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American Morning

Stories of Soldiers' Deaths Out

Aired March 06, 2002 - 08:03   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: Up front this morning, though, the gruesome details of how seven soldiers died in combat are emerging just as the remains arrive home from Afghanistan. During the deadly battle, U.S. military commanders viewed real-time surveillance video and watched helplessly as a Navy SEAL was dragged away by opposition forces and executed. Six other soldiers died in that fierce fighting.

U.S. Army Ranger Mark Anderson was among the dead. He was stationed at the Hunter Army Air Base near Savannah, Georgia, which suffered some heavy losses in the recent fighting.

CNN's Brian Cabell is standing by at Hunter Air Field. He joins us now with more on how everyone is reacting to this news -- good morning, Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Paula. The bodies of the seven servicemen will remain in Dover, Delaware today, we are told, to be positively identified, and Dover essentially will act as a funeral home for the seven.

As you say, three of the seven were based here at Hunter Army Air Field in Savannah. Hunter is a relatively small post, only about 4,000 soldiers based here, and Savannah, of course, is a large city, a good sized city. So the tight relationship you have in some communities between the base and the hometown, not quite as tight as it is in some, but nevertheless, there is sorrow, there is grief in Savannah today.

Grief for Specialist Mark Anderson, 30 years old. He joined the Army some four years ago. He is from Brandon, Florida. His brother says he was a good man.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED BROTHER OF MARK ANDERSON: Last night, I just laid down and tried to think, you know, what have I done that's been so bad (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to make somebody want to do this to my little brother, somebody who would (UNINTELLIGIBLE) one to care and help people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABELL: Another of the Rangers, Sergeant Bradley Crose from Orange Park, Florida, 27 years old. He joined the Army four years ago. His father said that as a soldier, he was doing what he wanted to do.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FATHER OF BRADLEY CROSE: And he was a fine Christian young man. He was proud of his country, and he was a warrior. He believed in what he was doing. He knew it was just. And he was looking forward to an opportunity to preserve those rights and privileges that we so freely exercise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABELL: The third of the three here, Private First Class Matthew Commons. He was from Boulder City, Nevada. He was the youngest, 21 years old. He joined the Army just two years ago.

Again, these are three of the seven who were killed in east Afghanistan on early Monday morning. Exactly what will be held here in the way of ceremonies, we don't know exactly when the bodies will be returned or where they will be returned, we don't know that yet either. The Army has not yet announced that -- Paula.

ZAHN: As I understand it, thought, this community is a close- knit community surrounding Hunter Air Base. Describe if you would the kind of people who live there and how they are reacting to this absolutely piercing news.

CABELL: Yes, as I said, this is not like some communities, where you have a small town and a huge dominating military base. What you have here is a relatively small base on the outskirts of Savannah. So there are some -- there are diners here. There is a pawn shop across the street. So you have some of the typical commercial businesses that you might have. But again, it's not quite the same, Paula, as you would have at say a Camp Lejeune or a Fort Bragg, Fort Campbell, places like that.

So Savannah is a large city. There is a lot more going on. But, yes, these soldiers, they march in parades on holidays. They walk the streets. They are out at bars. So people know them. People are aware of them, and, yes, there is a loss here today.

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

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