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CNN Live Today
Shipping Out
Aired January 06, 2003 - 11:05 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.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of sailors and Marines are shipping out from Southern California today. The previously scheduled deployment comes amid the military buildup toward a possible war with Iraq.
Frank Buckley joins us live from San Diego with more details.
Good morning, Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.
A great deal of activity going on here at pier 13, some 4,000 families saying their final goodbyes. You you can see right up here on the USS Teroa (ph). The Marines and Navy sailors looking down toward their families. If you look from our other camera, you can see some of the last minute good-byes taking place here on pier 13. We've been able to find a couple of families who have been kind enough to talk to us, and if I could ask you guys to step forward with us, we have with us Joe Page and Shari Page. You guys just got married in august.
And, Shari, this is your first deployment. Tell me what it's like for you today.
SHARI PAGE, WIFE: It's really rough. I'm kind of been preparing the last couple days. Friday I kind of let it all go, and now I'm watching him get on for the last time, but it will be OK.
BUCKLEY: Six months is such a long time. We sort of say it as a matter of routine now, but a lot of things happen in six months. How will you guys stay in touch?
S. PAGE: Probably through e-mail.
PETTY OFC. JOE PAGE, U.S. NAVY: We use a lot of e-mail, write a lot of letters, hopefully get a lot of cookies and brownies, and just things like that, and the same normal way and I'll call when we hit places, I'll call her and let her know how I'm doing and stuff.
BUCKLEY: You've been pretty emotional today, haven't you.
S. PAGE: Yes, you can't tell. All morning, couldn't even sleep last night.
BUCKLEY: Thank you guys for sharing your story. We want to talk to some other families here. Appreciate it. We're going to come over now and talk to Francis, who is the mother of Mike, and we've got Jessica. This is your husband, and we've got Andrew, who's a year old.
Tell me what it's like for you guys today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm just ready to get on with it, ready to get it going, so -- and get back.
BUCKLEY: Let me ask you, this is a deployment, even though it's routine, that could see him put into harm's way. Does it make it more difficult for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, so much more difficult. This was our second deployment. He was in Japan, wasn't going anywhere. Times were a lot different then. And now, it's a lot scarier. It makes me so much more worried, and it's a lot harder, yes.
BUCKLEY: Mom, what about you? I can see it in your eyes? This is not an easy day for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's not easy at all, but we're here, and we're here to support him.
BUCKLEY: What are the thoughts that you want him to carry with him on this deployment? What do you want him to know about what you're thinking at home?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love him. We're going to miss him a great deal.
BUCKLEY: Does that help you, knowing that you've got everybody at home?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely, definitely. Yes.
BUCKLEY: Take care of that little one, and good luck to you. Our prayers will be with you and our thoughts. Thanks for your service.
Just one of the families of 4,000 families going through this today here at pier 13 in San Diego.
HARRIS: Hey, Frank, I've got to think this is striking a chord in your own heart. As I understand it, your dad shipped out quite a few times when you were a kid.
BUCKLEY: That's right, dad was a master chief, 30 years, went through this a few times myself. Pretty tough.
HARRIS: All right, have a good one out there, and give those folks our best. Frank Buckley reporting live this morning from San Diego.
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 January 6, 2003 - 11:05 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Thousands of sailors and Marines are shipping out from Southern California today. The previously scheduled deployment comes amid the military buildup toward a possible war with Iraq.
Frank Buckley joins us live from San Diego with more details.
Good morning, Frank.
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Leon.
A great deal of activity going on here at pier 13, some 4,000 families saying their final goodbyes. You you can see right up here on the USS Teroa (ph). The Marines and Navy sailors looking down toward their families. If you look from our other camera, you can see some of the last minute good-byes taking place here on pier 13. We've been able to find a couple of families who have been kind enough to talk to us, and if I could ask you guys to step forward with us, we have with us Joe Page and Shari Page. You guys just got married in august.
And, Shari, this is your first deployment. Tell me what it's like for you today.
SHARI PAGE, WIFE: It's really rough. I'm kind of been preparing the last couple days. Friday I kind of let it all go, and now I'm watching him get on for the last time, but it will be OK.
BUCKLEY: Six months is such a long time. We sort of say it as a matter of routine now, but a lot of things happen in six months. How will you guys stay in touch?
S. PAGE: Probably through e-mail.
PETTY OFC. JOE PAGE, U.S. NAVY: We use a lot of e-mail, write a lot of letters, hopefully get a lot of cookies and brownies, and just things like that, and the same normal way and I'll call when we hit places, I'll call her and let her know how I'm doing and stuff.
BUCKLEY: You've been pretty emotional today, haven't you.
S. PAGE: Yes, you can't tell. All morning, couldn't even sleep last night.
BUCKLEY: Thank you guys for sharing your story. We want to talk to some other families here. Appreciate it. We're going to come over now and talk to Francis, who is the mother of Mike, and we've got Jessica. This is your husband, and we've got Andrew, who's a year old.
Tell me what it's like for you guys today.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's the hardest thing I've ever done, and I'm just ready to get on with it, ready to get it going, so -- and get back.
BUCKLEY: Let me ask you, this is a deployment, even though it's routine, that could see him put into harm's way. Does it make it more difficult for you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, so much more difficult. This was our second deployment. He was in Japan, wasn't going anywhere. Times were a lot different then. And now, it's a lot scarier. It makes me so much more worried, and it's a lot harder, yes.
BUCKLEY: Mom, what about you? I can see it in your eyes? This is not an easy day for you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, it's not easy at all, but we're here, and we're here to support him.
BUCKLEY: What are the thoughts that you want him to carry with him on this deployment? What do you want him to know about what you're thinking at home?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love him. We're going to miss him a great deal.
BUCKLEY: Does that help you, knowing that you've got everybody at home?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely, definitely. Yes.
BUCKLEY: Take care of that little one, and good luck to you. Our prayers will be with you and our thoughts. Thanks for your service.
Just one of the families of 4,000 families going through this today here at pier 13 in San Diego.
HARRIS: Hey, Frank, I've got to think this is striking a chord in your own heart. As I understand it, your dad shipped out quite a few times when you were a kid.
BUCKLEY: That's right, dad was a master chief, 30 years, went through this a few times myself. Pretty tough.
HARRIS: All right, have a good one out there, and give those folks our best. Frank Buckley reporting live this morning from San Diego.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
