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Paula Zahn Now

Miracle in the Wilderness; Phil Lesh Searches For the Sound

Aired May 27, 2005 - 20:00 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: Good evening, everyone. Glad to have you with us tonight, as we close out the week here.
A deadly encounter, the frightening true story of a mountain adventure that suddenly became a fight for survival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): The beauty of the wild and its hidden terror, a predator on the hunt.

ANNE HJELLE, SURVIVOR: It knocked me off my bike and grabbed ahold of the back of my head.

ZAHN: And an unwary victim face to face with the fury of nature.

HJELLE: I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to die.

ZAHN: Tonight, a survivor story and a miracle in the wilderness.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: All this week, we have been bringing you stories of people who have come through terrifying trials, survivors whose stories amaze us and inspire us.

Tonight, one of the most dramatic, a story that touches on a primal fear in all of us, being attacked by a wild animal. Even though we spend most of our time at work, in a car, at home, safe from the dangers of nature, that fear remains deep inside and far from reality.

But for the woman you're about to meet, the stuff of imagination became frighteningly real.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): The Santa Monica Mountains, 150,000 acres of pure California wilderness, shared by people and wildlife. For friends Debi Nichols and Anne Hjelle, the day began normally, biking on their favorite trail.

HJELLE: It was a January day, nice day. And we were just going to go do a short loop through an area called Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. It was probably half hour into the ride. That was where everything changed. ZAHN: Nearby in the dense brush, a 110-pound male mountain lion. He had already tasted human blood, killing a man biking on the same trail.

Mark Reynolds' body was hidden in a deep ravine. No one knew it was there.

HJELLE: Well, we turned down a single track called Cactus Hill. The trail is about 12 to 18 inches wide in most places. It's very fast. It's like a roller coaster. A lot of ruts. There's cactus. It's very heavy vegetation area. Very rough terrain. It's a lot of fun.

It's something we do often, so we headed down that trail. I was ahead of Debi by just a little ways. And the next thing I knew, I saw a flash of movement over my right shoulder.

I could tell immediately that it was some type of animal. It had a reddish-brown fur, and it knocked me off my bike and grabbed a hold of the back of my head. And I knew right away that it was a mountain lion.

ZAHN: Mountain lions can cover 40 feet in a single leap, capturing prey four times their size. But they rarely attack humans. There have been 15 confirmed attacks in California since 1890, six of them fatal. Anne was number 14.

HJELLE: The first thing I did was cry out. I said, "Jesus help me." I knew I was in a really difficult situation, and this is an animal that is totally capable of killing me very easily. So...

ZAHN (on camera): You knew that. So, you were looking at death at that moment.

HJELLE: Right. I knew that I was in serious trouble. As soon as I cried out, I started trying to punch over my right shoulder, thinking if I could get to hit him in the face to try to get him to release. And I still don't know to this day if I ever even touched him.

ZAHN: The lion didn't let go.

DEBI NICHOLS, FRIEND: You know, when I saw her on the ground, when I came around the corner and saw the lion on top of her, I you know, threw my bike, hoping that that would alarm him, but it didn't even faze him. So she was, you know -- he was starting to pull her down a hillside. And I thought, she's going to be out of my sight, grab her leg, you know. And it was just a tug of war from that point.

ZAHN (voice-over): The tug of war continued as the mountain lion's teeth tore into Anne's flesh.

HJELLE: He moved from the back of my neck to the side, just over my ear. When he bit down there, he punctured the ear canal. And then he moved again. And I didn't realize at the time, but he would grab on and drag me down the hillside. I wasn't aware at the time that I was being dragged.

But he grabbed onto the left side of my face. And a fang broke my nose and the other fang went into my upper lip. And the lower jaw went into my cheek here. And when he closed down, I felt basically my cheek tear away.

And at that point, I knew that my injuries were obviously very severe, and it wasn't much later that I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to die.

ZAHN: But Debi did not give up.

NICHOLS: He was pulling us, both of us, you know.

ZAHN (on camera): And you're two strong women. You're a former Marine, personal trainer, fit as they come.

HJELLE: Not strong enough, though.

NICHOLS: I had my heels dug in the whole time. It was just incredible. You know, I just kept thinking how tenacious this animal was, you know.

ZAHN (voice-over): Suddenly, two bikers appeared, hearing Debi's desperate cries for help.

NICHOLS: And you know, I was just screaming at these guys to come down. And you know, they were...

ZAHN (on camera): Did they come down?

NICHOLS: They eventually did, but it, you know, it was -- it was a difficult situation for them to look and see her whole face engulfed by this mountain lion. They started just pelting rocks. And eventually, one hit.

ZAHN: And he let go?

NICHOLS: And he let go.

ZAHN: The lion released Anne and disappeared into the thick brush. Debi watched helplessly as her friend was losing blood as her chances for survival faded fast. One of the rescuers called 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got a lady that is attacked by a mountain lion in her face. Her face is almost gone. I need people out here at Whiting Ranch, Cactus Ridge. She's in bad condition. I would get somebody here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

HJELLE: It was 16 minutes from the 911 call until the paramedics arrived on the scene. They got an I.V. started, put a neck brace on, a little bit of bandaging and then they basically put me on the helicopter. And it took a total of 40 minutes from the initial 911 call to arriving at the hospital. ZAHN: Anne was in critical condition. She had trouble breathing, had lost a lot of blood and had facial nerve damage. Her eye was so badly mauled, she didn't know if she would ever see again. Anne may have been alive, but she knew she would never look quite the same.

HJELLE: You look in the mirror, expecting to see your reflection that you know, and this was not my face. It's, you know, it was so swollen, stitches. It was just unbelievable to be looking at that and realizing that this is me now?

I was thankful I could still see, even though I had over 30 bite wounds to the front of my neck. It didn't hit any kind of major arteries, the voice box, esophagus. Everything was OK. This animal was totally capable of taking me out. And I was here to tell the tale.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Orange County deputies shot a rifle and shotgun and did kill the mountain lion right there by the attack site.

ZAHN: The night of the attack, Orange County deputies hunted down and killed the mountain lion. The state law that protects the animal also mandates it be destroyed once it attacks a human.

In the 14 months that have passed since the attack, Anne has had three facial surgeries to reconstruct her nose, eyes and cheek. She has more surgeries ahead but continues to make progress. In fact, Anne is biking again on Cactus Trail, the same trail where she almost lost her life.

(on camera): How much courage did it take to get back on your bike again?

HJELLE: You know, I have -- I do have fear, and certain trails will trigger that fear, narrow trails with bushes on both sides. And I know statistically the chances of that happening again are basically zero.

ZAHN: When you look at your friend Debi now, you've got to look at her as almost an angel.

HJELLE: Superhero, actually. No, but I know that without her I would not be here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Well, Anne had yet another round of facial surgery yesterday and is recovering from that. She and her friend Debi are still riding together. They say they're closer than ever and they both feel very lucky.

Experts say mountain lions usually avoid people. They're nearly extinct in the Eastern U.S. but out West, there has been an increase in encounters as more people move into the cats' territory.

Coming up next, a man who survived the ultimate psychedelic rock band and his own bad habits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Do you have any regrets about all of that drug use?

PHIL LESH, GRATEFUL DEAD: Not for myself, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: The Grateful Dead grateful to be alive and still making a lot of music.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Well, believe it or not, this year actually marks the 40th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. the Dead's music, longevity and legendary drug use combine to make the band one of America's lasting pop culture icons.

One of its founding members, bassist Phil Lesh, is making headlines with a new book published by our sister company Time Warner Books. It is called "Searching for the Sound." And it is on "The New York Times" best-seller list. In it, Lesh has some startling things to say about the band and all those drugs that fueled the Dead for so many years.

He's the subject of tonight's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It was 1965, in northern California, the center of a cultural and musical revolution. Five friends from wildly different backgrounds came together to form a band that would become legendary. Phil Lesh was a college student from the bay area, a classically trained violinist and trumpet player who took up the bass guitar.

(on camera): When it came together, did you know it was magic?

LESH: Immediately, immediately it was magic, the first rehearsal. I think I got wired up that first day and -- it's never -- never changed since.

ZAHN: What did you hear the first time you all played together in rehearsal?

LESH: I heard the potential for the group mind to exist, something that was greater than the sum of the parts, the kind of thing that you always want to have in an ensemble that is making music together.

ZAHN (voice-over): That ensemble became the Grateful Dead. Their style was freeform, an improvisational blend of rock, jazz, bluegrass and folk. The psychedelic music scene of the '60s hadn't heard anything like them.

Their inspiration? Freedom, drugs.

(on camera): You write quite candidly in your book that a lot of your musical inspiration came from drugs. You say -- quote -- "These drugs were seen as tools, tools to enhance awareness, to expand our horizon, to access other levels of mind. These experiences were not embarked upon as an escape from reality. They were explorations into the super-real."

You still believe that?

LESH: I do, indeed.

ZAHN: Do you have any regrets about all that drug use?

LESH: Not for myself, no. There are many ways to access truth or the infinite or higher levels of consciousness. Drugs is one of them. Meditation is another.

But we felt that we were part of a long line of explorers. We felt that we were on that same path.

ZAHN (voice-over): The fans of the music held the Grateful Dead together through decades of almost constant touring. Phil Lesh would later discover that he contracted Hepatitis C from using drugs. For the Grateful Dead, the acid and LSD of the '60s became alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.

(on camera): At what point did you realize you had a severe alcohol problem?

LESH: When I started waking up in the morning not knowing what I had done the night before, who I had insulted, who I had hurt. Who was I going to have to apologize to today? And, of course, it hurt. You wake up and your bones ache.

ZAHN (voice-over): By the mid-1980s, the Grateful Dead had seen its share of tragedy. Two members of the band were dead. Those that remained were still rocking, but fighting personal demons. Phil Lesh turned to alcohol and admits to being under the influence during performances. On one occasion, drunk and on drugs, he didn't even recognize his own guitar and had to be led on stage by one of his band mates.

LESH: I knew that I was getting close to the bottom when that started happening. But, luckily for me, right after that, I met my wife.

ZAHN (on camera): And she helped straighten you out?

LESH: Oh, she did. The love of a good woman, it's not a cliche.

ZAHN (voice-over): Lesh sobered up, got married and had two sons. Although the Grateful Dead had been together for some 20 years and was one of the most popular touring bands in history, they had never had a commercial hit song. That happened in 1987 with "Touch of Gray." ZAHN: Musically, they were on top. But, in 1995, Lesh and the rest of the band were shattered by the death of their charismatic leader, Jerry Garcia.

LESH: With Jerry, whose heroin addiction is well known, we tried everything. We tried interventions. We tried playing better, playing more aggressively to it, engage him. We tried letting him go his own way. And -- but it -- to no avail, because he was just sliding away from us.

ZAHN: The band did go on without Garcia, but the strife took its toll. Lesh believes his own emotional struggle led to a deadly flare- up of his Hepatitis c. The disease had ravaged his liver.

LESH: About six years ago, I had to have a liver transplant. And I'm only alive here today and talking to you here today because a young man said to his mom, if anything ever happens to me, I want to be an organ donor.

ZAHN (on camera): You must wake up every morning with this enormous sense of gratitude.

LESH: Indeed, I do.

ZAHN: That someone was that generous.

LESH: I pray for his spirit every night.

ZAHN (voice-over): Today, at 65 years old, 40 years after forming the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh is embracing his second chance, still making music inspiring the next generation, still embracing the fans, still embracing life.

(on camera): So many members of your band had their lives destroyed by drugs. And you have had your own serious health problems as a result of your drug use. Do you still see yourself as a true seeker or as a fool because of that drug use?

LESH: Well, I think there's chances that you have to take in life. And everything is a risk. Walking out the door in the morning is a risk, so that, yes, I still see myself as a seeker, although I don't seek in that same way anymore.

ZAHN: You still feel that fresh joy of music every time you sit down and play?

LESH: That's the thing about it. That's the thing about it. Every time I walk out on the stage, no matter who I'm playing with, the potential for magic is infinite. And it is one of the things that has formed a lifeline for me through all of this. The music really is what has defined my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Despite what he has put his body through, it's hard to believe he's 65 years old, Phil Lesh definitely still making music. His band, Phil and Friends, will be touring this fall.

For many families, Memorial Day is especially poignant this year. Stay with us for a tribute, the families of a hard-hit platoon in the struggle to free Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Still ahead, a gathering of families united by common bonds of pride and severe loss.

First, though, just about 23 minutes past the hour, Erica Hill at Headline News standing by to check out the top stories. She's not caught in the Memorial Day weekend traffic. No.

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No.

ZAHN: She's going to miss it all.

HILL: I am going to miss it all.

ZAHN: She's getting out of here at midnight tonight. Smart woman.

HILL: Well, you know, I do what I can.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: Paula, let's get you caught up first on the Michael Jackson trial. Suddenly, it appears the end is in sight.

In a surprising turn here, both sides rested their case today. The defense didn't even offer a rebuttal to a videotape of Jackson's accuser describing alleged sex abuse. Jackson's defense told reporters it looked staged to them. All that is left now, closing arguments. Those are expected after the holiday.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was interrupted during an appearance in San Francisco today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Our challenge today one to create conditions of openness around states that encourage and nurture Democratic reform within states. Ladies and gentlemen...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The demonstrators, dressed as abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib, shouted, "Stop the torture" as they were led away. Rice went on to say in her speech, it was a good thing people can speak their minds here and especially in Baghdad.

Well, no pretzels for you, not if you're flying coach on Northwest anyway. The money-losing carrier says eliminating the snack will save them $2 million a year. Now, you can still buy a snack for a buck, and you can still get a free soda. That's for now, anyway. And veteran movie and TV actor Eddie Albert has died, best known for his role opposite Eva Gabor in the '60s and '70s sitcom "Green Acres." Gabor died 10 years ago. Albert was also nominated for best supporting actor roles in films. He was 99 years old.

What an amazing life, Paula.

ZAHN: He was a very talented guy. And he had it all -- us all singing the "Green Acres" theme song. We won't subject our audience to our reprising that.

HILL: No, let's not.

(LAUGHTER)

ZAHN: But we had some fun remembering this very nice man.

Erica, see you in about a half-hour from now.

And it's time for you all to vote for our person of the day. Time for you to work. Your choices, race car driver Danica Patrick for being the fastest qualifying rookie for this weekend's Indianapolis 500, hoping to become the first woman to win it, Mariah Carey for being the female recording artist with the most number one hits, or Ensign Kyle Eckel, the Naval Academy football player who graduated today, despite ranking dead last in his class.

Cast your vote at CNN.com/Paula. I'll let you know wins a little bit later on in this hour.

Memorial Day weekend means car races, the end of school for many kids, and the start of summer vacations. But coming up, we want to remember its true meaning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was my whole world, my everything, you know, my best friend, my brother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Stay with us for a special tribute, the families of the fallen in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: This week, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched another offensive in western Iraq near the Syrian border. That is where foreign fighters are believed to be making their way into Iraq to join the insurgents.

Nine months ago, the focus was closer to Baghdad, on Fallujah, and a battle that took the lives of eight Marines from just one platoon, the platoon known as Pale Rider 3. We go into this Memorial Day weekend with the families of those Marines who are still struggling with their enormous losses. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): The Army Navy Club, Washington, D.C., a gathering of Marine families. Everyone here has lost a loved one, all from the same platoon, Pale Rider 3.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want a hug more than anything.

ZAHN: These are mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers and a young widow. They've never met, but break the ice with photos and stories.

Members of Pale Rider 3 are here to talk about their brothers who died.

JOE "DOC" WHORLEY, NAVY CORPSMAN: He knew his stuff, too. That's another thing I really liked about him. I felt safe around him.

ZAHN: Doc Whorley, the medic who tried to save the lives of others before losing his left leg to a bomb, Lance Corporal Matthew Boyvert (ph), badly hurt when his truck was hit, and Lieutenant Wade Zirkle, platoon commander, injured in a roadside bomb attack that killed seven of his men.

Pale Rider 3 saw heavy combat in the first battle of Fallujah, eight men Dead, 22 Purple Hearts in all, among the highest casualty rate of any platoon in the war. For the injured, the battle was over the moment they were hit. For the families of the fallen, a new battle began with a knock on the door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got up and went. And sure enough, there was three men standing there, one in dress blues. The other was a Navy chaplain. And the other one was a Marine in his alphas. Pretty much at that moment, I knew.

ZAHN: Corporal Joe McCarthy (ph) killed September 1, 2004, when his convoy hit a roadside bomb, two weeks shy of his first wedding anniversary to high school sweetheart Amanda.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just horrible. I just -- and the picture of them standing at my door just replays in my mind over and over.

ZAHN: Amanda and Joe grew up in a small town in Arizona. They moved to California. Joe went off to boot camp on September 10, 2001. The McCarthys knew immediately Joe would be going off to war.

Joe loved to joke, wore mullet wigs to the supermarket, ate bugs to break the boredom in Iraq, passed out candy to kids in Iraq and wrote passionate letters to his new wife.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "So, as we go on, I have -- I hope I do nothing but make you proud of me and love me even more."

ZAHN: Lance Corporal

as we go on, I have -- I hope I do nothing but make you proud of me and love me even more.

ZAHN: Lance Corporal Leroy Sandoval was killed defending his platoon, when it was ambushed near Fallujah. As the Marines dive for cover, Leroy manned his machine gun until an enemy bullet took him down. For his bravery, Leroy won a Bronze Star. He was a beloved big brother to Amy and the only son of Zada Sandoval, whose husband broke the news.

ZADA SANDOVAL, MOTHER: He said, honey, I have something to tell you and he started crying. You know, I hug him and I (INAUDIBLE) his hand, and I said, is it grandma? He says, no, it's not grandma. (INAUDIBLE), I said, mom, his mother? And he says no, baby, it's Leroy. And I lost it. I just lost it. I feel like when he told me -- I feel like they just grabbed my stomach and they just pull it. That's -- you can feel the pain. You feel the pain.

ZAHN: Leroy used to hold Amy's hand in the dead of night when she was afraid, watch over her at school, do what he could do to take the place of a father that walked out on them.

A. SANDOVAL: When I found out that he was killed, I was so mad because he's my -- just my whole world, my everything. You know, my best friend, my brother.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: So sad. Coming up next, words of comfort from the men of Pale Rider 3.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

A. SANDOVAL: Mom, if you get this letter, that means I'm in a better place. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Last letters home and treasured keepsakes when our Memorial Day tribute continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Pale Rider 3 was a platoon of U.S. Marines in the battle of Fallujah. Eight of them died, one of the biggest unit losses of the war. And this Memorial Day weekend will no doubt be a difficult one for their families.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: In the homes of fallen Marines, you see the same things again and again. Dress uniforms, a folded flag at a wooden case. Medals. Condolences sent from all over. Letters. Quilts, handmade by strangers.

Z. SANDOVAL: It says every time you sit, every time you want to cry, just put it over your shoulders and know that there is people that loves you and pray for you. So that's what I do.

ZAHN: And, of course, there are their personal effects, carefully packed up in Iraq and sent home in duffel bags and chests.

For families of the fallen, the clothing is precious. Zada Sandoval received the stuff her son Leroy left behind in Camp Pendleton.

Z. SANDOVAL: So when I received the clothes, I remember I just put everything on the floor and I just lay on top of the clothes and I just cried.

ZAHN: Memories are so important, carefully collected in albums. This one took Leroy's sister Amy two days to make, every page beautifully laid out. A life story and photos and letters.

And a roll of film from Leroy's camera in Iraq. Zada was afraid to develop the photos, afraid of what she might see.

The photos show his fighting side, but his thoughts were always on home.

Z. SANDOVAL: And this is a picture that Amy sent Leroy, and when he got killed, he had it in his helmet. So they -- this is the picture that they put in the memorial.

ZAHN: On the final page, a letter.

A. SANDOVAL: Mom, if you get this letter, that means I'm in a better place. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. There is no one that I love more, and I love Amy just as much. I know that sometimes I don't act like it, but you and Amy are my whole world. Tell everybody that I love them, and I'll see them again someday.

Mom, whatever you do -- do whatever you want with my stuff and money. Please don't get the way you get when I leave that day. I just want you to remember that I'm with God. Love, Leroy.

He was an amazing kid.

ZAHN: In Amanda McCarthy's apartment near San Diego, same flag, same dress blues, same duffel bag full of clothes.

AMANDA MCCARTHY: They just seem to me, because it seems like he wore it, like when he was in like the firefight or something, because of the burn marks that are, you know, these spots that are on it where it's like melted.

ZAHN: And the same overwhelming need to tell the world about her Marine, to breathe life into his memory by telling his story.

For Amanda, this photo shows her husband at his best, taken by a news photographer for the local paper.

Other Marines in Pale Rider 3 say there were times when they were forced to shoot into crowds, where insurgents used human shields. Innocent women and children caught in the fire.

It must have been hard for Joe, who loved kids with a passion. When the platoon went out on patrol, his radio call sign was Willie Wonka.

MCCARTHY: "So I'm like Oompa-Loompa, open the gates to the chocolate factory, and I give the kids candy when we patrol. It's kind of funny. I have fun out here in this madness. I guess I'm just used to this stuff."

ZAHN: Joe was buried in their hometown, St. John's, Arizona. For half of their short marriage, Joe was in Iraq. He sent home piles of letters.

MCCARTHY: I love you so much. You make me more than I could have been without you. You helped change my thoughts, feelings, and the reason I am what I am to you. So as we go on, I have -- I hope I do nothing but make you proud of me and love me even more, even more, because that's what you deserve, the very best of me each and every day. To me, I have the perfect life, the perfect parents, the perfect friends, the perfect you, the perfect job. Perfect everything. Perfect, that's what it is. I love you. Miss you, and I pray for you all. I just want to finish with saying, thank you for loving me. I will now leave you with your thoughts.

ZAHN: Amanda, now 21 years old, is starting a foundation in Joe's name, to raise money for poor children to buy them backpacks and school supplies, and to build a war memorial in their hometown. She is still sad, but proud of Joe, and proud of what he did.

MCCARTHY: I don't feel angry about it. I think that he was doing his job and I think that it was a job worth doing. So these guys that are being killed over there, it's not in vain. I think that's -- that's the most important part about it. It is a very, very important job that they do. And I'm a very, very proud Marine wife.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Remarkable words of strength and comfort.

Still ahead, commencement day at the Naval Academy complete with a visit from the commander in chief.

And a little later on, a World War II pilot you might recognize remembers his most harrowing mission.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: And welcome back.

In Atlanta, it is day three of a dangerous, disruptive and downright weird situation. A murder suspect, possibly armed with a knife holding police at bay, dangling from the top of a 350 foot construction crane. Sara Dorsey joins me now from Atlanta with the very latest.

So Sara, does this guy show any willingness to get down from there?

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT; No. Not at this point. In fact he's laying in the crane right now, which is what he's been doing most of the day.

I can tell you, most of the people we have spoken to out here say, oh my gosh, we cannot believe that nearly 52 hours later, Carl Roland is still up there perched 25 stories above the city of Atlanta, closing a major thoroughfare and restaurants here. But that is exactly what we're seeing.

Earlier in the day, he seemed agitated with negotiators. They were sounding sirens and putting helicopters very close to him to try to keep him awake and probably make him angry so he would consider surrendering. He dismantled part of that crane and was throwing it down to the ground because he didn't want that siren to be following him. It was in a bucket and was following him everywhere he went.

I can tell you family members of this man are very upset. They say if negotiators would just bring a family member in, and let them talk to him, they believe he would come down. Negotiators, however, say police have to stay in control in a situation like this. And they're not bringing the family in yet, Paula.

ZAHN: All right. So, if they don't think the is going to family work and the siren is not working, what do he had think will work?

DORSEY: Well, they say they're going wait him out. He hasn't had food or water in nearly 52 hours at this point. So he's up there in the sun. It was 80 plus degrees out here today. We're all hot standing down here. And he has no shade up there.

Of course, they say eventually they believe he will either come down or do the unthinkable, which would be to jump. That's, of course, the situation that everything is trying to avoid right now.

ZAHN: What do police know about this man?

DORSEY: Well, they do know that in Pinellas County, Florida, near Tampa, he's wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. According to a press release that was issue out of that county, police say that witnesses saw him near the crime scene before she ended up floating in a retention pond outside of her home. They also know that he has three prior arrests. We don't know about convictions there. But other than that, most of it we're hearing from family is he is a pretty kind guy and this was very unexpected.

ZAHN: Yeah. Not a very practical place to wait out your own arrest. Sara Dorsey, thanks very much for the update.

DORSEY: Thank you, Paula.

ZAHN: Still to come, a fly boy remembers his toughest mission during World War II.

But first, time for another look at the rest of the day's top stories. Here's Erica Hill of HEADLINE NEWS.

HILL: Thanks, Paula.

For the first time, President Bush speaks out about the Pentagon's plans to close or scale back scores of military bases. In Annapolis, Maryland, the president told graduating Naval cadets there that there are just too many military bases, wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. He says base closings and realignments will help bring the military into the 21st Century. He also told the class they'll make America proud in the fight against terror.

On the CNN security watch tonight, the administration wants to expand the FBI's power to keep a tab on Internet users. It would tell the U.S. court of appeals that the feds should have the power to force Internet providers to turn over information about their subscribers. A lawsuit against the PATRIOT Act had put limits on that.

And while you may be looking forward to using your cell phone during passenger flights some day, security officials today shared their concerns about that, telling federal airline regulators such a move would help terrorists coordinate an attack or even trigger an on board bomb.

And a ground zero memorial at the World Trade Center site in Manhattan today. Three U.S. marines laid a wreath at the site of the terror attacks. The events were part of New York's Fleet Week where thousands of sea going servicemen and women are out on the town. Paula, you've probably seen a few of them.

That does it for us at Headline News. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

ZAHN: Thanks, Sarah. Yeah, they're capturing a lot of attention as they do every year around this time. This is your last chance to vote for our person of the day. Your choices are race car driver Danica Patrick, the fourth woman to qualify for the Indy 500. Mariah Carey for being the female recording artist with the most No. 1 hits. Or Kyle Eckel, a former football player and the anchor, or lowest ranking graduate of the Naval Academy's class of 2005. Cast your vote at CNN.com/paula.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Gorgeous night in New York City tonight. Not sure that the rest of the weekend will look as pretty that is looks tonight. But that is what it looks like at this hour. Please stay with us for a preview, though, of a special weekend event right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H. W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The raft was falling. You had to paddle with your hand like that. This is a luxurious version of the raft.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: The story of a World War II pilot who survived being shot down and, of course, went on to the biggest office in the land.

But first, who was your pick for the "Person of the Day." Indy 500 driver Danica Patrick for trying to become the first woman ever to win the race. Mariah Carey for being the female recording artist with the most number one hits. Or the Naval Academy's anchor Kyle Eckel, a football player who graduated today the very last in his class.

And the winner with 52 percent of the vote, Danica Patrick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It isn't injure grandmother's Indy 500 anymore. Oh, sure, women have raced here over the years, but none of them ever started on the inside of the second row. Danica Patrick really is a fast woman. With a qualifying speed of a fraction over 227 miles an hour, Patrick earned the right to start in fourth place on Sunday. A nice coincidence since she's the fourth woman over to race here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run hard.

DANICA PATRICK, INDY DRIVER: Thank you. I will.

ZAHN: Team owner and one time Indy winner Bobby Rahal spotted Patrick racing in England what when she was only 18-years-old. Now 23 Patrick is racing for Rahal's team, co-owned by David Letterman. There's nothing like swapping jokes with your boss on national TV.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: Is it possible that in like three or four years the race will be all women?

PATRICK: You never know. I mean if I go win, they just might come out of the woodwork.

LETTERMAN: And what about all of these guys, and I'm watching them qualify...

PATRICK: Would you want to watch if it was all girls?

LETTERMAN: Oh, yes. ZAHN: Come Sunday, lots of eyes will be watching Danica Patrick. But she's used to that.

PATRICK: The bottom line is is to be called -- I can't be mad to be called a female driver because I am.

ZAHN: What she would really like to be called is an Indy 500 champion. For now, you've decided to call her the "Person of the Day." We'll be right back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: On Monday, Memorial Day, we will all stop to remember the men and women who have given their lives for this great country of ours. It is a poignant time for veterans like former President George Bush, a World War II pilot. This weekend in a special "CNN PRESENTS," we'll hear his harrowing story of being shot down over the South Pacific.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: The raft was falling. You had to paddle with your hand, like that. This is a luxurious excursion of the raft.

ZAHN (voice-over): Floating in a life raft, similar to this one, off the coast of Chichijima, George Bush was trying to stay out of enemy hands and wondering what had become of his two crewmembers.

(on camera): You're in the middle of this ocean. You're bobbing around on this raft. Your survival instincts are coming to the fore. How much were you thinking about Ted White...

BUSH: A lot.

ZAHN: And...

BUSH: And Delaney, a lot. Wondering if they got out. Wondering, you know, whether they'd gone in with the plane. I don't remember seeing the airplane go into the water. I thought about it from that moment on. I thought about it every, single night on the submarine. And even now, 58 years later, I think about it.

ZAHN (voice-over): As Bush looked for his crew, the Japanese began to look for him. Squadron mate Charlie Bynum, flying over Bush, spotted Japanese boats heading towards him.

BYNUM: We went down and strafed those boats to keep the Japanese from getting him. Like I say, if they would have gotten him, they would have eaten him.

ZAHN: Bush was saved from capture and a likely horrendous fate on Chichijima. But floating in the Pacific, he was still in danger until a miraculous sight appeared from beneath the waves. BUSH: And suddenly, you see a periscope and then you see a submarine. And the only thought I had was well, God, I hope it's one of ours. And sure enough, it was the USS Finback. They pulled me aboard and I walked up dazed, kind of, I mean still scared, I guess. And walked up to the plotting tower, and then the bells rang and down we went.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Incredible. You can see more of my interview with the former president on "CNN PRESENTS" this Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern. Thanks for joining us all this evening. Have a great Memorial Day weakened. We'll be back here Monday night. Good night.

END

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 May 27, 2005 - 20:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. Glad to have you with us tonight, as we close out the week here.
A deadly encounter, the frightening true story of a mountain adventure that suddenly became a fight for survival.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): The beauty of the wild and its hidden terror, a predator on the hunt.

ANNE HJELLE, SURVIVOR: It knocked me off my bike and grabbed ahold of the back of my head.

ZAHN: And an unwary victim face to face with the fury of nature.

HJELLE: I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to die.

ZAHN: Tonight, a survivor story and a miracle in the wilderness.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: All this week, we have been bringing you stories of people who have come through terrifying trials, survivors whose stories amaze us and inspire us.

Tonight, one of the most dramatic, a story that touches on a primal fear in all of us, being attacked by a wild animal. Even though we spend most of our time at work, in a car, at home, safe from the dangers of nature, that fear remains deep inside and far from reality.

But for the woman you're about to meet, the stuff of imagination became frighteningly real.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): The Santa Monica Mountains, 150,000 acres of pure California wilderness, shared by people and wildlife. For friends Debi Nichols and Anne Hjelle, the day began normally, biking on their favorite trail.

HJELLE: It was a January day, nice day. And we were just going to go do a short loop through an area called Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. It was probably half hour into the ride. That was where everything changed. ZAHN: Nearby in the dense brush, a 110-pound male mountain lion. He had already tasted human blood, killing a man biking on the same trail.

Mark Reynolds' body was hidden in a deep ravine. No one knew it was there.

HJELLE: Well, we turned down a single track called Cactus Hill. The trail is about 12 to 18 inches wide in most places. It's very fast. It's like a roller coaster. A lot of ruts. There's cactus. It's very heavy vegetation area. Very rough terrain. It's a lot of fun.

It's something we do often, so we headed down that trail. I was ahead of Debi by just a little ways. And the next thing I knew, I saw a flash of movement over my right shoulder.

I could tell immediately that it was some type of animal. It had a reddish-brown fur, and it knocked me off my bike and grabbed a hold of the back of my head. And I knew right away that it was a mountain lion.

ZAHN: Mountain lions can cover 40 feet in a single leap, capturing prey four times their size. But they rarely attack humans. There have been 15 confirmed attacks in California since 1890, six of them fatal. Anne was number 14.

HJELLE: The first thing I did was cry out. I said, "Jesus help me." I knew I was in a really difficult situation, and this is an animal that is totally capable of killing me very easily. So...

ZAHN (on camera): You knew that. So, you were looking at death at that moment.

HJELLE: Right. I knew that I was in serious trouble. As soon as I cried out, I started trying to punch over my right shoulder, thinking if I could get to hit him in the face to try to get him to release. And I still don't know to this day if I ever even touched him.

ZAHN: The lion didn't let go.

DEBI NICHOLS, FRIEND: You know, when I saw her on the ground, when I came around the corner and saw the lion on top of her, I you know, threw my bike, hoping that that would alarm him, but it didn't even faze him. So she was, you know -- he was starting to pull her down a hillside. And I thought, she's going to be out of my sight, grab her leg, you know. And it was just a tug of war from that point.

ZAHN (voice-over): The tug of war continued as the mountain lion's teeth tore into Anne's flesh.

HJELLE: He moved from the back of my neck to the side, just over my ear. When he bit down there, he punctured the ear canal. And then he moved again. And I didn't realize at the time, but he would grab on and drag me down the hillside. I wasn't aware at the time that I was being dragged.

But he grabbed onto the left side of my face. And a fang broke my nose and the other fang went into my upper lip. And the lower jaw went into my cheek here. And when he closed down, I felt basically my cheek tear away.

And at that point, I knew that my injuries were obviously very severe, and it wasn't much later that I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to die.

ZAHN: But Debi did not give up.

NICHOLS: He was pulling us, both of us, you know.

ZAHN (on camera): And you're two strong women. You're a former Marine, personal trainer, fit as they come.

HJELLE: Not strong enough, though.

NICHOLS: I had my heels dug in the whole time. It was just incredible. You know, I just kept thinking how tenacious this animal was, you know.

ZAHN (voice-over): Suddenly, two bikers appeared, hearing Debi's desperate cries for help.

NICHOLS: And you know, I was just screaming at these guys to come down. And you know, they were...

ZAHN (on camera): Did they come down?

NICHOLS: They eventually did, but it, you know, it was -- it was a difficult situation for them to look and see her whole face engulfed by this mountain lion. They started just pelting rocks. And eventually, one hit.

ZAHN: And he let go?

NICHOLS: And he let go.

ZAHN: The lion released Anne and disappeared into the thick brush. Debi watched helplessly as her friend was losing blood as her chances for survival faded fast. One of the rescuers called 911.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got a lady that is attacked by a mountain lion in her face. Her face is almost gone. I need people out here at Whiting Ranch, Cactus Ridge. She's in bad condition. I would get somebody here now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.

HJELLE: It was 16 minutes from the 911 call until the paramedics arrived on the scene. They got an I.V. started, put a neck brace on, a little bit of bandaging and then they basically put me on the helicopter. And it took a total of 40 minutes from the initial 911 call to arriving at the hospital. ZAHN: Anne was in critical condition. She had trouble breathing, had lost a lot of blood and had facial nerve damage. Her eye was so badly mauled, she didn't know if she would ever see again. Anne may have been alive, but she knew she would never look quite the same.

HJELLE: You look in the mirror, expecting to see your reflection that you know, and this was not my face. It's, you know, it was so swollen, stitches. It was just unbelievable to be looking at that and realizing that this is me now?

I was thankful I could still see, even though I had over 30 bite wounds to the front of my neck. It didn't hit any kind of major arteries, the voice box, esophagus. Everything was OK. This animal was totally capable of taking me out. And I was here to tell the tale.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Orange County deputies shot a rifle and shotgun and did kill the mountain lion right there by the attack site.

ZAHN: The night of the attack, Orange County deputies hunted down and killed the mountain lion. The state law that protects the animal also mandates it be destroyed once it attacks a human.

In the 14 months that have passed since the attack, Anne has had three facial surgeries to reconstruct her nose, eyes and cheek. She has more surgeries ahead but continues to make progress. In fact, Anne is biking again on Cactus Trail, the same trail where she almost lost her life.

(on camera): How much courage did it take to get back on your bike again?

HJELLE: You know, I have -- I do have fear, and certain trails will trigger that fear, narrow trails with bushes on both sides. And I know statistically the chances of that happening again are basically zero.

ZAHN: When you look at your friend Debi now, you've got to look at her as almost an angel.

HJELLE: Superhero, actually. No, but I know that without her I would not be here.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Well, Anne had yet another round of facial surgery yesterday and is recovering from that. She and her friend Debi are still riding together. They say they're closer than ever and they both feel very lucky.

Experts say mountain lions usually avoid people. They're nearly extinct in the Eastern U.S. but out West, there has been an increase in encounters as more people move into the cats' territory.

Coming up next, a man who survived the ultimate psychedelic rock band and his own bad habits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Do you have any regrets about all of that drug use?

PHIL LESH, GRATEFUL DEAD: Not for myself, no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: The Grateful Dead grateful to be alive and still making a lot of music.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Well, believe it or not, this year actually marks the 40th anniversary of the Grateful Dead. the Dead's music, longevity and legendary drug use combine to make the band one of America's lasting pop culture icons.

One of its founding members, bassist Phil Lesh, is making headlines with a new book published by our sister company Time Warner Books. It is called "Searching for the Sound." And it is on "The New York Times" best-seller list. In it, Lesh has some startling things to say about the band and all those drugs that fueled the Dead for so many years.

He's the subject of tonight's "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profile.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It was 1965, in northern California, the center of a cultural and musical revolution. Five friends from wildly different backgrounds came together to form a band that would become legendary. Phil Lesh was a college student from the bay area, a classically trained violinist and trumpet player who took up the bass guitar.

(on camera): When it came together, did you know it was magic?

LESH: Immediately, immediately it was magic, the first rehearsal. I think I got wired up that first day and -- it's never -- never changed since.

ZAHN: What did you hear the first time you all played together in rehearsal?

LESH: I heard the potential for the group mind to exist, something that was greater than the sum of the parts, the kind of thing that you always want to have in an ensemble that is making music together.

ZAHN (voice-over): That ensemble became the Grateful Dead. Their style was freeform, an improvisational blend of rock, jazz, bluegrass and folk. The psychedelic music scene of the '60s hadn't heard anything like them.

Their inspiration? Freedom, drugs.

(on camera): You write quite candidly in your book that a lot of your musical inspiration came from drugs. You say -- quote -- "These drugs were seen as tools, tools to enhance awareness, to expand our horizon, to access other levels of mind. These experiences were not embarked upon as an escape from reality. They were explorations into the super-real."

You still believe that?

LESH: I do, indeed.

ZAHN: Do you have any regrets about all that drug use?

LESH: Not for myself, no. There are many ways to access truth or the infinite or higher levels of consciousness. Drugs is one of them. Meditation is another.

But we felt that we were part of a long line of explorers. We felt that we were on that same path.

ZAHN (voice-over): The fans of the music held the Grateful Dead together through decades of almost constant touring. Phil Lesh would later discover that he contracted Hepatitis C from using drugs. For the Grateful Dead, the acid and LSD of the '60s became alcohol, cocaine, and heroin.

(on camera): At what point did you realize you had a severe alcohol problem?

LESH: When I started waking up in the morning not knowing what I had done the night before, who I had insulted, who I had hurt. Who was I going to have to apologize to today? And, of course, it hurt. You wake up and your bones ache.

ZAHN (voice-over): By the mid-1980s, the Grateful Dead had seen its share of tragedy. Two members of the band were dead. Those that remained were still rocking, but fighting personal demons. Phil Lesh turned to alcohol and admits to being under the influence during performances. On one occasion, drunk and on drugs, he didn't even recognize his own guitar and had to be led on stage by one of his band mates.

LESH: I knew that I was getting close to the bottom when that started happening. But, luckily for me, right after that, I met my wife.

ZAHN (on camera): And she helped straighten you out?

LESH: Oh, she did. The love of a good woman, it's not a cliche.

ZAHN (voice-over): Lesh sobered up, got married and had two sons. Although the Grateful Dead had been together for some 20 years and was one of the most popular touring bands in history, they had never had a commercial hit song. That happened in 1987 with "Touch of Gray." ZAHN: Musically, they were on top. But, in 1995, Lesh and the rest of the band were shattered by the death of their charismatic leader, Jerry Garcia.

LESH: With Jerry, whose heroin addiction is well known, we tried everything. We tried interventions. We tried playing better, playing more aggressively to it, engage him. We tried letting him go his own way. And -- but it -- to no avail, because he was just sliding away from us.

ZAHN: The band did go on without Garcia, but the strife took its toll. Lesh believes his own emotional struggle led to a deadly flare- up of his Hepatitis c. The disease had ravaged his liver.

LESH: About six years ago, I had to have a liver transplant. And I'm only alive here today and talking to you here today because a young man said to his mom, if anything ever happens to me, I want to be an organ donor.

ZAHN (on camera): You must wake up every morning with this enormous sense of gratitude.

LESH: Indeed, I do.

ZAHN: That someone was that generous.

LESH: I pray for his spirit every night.

ZAHN (voice-over): Today, at 65 years old, 40 years after forming the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh is embracing his second chance, still making music inspiring the next generation, still embracing the fans, still embracing life.

(on camera): So many members of your band had their lives destroyed by drugs. And you have had your own serious health problems as a result of your drug use. Do you still see yourself as a true seeker or as a fool because of that drug use?

LESH: Well, I think there's chances that you have to take in life. And everything is a risk. Walking out the door in the morning is a risk, so that, yes, I still see myself as a seeker, although I don't seek in that same way anymore.

ZAHN: You still feel that fresh joy of music every time you sit down and play?

LESH: That's the thing about it. That's the thing about it. Every time I walk out on the stage, no matter who I'm playing with, the potential for magic is infinite. And it is one of the things that has formed a lifeline for me through all of this. The music really is what has defined my life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Despite what he has put his body through, it's hard to believe he's 65 years old, Phil Lesh definitely still making music. His band, Phil and Friends, will be touring this fall.

For many families, Memorial Day is especially poignant this year. Stay with us for a tribute, the families of a hard-hit platoon in the struggle to free Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Still ahead, a gathering of families united by common bonds of pride and severe loss.

First, though, just about 23 minutes past the hour, Erica Hill at Headline News standing by to check out the top stories. She's not caught in the Memorial Day weekend traffic. No.

ERICA HILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No.

ZAHN: She's going to miss it all.

HILL: I am going to miss it all.

ZAHN: She's getting out of here at midnight tonight. Smart woman.

HILL: Well, you know, I do what I can.

(LAUGHTER)

HILL: Paula, let's get you caught up first on the Michael Jackson trial. Suddenly, it appears the end is in sight.

In a surprising turn here, both sides rested their case today. The defense didn't even offer a rebuttal to a videotape of Jackson's accuser describing alleged sex abuse. Jackson's defense told reporters it looked staged to them. All that is left now, closing arguments. Those are expected after the holiday.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was interrupted during an appearance in San Francisco today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: Our challenge today one to create conditions of openness around states that encourage and nurture Democratic reform within states. Ladies and gentlemen...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: The demonstrators, dressed as abused prisoners at Abu Ghraib, shouted, "Stop the torture" as they were led away. Rice went on to say in her speech, it was a good thing people can speak their minds here and especially in Baghdad.

Well, no pretzels for you, not if you're flying coach on Northwest anyway. The money-losing carrier says eliminating the snack will save them $2 million a year. Now, you can still buy a snack for a buck, and you can still get a free soda. That's for now, anyway. And veteran movie and TV actor Eddie Albert has died, best known for his role opposite Eva Gabor in the '60s and '70s sitcom "Green Acres." Gabor died 10 years ago. Albert was also nominated for best supporting actor roles in films. He was 99 years old.

What an amazing life, Paula.

ZAHN: He was a very talented guy. And he had it all -- us all singing the "Green Acres" theme song. We won't subject our audience to our reprising that.

HILL: No, let's not.

(LAUGHTER)

ZAHN: But we had some fun remembering this very nice man.

Erica, see you in about a half-hour from now.

And it's time for you all to vote for our person of the day. Time for you to work. Your choices, race car driver Danica Patrick for being the fastest qualifying rookie for this weekend's Indianapolis 500, hoping to become the first woman to win it, Mariah Carey for being the female recording artist with the most number one hits, or Ensign Kyle Eckel, the Naval Academy football player who graduated today, despite ranking dead last in his class.

Cast your vote at CNN.com/Paula. I'll let you know wins a little bit later on in this hour.

Memorial Day weekend means car races, the end of school for many kids, and the start of summer vacations. But coming up, we want to remember its true meaning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was my whole world, my everything, you know, my best friend, my brother.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Stay with us for a special tribute, the families of the fallen in Iraq.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: This week, U.S. and Iraqi forces launched another offensive in western Iraq near the Syrian border. That is where foreign fighters are believed to be making their way into Iraq to join the insurgents.

Nine months ago, the focus was closer to Baghdad, on Fallujah, and a battle that took the lives of eight Marines from just one platoon, the platoon known as Pale Rider 3. We go into this Memorial Day weekend with the families of those Marines who are still struggling with their enormous losses. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): The Army Navy Club, Washington, D.C., a gathering of Marine families. Everyone here has lost a loved one, all from the same platoon, Pale Rider 3.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want a hug more than anything.

ZAHN: These are mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers and a young widow. They've never met, but break the ice with photos and stories.

Members of Pale Rider 3 are here to talk about their brothers who died.

JOE "DOC" WHORLEY, NAVY CORPSMAN: He knew his stuff, too. That's another thing I really liked about him. I felt safe around him.

ZAHN: Doc Whorley, the medic who tried to save the lives of others before losing his left leg to a bomb, Lance Corporal Matthew Boyvert (ph), badly hurt when his truck was hit, and Lieutenant Wade Zirkle, platoon commander, injured in a roadside bomb attack that killed seven of his men.

Pale Rider 3 saw heavy combat in the first battle of Fallujah, eight men Dead, 22 Purple Hearts in all, among the highest casualty rate of any platoon in the war. For the injured, the battle was over the moment they were hit. For the families of the fallen, a new battle began with a knock on the door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got up and went. And sure enough, there was three men standing there, one in dress blues. The other was a Navy chaplain. And the other one was a Marine in his alphas. Pretty much at that moment, I knew.

ZAHN: Corporal Joe McCarthy (ph) killed September 1, 2004, when his convoy hit a roadside bomb, two weeks shy of his first wedding anniversary to high school sweetheart Amanda.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was just horrible. I just -- and the picture of them standing at my door just replays in my mind over and over.

ZAHN: Amanda and Joe grew up in a small town in Arizona. They moved to California. Joe went off to boot camp on September 10, 2001. The McCarthys knew immediately Joe would be going off to war.

Joe loved to joke, wore mullet wigs to the supermarket, ate bugs to break the boredom in Iraq, passed out candy to kids in Iraq and wrote passionate letters to his new wife.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: "So, as we go on, I have -- I hope I do nothing but make you proud of me and love me even more."

ZAHN: Lance Corporal

as we go on, I have -- I hope I do nothing but make you proud of me and love me even more.

ZAHN: Lance Corporal Leroy Sandoval was killed defending his platoon, when it was ambushed near Fallujah. As the Marines dive for cover, Leroy manned his machine gun until an enemy bullet took him down. For his bravery, Leroy won a Bronze Star. He was a beloved big brother to Amy and the only son of Zada Sandoval, whose husband broke the news.

ZADA SANDOVAL, MOTHER: He said, honey, I have something to tell you and he started crying. You know, I hug him and I (INAUDIBLE) his hand, and I said, is it grandma? He says, no, it's not grandma. (INAUDIBLE), I said, mom, his mother? And he says no, baby, it's Leroy. And I lost it. I just lost it. I feel like when he told me -- I feel like they just grabbed my stomach and they just pull it. That's -- you can feel the pain. You feel the pain.

ZAHN: Leroy used to hold Amy's hand in the dead of night when she was afraid, watch over her at school, do what he could do to take the place of a father that walked out on them.

A. SANDOVAL: When I found out that he was killed, I was so mad because he's my -- just my whole world, my everything. You know, my best friend, my brother.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: So sad. Coming up next, words of comfort from the men of Pale Rider 3.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

A. SANDOVAL: Mom, if you get this letter, that means I'm in a better place. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: Last letters home and treasured keepsakes when our Memorial Day tribute continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Pale Rider 3 was a platoon of U.S. Marines in the battle of Fallujah. Eight of them died, one of the biggest unit losses of the war. And this Memorial Day weekend will no doubt be a difficult one for their families.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: In the homes of fallen Marines, you see the same things again and again. Dress uniforms, a folded flag at a wooden case. Medals. Condolences sent from all over. Letters. Quilts, handmade by strangers.

Z. SANDOVAL: It says every time you sit, every time you want to cry, just put it over your shoulders and know that there is people that loves you and pray for you. So that's what I do.

ZAHN: And, of course, there are their personal effects, carefully packed up in Iraq and sent home in duffel bags and chests.

For families of the fallen, the clothing is precious. Zada Sandoval received the stuff her son Leroy left behind in Camp Pendleton.

Z. SANDOVAL: So when I received the clothes, I remember I just put everything on the floor and I just lay on top of the clothes and I just cried.

ZAHN: Memories are so important, carefully collected in albums. This one took Leroy's sister Amy two days to make, every page beautifully laid out. A life story and photos and letters.

And a roll of film from Leroy's camera in Iraq. Zada was afraid to develop the photos, afraid of what she might see.

The photos show his fighting side, but his thoughts were always on home.

Z. SANDOVAL: And this is a picture that Amy sent Leroy, and when he got killed, he had it in his helmet. So they -- this is the picture that they put in the memorial.

ZAHN: On the final page, a letter.

A. SANDOVAL: Mom, if you get this letter, that means I'm in a better place. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart. There is no one that I love more, and I love Amy just as much. I know that sometimes I don't act like it, but you and Amy are my whole world. Tell everybody that I love them, and I'll see them again someday.

Mom, whatever you do -- do whatever you want with my stuff and money. Please don't get the way you get when I leave that day. I just want you to remember that I'm with God. Love, Leroy.

He was an amazing kid.

ZAHN: In Amanda McCarthy's apartment near San Diego, same flag, same dress blues, same duffel bag full of clothes.

AMANDA MCCARTHY: They just seem to me, because it seems like he wore it, like when he was in like the firefight or something, because of the burn marks that are, you know, these spots that are on it where it's like melted.

ZAHN: And the same overwhelming need to tell the world about her Marine, to breathe life into his memory by telling his story.

For Amanda, this photo shows her husband at his best, taken by a news photographer for the local paper.

Other Marines in Pale Rider 3 say there were times when they were forced to shoot into crowds, where insurgents used human shields. Innocent women and children caught in the fire.

It must have been hard for Joe, who loved kids with a passion. When the platoon went out on patrol, his radio call sign was Willie Wonka.

MCCARTHY: "So I'm like Oompa-Loompa, open the gates to the chocolate factory, and I give the kids candy when we patrol. It's kind of funny. I have fun out here in this madness. I guess I'm just used to this stuff."

ZAHN: Joe was buried in their hometown, St. John's, Arizona. For half of their short marriage, Joe was in Iraq. He sent home piles of letters.

MCCARTHY: I love you so much. You make me more than I could have been without you. You helped change my thoughts, feelings, and the reason I am what I am to you. So as we go on, I have -- I hope I do nothing but make you proud of me and love me even more, even more, because that's what you deserve, the very best of me each and every day. To me, I have the perfect life, the perfect parents, the perfect friends, the perfect you, the perfect job. Perfect everything. Perfect, that's what it is. I love you. Miss you, and I pray for you all. I just want to finish with saying, thank you for loving me. I will now leave you with your thoughts.

ZAHN: Amanda, now 21 years old, is starting a foundation in Joe's name, to raise money for poor children to buy them backpacks and school supplies, and to build a war memorial in their hometown. She is still sad, but proud of Joe, and proud of what he did.

MCCARTHY: I don't feel angry about it. I think that he was doing his job and I think that it was a job worth doing. So these guys that are being killed over there, it's not in vain. I think that's -- that's the most important part about it. It is a very, very important job that they do. And I'm a very, very proud Marine wife.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Remarkable words of strength and comfort.

Still ahead, commencement day at the Naval Academy complete with a visit from the commander in chief.

And a little later on, a World War II pilot you might recognize remembers his most harrowing mission.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: And welcome back.

In Atlanta, it is day three of a dangerous, disruptive and downright weird situation. A murder suspect, possibly armed with a knife holding police at bay, dangling from the top of a 350 foot construction crane. Sara Dorsey joins me now from Atlanta with the very latest.

So Sara, does this guy show any willingness to get down from there?

SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT; No. Not at this point. In fact he's laying in the crane right now, which is what he's been doing most of the day.

I can tell you, most of the people we have spoken to out here say, oh my gosh, we cannot believe that nearly 52 hours later, Carl Roland is still up there perched 25 stories above the city of Atlanta, closing a major thoroughfare and restaurants here. But that is exactly what we're seeing.

Earlier in the day, he seemed agitated with negotiators. They were sounding sirens and putting helicopters very close to him to try to keep him awake and probably make him angry so he would consider surrendering. He dismantled part of that crane and was throwing it down to the ground because he didn't want that siren to be following him. It was in a bucket and was following him everywhere he went.

I can tell you family members of this man are very upset. They say if negotiators would just bring a family member in, and let them talk to him, they believe he would come down. Negotiators, however, say police have to stay in control in a situation like this. And they're not bringing the family in yet, Paula.

ZAHN: All right. So, if they don't think the is going to family work and the siren is not working, what do he had think will work?

DORSEY: Well, they say they're going wait him out. He hasn't had food or water in nearly 52 hours at this point. So he's up there in the sun. It was 80 plus degrees out here today. We're all hot standing down here. And he has no shade up there.

Of course, they say eventually they believe he will either come down or do the unthinkable, which would be to jump. That's, of course, the situation that everything is trying to avoid right now.

ZAHN: What do police know about this man?

DORSEY: Well, they do know that in Pinellas County, Florida, near Tampa, he's wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. According to a press release that was issue out of that county, police say that witnesses saw him near the crime scene before she ended up floating in a retention pond outside of her home. They also know that he has three prior arrests. We don't know about convictions there. But other than that, most of it we're hearing from family is he is a pretty kind guy and this was very unexpected.

ZAHN: Yeah. Not a very practical place to wait out your own arrest. Sara Dorsey, thanks very much for the update.

DORSEY: Thank you, Paula.

ZAHN: Still to come, a fly boy remembers his toughest mission during World War II.

But first, time for another look at the rest of the day's top stories. Here's Erica Hill of HEADLINE NEWS.

HILL: Thanks, Paula.

For the first time, President Bush speaks out about the Pentagon's plans to close or scale back scores of military bases. In Annapolis, Maryland, the president told graduating Naval cadets there that there are just too many military bases, wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. He says base closings and realignments will help bring the military into the 21st Century. He also told the class they'll make America proud in the fight against terror.

On the CNN security watch tonight, the administration wants to expand the FBI's power to keep a tab on Internet users. It would tell the U.S. court of appeals that the feds should have the power to force Internet providers to turn over information about their subscribers. A lawsuit against the PATRIOT Act had put limits on that.

And while you may be looking forward to using your cell phone during passenger flights some day, security officials today shared their concerns about that, telling federal airline regulators such a move would help terrorists coordinate an attack or even trigger an on board bomb.

And a ground zero memorial at the World Trade Center site in Manhattan today. Three U.S. marines laid a wreath at the site of the terror attacks. The events were part of New York's Fleet Week where thousands of sea going servicemen and women are out on the town. Paula, you've probably seen a few of them.

That does it for us at Headline News. Have a great Memorial Day weekend.

ZAHN: Thanks, Sarah. Yeah, they're capturing a lot of attention as they do every year around this time. This is your last chance to vote for our person of the day. Your choices are race car driver Danica Patrick, the fourth woman to qualify for the Indy 500. Mariah Carey for being the female recording artist with the most No. 1 hits. Or Kyle Eckel, a former football player and the anchor, or lowest ranking graduate of the Naval Academy's class of 2005. Cast your vote at CNN.com/paula.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: Gorgeous night in New York City tonight. Not sure that the rest of the weekend will look as pretty that is looks tonight. But that is what it looks like at this hour. Please stay with us for a preview, though, of a special weekend event right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE H. W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The raft was falling. You had to paddle with your hand like that. This is a luxurious version of the raft.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: The story of a World War II pilot who survived being shot down and, of course, went on to the biggest office in the land.

But first, who was your pick for the "Person of the Day." Indy 500 driver Danica Patrick for trying to become the first woman ever to win the race. Mariah Carey for being the female recording artist with the most number one hits. Or the Naval Academy's anchor Kyle Eckel, a football player who graduated today the very last in his class.

And the winner with 52 percent of the vote, Danica Patrick.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): It isn't injure grandmother's Indy 500 anymore. Oh, sure, women have raced here over the years, but none of them ever started on the inside of the second row. Danica Patrick really is a fast woman. With a qualifying speed of a fraction over 227 miles an hour, Patrick earned the right to start in fourth place on Sunday. A nice coincidence since she's the fourth woman over to race here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Run hard.

DANICA PATRICK, INDY DRIVER: Thank you. I will.

ZAHN: Team owner and one time Indy winner Bobby Rahal spotted Patrick racing in England what when she was only 18-years-old. Now 23 Patrick is racing for Rahal's team, co-owned by David Letterman. There's nothing like swapping jokes with your boss on national TV.

DAVID LETTERMAN, HOST, LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN: Is it possible that in like three or four years the race will be all women?

PATRICK: You never know. I mean if I go win, they just might come out of the woodwork.

LETTERMAN: And what about all of these guys, and I'm watching them qualify...

PATRICK: Would you want to watch if it was all girls?

LETTERMAN: Oh, yes. ZAHN: Come Sunday, lots of eyes will be watching Danica Patrick. But she's used to that.

PATRICK: The bottom line is is to be called -- I can't be mad to be called a female driver because I am.

ZAHN: What she would really like to be called is an Indy 500 champion. For now, you've decided to call her the "Person of the Day." We'll be right back.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ZAHN: On Monday, Memorial Day, we will all stop to remember the men and women who have given their lives for this great country of ours. It is a poignant time for veterans like former President George Bush, a World War II pilot. This weekend in a special "CNN PRESENTS," we'll hear his harrowing story of being shot down over the South Pacific.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BUSH: The raft was falling. You had to paddle with your hand, like that. This is a luxurious excursion of the raft.

ZAHN (voice-over): Floating in a life raft, similar to this one, off the coast of Chichijima, George Bush was trying to stay out of enemy hands and wondering what had become of his two crewmembers.

(on camera): You're in the middle of this ocean. You're bobbing around on this raft. Your survival instincts are coming to the fore. How much were you thinking about Ted White...

BUSH: A lot.

ZAHN: And...

BUSH: And Delaney, a lot. Wondering if they got out. Wondering, you know, whether they'd gone in with the plane. I don't remember seeing the airplane go into the water. I thought about it from that moment on. I thought about it every, single night on the submarine. And even now, 58 years later, I think about it.

ZAHN (voice-over): As Bush looked for his crew, the Japanese began to look for him. Squadron mate Charlie Bynum, flying over Bush, spotted Japanese boats heading towards him.

BYNUM: We went down and strafed those boats to keep the Japanese from getting him. Like I say, if they would have gotten him, they would have eaten him.

ZAHN: Bush was saved from capture and a likely horrendous fate on Chichijima. But floating in the Pacific, he was still in danger until a miraculous sight appeared from beneath the waves. BUSH: And suddenly, you see a periscope and then you see a submarine. And the only thought I had was well, God, I hope it's one of ours. And sure enough, it was the USS Finback. They pulled me aboard and I walked up dazed, kind of, I mean still scared, I guess. And walked up to the plotting tower, and then the bells rang and down we went.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: Incredible. You can see more of my interview with the former president on "CNN PRESENTS" this Sunday night at 8:00 Eastern. Thanks for joining us all this evening. Have a great Memorial Day weakened. We'll be back here Monday night. Good night.

END

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