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CNN Sunday Morning

Interview With Rodney Watson

Aired July 20, 2003 - 07:13   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.


THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The people of West Virginia getting ready to welcome home their own American hero, Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch. She will be returning home on Tuesday. This is nearly four months to the date that she was taken captive in Iraq.
Joining us now, on the telephone, with a look ahead to Tuesday's return is Lynch family friend and Jessica's former softball coach, Rodney Watson.

Rodney, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

RODNEY WATSON, LYNCH FAMILY FRIEND: Good morning.

ROBERTS: All right, let's talk about this. Tuesday is going to be the big day. So, I guess, how are family and friends there in your small community preparing for this? And how excited is everybody? This is great news, right?

WATSON: Oh, yes, very much. It's been kind of a long ordeal and we've been waiting for her to get back, and praying for her to get back, and the day is soon to be here.

ROBERTS: Rodney, back on April 1, we all watched and remembered when Jessica was rescued and has been a long-time in recovery, a hard ordeal for her. How much contact have you had with the family since then, as I said, Palestine, a very close community?

WATSON: Actually, only just a few times. Most of the time they've been either at the hospital or just -- I try to leave them alone, let them have some time alone. I know its been pretty crazy for them.

ROBERTS: And Rodney have you heard about what the town or the what the family is doing in preparation to welcome Jessica home, or is it going to be a quiet homecoming? What do we know about this?

WATSON: Well, I believe the state and the military are actually the ones that are controlling what's going on this time. It's a going to be all controlled by the military. And like I said, by the state. And it is just going to be, get into town, land and -- she has a little speech thing she is planning on reading. And then whisking her off to her home in a motorcade by the military, so, it's not really going to be -- I don't think it's going to have a lot of local touch to it, or whatever.

ROBERTS: And Rodney, I guess, the last time that you spoke with some people that know of Jessica's condition. What have you heard? How well is she doing?

WATSON: Well, I heard that she -- about three weeks ago I heard that she got the rods and pins out of her left leg, I believe it was. And she was walking in a walker then. And then, like in a week -- she's a tough kid -- and she -- Linda Davies, her kindergarten teacher, had went to visit her and she was walking on crutches then, in just like a week. So, she's doing all right.

ROBERTS: Rodney, are you still working at the high school where Jessica attended?

WATSON: Yes.

ROBERTS: And how are kids there, taking now, that Jessica is about to come home, into account for the fact that a lot of these kids still want to enlist? You're town has a big population of young people that go into the armed services. Are they still interested in doing that? And is Jessica, is her story really inspiring a lot of people there?

WATSON: Oh, yes. There are lots of kids, like you said, that will join the military. But yes, they're still inspired to go and join the military.

ROBERTS: I guess we can expect to talk more about the town planning something for the hometown hero, probably in the weeks and months to come, right?

WATSON: Oh, exactly. Yes, there are other things in the works. Other parties and whatever she's up to. You know, she's not really 100 percent yet. So, give her a little time to get healed up and then we'll have a -- as her dad called it -- a big shindig.

ROBERTS: Well, I'm sure she's going to be excited to see everybody, especially her old softball coach. Rodney Watson, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

WATSON: Thank you.

ROBERTS: We appreciate you taking time out for us.

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 July 20, 2003 - 07:13   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: The people of West Virginia getting ready to welcome home their own American hero, Private 1st Class Jessica Lynch. She will be returning home on Tuesday. This is nearly four months to the date that she was taken captive in Iraq.
Joining us now, on the telephone, with a look ahead to Tuesday's return is Lynch family friend and Jessica's former softball coach, Rodney Watson.

Rodney, good morning. Thanks for joining us.

RODNEY WATSON, LYNCH FAMILY FRIEND: Good morning.

ROBERTS: All right, let's talk about this. Tuesday is going to be the big day. So, I guess, how are family and friends there in your small community preparing for this? And how excited is everybody? This is great news, right?

WATSON: Oh, yes, very much. It's been kind of a long ordeal and we've been waiting for her to get back, and praying for her to get back, and the day is soon to be here.

ROBERTS: Rodney, back on April 1, we all watched and remembered when Jessica was rescued and has been a long-time in recovery, a hard ordeal for her. How much contact have you had with the family since then, as I said, Palestine, a very close community?

WATSON: Actually, only just a few times. Most of the time they've been either at the hospital or just -- I try to leave them alone, let them have some time alone. I know its been pretty crazy for them.

ROBERTS: And Rodney have you heard about what the town or the what the family is doing in preparation to welcome Jessica home, or is it going to be a quiet homecoming? What do we know about this?

WATSON: Well, I believe the state and the military are actually the ones that are controlling what's going on this time. It's a going to be all controlled by the military. And like I said, by the state. And it is just going to be, get into town, land and -- she has a little speech thing she is planning on reading. And then whisking her off to her home in a motorcade by the military, so, it's not really going to be -- I don't think it's going to have a lot of local touch to it, or whatever.

ROBERTS: And Rodney, I guess, the last time that you spoke with some people that know of Jessica's condition. What have you heard? How well is she doing?

WATSON: Well, I heard that she -- about three weeks ago I heard that she got the rods and pins out of her left leg, I believe it was. And she was walking in a walker then. And then, like in a week -- she's a tough kid -- and she -- Linda Davies, her kindergarten teacher, had went to visit her and she was walking on crutches then, in just like a week. So, she's doing all right.

ROBERTS: Rodney, are you still working at the high school where Jessica attended?

WATSON: Yes.

ROBERTS: And how are kids there, taking now, that Jessica is about to come home, into account for the fact that a lot of these kids still want to enlist? You're town has a big population of young people that go into the armed services. Are they still interested in doing that? And is Jessica, is her story really inspiring a lot of people there?

WATSON: Oh, yes. There are lots of kids, like you said, that will join the military. But yes, they're still inspired to go and join the military.

ROBERTS: I guess we can expect to talk more about the town planning something for the hometown hero, probably in the weeks and months to come, right?

WATSON: Oh, exactly. Yes, there are other things in the works. Other parties and whatever she's up to. You know, she's not really 100 percent yet. So, give her a little time to get healed up and then we'll have a -- as her dad called it -- a big shindig.

ROBERTS: Well, I'm sure she's going to be excited to see everybody, especially her old softball coach. Rodney Watson, thanks so much for joining us this morning.

WATSON: Thank you.

ROBERTS: We appreciate you taking time out for us.

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