Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With Alberto Gonzalez
Aired April 26, 2003 - 07:34 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 CORRESPONDENT: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has offered to throw a massive ticker tape parade for troops returning from the Gulf. New York hosted a similar affair, you might remember, after the 1991 Gulf War. That's some of the video right there.
Among the troops arriving home today are about 200 Army Rangers stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. Actually, they arrived, about 100 of them arrived yesterday. Also coming home, airmen from the Alabama Air National Guard.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: And on the other side of the country, war ships are returning to base. Among them, the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Andrea Fuji of CNN affiliate KHON was on hand for the carrier's stopover in Hawaii.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA FUJI, KHON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two of the three ships in the group, including the carrier Lincoln, returned to U.S. soil. It was supposed to return to home port in Washington five months ago, but instead it was turned back to the Persian Gulf for another five months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, the hardest part of this cruise was when we thought we were coming home the first time back in January, and everybody kind of dropped the pack. So, it's really a testament to everybody on board that was able to, you know, deal with the fact that we'd been turned around and we weren't going to come home.
FUJI: The ship holds about 5,500 men and women, many of them sailors and pilots. About 10 of them are from Hawaii. Admiral John Kelly praised his crew for many successful missions.
ADMIRAL JOHN KELLY, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: We were able, Truman and Roosevelt, we were able to push a tremendous number of combat aircraft into this fight and do it in a way that helped our ground forces take full advantage of the tactical situation as it evolved.
FUJI: Andrea Fuji for CNN, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Returning home from the war in Iraq can take some serious readjustment. Joining us to talk about that is Veterans Administration and Emory University psychiatrist Dr. Alberto Gonzalez.
Thank you for joining us.
DR. ALBERTO GONZALEZ, MILITARY PSYCHIATRIST: Thanks for having me here.
ARENA: With such a swift and successful victory, would that perhaps give some young military men and women returning home a false sense of security and perhaps make them more willing to take dangerous risks?
GONZALEZ: Yes, indeed. Certainly one of the challenges of homecoming of the readjustment back to civilian life is being able to integrate the experiences of the war so that when they get back home, they can incorporate those in a way that is positive and constructive. So, yes, indeed, that's a real challenge.
ARENA: Does it affect younger military servicemen or does experience help at all in this area?
GONZALEZ: No, it can affect, I mean it can affect almost pretty much everyone that has been exposed to a battlefield, a war situation. So I'd say that there is really no, anybody can be affected.
ARENA: What are some of the danger signs when someone's in trouble?
GONZALEZ: Well, I would say that sometimes what can happen is, particularly for the first few months after being in the war is that when coming back home, some of the behaviors that were learned, appropriately, during the war, such as being hyper alert, on guard, on watch, can be carried over into civilian life for a while and sometimes they can pose a problem, such as these people can start developing nightmares, problems, intrusive memories about the war. They can become easily angered and irritable. Sometimes they can lash out in appropriate ways that can lead to problems when back in the community.
So I think that would be some of the warning signs of maybe some help would be needed.
ARENA: What should family members and loved ones do in that situation? Is this just something that a professional can handle? Or can family members also do something that would be helpful?
GONZALEZ: Yes. I think families can, by having an understanding of what the soldier went through in the war. I think that can be very helpful in showing understanding. Sometimes facilitating conversation, talk, allowing that person to be able to talk about some of these experiences can help. But, indeed, if the problem becomes significant, I think professional counseling or seeking the help of some professional, I think it would be very appropriate.
ARENA: Do you find that they are receptive to help or -- I mean, you know, once you go and you've fought a war and you're told to sort of repress and just do the job, is there a problem getting through?
GONZALEZ: Yes. I think in the past that was the case, with previous veterans from previous wars, particularly in the Vietnam War. But I think now there is the, we have learned a great deal from previous wars about the psychological effects of war and I think in general the armed forces, the Army, the Navy and the other branches, are much better prepared now in dealing with these problems. And they're, they provide already a lot of support, a lot of debriefing, counseling for soldiers returning from the battlefield.
So I think now a lot of the soldiers are better prepared now to, and giving a lot of signs that if problems occur, that this is what they need to do. So I think these days it's not as difficult, but, indeed, that can be a problem which hurts individuals, but these days are not as difficult to, for soldiers to get the help they need.
ARENA: I even read something that it's not only the emotional problems, but also some behavioral problems. For example, most of these young men and women come back, they have some extra pocket money to spend. They haven't been spending money in a long time, they've gotten some extra pay because, you know, they've been at war.
GONZALEZ: Right.
ARENA: And they come back and they don't know what to do with that newfound wealth and they make some rash decisions. Is there counseling for that, as well?
GONZALEZ: Yes. I mean there could be certainly, if that becomes a problem, if these behaviors really pose a significant problem for the person, that could be also something that can be addressed in a, with a professional with some counseling, if necessary, indeed.
ARENA: OK, thank you for taking time out of your morning to join us.
GONZALEZ: Thanks for having me here.
ARENA: All right.
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 26, 2003 - 07:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has offered to throw a massive ticker tape parade for troops returning from the Gulf. New York hosted a similar affair, you might remember, after the 1991 Gulf War. That's some of the video right there.
Among the troops arriving home today are about 200 Army Rangers stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. Actually, they arrived, about 100 of them arrived yesterday. Also coming home, airmen from the Alabama Air National Guard.
KELLI ARENA, CNN ANCHOR: And on the other side of the country, war ships are returning to base. Among them, the USS Abraham Lincoln.
Andrea Fuji of CNN affiliate KHON was on hand for the carrier's stopover in Hawaii.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDREA FUJI, KHON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two of the three ships in the group, including the carrier Lincoln, returned to U.S. soil. It was supposed to return to home port in Washington five months ago, but instead it was turned back to the Persian Gulf for another five months.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, the hardest part of this cruise was when we thought we were coming home the first time back in January, and everybody kind of dropped the pack. So, it's really a testament to everybody on board that was able to, you know, deal with the fact that we'd been turned around and we weren't going to come home.
FUJI: The ship holds about 5,500 men and women, many of them sailors and pilots. About 10 of them are from Hawaii. Admiral John Kelly praised his crew for many successful missions.
ADMIRAL JOHN KELLY, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: We were able, Truman and Roosevelt, we were able to push a tremendous number of combat aircraft into this fight and do it in a way that helped our ground forces take full advantage of the tactical situation as it evolved.
FUJI: Andrea Fuji for CNN, aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ARENA: Returning home from the war in Iraq can take some serious readjustment. Joining us to talk about that is Veterans Administration and Emory University psychiatrist Dr. Alberto Gonzalez.
Thank you for joining us.
DR. ALBERTO GONZALEZ, MILITARY PSYCHIATRIST: Thanks for having me here.
ARENA: With such a swift and successful victory, would that perhaps give some young military men and women returning home a false sense of security and perhaps make them more willing to take dangerous risks?
GONZALEZ: Yes, indeed. Certainly one of the challenges of homecoming of the readjustment back to civilian life is being able to integrate the experiences of the war so that when they get back home, they can incorporate those in a way that is positive and constructive. So, yes, indeed, that's a real challenge.
ARENA: Does it affect younger military servicemen or does experience help at all in this area?
GONZALEZ: No, it can affect, I mean it can affect almost pretty much everyone that has been exposed to a battlefield, a war situation. So I'd say that there is really no, anybody can be affected.
ARENA: What are some of the danger signs when someone's in trouble?
GONZALEZ: Well, I would say that sometimes what can happen is, particularly for the first few months after being in the war is that when coming back home, some of the behaviors that were learned, appropriately, during the war, such as being hyper alert, on guard, on watch, can be carried over into civilian life for a while and sometimes they can pose a problem, such as these people can start developing nightmares, problems, intrusive memories about the war. They can become easily angered and irritable. Sometimes they can lash out in appropriate ways that can lead to problems when back in the community.
So I think that would be some of the warning signs of maybe some help would be needed.
ARENA: What should family members and loved ones do in that situation? Is this just something that a professional can handle? Or can family members also do something that would be helpful?
GONZALEZ: Yes. I think families can, by having an understanding of what the soldier went through in the war. I think that can be very helpful in showing understanding. Sometimes facilitating conversation, talk, allowing that person to be able to talk about some of these experiences can help. But, indeed, if the problem becomes significant, I think professional counseling or seeking the help of some professional, I think it would be very appropriate.
ARENA: Do you find that they are receptive to help or -- I mean, you know, once you go and you've fought a war and you're told to sort of repress and just do the job, is there a problem getting through?
GONZALEZ: Yes. I think in the past that was the case, with previous veterans from previous wars, particularly in the Vietnam War. But I think now there is the, we have learned a great deal from previous wars about the psychological effects of war and I think in general the armed forces, the Army, the Navy and the other branches, are much better prepared now in dealing with these problems. And they're, they provide already a lot of support, a lot of debriefing, counseling for soldiers returning from the battlefield.
So I think now a lot of the soldiers are better prepared now to, and giving a lot of signs that if problems occur, that this is what they need to do. So I think these days it's not as difficult, but, indeed, that can be a problem which hurts individuals, but these days are not as difficult to, for soldiers to get the help they need.
ARENA: I even read something that it's not only the emotional problems, but also some behavioral problems. For example, most of these young men and women come back, they have some extra pocket money to spend. They haven't been spending money in a long time, they've gotten some extra pay because, you know, they've been at war.
GONZALEZ: Right.
ARENA: And they come back and they don't know what to do with that newfound wealth and they make some rash decisions. Is there counseling for that, as well?
GONZALEZ: Yes. I mean there could be certainly, if that becomes a problem, if these behaviors really pose a significant problem for the person, that could be also something that can be addressed in a, with a professional with some counseling, if necessary, indeed.
ARENA: OK, thank you for taking time out of your morning to join us.
GONZALEZ: Thanks for having me here.
ARENA: All right.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
