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CNN Saturday Morning News

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Aired December 20, 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.


SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, back in the States, a death in Iraq hits close to home as Adam Landau of affiliate WJXT reports, a family in Brunswick, Georgia is mourning one fallen soldier who was also a favorite son.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY HOLLAND, SOLDIER'S FATHER: No. You're never ready for this.

ADAM LANDAU, WJXT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Instead of planning for a happy Christmas, Jimmy Holland is getting visitors a week early as he starts planning a funeral for his son.

HOLLAND: I'm in shock, you know. I'm just going through the motions right now. It's just, just like a roller coaster right now. It's just up and down.

LANDAU: Twenty-six-year-old Chris Holland was a specialist with the 1st Armored Division. He was killed in a gunfight on Tuesday in Baghdad. We're told he's the first casualty since the capture of Saddam Hussein and to make it all worse for Chris' family...

HOLLAND: He was coming home the 19th. I was going to take two weeks vacation and pick him up in Jacksonville and he was going to come home for two weeks and then he was going to have to go back.

LANDAU: And now, instead of getting ready to hug him...

HOLLAND: I think he was looking forward to coming home, because I was going to spoil him.

LANDAU: ... Chris' family is left looking at these photos of a man they all respected.

HOLLAND: Very proud.

LANDAU: And a man they all loved.

HOLLAND: There's been a lot of families having to go through this every day. So I understand what they're going through and it's, I always thought it was the other guy, but you never expect that it would be you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: Holland's father also said when he spoke with his son last Monday, the day after Saddam Hussein's capture, the soldier was doubtful the arrest would make a difference. He quoted his son as saying, "A lot of Iraqis have AK-47s."

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 December 20, 2003 - 07:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: Meanwhile, back in the States, a death in Iraq hits close to home as Adam Landau of affiliate WJXT reports, a family in Brunswick, Georgia is mourning one fallen soldier who was also a favorite son.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY HOLLAND, SOLDIER'S FATHER: No. You're never ready for this.

ADAM LANDAU, WJXT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Instead of planning for a happy Christmas, Jimmy Holland is getting visitors a week early as he starts planning a funeral for his son.

HOLLAND: I'm in shock, you know. I'm just going through the motions right now. It's just, just like a roller coaster right now. It's just up and down.

LANDAU: Twenty-six-year-old Chris Holland was a specialist with the 1st Armored Division. He was killed in a gunfight on Tuesday in Baghdad. We're told he's the first casualty since the capture of Saddam Hussein and to make it all worse for Chris' family...

HOLLAND: He was coming home the 19th. I was going to take two weeks vacation and pick him up in Jacksonville and he was going to come home for two weeks and then he was going to have to go back.

LANDAU: And now, instead of getting ready to hug him...

HOLLAND: I think he was looking forward to coming home, because I was going to spoil him.

LANDAU: ... Chris' family is left looking at these photos of a man they all respected.

HOLLAND: Very proud.

LANDAU: And a man they all loved.

HOLLAND: There's been a lot of families having to go through this every day. So I understand what they're going through and it's, I always thought it was the other guy, but you never expect that it would be you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLEBS: Holland's father also said when he spoke with his son last Monday, the day after Saddam Hussein's capture, the soldier was doubtful the arrest would make a difference. He quoted his son as saying, "A lot of Iraqis have AK-47s."

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