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Koppel to Read List of Iraq War Dead on Nightline
Ted Koppel and ABC Newsâ âNightlineâ will pay tribute to the more than 500 American service men and women killed in action in Iraq by devoting the entire broadcast to reading the service membersâ names and showing their photographs. Entitled âThe Fallen,â the special âNightlineâ broadcast will air FRIDAY APRIL 30 (11:35 p.m., ET), on the ABC Television Network. ABC News will also simulcast this tribute live on its Jumbotron in New York Cityâs Times Square. ABC News Radio will air excerpts of the program. Using photographs and information drawn from the Army Times Publishing Companyâs online âFaces of Valorâ database, Fridayâs âNightlineâ will dedicate the half-hour program to showing a photograph of each service man and woman in succession with their name, military branch, rank and age, while Mr. Koppel reads their names aloud. Since the broadcast is only 30 minutes long, Fridayâs broadcast is limited to showing just those âkilled in actionâ in Iraq, as certified by the U.S. Department of Defense. âWhile âNightlineâ has been reporting on every fatality in Iraq and Afghanistan under the heading âLine of Duty,â we realized that the casualties were on their way to becoming just numbers,â said âNightlineâ executive producer Leroy Sievers. ââThe Fallenâ is our way of reminding our viewers -- whether they agree with the war or not -- that beyond the casualty numbers, these men and women are serving in Iraq in our names, and that those who have been killed have names and faces.â âMemorial Day might have been the most logical occasion on which to do this program. But we felt that the impact would actually be greater on a day when the entire nation is not focused on its war dead,â said âNightlineâ anchor Ted Koppel. The list is organized alphabetically by U.S. State and includes those whose names have been released by the Pentagon from March 19, 2003 through today, April 27, 2004. Names released between now and Friday April 30, will be added to the broadcast.
Posted by: Steve White 2004-04-28 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=31665 |