abroad since 9/11. i ve seen ugly realities and i have a special reason to give back. back when i was in iraq, i was there with my photographer and a producer, and you re going to see what happened. now, this was just after there had been a big argument about having up armored doors on humvees and whether they made a difference. it saved us in a very, very way. that s me there. we were in a convoy that got the business end of a very big ied, a body bomb in iraq. we were firsthand witnesses and beneficiaries of american excellence. and then there was the part that i ve just never forgotten. after what they did for me, these men and women, they sent me, the one they kept safe, the one who did nothing to help protect his own life they sent me a combat pin and a flag from the vehicle that i was in and a congratulatory letter. the irony. these soldiers told me that i was one of them now, that i had seen combat, and then there was a note. we just want you to know we went
one who did nothing to help protect his own life they sent me a combat pin and a flag from the vehicle that i was in and a congratulatory letter. the irony. these soldiers told me that i was one of them now, that i had seen combat, and then there was a note. we just want you to know we went right back to the same place the next day, and we were hit again, and we ll keep going. and they did. they fought on. i don t know how many ultimately made it back and how many were hurt that day. i ll never forget what they showed me and what they did for me. i owe them, and i will do more. i promise you that. i promise you that. so to the troops, to the men and women who serve us, to the sacrifices of their families, thank you so much for what you do for all of us and what you did for me and my family. i will never forget. thank you for watching. thank you for thinking about it. i appreciate that. we ve got cnn tonight with don lemon straight ahead. well stated, my friend. never forget. you