Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Christmas with the Marines at Kandahar
Aired December 25, 2001 - 07:32 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: More Christmas greetings now as they are a world away from home and family, they're putting their lives on the line to defend freedoms that define America.
Let's go back now to see how U.S. troops are marking Christmas in Kandahar and rejoin Bill Hemmer.
Bill, hello once again.
BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, hello to you.
Two pieces of news from here, first of all, there are 17 al Qaeda detainees here at the Kandahar International Airport. There is always a possibility that more detainees can be brought to this particular airport. There is a facility set up about 200 yards behind me, you can't see it from view right here, but this base really could handle hundreds more that are detained in certain parts of Afghanistan. So again, we will watch that in case that is a possibility here.
The other thing to watch out for, since the Marines have been here for the past 12 days, there have not been any real threats to the base. But again, we're hearing word that there is an enhanced security right now to be extra vigilant during the holidays. Certain reporting -- intelligence reporting indicating that there is a possibility that now during the holidays they might be vulnerable.
Speaking of the holidays, certainly a religious time for many, and that's where we bring in the Navy chaplain here at the Kandahar International Airport. Father Joseph Scordo is our guest now.
Father, hello to you and merry Christmas.
REV. JOSEPH SCORDO, U.S. NAVY CHAPLAIN: Merry Christmas, thank you.
HEMMER: Last night at midnight Mass, actually it was a little later than that, more like 1:30 in the morning local time, we were all up late last night, you talked about the Marines here being the new lights of the world. What did you mean by that?
SCORDO: Well in the Christian tradition, Jesus was born to bring light to the world, a darkened world, a world darkened by sin and anger and hatred. The Marines are here to help eradicate the darkness and the hatred and the ugliness of terrorism in the world and so, in a sense, they are bringing light to the world. They're the new lights of the world. Just as Jesus was the light for all time, the Marines are the light for our time, I believe.
HEMMER: These guys are tough.
SCORDO: They are.
HEMMER: They're Marines.
SCORDO: They are (ph).
HEMMER: You can ask them and they'll tell you, but even so, they're human beings, too, and they have feelings and emotions and they have families, too. Being away at the holidays, do they have a problem with it? And if so, what kind of advice do you offer?
SCORDO: Anyone being away from family at especially holiday time is going to feel it. And these are, while they're extremely well trained fighting men and very confident, they're human beings, as you say, and they all have the feelings of missing families. And all but one of the saving graces is they know they're here for an important cause, not only for themselves and for our country, but for the world. And so it makes the separation, the pain and anxiety of separation, a little bit easier.
Secondly, when they do feel badly, I will speak with them and I appeal to their strengths because they're incredibly strong young men and women. And so I appeal to their strengths and remind them of their strengths. And usually they tap into that and they go away feeling much, much better and understanding of themselves and what's going on. It's OK to be human.
HEMMER: One other thing I'm quite curious about when people go into battle, in a sense of speaking, you came in here about 12 days ago, is there anxiety, is there apprehension, what is there that a human being feels as a U.S. Marine coming in to a foreign country?
SCORDO: They want to do the right thing. And if the right thing means to carry on exercises as they've been trained for years to do, then they want to do that but they want to make sure it's the right thing. And sometimes they question -- they don't know, so they're wondering how they're going to react if perhaps they have to shoot someone or if a buddy of theirs gets shot or, one young man even said to me, what happens if I get shot, am I ready to meet God yet, Father? And so those are some of the thoughts that they have at times.
HEMMER: That's really -- how do you prepare for that, not only in event of killing someone else and taking someone else's life but in the eventuality that your own life could be shut down at a very, very young age? Average age here just about 20 years old.
SCORDO: I just remind them how close they are to God and ask them to stay that way and then they don't have to worry at all. They don't.
HEMMER: It's the holidays, it's Christmas, got anyone back home watching you might want to say hello to?
SCORDO: Oh yes, I have my dad. He's 97 years old living in Florida...
HEMMER: All right.
SCORDO: ... and his health care worker is probably there as well and my older brother is visiting from New York. And I got a kid brother out in Kentucky and his family that are watching...
HEMMER: Good.
SCORDO: ... and a host of friends all around the country.
HEMMER: Excellent.
SCORDO: I do.
HEMMER: Thank you, Father. Merry Christmas to you.
SCORDO: Thank you. Thank you (INAUDIBLE).
HEMMER: Father Joseph Scordo,...
SCORDO: God bless you.
HEMMER: ... Navy chaplain here on the base here at Kandahar International.
SCORDO: Merry Christmas, America.
HEMMER: Good deal, much appreciated.
We'll go back to Daryn now.
More coming up from Kandahar shortly, Daryn. Merry Christmas.
KAGAN: Bill -- Bill Hemmer, thank you very much.
Bill, I was just thinking, we should introduce the chaplain's father to your grandfather, Papa (ph), about the same age there.
HEMMER: Yes, Daryn. While you're father is 97, my grandfather will be 99 in February.
SCORDO: There you go.
HEMMER: So yes, George Nidle (ph) probably watching in Cincinnati, Ohio right now.
SCORDO: There you go.
HEMMER: So hook those guys up, maybe they're drinking buddies at some point. No, see you, Daryn.
SCORDO: OK. KAGAN: Sure, you got it.
Don't always bring out the personal but it is Christmas morning, as you said. Papa's probably watching back in Cincinnati as well as the other Hemmers.
HEMMER: (INAUDIBLE).
KAGAN: So we'll check in back with you in a...
HEMMER: Yes, they're cutting us some slack, that's right.
KAGAN: Just a bit. Bill, thank you very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
