Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
16 Bodies Recovered in Vietnam Helicopter Crash
Aired April 08, 2001 - 08:10 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.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: Turning once more to the helicopter accident in Vietnam, the remains of the 16 people killed yesterday have been recovered and are being transferred to Hanoi.
CNN's Frank Buckley now explains more about the humanitarian mission that ended in a loss of life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The MI-17 helicopter, similar to this one, went down with 16 people aboard, seven U.S. military personnel, nine Vietnamese, all killed in the crash.
LIEUTENANT COLONEL FRANKLIN CHILDRESS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER: Our hearts, prayers and deepest sympathies go out to the families of those involved in this incident, both Americans and Vietnamese.
BUCKLEY: U.S. military officials saying the victims were doing advance work for joint task force full accounting, the U.S.-Vietnam effort to locate and return more than 1,900 U.S. military personnel still unaccounted for more than a quarter century after the Vietnam War's end. President Bush said in a statement, "It was a terrible loss, although not lost in a hostile act. Like those for whom they searched, they, too, have lived lives of great consequence."
Five hundred and ninety operations have yielded more than 500 sets of remains since 1992, former President Clinton visiting one excavation site just last November. A spokesman for the families of the missing saying those involved in the effort are appreciated.
MICHAEL BENGE, NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF FAMILIES: It's a very, very hard job and they oftentimes end up staying out for weeks at a time under most difficult situations and so we have the highest respect for their work.
BUCKLEY: Six sites in Vietnam were set to be excavated next month, U.S. officials saying it isn't clear if that work will be delayed.
CHILDRESS: Right now we're just in the mode of trying to find out what happened and then we'll be in the mode of assessing what we're going to do as a result of the accident. BUCKLEY (on camera): Task force officials here in Hawaii say U.S. teams will be part of the effort to recover the bodies of the seven service members killed in the helicopter crash, seven people who were helping to recover the remains of fellow service members killed in a war more than 25 years go.
Frank Buckley, CNN, Honolulu, Hawaii.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And for the latest on this story, we joined on the phone by Lieutenant Commander Sean Kelly with the Navy's Pacific Command in Honolulu. Commander Kelly, thanks for speaking with us this morning.
LIEUTENANT COMMANDER SEAN KELLY: Thank you for having us.
PHILLIPS: Could you tell us how you are dealing with family members right now?
KELLY: Well, right now casualty specialists are contacting the family members and working with them to notify them of the loss of their service members.
PHILLIPS: And with regard to this chopper, what can you tell us about its safety record and its use in the past? Have there been problems with this type of chopper before?
KELLY: No. The Joint Task Force for Accounting has flown numerous missions on this type of helicopter in Vietnam and this is the first accident that they have had while there.
PHILLIPS: How is this crash being investigated from this point?
KELLY: Right now the bodies have all been recovered and they're on their way back to Hanoi, where they'll be identified. The Vietnamese government, with some U.S. officials, will be investigating how the crash occurred.
PHILLIPS: Commander, we've heard about the Americans. Do we know anything more about the Vietnamese who were involved in this crash?
KELLY: I do not have that information. I understand there were military and possibly civilians, but further than that, we haven't been told yet.
PHILLIPS: Will these type of missions continue?
KELLY: Yes, they will. You know, the Joint Task Force for Accounting, it has a very important mission of recovering the remains of our U.S. soldiers who were missing in the Vietnam War and, you know, until we have the fullest possible accounting of these soldiers, you know, we will continue.
PHILLIPS: Well, Commander, we definitely want to talk about how these operations have been successful. Can you just tell us a little bit about how they have accomplished its goal and helped families with regard to closure?
KELLY: Well, since 1992 they have located more than 500 remains, brought them back here to the United States where the Army's central identification lab identifies the remains and then notifies the families that they have found their loved ones.
PHILLIPS: Commander Sean Kelly with the Navy's Pacific Command in Honolulu, thanks for being with us and for more insight there.
Well, for more on this story, you are invited to log onto the CNN Web site at cnn.com. That's AOL keyword CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
