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American Morning

7th Cav Rests After Intense Fighting

Aired March 27, 2003 - 08:17   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, ANCHOR: We're back at 17 minutes after the hour. Time to check in with Walt Rodgers. He's traveling with the Army's 3- 7th Cav. He reports now to us live from someplace in central Iraq.
Walt, good to see you. Once again, you were very obscured by sand storms the last couple of days. What's going on there now?

WALT RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula. After fighting its way forward for the past 72 hours, the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry has been reinforced by much larger units from the 3rd Infantry Division. But that was a very ferocious fight all through a hostile territory, Iraqis shooting at the 7th Cavalry, again almost constantly for the last 72 hours.

But the cavalry's mission was to take a bridge head, that is to say, somewhere northeast of Najaf. The cavalry took up a position and was to hold that bridge under all circumstances.

There was great fear of an Iraqi counter-attack coming down from Al Ilif (ph) and up above Baghdad beyond that. Indeed, the cavalry had pushed to within 60 miles of Baghdad before it was reinforced by the 3rd Infantry Division.

Last night, there were some very alarming moments. You can see that in the back of the Bradley fighting vehicle, the commander of the 7th Cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel Terry Ferrell (ph) was actually receiving reports that a major armored column was moving south of Baghdad at a rate of between 30 and 60 kilometers an hour.

Throughout the evening, air strikes were called in. Multiple launch rocket systems were called -- were fired at this advancing column. As it moved south of Al Hilla (ph) and was moving on the 3rd -- on the 7th Cavalry's bridge head.

In fact, it was so serious at one point, and we have this both from Army sources and Air Force personnel traveling with the 7th Cavalry -- that a B-52 was called in to stop that convoy. I checked with Air Force personnel, I said, more than one B-52, they said more than a few B-52s were called in to stop that convoy which was moving in the direction of the 7th Cavalry's bridge head.

We heard artillery all night before the cavalry was enforced. But it was a lonely struggle for the 7th Cavalry through the early hours of the evening and until it was reinforced -- Paula.

ZAHN: Are you allowed to tell us in a broad sense about the next part of your mission? RODGERS: Well, presently, after having been reinforced by superior forces, that is to say the 3rd Infantry Division, the 7th Cavalry has been called back to realign its gun barrels, clean the air filters on the tanks, stand down.

As I say, these soldiers have seen constant combat going through extraordinarily difficult periods. There's one area we went through that was called machine gun alley because they were shooting at the 7th Cavalry and at us on both sides of the road, and they were doing it constantly.

One soldier, who'd been in the Army 22 years, said that's enough for me. I'm going to be getting out after this.

Another major with whom I spoke said, I hope I never have to live through anything like that again.

Now, the Army is standing down a little, but there's a period of adjustment here for the new soldiers who have never been baptized under fire before. Many of them are having to adjust to the fact that, standing atop their Bradleys and their tanks, they have killed men, and more than a few Iraqis were seen lying on the ground as we came back today. Many young soldiers have to adjust to this baptism of fire and the fact they have now killed in combat -- Paula.

ZAHN: We hope none of you ever have to go through anything like that again.

You described the trauma of what you all witnessed. Tell me briefly how sleep deprivation is affecting everybody right now.

RODGERS: Well, I will, Paula, but there's one thing I'd like to add.

When I talked to some Air Force liaison personnel this morning, they were traveling two cars behind the CNN Humvee, and they said to us, hey, show us the bullet holes in your cars.

I said what bullet holes?

And they looked below where I was sitting and they said we saw the machine gun bullets hitting the dirt right below your car. We were totally missed.

As for sleep deprivation, we're going to get 48 hours back here now in the rear zone before the order comes to go forward again. Remember, the 7th Cavalry's mission is to go forward, probe, be out in advance of everyone. That's where it's been for the first 72 hours until the larger reinforcements go forward.

Everyone here is due for a good night's sleep. There was none last night, although I might add, Paula, I managed to find a hay mow, a haystack on a nearby farm, crawled into that, covered myself with hay -- Paula.

ZAHN: It was probably the most comfy situation you've found yourself in, in the last 72 hours or so. Walt Rodgers, we are glad you are OK. It must have been pretty shocking to look at the bottom of the Humvee, not even realizing how close some of those shots got.

Walt Rodgers, please, take care.

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 March 27, 2003 - 08:17   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, ANCHOR: We're back at 17 minutes after the hour. Time to check in with Walt Rodgers. He's traveling with the Army's 3- 7th Cav. He reports now to us live from someplace in central Iraq.
Walt, good to see you. Once again, you were very obscured by sand storms the last couple of days. What's going on there now?

WALT RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Paula. After fighting its way forward for the past 72 hours, the U.S. Army's 7th Cavalry has been reinforced by much larger units from the 3rd Infantry Division. But that was a very ferocious fight all through a hostile territory, Iraqis shooting at the 7th Cavalry, again almost constantly for the last 72 hours.

But the cavalry's mission was to take a bridge head, that is to say, somewhere northeast of Najaf. The cavalry took up a position and was to hold that bridge under all circumstances.

There was great fear of an Iraqi counter-attack coming down from Al Ilif (ph) and up above Baghdad beyond that. Indeed, the cavalry had pushed to within 60 miles of Baghdad before it was reinforced by the 3rd Infantry Division.

Last night, there were some very alarming moments. You can see that in the back of the Bradley fighting vehicle, the commander of the 7th Cavalry, Lieutenant Colonel Terry Ferrell (ph) was actually receiving reports that a major armored column was moving south of Baghdad at a rate of between 30 and 60 kilometers an hour.

Throughout the evening, air strikes were called in. Multiple launch rocket systems were called -- were fired at this advancing column. As it moved south of Al Hilla (ph) and was moving on the 3rd -- on the 7th Cavalry's bridge head.

In fact, it was so serious at one point, and we have this both from Army sources and Air Force personnel traveling with the 7th Cavalry -- that a B-52 was called in to stop that convoy. I checked with Air Force personnel, I said, more than one B-52, they said more than a few B-52s were called in to stop that convoy which was moving in the direction of the 7th Cavalry's bridge head.

We heard artillery all night before the cavalry was enforced. But it was a lonely struggle for the 7th Cavalry through the early hours of the evening and until it was reinforced -- Paula.

ZAHN: Are you allowed to tell us in a broad sense about the next part of your mission? RODGERS: Well, presently, after having been reinforced by superior forces, that is to say the 3rd Infantry Division, the 7th Cavalry has been called back to realign its gun barrels, clean the air filters on the tanks, stand down.

As I say, these soldiers have seen constant combat going through extraordinarily difficult periods. There's one area we went through that was called machine gun alley because they were shooting at the 7th Cavalry and at us on both sides of the road, and they were doing it constantly.

One soldier, who'd been in the Army 22 years, said that's enough for me. I'm going to be getting out after this.

Another major with whom I spoke said, I hope I never have to live through anything like that again.

Now, the Army is standing down a little, but there's a period of adjustment here for the new soldiers who have never been baptized under fire before. Many of them are having to adjust to the fact that, standing atop their Bradleys and their tanks, they have killed men, and more than a few Iraqis were seen lying on the ground as we came back today. Many young soldiers have to adjust to this baptism of fire and the fact they have now killed in combat -- Paula.

ZAHN: We hope none of you ever have to go through anything like that again.

You described the trauma of what you all witnessed. Tell me briefly how sleep deprivation is affecting everybody right now.

RODGERS: Well, I will, Paula, but there's one thing I'd like to add.

When I talked to some Air Force liaison personnel this morning, they were traveling two cars behind the CNN Humvee, and they said to us, hey, show us the bullet holes in your cars.

I said what bullet holes?

And they looked below where I was sitting and they said we saw the machine gun bullets hitting the dirt right below your car. We were totally missed.

As for sleep deprivation, we're going to get 48 hours back here now in the rear zone before the order comes to go forward again. Remember, the 7th Cavalry's mission is to go forward, probe, be out in advance of everyone. That's where it's been for the first 72 hours until the larger reinforcements go forward.

Everyone here is due for a good night's sleep. There was none last night, although I might add, Paula, I managed to find a hay mow, a haystack on a nearby farm, crawled into that, covered myself with hay -- Paula.

ZAHN: It was probably the most comfy situation you've found yourself in, in the last 72 hours or so. Walt Rodgers, we are glad you are OK. It must have been pretty shocking to look at the bottom of the Humvee, not even realizing how close some of those shots got.

Walt Rodgers, please, take care.

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