Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Sunday
101st Airborne Rolls Into Place Near Iraqi Border With Kuwait
Aired March 09, 2003 - 17:04 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: More signs the looming showdown with Iraq is heading into a dramatic new phase. A convoy from the 101st Airborne Division is rolling into place near the Iraqi border. CNN's Ryan Chilcote is at Camp New Jersey in Kuwait and joins us by videophone. Hi, Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon, Fredricka. Well, that convoy included some 40 vehicles, mostly Humvees, the first of hundreds of vehicles that are being offloaded off a ship that pulled into a nearby port yesterday morning. Also being offloaded off that ship, three battalions worth of helicopters. This is obviously very significant. The very few people thought that the 101st, that the U.S. military rather would begin any kind of military action in Iraq without the 101st and, specifically, without those helicopters.
A little bit of history, the 101st Airborne used its helicopters, the air assault into Iraq during the Gulf War. That was then the farthest air assault in military history, and they went farther north into Iraq than any other U.S. unit during the war. Many suspect that they might do the same kind of thing this time around. Air assault is their forte, and these helicopters give them that ability. So this is, obviously, a very significant development here in Kuwait.
Now, the soldiers haven't exactly been sitting on their hands here in the desert. They've been getting ready. They've been training. They've also been relaxing, a little bit of R&R. We caught up with some soldiers playing football just yesterday, all of this part of acclimating to life here in the desert in Kuwait. Remember, these soldiers just came from Kentucky just a bit more than a week ago. It was snowy, rainy and cold in Kentucky. It's hot, air rid and very, obviously, very different. That's not to say that these soldiers are new to desert warfare. Many of them, actually, just came back from Afghanistan a little bit more than six months ago, but they still do have a lot of acclimating to do -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ryan. Thank you very 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
Kuwait>
Aired March 9, 2003 - 17:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: More signs the looming showdown with Iraq is heading into a dramatic new phase. A convoy from the 101st Airborne Division is rolling into place near the Iraqi border. CNN's Ryan Chilcote is at Camp New Jersey in Kuwait and joins us by videophone. Hi, Ryan.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good afternoon, Fredricka. Well, that convoy included some 40 vehicles, mostly Humvees, the first of hundreds of vehicles that are being offloaded off a ship that pulled into a nearby port yesterday morning. Also being offloaded off that ship, three battalions worth of helicopters. This is obviously very significant. The very few people thought that the 101st, that the U.S. military rather would begin any kind of military action in Iraq without the 101st and, specifically, without those helicopters.
A little bit of history, the 101st Airborne used its helicopters, the air assault into Iraq during the Gulf War. That was then the farthest air assault in military history, and they went farther north into Iraq than any other U.S. unit during the war. Many suspect that they might do the same kind of thing this time around. Air assault is their forte, and these helicopters give them that ability. So this is, obviously, a very significant development here in Kuwait.
Now, the soldiers haven't exactly been sitting on their hands here in the desert. They've been getting ready. They've been training. They've also been relaxing, a little bit of R&R. We caught up with some soldiers playing football just yesterday, all of this part of acclimating to life here in the desert in Kuwait. Remember, these soldiers just came from Kentucky just a bit more than a week ago. It was snowy, rainy and cold in Kentucky. It's hot, air rid and very, obviously, very different. That's not to say that these soldiers are new to desert warfare. Many of them, actually, just came back from Afghanistan a little bit more than six months ago, but they still do have a lot of acclimating to do -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Ryan. Thank you very 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
Kuwait>
