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CNN SATURDAY MORNING NEWS
USS Enterprise Homecoming Nears End
Aired November 10, 2001 - 11:37 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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the USS Enterprise, the first U.S. aircraft carrier to report for combat duty in the Middle East, and the first to report back home.
CNN's Jeanne Meserve is live in Norfolk, Virginia, where the Enterprise docked about an hour ago -- Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Martin, this is a far different scene than we've seen all morning. Look around this dock now, virtually empty; a few sailors still trickling off. We just saw a reunion right down here, what appears to be a mother and child down there and a couple of other relatives. It's really been quite a scene.
There are a few people still waiting. I'm going to bring you over and show you. The thousands of people who were here earlier are not here anymore.
Ma'am, hi, who are you waiting for?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My son.
MESERVE: This must be really frustrating.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it is.
MESERVE: How long have you been waiting here?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Since 7:00 this morning. And we called his wife, because she's in Jacksonville, and she said that he's probably going to be one of the last ones to get off. So we know that he's probably going to be one of the last ones off.
MESERVE: It just must be excruciating to watch all these other reunions take place and still be waiting for your own.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. That kind of looks like him, but I guess it's not.
MESERVE: Well, maybe while we're still out here, you'll see him and we'll get to see that first hug.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
MESERVE: What are you going to say to him when you see him?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're proud of him, and we missed him, and we're glad he's home.
MESERVE: Great. Well I hope you see him in just a few moments time. You know, all morning we've been showing you the perspective from here on the pier. We have some videotape.
Our cameramen Tony (ph) and Ronnie (ph) came in on this aircraft carrier, and so you can get the perspective from the sailor's point of view. There's a huge flight deck on this carrier, about four and a half acres in size. And as the ship came in, all the men were ringed around that deck. It's a Navy tradition. They stand there when the ship goes out, and again when the ship comes in. They were doing it here.
And then when they finally docked here, they were up on the edge of that ship waving down here, trying to find their loved ones in the crowd. And then, of course, there was the moment we all were waiting for. As the men came off, they started having wonderful reunions -- men and women, excuse me. There are, indeed, women on this ship. The reunions here were really something. You'd have to be a stone not to be moved by what you saw here.
There were moms and dads and children and, of course, husbands and wives. They would see each other. Some of them would run for 20 yards, literally jump into one another's arms. There were big smiles. There were a lot of tears. There were a lot of hugs that, frankly, looked like they were never going to end. Really quite a terrific moment.
Martin, back to you.
SAVIDGE: That is truly, Jeanne, a wonderful sight to see. Thank you very much for bringing it to us.
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