Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Family of Sgt. James Riley Reacts to Rescue
Aired April 13, 2003 - 11:24 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Army Sergeant James Riley is among the seven U.S. troops found alive this morning in Iraq. His parents met with reporters after they got the news. CNN's Whitney Casey is outside their home now. Hi, Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Certainly a bit of jubilation, but also there's a delicate dance going on here. I think Leon touched on it a little bit when he was speaking on the phone with Sergeant Riley's father, Phil. There is a little bit of mixture of emotions here, and I'll tell you why.
Just about three weeks earlier, Sergeant Riley's sister, Katherine, died -- Mary, excuse me, died. She had been in a coma here for about three weeks before he left. He knew this. He knew that she was very sick, and she died just recently. So the family after hearing of that horrible grief, then heard this this morning. They've been waking up every morning listening to the news. So it's been a delicate dance between this euphoria that comes with this information and also the horrible news that the family has had to be dealing with for the past three weeks.
They did come out here this morning. They went to church early this morning praying after they heard the news at about 7:00 a.m. this morning. They went to church. They didn't know whether their son was one of the people that they had been found, but they went to church and they prayed and then they came home and then they had an army representative came here and told them this great news and we talked with them. They came out just minutes after that news, and let's take a listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATHOL RILEY, FATHER OF SGT. RILEY: Well, it's been difficult from two sources, you know, we had this problem going on, and we had our daughter. So it was kind of a one-two punch, and I'm hoping it'll get back to normal.
QUESTION: Describe your day today. You must have gone through such a whirlwind of emotions, from waking up to that news and then keeping your fingers crossed that you were going to receive good news. Can you walk us through your day today?
RILEY: Got up, got dressed and went to church.
QUESTION: You really didn't think - I mean, how did you feel?
JANE RILEY, MOTHER OF SGT. RILEY: We waited to get official news.
QUESTION: Said a special prayer?
JANE RILEY: Oh, yes, the whole church did.
QUESTION: What was it?
JANE RILEY: I don't know. I'd have to get the book of prayers out.
QUESTION: There was no change in your emotion today after finding out the news they had discovered...
ATHOL RILEY: We'd already went through this once before about, what, a week ago, two weeks ago, so I wasn't prepared to be -- till I knew honestly.
JANE RILEY: They said it was either POWs or MIAs, so some families who have the MIAs still don't know, and we will pray for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY: And the family says they are very much looking forward to talking to their son, but also say they do plan on telling him. The father telling me that they aren't necessarily wait for the pentagon to tell him, but they'd like to be the ones to tell him about his sister, because he cared about her very much. They also have another daughter who very much looks up to both her older sister and her older brother, so the family is very much waiting for them to come home.
As you can see behind me, American flags, yellow ribbons, and a lot of community support for these past three weeks. They told me this morning they had to run back into the house because they've been making so many calls. So, again, Heidi, there is a bit of mixture of emotions here, but really this morning, it was euphoric. Heidi?
COLLINS: Whitney, I'm sure we all understand the mixture of those emotions, and I think you also touched on the other part of the dance that some of the other POW families are feeling. And that is, thinking of the other soldiers who didn't make it and some of the MIA folks who are still there. Did the Riley family say anything about that, as well? I'm sure they can certainly empathize?
CASEY: Certainly this morning when they woke up the first thing they thought is that all of these families had to be going through that uncertainty. Right when they woke up they heard the news, but they didn't know if it was indeed their son that was part of that group. So feeling those emotions through that time they know exactly what those other families are feeling right now.
And in addition, I also talked with the father. He said to me, privately, that he had watched the tape. They're from New Zealand, this family is, so parts of the family had watch the state-run Iraqi television tape that did not air in the United States. He wanted to watch that, he said, because he really knows his son. He wanted to see his son's countenance and demeanor. So he watched the tape. He did not have anyone of his family watch it. But he said it actually brought him some comfort because he could see how solid his son's countenance was. And he knew that his son was obstinate and stubborn, and that he would survive.
COLLINS: That's amazing. Whitney Casey, coming to us from New Jersey this morning. Thanks so 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
Aired April 13, 2003 - 11:24 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Army Sergeant James Riley is among the seven U.S. troops found alive this morning in Iraq. His parents met with reporters after they got the news. CNN's Whitney Casey is outside their home now. Hi, Whitney.
WHITNEY CASEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Heidi. Certainly a bit of jubilation, but also there's a delicate dance going on here. I think Leon touched on it a little bit when he was speaking on the phone with Sergeant Riley's father, Phil. There is a little bit of mixture of emotions here, and I'll tell you why.
Just about three weeks earlier, Sergeant Riley's sister, Katherine, died -- Mary, excuse me, died. She had been in a coma here for about three weeks before he left. He knew this. He knew that she was very sick, and she died just recently. So the family after hearing of that horrible grief, then heard this this morning. They've been waking up every morning listening to the news. So it's been a delicate dance between this euphoria that comes with this information and also the horrible news that the family has had to be dealing with for the past three weeks.
They did come out here this morning. They went to church early this morning praying after they heard the news at about 7:00 a.m. this morning. They went to church. They didn't know whether their son was one of the people that they had been found, but they went to church and they prayed and then they came home and then they had an army representative came here and told them this great news and we talked with them. They came out just minutes after that news, and let's take a listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ATHOL RILEY, FATHER OF SGT. RILEY: Well, it's been difficult from two sources, you know, we had this problem going on, and we had our daughter. So it was kind of a one-two punch, and I'm hoping it'll get back to normal.
QUESTION: Describe your day today. You must have gone through such a whirlwind of emotions, from waking up to that news and then keeping your fingers crossed that you were going to receive good news. Can you walk us through your day today?
RILEY: Got up, got dressed and went to church.
QUESTION: You really didn't think - I mean, how did you feel?
JANE RILEY, MOTHER OF SGT. RILEY: We waited to get official news.
QUESTION: Said a special prayer?
JANE RILEY: Oh, yes, the whole church did.
QUESTION: What was it?
JANE RILEY: I don't know. I'd have to get the book of prayers out.
QUESTION: There was no change in your emotion today after finding out the news they had discovered...
ATHOL RILEY: We'd already went through this once before about, what, a week ago, two weeks ago, so I wasn't prepared to be -- till I knew honestly.
JANE RILEY: They said it was either POWs or MIAs, so some families who have the MIAs still don't know, and we will pray for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CASEY: And the family says they are very much looking forward to talking to their son, but also say they do plan on telling him. The father telling me that they aren't necessarily wait for the pentagon to tell him, but they'd like to be the ones to tell him about his sister, because he cared about her very much. They also have another daughter who very much looks up to both her older sister and her older brother, so the family is very much waiting for them to come home.
As you can see behind me, American flags, yellow ribbons, and a lot of community support for these past three weeks. They told me this morning they had to run back into the house because they've been making so many calls. So, again, Heidi, there is a bit of mixture of emotions here, but really this morning, it was euphoric. Heidi?
COLLINS: Whitney, I'm sure we all understand the mixture of those emotions, and I think you also touched on the other part of the dance that some of the other POW families are feeling. And that is, thinking of the other soldiers who didn't make it and some of the MIA folks who are still there. Did the Riley family say anything about that, as well? I'm sure they can certainly empathize?
CASEY: Certainly this morning when they woke up the first thing they thought is that all of these families had to be going through that uncertainty. Right when they woke up they heard the news, but they didn't know if it was indeed their son that was part of that group. So feeling those emotions through that time they know exactly what those other families are feeling right now.
And in addition, I also talked with the father. He said to me, privately, that he had watched the tape. They're from New Zealand, this family is, so parts of the family had watch the state-run Iraqi television tape that did not air in the United States. He wanted to watch that, he said, because he really knows his son. He wanted to see his son's countenance and demeanor. So he watched the tape. He did not have anyone of his family watch it. But he said it actually brought him some comfort because he could see how solid his son's countenance was. And he knew that his son was obstinate and stubborn, and that he would survive.
COLLINS: That's amazing. Whitney Casey, coming to us from New Jersey this morning. Thanks so 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
