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American Morning

Interview with Friends of Rescued Soldier

Aired April 02, 2003 - 07:53   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: More now on that dramatic rescue of an American soldier. Army Private First Class Jessica Lynch will be coming home to America soon. She had been listed as missing when her unit was ambushed near Nasiriya.
After nine days of uncertainty, Jessica's friends and family learned that coalition forces had rescued her yesterday from the Iraqis. Her small hometown of Palestine, West Virginia converged on the Lynch family home to celebrate the great news, and three of Jessica's friends join us from there, Mariah Duckworth, Jenny Baileys (ph) and Nikki White (ph).

Welcome to you all. Thank you for sharing the good news with us this morning.

First of all, Mariah, what have you been told about your friend, Jessica, and what shape she's in right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the state she's in now?

ZAHN: Can you -- yes, how she's doing. What has her family been told?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really know the details. I just know that they know she's OK. So I don't think they...

ZAHN: And, Jenny...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead.

ZAHN: Sorry, I know there's a little bit of a delay in our signal here. Jenny, describe to us what happened last night when your town got this very good news.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not Jenny. I'm Jessi (ph). And could you repeat the question?

ZAHN: Yes, just what happened when the town heard that Jessica, although she had been injured, was in coalition hands?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, that's all I know right now, that she's just -- that she was rescued and she was injured, and then that's about it. I don't really know a lot more.

ZAHN: Nikki (ph), is there anything you want to say, Nikki (ph), about your friend, Jessica, and any concerns you might have about her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just can't wait for her to get home. That's all I know. I just -- I am glad that she's safe right now, so.

ZAHN: We are looking right now as we're talking to you at some amazing pictures of U.S. Marines rescuing her. We're seeing her carried on a stretcher to the chopper, where she would later be put on to be transferred to another hospital. Tell us how her mom and dad are holding up now? Nikki (ph), you can take that one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're doing really well right now. They're just pretty much just, you know -- I don't know. They're just happy, really happy right now, so.

ZAHN: So, Mariah, what is the plan -- the town plan to do for her when Jessica gets home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mariah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry, what?

ZAHN: Just give us an idea of what might happen when she eventually gets home. What do you plan to do with her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a big celebration. We're really happy.

ZAHN: Well, Mariah, Jenny -- or Jessi (ph), I guess it is, and Nikki (ph), we really thank you for joining us this morning, and we apologize for the little audio glitches there. And again, our best wishes to your whole community, and we are delighted to share the good news with all of them this morning.

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 April 2, 2003 - 07:53   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: More now on that dramatic rescue of an American soldier. Army Private First Class Jessica Lynch will be coming home to America soon. She had been listed as missing when her unit was ambushed near Nasiriya.
After nine days of uncertainty, Jessica's friends and family learned that coalition forces had rescued her yesterday from the Iraqis. Her small hometown of Palestine, West Virginia converged on the Lynch family home to celebrate the great news, and three of Jessica's friends join us from there, Mariah Duckworth, Jenny Baileys (ph) and Nikki White (ph).

Welcome to you all. Thank you for sharing the good news with us this morning.

First of all, Mariah, what have you been told about your friend, Jessica, and what shape she's in right now?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the state she's in now?

ZAHN: Can you -- yes, how she's doing. What has her family been told?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really know the details. I just know that they know she's OK. So I don't think they...

ZAHN: And, Jenny...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Go ahead.

ZAHN: Sorry, I know there's a little bit of a delay in our signal here. Jenny, describe to us what happened last night when your town got this very good news.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not Jenny. I'm Jessi (ph). And could you repeat the question?

ZAHN: Yes, just what happened when the town heard that Jessica, although she had been injured, was in coalition hands?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, that's all I know right now, that she's just -- that she was rescued and she was injured, and then that's about it. I don't really know a lot more.

ZAHN: Nikki (ph), is there anything you want to say, Nikki (ph), about your friend, Jessica, and any concerns you might have about her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just can't wait for her to get home. That's all I know. I just -- I am glad that she's safe right now, so.

ZAHN: We are looking right now as we're talking to you at some amazing pictures of U.S. Marines rescuing her. We're seeing her carried on a stretcher to the chopper, where she would later be put on to be transferred to another hospital. Tell us how her mom and dad are holding up now? Nikki (ph), you can take that one.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're doing really well right now. They're just pretty much just, you know -- I don't know. They're just happy, really happy right now, so.

ZAHN: So, Mariah, what is the plan -- the town plan to do for her when Jessica gets home?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mariah.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sorry, what?

ZAHN: Just give us an idea of what might happen when she eventually gets home. What do you plan to do with her?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have a big celebration. We're really happy.

ZAHN: Well, Mariah, Jenny -- or Jessi (ph), I guess it is, and Nikki (ph), we really thank you for joining us this morning, and we apologize for the little audio glitches there. And again, our best wishes to your whole community, and we are delighted to share the good news with all of them this morning.

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