WEBVTT 00:00.140 --> 00:03.110 uh christian when last we spoke , you 00:03.110 --> 00:05.166 told us a bit about what your day is 00:05.166 --> 00:07.110 like . Can you give us a sense ? I 00:07.110 --> 00:08.832 understand that there had been 00:08.832 --> 00:10.721 mentioned earlier to us about the 00:10.721 --> 00:12.666 mortar fire . I guess things got a 00:12.666 --> 00:16.400 little exciting there recently a 00:16.410 --> 00:18.466 yes , that's true a couple of nights 00:18.466 --> 00:22.130 ago , It was 00:22.140 --> 00:25.060 maybe about eight or 9:00 our time . 00:26.940 --> 00:29.100 I don't know anything back up and say 00:29.100 --> 00:31.100 it periodically . You'll hear these 00:31.100 --> 00:35.030 loud explosives sometimes in the 00:35.030 --> 00:38.540 night . This particular time there were 00:38.540 --> 00:40.920 about two or three of them and they 00:40.920 --> 00:44.750 were a lot closer than I had ever heard 00:45.140 --> 00:47.920 since I've been here . Um they actually 00:47.920 --> 00:51.050 came inside our forward operating base 00:51.640 --> 00:55.260 and from where I was , I would say 00:55.640 --> 00:58.270 They landed maybe 2 , 2 football fields 00:58.270 --> 01:02.140 away or so . Um so they make a 01:02.150 --> 01:04.620 very very loud noise . It's a noise 01:04.620 --> 01:07.900 that just kind of tells you that 01:07.900 --> 01:09.956 something is wrong , it's not a good 01:09.956 --> 01:12.122 noise to hear , but no one was injured 01:12.122 --> 01:14.370 and there are a lot of people on the 01:14.370 --> 01:18.310 scene at the time and they believed 01:18.310 --> 01:22.300 that they were , they were 01:22.300 --> 01:24.660 sent in from nearby neighborhood or 01:24.660 --> 01:28.640 something like that . It's 01:28.640 --> 01:31.190 kind of a , I guess the question is 01:31.190 --> 01:33.800 kind of a reminder to use of of where 01:33.800 --> 01:37.220 you are and and uh and what 01:37.230 --> 01:40.260 potentially is out there . Yeah , 01:40.270 --> 01:42.492 exactly , you know , even though you're 01:42.492 --> 01:45.820 inside a base or in a camp and you know , 01:45.820 --> 01:48.190 it's it's safe as you can be in Iraq to 01:48.190 --> 01:50.470 be inside the base . It is that 01:50.470 --> 01:52.359 reminded at any time , you know , 01:52.359 --> 01:54.414 something like that can happen . you 01:54.414 --> 01:56.581 really have no control over that , you 01:56.581 --> 01:58.803 do have procedures , you have to follow 01:58.803 --> 02:01.026 when incoming rounds coming like that , 02:01.026 --> 02:03.192 you want to get down on the ground and 02:03.192 --> 02:04.970 take cover and you know protect 02:04.970 --> 02:07.303 yourself um but yeah , it is a reminder , 02:07.303 --> 02:09.526 I mean we carry out weapons wherever we 02:09.526 --> 02:12.040 go , but you know normally inside the 02:12.040 --> 02:14.970 base you think you are safer but you 02:14.970 --> 02:17.026 can never let down your guard at all 02:17.026 --> 02:19.026 and uh you know if you needed to be 02:19.026 --> 02:21.192 reminded of that just a few nights ago 02:21.192 --> 02:24.400 we were , I know we're going to be 02:24.400 --> 02:26.567 getting in the next couple of days , a 02:26.567 --> 02:29.290 story from you about Saddam's palaces 02:29.300 --> 02:31.411 uh maybe you can get a little preview 02:31.411 --> 02:33.633 of what we're going to be , our viewers 02:33.633 --> 02:33.510 are gonna be seeing in the , in the 02:33.520 --> 02:37.390 days ahead . Okay , absolutely . Uh as 02:37.390 --> 02:40.240 well as we know Saddam Hussein spends 02:40.240 --> 02:42.462 much of his time these days between his 02:42.462 --> 02:45.160 court , the courtroom and his prison 02:45.160 --> 02:47.780 cell , but there was a time when he 02:47.780 --> 02:49.740 lived in more much more lavish 02:49.740 --> 02:51.910 lifestyle when he was ruling this 02:51.910 --> 02:54.030 country , Iraq some accounts , he had 02:54.030 --> 02:57.200 over 100 palaces throughout Iraq and 02:57.200 --> 02:59.460 recently I had a chance to visit some 02:59.460 --> 03:02.120 of these palaces and to be honest with 03:02.120 --> 03:04.390 you , they weren't in the best of 03:04.390 --> 03:05.160 condition 03:07.940 --> 03:11.260 and uh do you hear any 03:11.270 --> 03:14.310 talk christian uh I mean he's talked 03:14.310 --> 03:17.590 about it all or is he uh someone that 03:17.600 --> 03:19.670 nobody that you ever come in contact 03:19.670 --> 03:23.360 with says anything about anymore , you 03:23.360 --> 03:25.870 know , I don't hear too much discussion 03:25.870 --> 03:29.040 about Saddam Hussein and and how his 03:29.040 --> 03:30.984 trial is going and people are more 03:30.984 --> 03:34.910 concerned on the continued Iraqis 03:34.910 --> 03:37.150 taking over more and more control of 03:37.150 --> 03:39.820 their country and the areas in and 03:39.820 --> 03:42.042 around Iraq and around Baghdad where we 03:42.042 --> 03:44.050 are uh that is definitely more the 03:44.050 --> 03:45.661 emphasis more the top of the 03:45.661 --> 03:47.717 conversation and it's happening more 03:47.717 --> 03:50.340 and more , you know , each week they're 03:50.340 --> 03:52.830 taking back more territory from the 03:52.830 --> 03:56.750 United States military . Does it seem 03:56.750 --> 03:58.880 to you from your experience and from 03:58.880 --> 04:00.880 those you've talked to who've maybe 04:00.880 --> 04:03.180 been there longer that things in some 04:03.180 --> 04:05.990 way , you know in downtown Baghdad for 04:05.990 --> 04:08.157 example are getting back to some sense 04:08.157 --> 04:11.650 of normalcy . Yeah , it's 04:11.650 --> 04:15.640 slow and they are again 04:15.650 --> 04:18.940 um improving the essential services in 04:18.940 --> 04:22.640 Baghdad , you know the water and 04:22.640 --> 04:25.550 just you know , the sewer system and 04:25.550 --> 04:28.030 electricity . So those things are 04:28.030 --> 04:30.730 getting better and I think as they 04:30.730 --> 04:33.680 continue to improve then that normally 04:33.680 --> 04:36.640 will , you know , start getting 04:36.650 --> 04:40.440 back to the citizens of that city , but 04:40.450 --> 04:42.339 I think some parts of Baghdad are 04:42.339 --> 04:44.660 probably better shape than other parts 04:46.940 --> 04:49.051 christian . Um we probably only got a 04:49.051 --> 04:51.273 couple minutes left here . Um one thing 04:51.273 --> 04:53.810 I did wanna make you aware of is that 04:53.810 --> 04:56.610 we've gotten some outstanding reaction 04:56.610 --> 04:58.443 to the stories that we have done 04:58.443 --> 05:01.030 involving you with these interviews , 05:01.040 --> 05:03.540 people are love to have that kind of 05:03.540 --> 05:05.651 perspective in the newscast because I 05:05.651 --> 05:07.484 think a lot of times people feel 05:07.484 --> 05:09.373 they're only getting the negative 05:09.373 --> 05:12.400 stories out of out of Iraq . So I think 05:12.400 --> 05:14.810 that tends to balance it . Any message . 05:14.820 --> 05:17.460 Uh , you know , as we wrap up here , 05:17.470 --> 05:20.250 four people um , uh , here at home , I 05:20.250 --> 05:22.306 know you've mentioned some things in 05:22.306 --> 05:24.528 the past . Anything else you might want 05:24.528 --> 05:27.940 to add uh , any any words here uh , for 05:27.940 --> 05:30.540 the folks here at home . Well , just a 05:30.540 --> 05:32.818 little bit on just what you touched on . 05:32.818 --> 05:34.929 I mean , this is an incredible outlet 05:34.929 --> 05:37.600 for us to let the public know back home 05:37.600 --> 05:40.330 that there are good things , good 05:40.330 --> 05:42.219 stories , soldiers are doing good 05:42.219 --> 05:44.740 things and you know , they're working 05:44.740 --> 05:47.680 with the Iraqis and we're going to give 05:47.680 --> 05:50.460 them , you know , their country back uh , 05:50.470 --> 05:53.250 and they're free country back and you 05:53.250 --> 05:55.306 know , it's gonna take a little more 05:55.306 --> 05:57.583 time . But with this outlet , you know , 05:57.583 --> 05:59.583 I , I hope to be able to show , you 05:59.583 --> 06:01.861 know , the Hudson Valley audience . Uh , 06:01.861 --> 06:03.750 you know , more and more and even 06:03.750 --> 06:05.472 better , better stories , more 06:05.472 --> 06:07.528 interesting stories , but definitely 06:07.528 --> 06:09.639 stories that show this transfer , you 06:09.639 --> 06:11.639 know of authority and control going 06:11.639 --> 06:15.450 back to the Iraqis , but 06:15.450 --> 06:18.990 just yes , yeah , keep the 06:18.990 --> 06:20.879 cards and everything . Yeah , the 06:20.879 --> 06:22.990 support has been great . Again , I'll 06:22.990 --> 06:25.046 thank you now to everyone back there 06:25.046 --> 06:27.970 and when I get back , I'll , I'll thank 06:27.970 --> 06:30.630 you personally . But yeah , everyone's 06:30.630 --> 06:33.540 been great . Um , total strangers . We 06:33.540 --> 06:36.980 never hear from send us stuff . So like 06:36.980 --> 06:38.924 I said before , a mail call in the 06:38.924 --> 06:41.240 military is a big thing . Um and I've 06:41.240 --> 06:43.240 been fortunate enough to get to get 06:43.240 --> 06:46.170 plenty of mail from back home . Alright , 06:46.180 --> 06:48.402 great . Thank you very much Christian . 06:48.402 --> 06:50.347 We've got 10:00 , so I guess we're 06:50.347 --> 06:52.569 probably about ready uh to wrap up , so 06:52.569 --> 06:54.736 thank you and we hope to hear from you 06:54.736 --> 06:56.736 real soon . Alright . I'll keep the 06:56.736 --> 06:58.847 stories coming . Tracy . Thanks Hello 06:58.847 --> 07:00.958 to everyone back there , Michelle . I 07:00.958 --> 07:03.180 love you , baby and Jeannie . I'll talk 07:03.180 --> 07:03.660 to you guys soon .