[Carol Costello, Cnn Anchor:] Thousands more U.S. troops are receiving their deployment orders to join the over 200,000 already in the Gulf region. In Norfolk, Virginia, the USS Iwo Jima left port on its maiden deployment, along with two other Navy ships. The Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship, will first travel to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to pick up 2,200 Marines before heading to the Gulf. And 200 members of the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard are being deployed, as well. The Guardsmen maintain the A10 Thunderbolt jets, known as Wart Hogs. The Wing has been deployed three times since 1995 to enforce Iraq's southern no fly zone. The Minnesota National Guard's 133rd Airlift Wing is being called up again. Members of the unit had been deployed to Afghanistan eight months ago. The unit maintains C-130 cargo planes for transporting troops and equipment. And on this Ash Wednesday, many U.S. servicemen and women are looking for spiritual support as they prepare for a possible war. CNN's Ryan Chilcote joins us live by video phone from Camp New Jersey in the Kuwaiti desert good morning, Ryan.
[Ryan Chilcote, Cnn Correspondent:] Good morning, Carol. Well, that's actually one of the things that Chaplain Ralph, the brigade chaplain here was talking about earlier in the day with the troops. He was saying the troops should use this opportunity, use Ash Wednesday to, as he put it "get right with god," spiritually prepare themselves for the prospect of war. There's a real feeling here at Camp New Jersey in the Kuwaiti desert that war might be coming soon and there might not be that many more opportunities, that many more holidays, that many more Sundays to exercise their religious rights and to prepare themselves for any kind of war. Now, there are going to be two Ash Wednesday services today. First, at noon local time there'll be a Protestant service. Then later in the day at 6:00 p.m. local time there'll be a Catholic service. Both of those services will be taking place in the chaplain, in the chaplain's tent, in the chapel tent here at Camp New Jersey. Not all of the people here are Christians, of course. There are Jews, there are Muslims. About 60 percent Christian, 25 percent of them Protestant, 25 percent, rather, Catholic, 35 percent of them Protestant, 30 percent of them without any kind of defined religious conviction. But the chaplain was telling me that's something that usually changes as the troops get closer to war and if they do go to war, he sees a lot more people turning up for church Carol.
[Costello:] I can certainly understand why. Ryan Chilcote, thanks very much, reporting live from Camp New Jersey in Kuwait.