CNN news 2011-12-06
First up today, a ceremony in Baghdad honors American and Iraqi forces. It happened in a palace that once belonged to Saddam Hussein, Iraq`s former dictator who was forced out of power by the war that started in 2003.
AZUZ (voice-over): The ceremony paid tribute to the sacrifices and accomplishments that U.S. and Iraqi troops have made during that war. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden was there. He said that troops from the two countries, quote, "became partners and friends and now are brothers in arms."
AZUZ: The violence isn`t over. On the same day as that ceremony, at least 20 people were killed in attacks around the country. But America`s role in Iraq is winding down, and Martin Savidge looks at how that process works.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): If the war in Iraq has a finish line, then Camp Virginia is it. The last six weeks, as many as 350 vehicles a day have been rolling into this remote base in the Kuwaiti desert, delivering soldiers and equipment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No water, no MREs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No water, no MREs, no brass, no ammo.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Here, teams work day and night, guiding convoys through a series of stops, each one like an assembly line in reverse, taking off -- or as they say, downloading equipment accumulated over years of war.
SAVIDGE: And so what sort of stuff are they getting out at this particular point?
SGT VALERIE CARTER, U.S. ARMY: They`re getting out -- getting any POL, any kind of oil, fuel, batteries, anything that was not issued to them or that they bought, they downloading it here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pull it all out?
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Everything is sorted and collected to be thrown out, recycled or put back in service.
SAVIDGE: We brought you to this motor pool because really it`s one of the few places where you can go to get a sense of just how much we`re talking about, how many vehicles, how many trucks, how much stuff. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): Camp Virginia has the capacity to house close to 7,000 troops and more than 5,000 vehicles. And even though officials say they`re below those levels, they admit it`s been challenging keeping up with what`s coming out of Iraq.
LT. COL. BRYAN BOBO, CAMP COMMANDER: It`s very busy and I will say that we`re making use of every available cot we have, all the space that we have. But it`s going really well.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At ease. Listen up. Now welcome to Camp Virginia. My name is.
SAVIDGE (voice-over): But there are signs of strain. The base has had to greatly increase housing and office space, and the dining hall now remains open 24 hours a day, just to keep everyone fed. The goal is to move the soldiers from convoy to a flight back to the U.S. within five to eight days. But officers admit it can sometimes take longer.
Yet despite such problems, morale remains high, because as every soldier who makes it here knows, the next stop is home -- Martin Savidge, CNN, Camp Virginia, Kuwait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Today`s Shoutout goes out to Ms. New`s social studies classes at Bingham Middle School in Independence, Missouri. Which of these states is most affected by Santa Ana winds? You know what to do. Is it Maine, Florida, Texas or California? You`ve got three seconds, go.
The Santa Ana winds affects southern California. That`s your answer, and that`s your Shoutout.
AZUZ: That part of the state is feeling the effects right now. The way Santa Ana winds work is that they usually start inland, usually in a desert region. And then they blow through mountain valleys on their way to southern California.
So the Santa Ana winds are hot, dry and, in this case, incredibly strong.
AZUZ (voice-over): Experts said one gust that hit southern California yesterday was moving at 97 miles per hour. That`s as strong as some hurricanes. These Santa Anas knocked down trees and knocked out power for thousands of people.
Part of L.A.`s airport lost power, too. That caused some flight delays and forced other flights to land at other airports. The winds also knocked down power lines. In one spot, it started a grass fire that burned across two acres.
AZUZ: From winds in California to fog in Tennessee, authorities say a heavy layer of fog on a state highway yesterday was part of what caused a massive string of car accidents.
AZUZ (voice-over): . and we mean massive. One hundred seventy-six vehicles involved, one person was killed, 16 others were injured, though none of those injuries was critical. It all started around 8:00 am yesterday. Officials say one car ran off the highway, and that triggered a chain reaction of crashes. In addition to the fog, authorities say black ice might have caused some of the accidents as well.