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CNN Live Sunday
French Journalist Dies in U.S. Live Fire Exercise
Aired December 22, 2002 - 18:15 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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The dangers of a live-fire exercise were made very real today when a French journalist died. Patrick Bourrat was hit by a U.S. tank yesterday in Kuwait. It happened during the massive training exercise going on just miles from Iraq's border. An army spokesman says Bourrat was hit after stepping out to get a better look at the tank but a French photographer says Bourrat was trying to warn him to get out of the way. Bourrat was on a five-day assignment in Kuwait.
Well, putting thousands of troops, hundreds of armored vehicles, and live ammo in the same place is obviously dangerous. CNN's Ryan Chilcote was close by when the French journalist was hit and he looks at how dangerous the training can actually be.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Some spectators couldn't help themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Total freedom of maneuver, live fire. It's the most tough, realistic training event that the United States military gets to conduct.
CHILCOTE: After two months in Kuwait, the individual units of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division are conducting the dress rehearsals.
SGT. JAMES KELLEY, U.S. ARMY: The exercise we're participating in today is actually great because we got all our elements out here. You get to maneuver as a whole, get to see how not just only your part, piece of the pie goes together but as a whole you get to see everything combined.
CHILCOTE: The goal of this live-fire exercise for the division's leadership to practice moving all these tanks, these fighting vehicles, and these occasional Chevy's harmoniously should they have to use them for real.
CHILCOTE (on camera): This is the U.S. Army's largest exercise in the Persian Gulf since the Gulf War. There are more than 150 armored vehicles out there and more than 4,000 troops.
CHILCOTE (voice over): All of them less than six miles from Iraq's border within earshot of Saddam's forces.
GEN. BUFORD BLOUNT, U.S. ARMY: I think it's nice for him to know and his military to know that, you know that if there's a conflict that we are ready.
CHILCOTE: It's a show of force they hope will prepare them for any showdown to come.
Ryan Chilcote CNN, Northern Kuwait.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 22, 2002 - 18:15 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The dangers of a live-fire exercise were made very real today when a French journalist died. Patrick Bourrat was hit by a U.S. tank yesterday in Kuwait. It happened during the massive training exercise going on just miles from Iraq's border. An army spokesman says Bourrat was hit after stepping out to get a better look at the tank but a French photographer says Bourrat was trying to warn him to get out of the way. Bourrat was on a five-day assignment in Kuwait.
Well, putting thousands of troops, hundreds of armored vehicles, and live ammo in the same place is obviously dangerous. CNN's Ryan Chilcote was close by when the French journalist was hit and he looks at how dangerous the training can actually be.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Some spectators couldn't help themselves.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Total freedom of maneuver, live fire. It's the most tough, realistic training event that the United States military gets to conduct.
CHILCOTE: After two months in Kuwait, the individual units of the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division are conducting the dress rehearsals.
SGT. JAMES KELLEY, U.S. ARMY: The exercise we're participating in today is actually great because we got all our elements out here. You get to maneuver as a whole, get to see how not just only your part, piece of the pie goes together but as a whole you get to see everything combined.
CHILCOTE: The goal of this live-fire exercise for the division's leadership to practice moving all these tanks, these fighting vehicles, and these occasional Chevy's harmoniously should they have to use them for real.
CHILCOTE (on camera): This is the U.S. Army's largest exercise in the Persian Gulf since the Gulf War. There are more than 150 armored vehicles out there and more than 4,000 troops.
CHILCOTE (voice over): All of them less than six miles from Iraq's border within earshot of Saddam's forces.
GEN. BUFORD BLOUNT, U.S. ARMY: I think it's nice for him to know and his military to know that, you know that if there's a conflict that we are ready.
CHILCOTE: It's a show of force they hope will prepare them for any showdown to come.
Ryan Chilcote CNN, Northern Kuwait.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
