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2003 NFPW Conference

Five weeks in Iraq an emotional first

Jim Axelrod, correspondent for CBS, reported on his slice of the war embedded with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry for five weeks at the beginning of the war in Iraq. He was among the first American journalists to cross into Iraq and the first to file live televised reports from the runways of Baghdad.

The embedded journalists were as exposed as the soldiers to suicide bombers and snipers. Axelrod told of sleeping in the desert, hearing a “whoosh,” then seeing a series of white glowing streaks. The streaks were rockets that targeted an Iraqi soldier so precisely he was completely unaware he was that close to death.

“Iraqi weapons were no contest compared to those of the United States,” Axelrod said. The Iraqis used flintlock rifles versus the technological marvels of the United States. For example, he would see charred remains of a bicycle with a machine gun mounted on the back.

After six days, Axelrod said “reality started to emerge that this was going to take awhile.” He said, “After eight days in the desert, on the final push to Baghdad, just the moving again, felt wonderful.” As they moved, the endless miles of sand gave way to lush green palms of the Euphrates Valley. Tank after tank of the American forces rattled by a heavily fortified position. Axelrod’s team was so close, the Iraqi mortars were flying overhead.

“On one of these brave media minutes, I called into the CBS News morning show at 8:30 a.m., telling them ‘the battle is raging, we’re here, the satellite dish is up, helicopters are overhead,’” Axelrod said. The CBS response was “we’re in the middle of our nutrition segment.” Axelrod demanded to speak to a more senior employee.

After broadcasting, they put down the dish, and it was Axelrod’s unit’s turn to cross the bridge under fire. “Hit the gas, keep moving; they can’t hit a moving target. Move ... move ... move ... everything will be fine.” Axelrod was euphoric. “We’re headed for Baghdad,” he said. “Halfway across the line of fire the Humvee died. Died. Finished. Not a sound from the engine. Not a sound, not a click from the key. We were a sitting duck. AK47 bullets were coming closer, zeroing in. This isn’t good.”

Then they felt a jerk. The ABC News truck behind them did the only thing they could. They locked onto the Humvee bumper and pushed the tank across the bridge. “Our competition right on our tail,” Axelrod said. “I never felt the same kind of fear again.”

Now, reporting this episode, sniffling and near tears, Axelrod said he asked himself, “What was my wife going to tell my kid? Was it worth it? Here’s what sense I can make of it. It boils down to this. In this brave new media world, this was the most pure, the most authentic of my career. For a month, I could call CBS World News and say I gotta get on. It was relevant, important. For a month, I would watch from center stage. I could watch how the most powerful country in the world could flex its muscle. At the end of the day, was that worth dying on a bridge? I’m still figuring it out. For now, I’m going to concentrate on nuzzling my 3-month-old baby.”

– Dee Pavicic