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CNN Saturday Morning News

Two Texas Army Bases Prepare for Return of Ex-POWs

Aired April 19, 2003 - 09:14   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.


ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: There are a lot of flags being prepared for a big welcome home at two Texas Army bases this morning, of course, in anticipation of the return of the America's seven. The soldiers left Ramstein Air Base a short time ago for Fort Bliss, and that is where we find CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.
Thelma, I'm sure a lot of people there getting very excited.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, Anderson, the celebration is still about 11 hours away. And so right now, it is a little bit quiet. We are here alone. But I'm sure tonight it will be a completely different scene.

The organizers have actually opened the celebration up to the entire community of El Paso. And they're asking them to come and to help in that -- in the festivities.

Now, an hour ago, all seven former POWs boarded an aircraft at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany and began their journey home. Now, they're expected to arrive at here at Fort Bliss around 6:00 p.m. local time tonight, and they're sure to receive a heroes' welcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN OFFUTT, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS: It's going to be a happy day for a lot of people, not only the families. It will be a celebration for the entire El Paso, Fort Bliss community. We're going to welcome them home in style with bands. And we have invited the public out to see them come home. And we've asked everyone to bring their flags.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Thirty-year-old Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson is a cook with the 507th. She is also a resident of El Paso. Her friends, her family spoke with her a short time ago. They say that she's very anxious to get home to see her 2-year-old daughter, Janelle (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA ROLAND, SHOSHANA JOHNSON'S FRIEND: She wrote a paragraph to me in Spanish, which I thought was funny, because neither of us speaks Spanish. But the next paragraph, she wrote that after all of this was over and she came back home, that she wanted just her and Janelle, time alone. She wanted to take her daughter to Disney World so they could just get to know each other once again. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: And that celebration will be held right here at the tarmac, right at the airfield beside me, and it will happen later on this evening. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: All right, Thelma Gutierrez, live at Fort Bliss, thanks very much -- Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The two Apache helicopters who were prisoners in Iraq are returning to Fort Hood today. CNN's Jamie Colby is there and joins us now to talk about the welcome home preparations. Hi, Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you doing, Heidi?

Obviously a feeling of celebration here in Killeen as the two Apache pilots, David Williams and Ron Young, make their way back to Fort Hood. From there, the healing process continues. Family members have already been briefed and will continue to receive assistance with the repatriation of these POWs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLBY (voice-over): Michele Williams now has the news she had been praying for.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Easter Sunday is going to be a big Sunday for us, because hopefully we'll be together by then.

COLBY: And they will. When the seven former POWs appeared, family members said they looked well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are looking forward to coming home as soon as we possibly can.

COLBY: That brief appearance set the wheels in motion for Michele's private welcome of her husband, David.

WILLIAMS: I think that that's what he's going to look forward to, is just being able to spend family time together.

COLBY: And the chance for Killeen, Texas, home to Fort Hood, where messages abound in support of the troops, a chance to give both Apache pilots based here, Williams and Ronald Young, a heroes' welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a blessing that they were freed by the Iraqis, and that we got to them before anything else bad could have happened to them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is amazing, it's really is. It's -- it's going to be a great big deal for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COLBY: And it is. You know, the former POWs have received medical clearance from Germany. But an eye is really being kept on their emotional and mental well-being. Recent studies suggest that post-traumatic stress disorder has less to do with length of captivity and more to do with family history and genetics, making it difficult, if not impossible, to predict which of these POWs may exhibit symptoms, if any, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, Jamie, I'm also wondering if there's any word on -- obviously, they have gone through quite a bit of debriefing after their ordeal. Now that they are going to be in the United States once again, will there be more of that? Or have they actually finished that process?

COLBY: Absolutely, there will be not only available for them, counselling from psychologists and chaplains and also base personnel that are experienced in the debriefing process, but also their families have services available. This is a military town, and Killeen, Texas, is well equipped to take care of both the POWs and their families, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Jamie Colby, you'll be waiting their return along with everybody else. Thanks so much.

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






Aired April 19, 2003 - 09:14   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: There are a lot of flags being prepared for a big welcome home at two Texas Army bases this morning, of course, in anticipation of the return of the America's seven. The soldiers left Ramstein Air Base a short time ago for Fort Bliss, and that is where we find CNN's Thelma Gutierrez.
Thelma, I'm sure a lot of people there getting very excited.

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, Anderson, the celebration is still about 11 hours away. And so right now, it is a little bit quiet. We are here alone. But I'm sure tonight it will be a completely different scene.

The organizers have actually opened the celebration up to the entire community of El Paso. And they're asking them to come and to help in that -- in the festivities.

Now, an hour ago, all seven former POWs boarded an aircraft at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany and began their journey home. Now, they're expected to arrive at here at Fort Bliss around 6:00 p.m. local time tonight, and they're sure to receive a heroes' welcome.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN OFFUTT, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS: It's going to be a happy day for a lot of people, not only the families. It will be a celebration for the entire El Paso, Fort Bliss community. We're going to welcome them home in style with bands. And we have invited the public out to see them come home. And we've asked everyone to bring their flags.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: Thirty-year-old Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson is a cook with the 507th. She is also a resident of El Paso. Her friends, her family spoke with her a short time ago. They say that she's very anxious to get home to see her 2-year-old daughter, Janelle (ph).

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

THERESA ROLAND, SHOSHANA JOHNSON'S FRIEND: She wrote a paragraph to me in Spanish, which I thought was funny, because neither of us speaks Spanish. But the next paragraph, she wrote that after all of this was over and she came back home, that she wanted just her and Janelle, time alone. She wanted to take her daughter to Disney World so they could just get to know each other once again. (END VIDEO CLIP)

GUTIERREZ: And that celebration will be held right here at the tarmac, right at the airfield beside me, and it will happen later on this evening. Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: All right, Thelma Gutierrez, live at Fort Bliss, thanks very much -- Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: The two Apache helicopters who were prisoners in Iraq are returning to Fort Hood today. CNN's Jamie Colby is there and joins us now to talk about the welcome home preparations. Hi, Jamie.

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you doing, Heidi?

Obviously a feeling of celebration here in Killeen as the two Apache pilots, David Williams and Ron Young, make their way back to Fort Hood. From there, the healing process continues. Family members have already been briefed and will continue to receive assistance with the repatriation of these POWs.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COLBY (voice-over): Michele Williams now has the news she had been praying for.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Easter Sunday is going to be a big Sunday for us, because hopefully we'll be together by then.

COLBY: And they will. When the seven former POWs appeared, family members said they looked well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are looking forward to coming home as soon as we possibly can.

COLBY: That brief appearance set the wheels in motion for Michele's private welcome of her husband, David.

WILLIAMS: I think that that's what he's going to look forward to, is just being able to spend family time together.

COLBY: And the chance for Killeen, Texas, home to Fort Hood, where messages abound in support of the troops, a chance to give both Apache pilots based here, Williams and Ronald Young, a heroes' welcome.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a blessing that they were freed by the Iraqis, and that we got to them before anything else bad could have happened to them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is amazing, it's really is. It's -- it's going to be a great big deal for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COLBY: And it is. You know, the former POWs have received medical clearance from Germany. But an eye is really being kept on their emotional and mental well-being. Recent studies suggest that post-traumatic stress disorder has less to do with length of captivity and more to do with family history and genetics, making it difficult, if not impossible, to predict which of these POWs may exhibit symptoms, if any, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, Jamie, I'm also wondering if there's any word on -- obviously, they have gone through quite a bit of debriefing after their ordeal. Now that they are going to be in the United States once again, will there be more of that? Or have they actually finished that process?

COLBY: Absolutely, there will be not only available for them, counselling from psychologists and chaplains and also base personnel that are experienced in the debriefing process, but also their families have services available. This is a military town, and Killeen, Texas, is well equipped to take care of both the POWs and their families, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, Jamie Colby, you'll be waiting their return along with everybody else. Thanks so much.

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