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American Morning
Fleet Week; Memorial Day: Day of Remembrance
Aired May 29, 2006 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: There is a lot of battleship gray ringing on New York City on this Memorial Day, Manhattan specifically. It's Fleet Week. That means a lot of big gunboats steaming up the Hudson River and are moored alongside, among others, the USS Intrepid, which is here year-round, and is now a floating museum to aviation in general, and Naval aviation specifically.
CNN's Allan Chernoff live on the deck of the intrepid with more.
Hello, Allan.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Miles.
This is a perfect place to be on Memorial Day, and certainly there is so much military history here. Right behind me, you see a couple of aircraft. The one to the right is actually a radar plane that was used all of the way from the late '50s into the '70s, and beyond that a tractor plane that was used to find enemy submarines.
This aircraft carrier really fascinating history, commissioned in 1943, served all of the way from World War II, through Vietnam, decommissioned in '74, and since 1982 New Yorkers have been able to come aboard and enjoy as a museum. So certainly we have a lot of history here, and big events planned today. A wreath-laying, a well as a flyover and a 21-gun salute.
So, Miles, it's going to be a fantastic Memorial Day here aboard the USS Intrepid Museum.
M. O'BRIEN: OK, thank you very much, Allan Chernoff. Enjoy it out there. Enjoy kicking a few tires here. Don't kick too hard, though.
From New York's Fleet Week to the hills of Italy, where thousands of Americans lost their lives in World War II. Even more were wounded.
CNN's Candy Crowley has the story of two of those soldiers that didn't let their battlefield wounds stop them from serving their country later.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This was a story about a young man from Hawaii and another from Kansas who both dreamt of becoming doctors and then went to war. BOB DOLE (R), FORMER U.S. SENATOR: He was wounded a hill apart and a week apart, a week later, on a hill that I could see it from where I was.
CROWLEY: It was the spring of 1945 in Italy's Powell Valley, weeks before V.E. Day, when something exploded Bob Dole's shoulder, shattering his spinal cord. He lay on the battlefield paralyzed near death.
SANDERS: All I knew was that something hurt up here in my right area, shoulder. And just I could see my little dog, my little white dog. I remembered the girl I first had a date with. All these things just sort of -- you remember your mother and your father and freezing ice cream, hand-cranking ice cream.
CROWLEY: Daniel Inouye had enlisted in the 442nd, the Go For Broke regiment. Assaulting a heavily defended hill, he was shot in the leg, the stomach and a third shot blew off his arm. Inouye won the nation's highest military award for valor for what came next.
SEN. DANIEL INOUYE (D), HAWAII: I don't remember charging up to a machine gun, this, with blood splattering all over and tossing grenades just like from here to you, and then picking up my gun and, like Rambo himself, you know, with -- it looked ridiculous. I can't picture myself doing that. But they all swear that's the way it happened.
CROWLEY: Inouye's arm could not be saved. He spent three months in and out of surgery and headed for rehab.
INOUYE: We were given a choice. They would say, there are four orthopedic hospitals, one in Utah, one in California, one in Michigan and one in the South somewhere. I said, let me go to Michigan. And that's where I met Bob Dole.
CROWLEY: The next battle had begun.
DOLE: If you're pretty badly hurt, then you've got a long, long period of hospitalization and rehabilitation. And, you know, it's like anything else. The cameras are gone, the lights are off and there you are.
CROWLEY: War is about enemies, death and destruction. War's aftermath is about friends, healing and choices.
DOLE: I used to watch him play bridge. He was the best bridge player in the hospital. You know, we sat around and talked about, what are we going to do the rest of our life?
CROWLEY: Their injuries meant neither could ever be a doctor.
INOUYE: I said, Bob, what are you going to be doing? And one thing about Bob Dole, he had his life mapped out, really mapped out. He says, well, when I get back, I'll be a county attorney. Then I'll be in the legislature. The first opening in the Congress, that's where I'll go. I said, gee, that's a good idea. CROWLEY: It was not the path either had originally chosen, but sometimes you pick the journey and sometimes life does.
DOLE: Three more weeks, the war was over. We could have been there for the victory party. Instead, we were both flat on our bed, our backs in a hospital somewhere. And -- but, as it turned out, I guess we did all right for a couple of guys. So...
CROWLEY: Two men, two worlds and quite a journey.
INOUYE: I went to law school. I became an assistant prosecutor,got into territorial legislature. Hawaii became a state. I'm here. When I got here, I sent a note to Bob. "Bob, I'm here. Where are you?"
(LAUGHTER)
CROWLEY: Bob arrived in Washington two years later. Republican Senator Robert Dole and Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye served together in the United States Congress for 36 years. They have been friends for almost 60.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: Wow. What a remarkable story.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Fire up the grill time. Today is the unofficial beginning of the great American grilling season.
Coming up, Andy will look at why this business is blazing hot.
S. O'BRIEN: And then, stop the presses. Baby Brangelina is finally here. That's Brad and Angelina together. They didn't name the baby Brangelina, though.
M. O'BRIEN: They should have.
S. O'BRIEN: Got a little scoop -- no, they shouldn't have.
We'll tell you what they named the baby, though, a little scoop on the new baby of Hollywood's most famous couple, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
M. O'BRIEN: Brangie would have been cute.
S. O'BRIEN: No, it wouldn't have?
M. O'BRIEN: Brangie, huh?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES) S. O'BRIEN: Anderson Cooper has look at what's coming up on his program tonight -- Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Soledad, tonight the biggest cover- up in history, secret societies, Vatican hitmen. We're talking fiction, "The Da Vinci Code." For the book and movie are based on fact. How much fact? We're breaking the code, tonight, "360," 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: CNN LIVE TODAY is coming up next. Tony Harris is in for Daryn this morning.
Hey, Tony, good morning.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Soledad, good morning to you. And coming up on CNN LIVE TODAY, at the top of the house, the so-called 'n' word. It can pepper rap songs and poison arguments. Now the debate turns into a bit of campaign. Should the 'n' word be abolished?
The chaos of war, the legacy of a warrior. CNN uncovers disturbing new questions about the death of Pat Tillman. His inspiring story of sacrifice and his troubling death on a desolate mountainside. Those stories, plus headlines straight ahead on "CNN LIVE TODAY."
For complete coverage of breaking news and today's top stories, stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Tony, thanks a lot.
Coming up on A.M. Pop this morning, Baby Brangelina, she's finally here. We've got the scoop on the most hyped birth ever, even by Hollywood standards. They didn't call her Brandy. We're going to show you the baby's first picture, give you the baby's new name, and all of the gory details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: "A.M. Pop" this morning. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have a baby girl. They've named her Shiloh Nouvel Jolie Pitt. Rolls right off the tongue. Arrived Saturday night in a paparazzi- proof setting in the African nation of Namibia.
Galina Espinoza is a senior editor of "People" magazine with more on baby Brangelina. I'm glad they didn't go with the Brangelina name, not they ever were going to.
GALINA ESPINOZA, SR. EDITOR, "PEOPLE": Especially considering the odd names we've seen celebrities give their children, Shiloh seems downright normal.
S. O'BRIEN: It kind of does! You know, when you put it that way, it' so true. Give us the stats. What do we know about the baby so far? ESPINOZA: Well, we know that the baby was born Saturday evening at the cottage hospital in Namibia. Brad was at Angelina's side during the delivery and all reports are that Angelina and the baby are doing fantastic.
S. O'BRIEN: C-section, no C-section? Do we know?
ESPINOZA: There are a lot of rumors about that. They have not released any of the details about the birth yet. And you can understand, with the paparazzi swarming the place, they're trying to keep as much to themselves as possible.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, it's not going to work. Do we know how big the baby is, how much she weighed, how long -- you know, all the standard stats?
ESPINOZA: No, no information. We have to wait for pictures to see what this kid looks like.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, right, exactly. Now, let's talk a little bit about the picture -- before I said it, we'll talk about the picture. But there's no picture yet.
ESPINOZA: Not yet. I mean, we're all waiting. Everyone wants to see this kid. It's the most sought after picture that I can certainly remember. And presumably, it's going to cost a lot of money to get the rights to that photograph.
S. O'BRIEN: Did they strike a deal with somebody to sell this picture to?
ESPINOZA: Well, they haven't struck a deal with "People" magazine yet, though we are trying.
S. O'BRIEN: We're working on it on as we speak. Why Namibia?
ESPINOZA: Angelina fell in love with the country a couple years ago, when she filmed a movie called "Beyond Borders." And she not only has a fondness for Namibia, but for Africa itself. Her daughter Zahara is adopted from there. And she just feels very connected to the people, to the environment. It was a great way to secure some privacy while she was expecting.
S. O'BRIEN: Because the country has really -- or I should say leadership in the country is really helping them out on that front.
ESPINOZA: Right. Not only have they made it incredibly difficult for journalists to get work visas to go there and cover the birth...
S. O'BRIEN: I guess -- is it true that Angelina and Brad have to sign off on all the journalists?
ESPINOZA: That was the report that came out from the Namibian government. And, in addition, the government has provided local police to help with security. Angelina has her own security team, but in addition, they're supplemented by the police.
S. O'BRIEN: Describe for me the -- well, I mean, we can see it in some of these pictures -- the media frenzy. It looks out of control. How many reporters are there?
ESPINOZA: There are hundreds of paparazzi outside the hospital.
S. O'BRIEN: That must be fun when you're pregnant and about to deliver.
ESPINOZA: And there was even one stalker who tried to get into Angelina's room. So as a result, they have really clamped down on security and very few people are allowed in and out of her room at this point.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, my goodness. Now, you're in the business. Why do we care? I mean, I'm glad she had a healthy baby, that's all good, but why is Angelina's little baby Brangelina the focus, and I think this is fair to say, of world attention. Why?
ESPINOZA: This is the birth heard round the world.
S. O'BRIEN: Why?
ESPINOZA: They are the world's most glamorous couple, and we have been with them every step along the way of their relationship.
S. O'BRIEN: Probably didn't like it that much! We have, but they probably didn't want it so much.
ESPINOZA: And I think we're going to continue to do so, so that baby better get used to having its picture taken.
S. O'BRIEN: Wow, wow. There's a lot -- I guess it's the whole -- there's just the -- you know, everybody bought into the relationship early on. And so this is the...
ESPINOZA: And we love looking at them. They're great to look at. And they seem to have this very romantic life.
S. O'BRIEN: I give you that. Yes, people can't believe it. How long do you think before we see the picture, and do you think this story goes away at all? I mean, will people back off and give them a little private time? I mean, no one wants to be a brand new nursing mother and...
ESPINOZA: Angelina is trying to get that private time. She's planning to stay a couple more days at the hospital, and then she's going to return to the resort, the Burning Shores (ph) Resort, that they've been staying at since April. And they don't have any work projects lined up for the foreseeable future, so hopefully they will get that downtime to bond with the a new family.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, well, she's got (INAUDIBLE) if she did, in fact, have a C-section. That's a little recovery there.
ESPINOZA: Yes, she definitely is going to take her time.
S. O'BRIEN: All right. Galina Espinoza, thank you very much for all the -- you know, I am interested, even though I keep saying why does everyone care about baby Brangelina? You know, I'd like to know.
ESPINOZA: You can't help it.
S. O'BRIEN: Good for them. Thank you.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: That picture we showed, was that really the hospital?
ESPINOZA: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: That little storefront thing? There it is. OK. All right. I would have thought it was hardware store or something.
All right, coming up, the top of the hour. For three brothers in Arizona, there's no kicking back and taking it easy this Memorial Day. They're packing up. They're all heading off to Iraq. We'll have their story coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Nice to hear from soldiers on this Memorial Day. We are out of time this morning on AMERICAN MORNING. Let's get right to Tony Harris. Hey, Tony, good morning.
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