Martin Savidge: Debriefing and celebrations in store for home-bound crew

Martin Savidge

CNN field reporter Martin Savidge reported from Hickam Air Force Base in Honolulu, Hawaii for this interview.

Q: Describe what happened when the crew landed today. How did they look when they stepped off of the plane?

Savidge: There was a lot of excitement and a lot of anticipation, especially in the crowd of people that had gathered here at Hickam Air Force Base, for the moment that they waited for-- when the door of the C-17 military aircraft swung open and the 24 crew members stepped out. They appeared to be in good health. They were all wearing green flight suits. They were offering crisp salutes to the admirals and other officers gathered there, but they appeared, just as we had been told, to have been well taken care of while they were in China. It is difficult to know what was going on in their minds, but there were a lot of smiles on their faces.

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Q: What will be involved in the debriefing process the crew is about to undergo?

Savidge: The debriefing process is going to be somewhat strenuous. It is somewhat of a condensed schedule as well. They know that the edict has come down from the Commander in Chief, President Bush, saying that this crew has to be home in time for Easter. So they are going to go through some long days essentially, 12 or maybe 14-hour days. Twelve debriefing teams will be interviewing the crew members. We don't believe it's going to be on an individual basis. It could be in small groups. The debriefs are going to take place inside the Pearl Harbor Navy Base inside a conference room. And they will not only be going over the who, what, where, when, why and how of the collision and what transpired when they arrived in China, but they will also be trying to assess them mentally and physically. They want to make sure that everyone is feeling good with themselves and with the mission they conducted before they go home to what is likely to be a very, very tumultuous welcome by their families.

Q: During the debrief period in Hawaii, will the crew have any contact with their families who are waiting on Whidbey Island for their return?

Savidge: That isn't exactly clear at this point. The Navy knows how important family is at this particular time. It is, after all, the main reason why they worked so hard to get the crew out of China to reunite them and be sure that they could be with their families once more. They say that the debriefing process is a very important process. The Navy describes it as part of their mission, so the accent is going to be on trying to get as much information in the limited amount of time they have. We don't know if there will be a chance for family phone calls, but we do know that the Navy is very concerned about maintaining the link between crew and family.

Q: What celebrations are planned for the crew members' arrival in Whidbey Island?

Savidge: One of the extraordinary things as they were describing the prospect of the celebration is that the gates of the naval air station on Whidbey Island will be open to the public. It isn't often that a secure military installation allows that kind of freedom of access. That's a pretty significant sign—that they are literally welcoming in the entire community to show up to welcome home these 24 men and women. It's expected that there will be a large crowd on hand—a lot of waving, a lot of music, certainly a lot of cheers and hugs. But the community leaders there are also very mindful that the real purpose here is to get the crew members and their families back together, and they don't want to impinge on that. Apparently there is going to be a parade, but that is going to come some weeks later.

Q: Will the crew be permitted to speak publicly about their ordeal in Hainan once they return home?

Savidge: One of the things that has been talked about, and certainly reporters have been asking: would we have the opportunity to speak directly to the crew members? The prospect is being held out there that maybe Saturday morning before they board the plane heading out to Whidbey Island that there could be a brief news conference by a selected number of crew members. There had also been some talk about a news conference on Whidbey Island. However, when they are that close to home and that close to family, we're not sure if they're going to want to hang around to answer questions.

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USCINCPAC Homepage
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Navy Fact File: EP-3E ORION (ARIES II) Aircraft
U.S. Department of Defense
Government of China (in Chinese)
U.S. Department of State
Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the U.S.A.
Government Information Office, Republic of China

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