Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Memorial Service Held For Three Green Berets in Kentucky

Aired December 10, 2001 - 09:46   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: At Fort Campbell, Kentucky, memorial services will be held for the Green Berets killed in a so-called "friendly fire" accident in Afghanistan.

Brian Cabell is there. That service begins in just about 15 minutes. Good morning, Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. A somber day, here, as you might expect here at Fort Campbell. I was just inside the chapel a moment ago. It is filled. In fact, they are sending the overflow crowd over to the gymnasium next door.

Inside you see three sets of boots, on top of the boots, berets, behind the boots, M-16s turned upside down, and wrapped around those M-16s are the dog tags.

The three dead Green Berets include Master Sergeant Jefferson Davis, 39 years old, from Tennessee, father of two. Apparently he told his sister before he left for Afghanistan, that he was worried. Asked her to please take care of his kids if something happened to him.

Also, Sergeant First Class, Daniel Petithory, 32, from Massachusetts. He wanted to be a soldier ever since he was a child. He played soldier when he was a child. He died a soldier last week in Afghanistan.

And Staff Sergeant Cody Prosser, 28 years old from California. He was captain of his high school football team. Apparently his shoulder was dislocated any number of times during games. He would come out of those games, have his shoulder popped back in and go back into those games.

They were killed last week, last Wednesday, north of Kandahar during a bombing raid by B-52s. Apparently a 2,000-pound satellite- guided bomb landed about a hundred yards from them. Exactly why that happened -- it's being investigated right now. Five Afghan fighters killed along with them. 20 Americans wounded.

Once again, this service scheduled to get underway in about 15 minutes. There will a final roll call. Each of them will have their names read three times. There will, of course, be no answer. Taps will be played. There will be a 21-gun salute, and also, playing will be the "Ballad of the Green Beret." Paula? ZAHN: Brian, unfortunately, one of the realizations, I guess, the families had to make is the acceptance of this "fog of war." I'm just curious. I know I spoke with Mr. Petithory's brother last week, and he said, so far, the family doesn't have any sense of bitterness. They very much want the government to tell them what went wrong here. What -- what kind of feedback have you gotten from other family members there?

CABELL: What we have heard is that that is essentially what they are all saying. They understand. This is what happens battle. This is what happens in a war like Afghanistan. Friendly fire is a reality in all wars. It's a reality here, and that's what happened to these three young men. And, from what we understand so far, all of the families have accepted that, reluctantly, of course.

ZAHN: All right, Brian Cabell, thank you for that report.

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