CNN news 2011-12-09
AZUZ: That monarch is Bhumibol Adulyadej. He was formally crowned king of Thailand in 1950. That was two years before Queen Elizabeth began her reign in Britain. King Adulyadej is now celebrating his 84th birthday.
AZUZ (voice-over): Thailand is going to be celebrating this all week. It`s a chance for many people there to have a break from recovering from the floods and to be part of events that also include fathers` day and the pardon of tens of thousands of prisoners.
Like Britain, Thailand has a constitutional monarchy, which means the monarch`s powers are limited, and that the country`s parliament has the decision-making power. Unlike Britain, Thailand`s constitution puts the king in a place of worship, and the people aren`t allowed to criticize him.
AZUZ: Mail delivery could slow down in the new year. The United States Postal Service is losing billions of dollars. Some blame email for that; others blame bad planning in the organization. Bottom line: it needs money.
AZUZ (voice-over): So the USPS is proposing to cut costs by slowing down service. A first-class letter currently takes one to three days to deliver. It would take two to five days with more post offices and mail processing places closed. Twenty-eight thousand postal workers would lose their jobs by the end of next year. The service says the plan will save it more than $2 billion, but Congress would have to approve it.
AZUZ: Well, the U.S.-led war continues in Afghanistan, but thousands of America`s troops are returning home from Iraq as the war there quickly winds down. And though the country they`re leaving behind has an uncertain future, the one they`re coming home to has its arms outstretched. You`re going to see what we mean in this report by Chris Lawrence.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dismissed.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): At the first glimpse of her father in nearly a year, Alexandria Frey showed us just how fast a 14- year old can move. She started high school while her dad was gone. Her mom had to do everything alone.
MICHELLE FREY: It has been a very long 10 months. Glad it`s over.
LAWRENCE: Is there any way to describe what it feels like to have your dad back after so long?
ALEXANDRIA FREY: No. I don`t know, it`s good.
LAWRENCE: What did you miss most about him?
A. FREY: He was more like my best friend, so yes.
LAWRENCE: Now you`ve got your best friend back?
A. FREY: Yes. I had more of a bond with him than anything, so, yes.
LAWRENCE: Go enjoy your time.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The last few hours of waiting were the toughest. Then, the plane full of soldiers finally landed, and the troops got a welcome home fit for rocks stars. Christmas wishes were answered, the fight in Iraq, finished. For Sgt. Maj. Erik Frey, it`s bittersweet.
SGT. MAJ. ERIK FREY, U.S. ARMY: I guess, in one sense, I feel happy that it`s -- that it`s over with and that we`re getting all of our (inaudible) out. But then you kind of look back at the sacrifices that our -- that our soldiers have made and our family members have made.
LAWRENCE (voice-over): Both in blood and money.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Watch out!
LAWRENCE (voice-over): At one point, the U.S. was spending $5,000 per second in Iraq. The war took nearly 4,500 American lives, and 32,000 troops came home wounded. But these are some of the last Americans to leave Iraq. And they won`t be going back.
MAJ. MIKE IANNUCCILLI: This was my third deployment, first one with both of these guys, and it was a lot harder, but it just makes it that much sweeter coming home.