Tuesday, May 29, 2007

CBS correspondent tells of day the bomb went off - now wears support stockings

CBS correspondent tells of day the bomb went off - now wears support hose

After speaking with several of the soldiers and their families, Dozier contacted veteran CBS producer Susan Zirinsky and said, "I have a story to tell." The result is Flashpoint, a documentary about the aftermath of the bomb, which airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday, exactly a year after the explosion.

The prime-time special, anchored by Katie Couric, recounts the chaos immediately after the blast and its ripple effects months later.

Dozier still has to wear support stockings to keep her legs from swelling, but she's able to run again and is itching to return to the Mideast. She's still discussing her next assignment with CBS, but it won't be Baghdad again - for now, at least.


"What we tried to do in this program is not just show what happened to our crew, but show what happens when one of these bombs goes off - and they go off, as you know, pretty much every single day - what happens to so many people and how many lives are affected," said CBS News president Sean McManus.

The hourlong piece, which will be presented with limited commercial interruption, is unflinching in its portrayal of the bomb's carnage. There are scenes inside a Baghdad hospital of Dozier lying on a bed with gashed legs, screaming through her breathing tube - images captured by a CNN crew that happened to be filming that day. Bloodied soldiers writhe in agony on nearby gurneys.

The emotional repercussions of the attack have not yet subsided. CBS producer Kate Rydell is consumed with guilt that she insisted that the Army let both Douglas and Brolan go on the patrol, instead of just Douglas.

Sgt. Justin Farrar, Funkhouser's driver, feels he let down his captain by not protecting him from the explosion. "I should have been by you, sir," he says tearfully during the program, standing at Funkhouser's grave
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For months, Dozier was dogged by memories of that day. But the experience also "leaves you with the strength of your convictions in a way I never had before," she said. "It reinforced what I already knew - why it was important to explain why these men and women were doing this job every day."

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