Brian, it's got to be a tough time with a lot of emotions, a lot of sadness obviously for the 34. But you touched on that point that there's a lot of people who love people still in harm's way, right where you're standing, and there has to be still a lot of tension and concern about what lies ahead.

CABELL: Absolutely. Just the very fact that a soldier died in a Humvee accident. The Humvee tipped over, and then a civilian vehicle came over and ran him over and killed him the other day. The war was supposed to be over as far as most people understood, and yet another soldier went down just two days ago. So, yes, they are still in harm's way over there.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Brian Cabell near Savannah at Fort Stewart. Thanks very much. We'll check in with you later, obviously, as that ceremony begins.

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




3rd Infantry Division>


Aired April 30, 2003 - 15:44   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And now, the first extensive comments from one of the Americans held in Iraq as a prisoner of war. Specialist Edgar Hernandez, of the 507th Maintenance Company, sat down with a reporter Steve Roldan of KFOX, our affiliate in El Paso, Texas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SPC. EDGAR HERNANDEZ, FMR. POW: This is the entrance wound right here. It's healed already. This is the exit wound.

STEVE ROLDAN, KFOX (voice-over): You are getting your first look at the wounds suffered by Specialist Edgar Hernandez during the ambush of the 507 Maintenance Company near Nasiriya, Iraq. It's the first sit-down interview Hernandez or any prisoner of war has given since the attack.

HERNANDEZ: My platoon, we were supplying -- you know we have big trucks that carry equipment to other people and mechanics. So they carry -- I mean they drove wreckers and cargo trucks.

ROLDAN (on camera): And those are the ones that got ambushed, right?

HERNANDEZ: Yes. The curious thing is that -- thinking about if I was going to get out alive or if I was going to die. Just by thinking that, that was the scariest thing.

ROLDAN (voice-over): After five (UNINTELLIGIBLE) POWs surrendered, they were beaten by their Iraqi captors. And we saw some of their injuries just hours later in this video, showing Hernandez with bruises and blood on his face. Because the ambush is still under investigation, military censors wouldn't allow Specialist Hernandez to talk about the events during his captivity, but he does say Chief Warrant officer David Williams helped all of the POWs get through the ordeal. And he does remember the instant that it all ended when Marines came to his rescue.

HERNANDEZ: It was so exciting to see those Marines when they rescued us. I felt safe when we landed in Kuwait. When I got out of Iraq, that's when I felt safe.

ROLDAN: Hernandez says it was great to be rescued, but even better to be back on American soil. He says it was a long trip from Germany here to El Paso with the other former POWs, and that he was counting down the hours until his arrival.

HERNANDEZ: I was excited. After I got off the plane and I saw all the people, I mean, it was like exciting. And at the same time, I couldn't believe it when they told us -- well, one of my friends told me, "Hey, man, it's only like three hours to get there." I was like, whoa, it's getting closer and closer.

Then I started getting nervous. I started getting excited and nervous at the same time. And I just couldn't wait.

ROLDAN: Surprised and excited, specialist Hernandez says he's just glad to be home here in Texas. He says he'll never forget the ordeal and, most importantly, his newfound friends and fellow former POWs.

HERNANDEZ: We're going to keep in touch. And we're always going to be friends. And, you know, I know them. They are very close friends.

ROLDAN: And it's those friends, including himself, who the nation and the world view as heroes.

(on camera): Do you consider yourself a hero? Do you view yourself as a hero, even though people are calling you this?

HERNANDEZ: I mean -- it's cool, you know. I mean, it's nice to hear people calling you a hero. But I just think about it, when people say that, and I just think about what I did. And I was just captured. I mean, I didn't really do anything to deserve this.

ROLDAN (voice-over): Hernandez says he plans to enjoy his 30-day convalescent leave from the Army. And he also says he plans to use the time to thank all those who never forgot about him.

HERNANDEZ: I think them because, you know, they prayed for me, they prayed for all of us. And that's what I tell them, you know? That I'm very thankful for what they did.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: That report from Steve Roldan of our affiliate KFOX in El Paso, Texas. And we thank them for that.

Now while Edgar Hernandez made it home safely, other soldiers, of course, did not. The U.S. Army is remembering more than 30 fallen members of its 3rd Infantry Division today. That unit lost more soldiers than any other single military group fighting the war in Iraq.

Family and friends are joining in a memorial ceremony this afternoon at Fort Stewart, Georgia, near Savannah. And CNN's Brian Cabell is there -- Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the latest figures we have indicate that 138 American troops so far have died in the fighting in Iraq. And of that 138, 34 of them came from the 3rd Infantry Division based here in Fort Stewart, along with some from Fort Benning, also part of the 3rd Infantry Division, and Hunter Army Airfield.

But 34, that's about 25 percent of the war dead. Why was that toll so high? Well, you might recall this was the unit that charged north from Kuwait up to Baghdad during the early days. Understandable that the casualties would be very high.

Sixteen thousand soldiers from Fort Stewart alone, about 90 percent of the base population actually went over to Iraq. Only a handful so far have returned. About 65 we're told.

Now of the 34, that's what this ceremony is for today. Take a look over there. You will see 34 helmets on top of 34 M-16s. That represents those soldiers.

Two late editions also, unfortunately. Specialist Edward Angiano (ph), you might recall he was an MIA who has just been listed as killed in action. Also, First Sergeant Joe Garza (ph), just two days ago amazingly and tragically killed in a Humvee accident in Iraq.

The ceremony, which will take place in about a half-hour or so, will consist of a few speakers. They'll be singing "America the Beautiful," the National Anthem. They'll play "Taps," they'll have a bagpiper out here. And, most important, they will be reading those 34 names.

Families of the 34 will also be invited. How many will show up, we don't know.

They will also be unveiling what they are calling Warriors Walk. That is a set of 34 trees that have just been planted, along with plaques with those 34 names. They are Eastern Redbud trees. We are told they are trees that bloom in the spring. Appropriate, they say, because that's when these soldiers gave their lives.

I talked to a corporal a little while ago and I asked him what the mood of the post was here. He said, "It's another workday, sir. It's another workweek." That is the way a soldier looks at things.

Of course there has been grief 34 times over. But now he says there's also some enthusiasm, because, Miles, he says the spouses, the families are now getting more and more phone calls from their soldiers. So there is a hope, there's an expectation that soon, they hope, maybe within a couple of months, even, they might see their soldiers back home. But these 34, of course, will not be coming back home -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Brian, it's got to be a tough time with a lot of emotions, a lot of sadness obviously for the 34. But you touched on that point that there's a lot of people who love people still in harm's way, right where you're standing, and there has to be still a lot of tension and concern about what lies ahead.

CABELL: Absolutely. Just the very fact that a soldier died in a Humvee accident. The Humvee tipped over, and then a civilian vehicle came over and ran him over and killed him the other day. The war was supposed to be over as far as most people understood, and yet another soldier went down just two days ago. So, yes, they are still in harm's way over there.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Brian Cabell near Savannah at Fort Stewart. Thanks very much. We'll check in with you later, obviously, as that ceremony begins.

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




3rd Infantry Division>