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American Morning
Operation Happy Holidays: Marine Makes International Proposal
Aired December 25, 2001 - 09:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We got another Marine with us. Corporal Timothy Fouts is with us from Flintstone, Georgia, northern Georgia, right near the Tennessee line, and you're packing some heat. What do you got here?
CPL. TIMOTHY FOUTS: It's a M-249 SAW.
HEMMER: That thing looks vicious.
FOUTS: Yes, sir.
HEMMER: And what's your job here?
FOUTS: We're providing security for the perimeter. I'm at the front gate, so --
HEMMER: Okay. Well, listen. You know what we've been doing here, in Kandahar. We've been hooking up people with their families, their loved ones back home in the U.S. Your girlfriend Jenny is now with us. She's live in Columbus, Ohio, courtesy of WBNS. Jenny, if you can hear us, merry Christmas to you. We got your boyfriend here, who's doing a great job as always. And, we're going to go ahead and let him initiate the conversation as we did with Master Sergeant Sizemore just a few moments ago. So, with that, here's your boyfriend.
FOUTS: Hello, Jenny.
JENNY HAYMAN, TIMOTHY FOUTS'S GIRLFRIEND: Hi, Tim, I love you.
FOUTS: I love you, too.
HAYMAN: Are you having a good Christmas?
FOUTS: Yes, I am. Are you?
HAYMAN: Yes. So far, this is pretty good present.
FOUTS: I got some letters and some packages from you today, and I thank you for sending all that, but the one thing I wanted for Christmas can't come in a package. Jenny, I was wondering, will you marry me?
HAYMAN: Yes, I definitely will. Oh, my God. FOUTS: I love you.
JENNY HAYMAN, TIMOTHY FOUTS'S FIANCEE: I love you too. I can't believe you arranged this. Oh, my gosh. Do you know how many people are seeing this right now?
FOUTS: Are you okay?
HAYMAN: Yes. I'm okay. I'm just really happy right now. Thank you!
FOUTS: Are you going to be okay?
HAYMAN: Yeah, I'm all right. I love you.
FOUTS: I love you, too. Who all is there with you?
HAYMAN: The whole library (ph) staff is watching this right now. My family is up here with me. They said hi and merry Christmas.
FOUTS: Tell them I said hi, too.
HAYMAN: Okay.
HEMMER: Tell us how you met, Corporal. By the way, we should say that's a long four-second delay, and we were holding breath back here in Kandahar.
FOUTS: Well, we met about a year and half ago in Myrtle Beach. So it was kind of a weird situation. It was -- we were sitting there starting raining and told my friends talk to next car that drove up, and along came her car and went up and knocked on the window and got a ride and went to eat with her, and here we are.
HEMMER: I think we call that serendipity. How are you feeling back in Columbus?
HAYMAN: I'm really happy now, this is a great present.
FOUTS: Well, thank you for giving me the present I wanted.
HAYMAN: You're welcome. Your mom said that she loves you and she misses you, along with the rest of your family.
FOUTS: Hi, Mom. I love you, too.
HAYMAN: She said she was going to call everybody in your church and have them watch this, so -- Are you cold over there right now? Is it cold?
FOUTS: It's not too bad..
HAYMAN: Really?
FOUTS: A little cold at night, but that's it.
HAYMAN: Did you like the stuff that I sent you for Christmas?
FOUTS: The cereal?
HAYMAN: Everything.
FOUTS: I got the cereal, and I got the other package, too.
HAYMAN: Okay. Good. Did you tell Hamid (ph) that I saw him on TV?
FOUTS: Yeah, I liked everything I got, thank you.
HAYMAN: Good.
FOUTS: Yes, I told him.
HAYMAN: He's famous now. Where are you sleeping?
HEMMER: Looks like you got the Christmas present you were looking for, Corporal, and you showed a lot of guts too, by the way, standing in front of -- Tom, I don't know if you can swing around here, but we've got about 40 Marines who have been trying to hang on and see this thing. So the deed has been done, and Corporal Fouts, and Jenny to you, congratulations. Another quick greeting to your -- I guess at this point fiancee, here in Afghanistan.
FOUTS: Thank you. I love you. I'll talk to you as soon as I can. Try to have a good Christmas.
HAYMAN: I love you too, and I'll see you soon. I miss you.
FOUTS: I miss you, too.
HEMMER: By the way, Jenny, you gave the right answer. Merry Christmas. Take care of yourself, okay? Thanks for getting up early.
HAYMAN: Thank you. Merry Christmas.
HEMMER: Corporal, thanks. Congratulations to you. You're a brave man. All right. Good deal. Congratulations. All right, back to Atlanta, here's Daryn once again. We'll see you again in a couple of minutes, Daryn.
KAGAN: All right, Bill, thank you, and congratulations to Corporal Fouts. We're going to have Jenny stay put for a second -- Jenny, are you still with us?
HAYMAN: Yeah, I'm still here.
KAGAN: It's Daryn Kagan in Atlanta. Just want to say congratulations. Were you surprised? You didn't have any idea?
HAYMAN: I was very surprised. He's -- he'll do anything.
KAGAN: To hear Tim describe it, it sounds like it was kind of a surprise when you guys met in the first place, about a year and a half ago.
HAYMAN: Yes, it was totally unexpected, I didn't expect to meet anybody.
KAGAN: Look there, if you can see in your monitor, the Marines are turning around and they're clapping and congratulating your new fiancee.
HAYMAN: Oh.
KAGAN: All the Marines watching, but much of the world watching as well. Jenny in your wildest dreams, did you ever think that this is how you would be proposed to?
HAYMAN: No, I never expected this in my life.
KAGAN: When was the last time you got to see him in person?
HAYMAN: It was early September.
KAGAN: So it's been a while.
HAYMAN: Yes. It has.
KAGAN: Any idea when the wedding might be, or some planning still must take place?
HAYMAN: There will be some planning, but just as soon as possible. Just, whenever he wants to.
KAGAN: Well, a little confession. We were all, of course, all in on this here at CNN. And you might not have known, but we did, and of all the messages all morning long, this is one we were looking forward to the most.
HAYMAN: Oh, thank you.
KAGAN: Once again congratulations, and good luck in planning the wedding, and merry Christmas.
HAYMAN: Thank you. Merry Christmas to you, too.
KAGAN: Very good. That's Jenny Hayman joining us from Columbus, Ohio. You saw it live here on television. She just got engaged. Congratulations to you and and to Tim.
HAYMAN: Thank you.
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