ABC Good Morning America - Transcript

ABC News Transcripts

SHOW: GOOD MORNING AMERICA

HEADLINE: SENATOR DICK DURBIN COULD HELICOPTER ATTACK HAVE BEEN PREVENTED?

BODY:
CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS

All right, thanks, Diane.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) Next, we're gonna turn to the senator who is raising serious questions about whether that deadly attack on a US helicopter in Iraq might have been prevented. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois, home state of the helicopter's pilot, is claiming today that many US helicopters lack a standard anti-missile system, that Diane was asking about, that can be crucial.

graphics: protecting our troops

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) Senator Durbin is joining us now from Washington. Senator, good to have you with us.

SENATOR DICK DURBIN, DEMOCRAT, ILLINOIS

Good to be with you.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) Senator, do we know definitively if this chopper, which I know was assigned to the Illinois National Guard, but whether this chopper lacked the anti-missile system?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Well, this particular chopper could have been in the Illinois or Iowa National Guard, they're blended together in this unit. And the army has said that it had the necessary protective devices but the investigation is really underway. What I know is this, last, I guess now a day ago, I received two unsolicited communications from reliable military sources familiar with this unit and what's going on in Iraq, and both of them said that for the last six months, the crew of these helicopters in Iraq have been trying to secure this protective measures, these protective pieces of equipment. They've even had to scavenge them off of other helicopters leaving Iraq. It's been a struggle for them to get the most basic equipment that they need to protect themselves.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) Yeah, I want to read that e-mail, 'cause you were nice enough to provide a copy to us. And, and it says, this is an e-mail from a pilot not being identified. But he says, so we were essentially flying around for five months with no anti-missile equipment.

graphics: text of e-mail

CHARLES GIBSON

(Voice Over) And for the life of me, I cannot understand what goes through the head of commanders that would load 30 soldiers into an aircraft with no protection against such a credible threat. Now, let me talk a little bit about the anti-missile system.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) It, it is flares that can be deployed that would divert or, or distract the missile that was fired?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

It's my understanding there are several different systems. One spreads chaff to try to confuse the missile.

graphics: simulation of anti-missile system

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

The other releases a flare that, of course, has heat associated with it to try to divert this heat-seeking missile. And then there's even a more sophisticated system on many army helicopters. But these are National Guard helicopters brought to the theater without this equipment. And what we've learned from these communications, from those who really know on the ground, is that for months they've been flying without the protective equipment, and the crews and pilots have tried their best to try to secure this equipment from every source imaginable. That to me is unacceptable. To think that we're putting them in harm's way without the very best protective equipment is just not something that we can allow to continue. And that's why I've written to Secretary Rumsfeld.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) But, but as I understand it, the pilot has to know that there is a, a missile fired in order to deploy the anti-missile system. And these choppers were flying very low. So, is it a moot point, the missile, in effect, would have hit the chopper before the pilot could have deployed the system?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

I can't answer that question. I really think the investigation will tell us whether or not this deploys automatically when it senses that a missile is on the way or whether it takes a decision by the crew. I'll leave that to the investigation.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Voice Over) But, but whether it's automatic or the pilot, might this chopper been flying so low that it wouldn't have had time to deploy the system?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Well, it's my understanding that most of these helicopters fly at very low altitudes. So, I don't know the fact that it was 180 to 200 feet above the ground, which are the estimates I've read, would disqualify this equipment from protecting it. But we really should have this equipment on every helicopter. Wouldn't we want to say to every crew and every passenger, we have all the protective equipment that we can reasonably provide for you?

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) And ...

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

And in this situation, we don't. We don't know if that occurred.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) And, and what have you heard from the Defense Department so far?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Well, I've just sent the letter to Secretary Rumsfeld, but I do believe from what I've heard from other sources, that this is something that is serious enough that we'd better look at it immediately

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) All right. Senator Durbin, appreciate your being with us. Thanks very much.

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Thank you, Charlie.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) You take care. Diane?