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Soldiers Launches Operation Fred to Aid Iraqi Children
Aired July 04, 2003 - 13:18 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, ANCHOR: A U.S. Army major stationed in Iraq is proving the power of one.
Major Fred Wellman wanted to give something back to the children of Iraq, so he sent an e-mail to a few friends back home and Operation Fred was off and running. The man behind it all joins me live from Baghdad, Major Fred Wellman.
And here in the studio with me, one of Fred's best friends, Carol Fritz and some of the kids who are helping Fred with his mission.
Thank you guys for being here with me. This is great.
And Fred, you can hear us OK, live from Baghdad, right?
MAJ. FRED WELLMAN, U.S. ARMY: I sure can, Kyra. It's great to be here.
PHILLIPS: It's wonderful to have you. And you should see everybody here in the studio. We've got all the folks that have helped with Operation Fred. Your family is here.
So let's get right to it and just talk about how this started. What gave you this idea and why did you send this e-mail back home?
WELLMAN: Well, Kyra, I always believe that some of my best ideas were stolen. And what happened was a great group of folks led by my brother, Joe, in Florida and some of his friends, a man named David king had adopted my battalion and shipped us about 45 boxes of supplies for my soldiers.
When it came time to build a school and a clinic for a village near our base, I realized that a lot of the supplies we needed we couldn't get in Iraq. So I sought out help from my friends and neighbors in my old town of Peachtree City, a great bunch of folks, good American people, and I guess Operation Fred was born, although I really only meant to ask six people for help and that's where Carol Fritz comes in, I believe.
PHILLIPS: And Carol Fritz is sitting next to us.
I can see you're getting tears in your eyes. This is an amazing man, isn't he?
CAROL FRITZ, FRIEND OF FRED WELLMAN: He really is.
PHILLIPS: So tell me. How did you take the ball and run with this project, Carol?
FRITZ: Well, like Fred said, I think we really only expected, you know, to have a few boxes of things. And I sent the e-mail out to several of my friends who I thought might be able to help or be interested in helping, and they, in turn, sent it out to other people so it just kind of snowballed.
And right now, I think we have spent, as of today, close to $500 ourselves on shipping, and we still have more to send.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Lindsay, tell me what you started collecting and how you've been involved in helping with Operation Fred.
LINDSAY QUANT, VOLUNTEER, OPERATION FRED: Well, we collected crayons and colored pencils and other supplies, like school supplies, like folders and pencils. And other things.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, Jessie, let me ask you, why is it so important for the kids in Iraq to have school supplies?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, because they need it badly.
PHILLIPS: Yes, they do need it, don't they?
Ryan, what do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's good to have every kid in America and other places have a chance to learn about education and stuff.
PHILLIPS: Joshua, why do you think it's so important for the kids in Iraq to have school supplies and why did you get involved with Operation Fred?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that kids in Iraq should be able to have school supplies, because we have it and everybody else does.
PHILLIPS: Oh, can you hear all the kids, Fred?
WELLMAN: I can. You can see me smiling. Wonderful thing. That's such a great example of what's going on back there.
PHILLIPS: How are the kids there in Iraq reacting to these supplies coming from the kids here from Peachtree City?
WELLMAN: Well, it's -- the whole reaction, everything we're doing, Kyra, has been fantastic.
Where the 101st Airborne's working is in more of a rural area. So we're working with folks who are farmers, civil farmers, growing wheat and barley. A very dry plain of the Tigris River.
So to have the Americans come in and merely a month and a half, we are building schools, we're helping them build a clinic in their village, we're bringing them things they never had before in those villages for the 70 years of those existing. Their reaction has been overwhelming. They don't even know how to react. It was such an unexpected surprise.
PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to bring up the website if people want to donate and join this group that you've rallied up, your friends and family in Peachtree City. Here's the website, www.ptcgazette.com/opfred.
Carol, tell folks how they can get involved and what you need and what you want to send out.
FRITZ: Well, they can get involved. They can look at the lists that are listed on the website or they can e-mail me and I can tell them what's coming in and what's not.
Some of the people who have been involved, I don't know what's being sent. Like I said, we've just had a wonderful response. The Peachtree City United Methodist Church got involved with their Vacation Bible School class through a friend of mine and took it on, and they collected, I believe it was 11 boxes of school supplies, a box of balls and things, and then six boxes of athletic shoes, which is one of the things that was on Fred's list.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
FRITZ: So we have St. Matthew's church has kind of -- I think they've elected, like, 11 boxes worth of things and they're shipping those. And between us, I think we have sent about 30 boxes.
PHILLIPS: Amazing. All right. We're going to ask Carol and all you guys to stick around.
OK, Fred, because of what you've done for those kids in Iraq, we've got something special for you. We've got your wife and your kids here, an absolutely beautiful family. And we'll hook you guys up right after this break. Sound OK?
WELLMAN: Fantastic. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. We've been talking with Major Fred Wellman, who's stationed with U.S. troops in northern Iraq. He's behind Operation Fred, a volunteer effort raising money and supplies for kids in Iraq.
So we wanted to do something nice for him. And joining me now, his wife, Crystal Wellman, and their four incredibly beautiful children. Wow!
CRYSTAL WELLMAN, FRED'S WIFE: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You must be so proud of your husband.
C. WELLMAN: We are very proud of him. We're not shocked by this at all. This is just his personality.
PHILLIPS: So this whole project -- Amber, I understand you have a great relationship with Dad. I understand you actually tell Dad things you don't even tell Mom.
AMBER WELLMAN, FRED'S DAUGHTER: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Why is that? What's so cool about Dad?
A. WELLMAN: He's easy to talk to. He understands.
PHILLIPS: Fred, can you hear Amber?
A. WELLMAN: I can. I can.
PHILLIPS: Anything you want to say to her?
F. WELLMAN: Actually, this is a great link.
It's wonderful to hear from her. I miss you terribly, Amber. You've got to stay straight or I'm going to beat you up. I tell Amber that if she's not good when I get home, instead of a hug, she's getting a conk in the head. So she's staying straight.
PHILLIPS: Does he actually give you a conk on the head? Is that true?
A. WELLMAN: No.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys. You want to say hello to Dad. Why don't you -- actually, this is -- I heard about this locket. Tell me about this locket.
MORGAN WELLMAN, FRED'S DAUGHTER: Miss Carol, she gave it to me and because she wanted me to have it so I would look pretty with my dress.
And I love my Dad, because he works so hard for us, and he misses -- we miss him very much. And...
PHILLIPS: Oh, Fred, you should see Morgan. She's dressed up in this beautiful little white dress with butterflies and she's got this locket around her neck that she says she wants to put a picture of you inside this locket.
Is that right?
M. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Do you have a picture picked out of Daddy?
M. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you do?
Fred, anything you want to say to Morgan? F. WELLMAN: I hear she lost some teeth lately. I saw a picture, looked like she got in a fight. I hope she came out on the winning side of it.
PHILLIPS: Did you lose some teeth?
M. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Give Daddy a big smile. All right. How many teeth did you lose?
M. WELLMAN: Four.
PHILLIPS: She lost four.
F. WELLMAN: My goodness.
PHILLIPS: Hunter, did you pull those teeth out of your sister's mouth?
HUNTER WELLMAN, FRED'S SON: No.
PHILLIPS: What happened to her teeth? Let me see your teeth. Can you give Daddy a big smile? You've got all your chops in there. Hunter, what do you miss about Dad? I hear you guys wrestle around all the time, is that true? Do you go down by the river? What do you look for down on the river?
Hunter's getting -- Fred, you told me...
F. WELLMAN: Is he running away?
PHILLIPS: Actually, he's not running away. He's being really good. But I know Dylan has plenty to say to you.
What do you want to say to Dad? What do you miss most about him, Dylan?
DYLAN WELLMAN: When he used to wrestle me and when he tickled me.
PHILLIPS: Well, now he's in Iraq. What's Daddy doing over there? Do you understand what his job is over there?
D. WELLMAN: He's fighting for our freedom.
PHILLIPS: That's pretty awesome, isn't it?
Anything you want to say to Dylan, Fred?
F. WELLMAN: Yes. I'm very proud of Dylan. Dylan is quite a young man. He's grown up to be quite the young man. He's doing a great job for the family back there. I'm very proud of my oldest son. He's quite a good young boy.
PHILLIPS: He says you're taking care of the family. Is that true? Are you the man of the hours right now?
D. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Now, you guys are giggling. Why are you giggling, Morgan?
F. WELLMAN: She always giggles.
M. WELLMAN: It's just, like, if Hunter he falls down, and then Dylan, he does funny stuff. It's always, like, I laugh and I giggle.
PHILLIPS: Crystal, you've got your hands full. I mean, all these kids, they seem to get along so well. Dad is cracking up, he knows all too well what we're talking about here.
How do you keep the family together when Dad's there and look at what he's doing this for the Iraqi kids. What a reflection on your family, also.
C. WELLMAN: They are great kids. And we have a wonderful support group. And he knows that I have a vacation due when he gets back, so...
PHILLIPS: Do you want to tell him now where you want to go, Crystal?
C. WELLMAN: He knows, I'm going back to Hawaii to visit my family.
F. WELLMAN: Back to Hawaii.
PHILLIPS: Are the kids coming too, or is this going to be a special romantic week, Fred?
F. WELLMAN: No, she's going alone.
C. WELLMAN: I'm going alone.
PHILLIPS: Oh, you're going alone. Wait a minute. OK, so you've got the kids, is that right, Fred?
F. WELLMAN: That's no problem. I'm bigger than they are. Actually, I'm not bigger than Amber anymore. I don't think I'm bigger than Amber anymore.
PHILLIPS: You know what? I'd be a little worried, Fred, she's growing up. She's a beautiful young lady. I just want to know, how are you going to deal with the first boyfriend when he comes over to the house and wants to take her on a date?
F. WELLMAN: I have a baseball bat.
PHILLIPS: Major Fred Wellman...
F. WELLMAN: It's already got dents in it.
PHILLIPS: Amber, are you nervous?
A. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I think now every young boy at your high school knows what they're in for.
A. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Well, the Wellman family. Thank you so much for being here, you guys. Thank you so much.
Fred, thank you so much, just for everything you do for all of us and for your family and what you're doing for the Iraqi children over there. We will continue to talk about how folks can donate. And I understand mailing is a tremendous cost. Carol Fritz was telling me about this, and you need help, whether it be military or other organizations to pitch in, got to get those supplies.
F. WELLMAN: If you want to give help, they have some challenges trying to find a way to get the boxes delivered by mail. Of course, the mail, the Army post system has challenges and time. It would be great if we could find another way for the goods to get here, but we'll muddle through. What everybody's doing is fantastic. And I'm so proud of everyone, Carol and her group, Dee Dee, Glen, Gary, Jean, you know, everybody. It's overwhelming what they've provided.
And before I get away from it, I have to tell you something about the Army wife. What Crystal's doing back there, I will say it here and now, Crystal's job is harder than many ways, Kyra. I mean, my life is very focused. I've got my work, I've got my life, that's everything here. But Crystal's juggling a house, four children, her own work, her own studies as she finishes her college degree. And I don't think Army wives get nearly enough credit. And I want to tell you that Crystal's really the backbone of this family, not me.
PHILLIPS: Crystal, wow.
Well, you know what, Fred? All of us here, including us at CNN, you are a soldier, an incredible man, father, husband. We salute you. Happy Fourth of July and thank you so much for everything you do, not only for your family but for all of us here in the United States.
F. WELLMAN: Thank you so much, Kyra. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Absolute honor.
We're going to let folks take a look at that web site, how they can get involved in Operation Fred and make the donations to head overseas.
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 July 4, 2003 - 13:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: A U.S. Army major stationed in Iraq is proving the power of one.
Major Fred Wellman wanted to give something back to the children of Iraq, so he sent an e-mail to a few friends back home and Operation Fred was off and running. The man behind it all joins me live from Baghdad, Major Fred Wellman.
And here in the studio with me, one of Fred's best friends, Carol Fritz and some of the kids who are helping Fred with his mission.
Thank you guys for being here with me. This is great.
And Fred, you can hear us OK, live from Baghdad, right?
MAJ. FRED WELLMAN, U.S. ARMY: I sure can, Kyra. It's great to be here.
PHILLIPS: It's wonderful to have you. And you should see everybody here in the studio. We've got all the folks that have helped with Operation Fred. Your family is here.
So let's get right to it and just talk about how this started. What gave you this idea and why did you send this e-mail back home?
WELLMAN: Well, Kyra, I always believe that some of my best ideas were stolen. And what happened was a great group of folks led by my brother, Joe, in Florida and some of his friends, a man named David king had adopted my battalion and shipped us about 45 boxes of supplies for my soldiers.
When it came time to build a school and a clinic for a village near our base, I realized that a lot of the supplies we needed we couldn't get in Iraq. So I sought out help from my friends and neighbors in my old town of Peachtree City, a great bunch of folks, good American people, and I guess Operation Fred was born, although I really only meant to ask six people for help and that's where Carol Fritz comes in, I believe.
PHILLIPS: And Carol Fritz is sitting next to us.
I can see you're getting tears in your eyes. This is an amazing man, isn't he?
CAROL FRITZ, FRIEND OF FRED WELLMAN: He really is.
PHILLIPS: So tell me. How did you take the ball and run with this project, Carol?
FRITZ: Well, like Fred said, I think we really only expected, you know, to have a few boxes of things. And I sent the e-mail out to several of my friends who I thought might be able to help or be interested in helping, and they, in turn, sent it out to other people so it just kind of snowballed.
And right now, I think we have spent, as of today, close to $500 ourselves on shipping, and we still have more to send.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Lindsay, tell me what you started collecting and how you've been involved in helping with Operation Fred.
LINDSAY QUANT, VOLUNTEER, OPERATION FRED: Well, we collected crayons and colored pencils and other supplies, like school supplies, like folders and pencils. And other things.
PHILLIPS: Wow. Well, Jessie, let me ask you, why is it so important for the kids in Iraq to have school supplies?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, because they need it badly.
PHILLIPS: Yes, they do need it, don't they?
Ryan, what do you think?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's good to have every kid in America and other places have a chance to learn about education and stuff.
PHILLIPS: Joshua, why do you think it's so important for the kids in Iraq to have school supplies and why did you get involved with Operation Fred?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that kids in Iraq should be able to have school supplies, because we have it and everybody else does.
PHILLIPS: Oh, can you hear all the kids, Fred?
WELLMAN: I can. You can see me smiling. Wonderful thing. That's such a great example of what's going on back there.
PHILLIPS: How are the kids there in Iraq reacting to these supplies coming from the kids here from Peachtree City?
WELLMAN: Well, it's -- the whole reaction, everything we're doing, Kyra, has been fantastic.
Where the 101st Airborne's working is in more of a rural area. So we're working with folks who are farmers, civil farmers, growing wheat and barley. A very dry plain of the Tigris River.
So to have the Americans come in and merely a month and a half, we are building schools, we're helping them build a clinic in their village, we're bringing them things they never had before in those villages for the 70 years of those existing. Their reaction has been overwhelming. They don't even know how to react. It was such an unexpected surprise.
PHILLIPS: Well, we're going to bring up the website if people want to donate and join this group that you've rallied up, your friends and family in Peachtree City. Here's the website, www.ptcgazette.com/opfred.
Carol, tell folks how they can get involved and what you need and what you want to send out.
FRITZ: Well, they can get involved. They can look at the lists that are listed on the website or they can e-mail me and I can tell them what's coming in and what's not.
Some of the people who have been involved, I don't know what's being sent. Like I said, we've just had a wonderful response. The Peachtree City United Methodist Church got involved with their Vacation Bible School class through a friend of mine and took it on, and they collected, I believe it was 11 boxes of school supplies, a box of balls and things, and then six boxes of athletic shoes, which is one of the things that was on Fred's list.
PHILLIPS: Wow.
FRITZ: So we have St. Matthew's church has kind of -- I think they've elected, like, 11 boxes worth of things and they're shipping those. And between us, I think we have sent about 30 boxes.
PHILLIPS: Amazing. All right. We're going to ask Carol and all you guys to stick around.
OK, Fred, because of what you've done for those kids in Iraq, we've got something special for you. We've got your wife and your kids here, an absolutely beautiful family. And we'll hook you guys up right after this break. Sound OK?
WELLMAN: Fantastic. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: All right. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: All right. We've been talking with Major Fred Wellman, who's stationed with U.S. troops in northern Iraq. He's behind Operation Fred, a volunteer effort raising money and supplies for kids in Iraq.
So we wanted to do something nice for him. And joining me now, his wife, Crystal Wellman, and their four incredibly beautiful children. Wow!
CRYSTAL WELLMAN, FRED'S WIFE: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: You must be so proud of your husband.
C. WELLMAN: We are very proud of him. We're not shocked by this at all. This is just his personality.
PHILLIPS: So this whole project -- Amber, I understand you have a great relationship with Dad. I understand you actually tell Dad things you don't even tell Mom.
AMBER WELLMAN, FRED'S DAUGHTER: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Why is that? What's so cool about Dad?
A. WELLMAN: He's easy to talk to. He understands.
PHILLIPS: Fred, can you hear Amber?
A. WELLMAN: I can. I can.
PHILLIPS: Anything you want to say to her?
F. WELLMAN: Actually, this is a great link.
It's wonderful to hear from her. I miss you terribly, Amber. You've got to stay straight or I'm going to beat you up. I tell Amber that if she's not good when I get home, instead of a hug, she's getting a conk in the head. So she's staying straight.
PHILLIPS: Does he actually give you a conk on the head? Is that true?
A. WELLMAN: No.
PHILLIPS: All right, guys. You want to say hello to Dad. Why don't you -- actually, this is -- I heard about this locket. Tell me about this locket.
MORGAN WELLMAN, FRED'S DAUGHTER: Miss Carol, she gave it to me and because she wanted me to have it so I would look pretty with my dress.
And I love my Dad, because he works so hard for us, and he misses -- we miss him very much. And...
PHILLIPS: Oh, Fred, you should see Morgan. She's dressed up in this beautiful little white dress with butterflies and she's got this locket around her neck that she says she wants to put a picture of you inside this locket.
Is that right?
M. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Do you have a picture picked out of Daddy?
M. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you do?
Fred, anything you want to say to Morgan? F. WELLMAN: I hear she lost some teeth lately. I saw a picture, looked like she got in a fight. I hope she came out on the winning side of it.
PHILLIPS: Did you lose some teeth?
M. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Give Daddy a big smile. All right. How many teeth did you lose?
M. WELLMAN: Four.
PHILLIPS: She lost four.
F. WELLMAN: My goodness.
PHILLIPS: Hunter, did you pull those teeth out of your sister's mouth?
HUNTER WELLMAN, FRED'S SON: No.
PHILLIPS: What happened to her teeth? Let me see your teeth. Can you give Daddy a big smile? You've got all your chops in there. Hunter, what do you miss about Dad? I hear you guys wrestle around all the time, is that true? Do you go down by the river? What do you look for down on the river?
Hunter's getting -- Fred, you told me...
F. WELLMAN: Is he running away?
PHILLIPS: Actually, he's not running away. He's being really good. But I know Dylan has plenty to say to you.
What do you want to say to Dad? What do you miss most about him, Dylan?
DYLAN WELLMAN: When he used to wrestle me and when he tickled me.
PHILLIPS: Well, now he's in Iraq. What's Daddy doing over there? Do you understand what his job is over there?
D. WELLMAN: He's fighting for our freedom.
PHILLIPS: That's pretty awesome, isn't it?
Anything you want to say to Dylan, Fred?
F. WELLMAN: Yes. I'm very proud of Dylan. Dylan is quite a young man. He's grown up to be quite the young man. He's doing a great job for the family back there. I'm very proud of my oldest son. He's quite a good young boy.
PHILLIPS: He says you're taking care of the family. Is that true? Are you the man of the hours right now?
D. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Now, you guys are giggling. Why are you giggling, Morgan?
F. WELLMAN: She always giggles.
M. WELLMAN: It's just, like, if Hunter he falls down, and then Dylan, he does funny stuff. It's always, like, I laugh and I giggle.
PHILLIPS: Crystal, you've got your hands full. I mean, all these kids, they seem to get along so well. Dad is cracking up, he knows all too well what we're talking about here.
How do you keep the family together when Dad's there and look at what he's doing this for the Iraqi kids. What a reflection on your family, also.
C. WELLMAN: They are great kids. And we have a wonderful support group. And he knows that I have a vacation due when he gets back, so...
PHILLIPS: Do you want to tell him now where you want to go, Crystal?
C. WELLMAN: He knows, I'm going back to Hawaii to visit my family.
F. WELLMAN: Back to Hawaii.
PHILLIPS: Are the kids coming too, or is this going to be a special romantic week, Fred?
F. WELLMAN: No, she's going alone.
C. WELLMAN: I'm going alone.
PHILLIPS: Oh, you're going alone. Wait a minute. OK, so you've got the kids, is that right, Fred?
F. WELLMAN: That's no problem. I'm bigger than they are. Actually, I'm not bigger than Amber anymore. I don't think I'm bigger than Amber anymore.
PHILLIPS: You know what? I'd be a little worried, Fred, she's growing up. She's a beautiful young lady. I just want to know, how are you going to deal with the first boyfriend when he comes over to the house and wants to take her on a date?
F. WELLMAN: I have a baseball bat.
PHILLIPS: Major Fred Wellman...
F. WELLMAN: It's already got dents in it.
PHILLIPS: Amber, are you nervous?
A. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: I think now every young boy at your high school knows what they're in for.
A. WELLMAN: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Well, the Wellman family. Thank you so much for being here, you guys. Thank you so much.
Fred, thank you so much, just for everything you do for all of us and for your family and what you're doing for the Iraqi children over there. We will continue to talk about how folks can donate. And I understand mailing is a tremendous cost. Carol Fritz was telling me about this, and you need help, whether it be military or other organizations to pitch in, got to get those supplies.
F. WELLMAN: If you want to give help, they have some challenges trying to find a way to get the boxes delivered by mail. Of course, the mail, the Army post system has challenges and time. It would be great if we could find another way for the goods to get here, but we'll muddle through. What everybody's doing is fantastic. And I'm so proud of everyone, Carol and her group, Dee Dee, Glen, Gary, Jean, you know, everybody. It's overwhelming what they've provided.
And before I get away from it, I have to tell you something about the Army wife. What Crystal's doing back there, I will say it here and now, Crystal's job is harder than many ways, Kyra. I mean, my life is very focused. I've got my work, I've got my life, that's everything here. But Crystal's juggling a house, four children, her own work, her own studies as she finishes her college degree. And I don't think Army wives get nearly enough credit. And I want to tell you that Crystal's really the backbone of this family, not me.
PHILLIPS: Crystal, wow.
Well, you know what, Fred? All of us here, including us at CNN, you are a soldier, an incredible man, father, husband. We salute you. Happy Fourth of July and thank you so much for everything you do, not only for your family but for all of us here in the United States.
F. WELLMAN: Thank you so much, Kyra. I really appreciate it. Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Absolute honor.
We're going to let folks take a look at that web site, how they can get involved in Operation Fred and make the donations to head overseas.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
