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CNN Live Sunday

Interview With Jeffrey Bender

Aired May 04, 2003 - 18:51   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: Less than 48 hours from now thousands of men and women are going to be kissing and hugging and squeezing on a pier in Washington State. Now, I'm not a psychic but I know this because that's when the aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln is expected in its home port, Everett, Washington.
CNN's Frank Buckley is aboard the carrier and there has got to be a lot of growing excitement -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, Anderson. These guys have been waiting for this for nearly ten months, the longest aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam Era.

Right now, the USS Abraham Lincoln still steaming along the blue water of the Pacific Ocean here heading up the west coast of the U.S., heading toward Everett, Washington.

No flight operations, the air wing has already left the ship. That means that the primary activity is gone, that is flight operations, and this cruise has really taken on the sense of a cruise the last couple of days.

We can tell you here in the hangar bay, for example, that they've got all kinds of activities for the sailors. Right now you can see this is the climbing wall that they brought on in San Diego. You can see our photographer up there, Brian Pearson (ph) who's getting some shots of some of the sailors who are climbing.

And then, right beyond where the climbers are is a basketball court that they've set up right down here on the other side of the climbing wall. We can tell you that CNN had a team represented out here on this basketball court and we can show you some of the highlights.

Jamie McShane (ph), our producer, going strong to the hole early on, and then we made a few baskets. It was going OK, but then toward the end we started to get schooled a little bit. The guy that I was covering, the public affairs officer Lieutenant Commander Jeff Bender, and I got to tell you Jeff's here with me now.

Lieutenant Commander Bender, you hooked on me pretty good and I can't remember the final score but it was something like 15 to something and you guys schooled us. You beat us.

LT. CMDR. JEFFREY BENDER, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Final score was 15 to 7. Let me remind you of that. The two other players on our team were Captain Bruce Nichols (ph), our staff ops, and the chief of staff Captain Ron Stites (ph). We looked a little winded in the beginning there but I think we rebounded quite well and Captain Nichols picked up the rest of the team and I think we gave you a run for your money and came out the victors.

BUCKLEY: We were surprised that you old guys did so well. This whole thing that you got set up here this is not something that you have during wartime. Why do you do this and how is this set up and why do you do it?

BENDER: Like you mentioned, this is our last Sunday at sea, an opportunity for all the guys and gals, men and women to relax and enjoy themselves before they pull back into port on Tuesday. We're down to less than 48 hours onboard and it's a good feeling. You'll see a lot more smiles onboard here, see a lot of people upbeat, looking forward to seeing their families and just a good chance to relax and have some fun.

BUCKLEY: And it's an interesting way that you pay for all these activities like the climbing wall and some of the equipment. Tell people how it's paid for.

BENDER: We have a ship's MWR, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, and the funds from that go to events just like this, the climbing wall, you know, opportunities to go see the Mariner's play, sporting events, movies, anything that will help benefit the morale of the sailor, and that's what our MWR does a great job of that.

BUCKLEY: Let's talk about morale. In the last couple of days here, these guys when you go around the ship they're so excited. I think the channel fever is already starting. What do you sense from these sailors?

BENDER: You're correct. Channel fever has started. You'll see tomorrow night, we'll play big bucks bingo and give away some nice prizes there. Everybody will pretty much be up for the final hours and real excited to see their families.

The folks here have spent nine and a half months, as you have mentioned, 288 days at sea as of today, a pretty long deployment and I think everybody is happy how we supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and the other operations, Enduring Freedom, and Southern Watch as well.

BUCKLEY: All right, Jeff Bender, the public affairs officer, my opponent on the basketball court, all right we lost. We lost.

BENDER: Looking forward to that meal Frank.

BUCKLEY: All right, I'm buying him dinner tonight in Ward Room 3 here on the ship -- Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Frank, I can not believe you used the old, oh yeah I can't remember what the score was. That is like the -- that's the oldest trick in the book, 15 to 7, that was the score, Frank. Man, couldn't remember.

BUCKLEY: I know, sorry.

COOPER: Hang you head in shame. All right, we'll look forward to seeing you back in Everett, Washington.

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 May 4, 2003 - 18:51   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: Less than 48 hours from now thousands of men and women are going to be kissing and hugging and squeezing on a pier in Washington State. Now, I'm not a psychic but I know this because that's when the aircraft carrier the USS Abraham Lincoln is expected in its home port, Everett, Washington.
CNN's Frank Buckley is aboard the carrier and there has got to be a lot of growing excitement -- Frank.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, absolutely, Anderson. These guys have been waiting for this for nearly ten months, the longest aircraft carrier deployment since the Vietnam Era.

Right now, the USS Abraham Lincoln still steaming along the blue water of the Pacific Ocean here heading up the west coast of the U.S., heading toward Everett, Washington.

No flight operations, the air wing has already left the ship. That means that the primary activity is gone, that is flight operations, and this cruise has really taken on the sense of a cruise the last couple of days.

We can tell you here in the hangar bay, for example, that they've got all kinds of activities for the sailors. Right now you can see this is the climbing wall that they brought on in San Diego. You can see our photographer up there, Brian Pearson (ph) who's getting some shots of some of the sailors who are climbing.

And then, right beyond where the climbers are is a basketball court that they've set up right down here on the other side of the climbing wall. We can tell you that CNN had a team represented out here on this basketball court and we can show you some of the highlights.

Jamie McShane (ph), our producer, going strong to the hole early on, and then we made a few baskets. It was going OK, but then toward the end we started to get schooled a little bit. The guy that I was covering, the public affairs officer Lieutenant Commander Jeff Bender, and I got to tell you Jeff's here with me now.

Lieutenant Commander Bender, you hooked on me pretty good and I can't remember the final score but it was something like 15 to something and you guys schooled us. You beat us.

LT. CMDR. JEFFREY BENDER, USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN: Final score was 15 to 7. Let me remind you of that. The two other players on our team were Captain Bruce Nichols (ph), our staff ops, and the chief of staff Captain Ron Stites (ph). We looked a little winded in the beginning there but I think we rebounded quite well and Captain Nichols picked up the rest of the team and I think we gave you a run for your money and came out the victors.

BUCKLEY: We were surprised that you old guys did so well. This whole thing that you got set up here this is not something that you have during wartime. Why do you do this and how is this set up and why do you do it?

BENDER: Like you mentioned, this is our last Sunday at sea, an opportunity for all the guys and gals, men and women to relax and enjoy themselves before they pull back into port on Tuesday. We're down to less than 48 hours onboard and it's a good feeling. You'll see a lot more smiles onboard here, see a lot of people upbeat, looking forward to seeing their families and just a good chance to relax and have some fun.

BUCKLEY: And it's an interesting way that you pay for all these activities like the climbing wall and some of the equipment. Tell people how it's paid for.

BENDER: We have a ship's MWR, Morale, Welfare, and Recreation, and the funds from that go to events just like this, the climbing wall, you know, opportunities to go see the Mariner's play, sporting events, movies, anything that will help benefit the morale of the sailor, and that's what our MWR does a great job of that.

BUCKLEY: Let's talk about morale. In the last couple of days here, these guys when you go around the ship they're so excited. I think the channel fever is already starting. What do you sense from these sailors?

BENDER: You're correct. Channel fever has started. You'll see tomorrow night, we'll play big bucks bingo and give away some nice prizes there. Everybody will pretty much be up for the final hours and real excited to see their families.

The folks here have spent nine and a half months, as you have mentioned, 288 days at sea as of today, a pretty long deployment and I think everybody is happy how we supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and the other operations, Enduring Freedom, and Southern Watch as well.

BUCKLEY: All right, Jeff Bender, the public affairs officer, my opponent on the basketball court, all right we lost. We lost.

BENDER: Looking forward to that meal Frank.

BUCKLEY: All right, I'm buying him dinner tonight in Ward Room 3 here on the ship -- Anderson, back to you.

COOPER: Frank, I can not believe you used the old, oh yeah I can't remember what the score was. That is like the -- that's the oldest trick in the book, 15 to 7, that was the score, Frank. Man, couldn't remember.

BUCKLEY: I know, sorry.

COOPER: Hang you head in shame. All right, we'll look forward to seeing you back in Everett, Washington.

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