[Bill Hemmer, Cnn Anchor:] Thousands of U.S. sailors return home today about 8,000 miles from Afghanistan after their duty in the war on terror. This morning the aircraft carrier, the Theodore Roosevelt, it's called the TR in the military, steamed back into port in Norfolk, Virginia. And Bob Franken there to witness some numerous, I'd say hundreds of happy family reunions, if not thousands. Hey, Bob, good afternoon good site.
[Bob Franken, Cnn National Correspondent:] Good afternoon. They also call it the big stick, for the obvious reason. The USS Theodore Roosevelt, the massive aircraft carrier, which is coming back after more than six months at sea, six months with 5,500 crew members separated from their families until this morning. About 15,000 were here. We witnessed the reunions, the happy reunions, the hugs, the kisses, the happiness, the tears of happiness, after six months of separation, loneliness, anxiety. Particular anxiety because this deployment came just a few days after the September 11th attacks, and so people were so fearful. The one thing that they spoke so warmly about was their ability this time to communicate constantly by email. Everybody would say the same thing, "Thank goodness for technology." But, that's of course not the same thing as touching and feeling and saying, "I love you," and that happened many, many times. And, of course, so many of the children were here. So many of them seemed to be overwhelmed by it all, but some of them were not.
[Unidentified Male:] Hey, can I say something?
[Franken:] You sure can.
[Unidentified Male:] My feeling and my mom's coming back, there's no word that can express it in the whole entire dictionary.
[Franken:] Have you tried to come up with some?
[Unidentified Male:] Yeah, and there's none.
[Franken:] How about, "I love you?"
[Unidentified Male:] That's one.
[Franken:] Yeah, that was one we heard quite a bit, Bill. Now the big bummer of the day? Well that would be those that's what's being felt by those who are still working on the ship. There is a skeleton crew, so their reunion is going to be delayed Bill.
[Hemmer:] Well that young man was absolutely charming. We saw it back here in Atlanta and said, "Wow, we've got to stick that on once again."
[Franken:] That's right. This man has a future in television. "Can I be on TV?"
[Hemmer:] That, and a whole lot more. Good to see the reunions again Bob, thanks. Bob Franken, live in Norfolk. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com