American Morning
Kiran after the show: A tribute to heroes
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/04/08/kiran.uso3.jpg caption= "Kiran Chetry emcees the USO Woman of the Year luncheon."]
Hero. We use the word lightly at times. But today, I had the honor to meet many of them. It was a celebration of some brave women in our Armed Forces and the quiet, enduring support of civilians who help them.
It was an awards luncheon for the USO of Metropolitan New York.
They asked me to emcee the Woman of the Year awards at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at the Time Warner Center in New York and I eagerly accepted.
At a time when many people around the nation are struggling in tough economic times, there's a tendency to turn inward... to worry about oneself and one's own family. And that's only natural. It can be hard when you are struggling yourself to look up and see the need of others around you as well. But that is what the members of our armed forces do everyday. They volunteer to fight their neighbor's fight, their country's fight, and to put their own lives and their families well-being at risk to serve a greater cause. That is a true hero. And that's what the USO does as well. It recognizes this sacrifice and tries to do all it can to ease the burden to provide support and comfort to the fighting men and women overseas and those who come home injured and in need.
Building Homes for Heroes
From Stephen Samaniego, CNN Producer
Chris Levi has always been a military man. At the age of 14 he enrolled in military school in upstate New York. Upon graduation, he tried college but the military lifestyle called him back. After watching a news report on T.V. about soldiers dying in Iraq, he went to his local Army recruiting office and signed up. He didn't tell anyone, he just did it.
Chris is now recovering at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C. In March of 2008, while in Iraq, Chris was riding in a Humvee when it hit an I.E.D. Chris was blown up along with his vehicle. His life was saved, but his legs were not. He sustained severe injuries to his right arm and almost lost that as well. Chris was transferred to Walter Reed and has been recovering there ever since.
As the reality of his injuries started to take hold, his family, especially his sister Kim, realized that Chris's real battle wouldn't take place in Iraq or in a hospital, but when he came home. "My greatest fear was that we’re going to bring him to this house where there’s stairs up and stairs down and we’re going to stick him in a back room and he’s going to be playing video games for the rest of his life," says Kim. "This is a kid who, he’s just a proud amazing kid, he doesn’t deserve that."
Kim knew that she had to do something. She and her boyfriend started reaching out to the community to try and find a way to help her brother. It was at a 5K Run for charity that Kim's boyfriend came upon Building Homes for Heroes.
Are troops being laid-off?
With the civilian job market crashing, more American troops are electing to re-enlist.
But some of them are finding that even parts of the military are cutting back – and letting people go.
CNN Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence reports.
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