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Saturday Morning News

USS Cole Attacked: Bodies of Slain Sailors Depart for U.S.

Aired October 14, 2000 - 8:16 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: The bodies of five American sailors who were killed in the Cole explosion were taken to Ramstein Air Base in Germany last night. Later, two planes arrived carrying dozens of the wounded.

We have the latest now from Germany.

Here's CNN's Chris Burns -- Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.

Well, the latest on the five bodies is they have left this morning aboard a plane headed for Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. They should be arriving some time around 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Eastern Daylight Time.

For the others who arrived overnight, the 39 injured sailors arrived aboard two planes, one from Yemen and the other from Djabouti. Djabouti is where 11 especially seriously injured sailors were taken to a French military hospital and they are the ones who are really the main focus this morning as teams have been working overnight here, medical teams, trying to care for those 39.

I have with me here the commander of Landstuhl Medical Hospital, Army Colonel Elder Granger. Colonel, could you tell us about the condition, the situation with the especially five of those who were especially injured right now in serious condition?

COL. ELDER GRANGER, U.S. ARMY: I can tell you right now there are several of them in the operating room right now receiving surgeries involving fractures of different long bones of the extremities and body. They are basically stable and at this point we will not be able to give you any more details until they come out of the operating room. But we can rest assured everything is going fine with the surgery at this point.

BURNS: Can you tell us about the other injuries that some of the other sailors sustained?

ELDER: Well, basically minor bruises, lacerations. One had some contusions basically to the lungs. One had some burns. But that's basically about it.

BURNS: And you expect how many people, how many of the soldiers to be leaving in the next 24 to 48 hours?

ELDER: We expect approximately 34 of the sailors to be returning in the next 24 to 48 hours to Portsmouth, Virginia. This is where, that's the home of the USS Cole and we'll want to get them back to be with their families and their loved ones, which is the most important thing, and our heart goes out to the families.

BURNS: And so actually the injuries were fairly light for many of them. Does it surprise you in such a huge blast that so many, that so few serious, very serious injuries were sustained in such a huge blast?

ELDER: It is somewhat surprising but not knowing the location, I see it as a blessing in disguise.

BURNS: And can you tell us now what's going to happen to the five? How long -- the five who are especially injured and will be staying behind for several, at least several days, correct?

ELDER: That'll -- at least several days. That'll depend on the outcome of their post-operative care, what's going to happen, how well they're going to do in the next few days.

BURNS: Will their families be coming here?

ELDER: It depends on if they are here for an extended period of time, maybe greater than three to five days, and we'll go through the Navy liaison, our Navy colleagues here, to make effort to get the family here in an expeditious manner.

BURNS: Colonel Elder Granger, thank you very much.

ELDER: You're welcome.

BURNS: Commander of Landstuhl Medical Center.

And we're back to the studio. We'll be watching this situation throughout the day. We expect a news conference here later in the day. Back to the studio.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: CNN's Chris Burns, Ramstein Air Base.

The bodies of the sailors who have been recovered from the USS Cole are scheduled to arrive this afternoon at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. CNN's Martin Savidge is there with the latest. Good morning, Marty.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Miles.

And here at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware officials here are preparing to receive the five sailors from the USS Cole. It's anticipated that that aircraft, the military transport, will touch down here around two o'clock Eastern Time. It took off from Ramstein Air Force Base around 5:00 A.M. Eastern Time. And when it lands here, there is a very solemn and a very strict military decorum that is followed. The transport plane will taxi into place. It will lower a ramp and then another special ramp will be put in place and then a military honor guard will board the aircraft, remove the caskets and carry them to a memorial hangar. And there, inside, they will be placed under a very large, a 40 foot American flag, where they will rest.

It is expected that there will also take place inside of that hangar a memorial service, a small one that will be attended by family members. After that, then the work begins here at Dover Air Force Base. Primarily it is the formal identification process and then preparing the bodies for burial. This is a role that this base has performed many times in the past, dating all the way back to the Vietnam War and it is a role that it is especially outfitted for, being the east coast port mortuary.

There are two other bodies that were recovered of U.S. sailors from the Cole that are resting right now in Bahrain. They are awaiting transport and for the processing. And the, of course, there are 10 other bodies from sailors that right now are listed as missing in action but presumed dead that have yet to be recovered -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Martin Savidge at Dover Air Force Base -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Some families are still waiting for final word on their loved ones that were on the USS Cole. The Navy says that 10 sailors missing after Thursday's explosion at this point are presumed dead.

Now, as our Gary Tuchman reports, the family of at least one sailor is still holding out hope for the best.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): She was only 18 years old when she joined the Navy, turning 19 just before she left to see the world on the USS Cole. Her sweet 16 cards are still on her bedroom wall in Woodleaf, North Carolina.

It's a typical teenager's bedroom. But this is a teen who is missing after a terrorist bombing.

SANDRA FRANCIS, MOTHER: Lakea (ph) has always made me proud, ever since she was born.

TUCHMAN: Lakea's mother, her father, her grandparents, her brothers and friends are maintaining a vigil, waiting for the phone call to confirm Lakea's fate. A chaplain came to their door Thursday night.

FRANCIS: Well, they wanted to know was this the Francis residence, was this Lakea's family and I said yes and that she was missing.

TUCHMAN: And what did you say?

FRANCIS: I just started to cry.

TUCHMAN: Lakea's grandmother talked to her on the phone Sunday night.

BERTHA SHIVERS, GRANDMOTHER: I just pray that she's alive. I don't have that feeling that she's gone. I'm just hoping that she'll pop up and say hi grandmom, fooled you. I'm back in the States.

TUCHMAN: This family is frightened and angry. They want to know how this could have happened to their little girl. But they refuse to give up hope that some terrible mistake has been made and somehow, some way, Lakea is OK.

FRANCIS: I'm walking the floors and just talking to my mom and my girlfriend and my family and just praying, praying a lot.

TUCHMAN: So for now, this family just waits, and dreams of their Lakea coming home.

(on camera): What would you say to her right now if you could talk to her?

FRANCIS: I'd tell her her mother love her so much and I want her to come home. And I miss her so much. And I know that god wouldn't just take Lakea yet, at least I hope and pray that he wouldn't take her.

TUCHMAN (voice-over): Gary Tuchman, CNN, Woodleaf, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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