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YOU'RE GONE.
WAYNE WENT IN SEARCH OF ALLISON.
HE JOINS ME HERE NOW.
INCREDIBLE PIECE, AND ALLISON
SPANN JOINS US FROM CALABASs,
CALIFORNIA.
WELCOME TO YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON.
I'M GOING TO GET TO YOU IN A
MOMENT.
WAYNE, WITH ALL THIS TALK ABOUT
SYRIA AND POSSIBLE MILITARY
INTERVENTION, HERE YOU HAVE, OF
COURSE, THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN.
WHY DID YOU SEEK ALLISON OUT?
>> I THOUGHT THERE WAS A
POWERFUL MESSAGE THERE WITH HER.
THE WORLD, WE HAD LAST SEEN HER
WHEN SHE WAS 9 YEARS OLD.
AT BASICALLY HER FATHER'S
FUNERAL.
AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE
WAS A GREATER MESSAGE BETWEEN
BEING A 9-YEAR-OLD TO THE TIME
TO GETTING TO COLLEGE AND WHAT
HER STORY WAS IN HER JOURNEY
THROUGH GRIEF.
WHAT HER PARENTS HAD TAUGHT HER.
WHAT HER GRANDFATHER, WHO HAS
HELPED RAISE HER, AS WELL AS HER
ST
STEPMOTHER, WHAT IS IT THAT MADE
HER WHO SHE IS NOW AND HOW SHE
WAS DOING.
AND I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU
SAID IN THAT SET-UP.
HER STORY IS A STORY OF PROFOUND
GRIEF YET AMAZING STRENGTH.
>> ALLISON, LET ME GET TO YOU.
IT'S INCREDIBLE, YOUR STORY, BUT
WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE
TOUGHEST PART.
WHEN YOU WERE ALL OF 9.
TELL ME WHAT YOU REMEMBER ABOUT
YOUR DAD.
>> I REMEMBER A LOT ABOUT MY
DAD.
HE WAS A VERY MEMORABLE PERSON.
HE TAUGHT ME TO ALWAYS STRIVE TO
DO MY BEST AND STRIVE TO GET
EVERYTHING I COULD OUT OF LIFE.
HE TAUGHT ME DETERMINATION.
HE TAUGHT ME STRENGTH.
AND HE NOT ONLY TAUGHT ME THAT
THROUGH HIS WORDS, BUT HE SHOWED
ME THAT THROUGH HIS ACTIONS.
>> AND THAT HAS STAYED WITH YOU,
IT SOUNDS LIKE, ALL THROUGH THE
YEARS.
AND I KNOW HE TOOK YOU --
>> DEFINITELY.
>> HE TOOK YOU TO THE
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES,
I THINK IT WAS WHEN YOU FINISHED
THE THIRD GRADE, BUT THEN HE
TOOK YOU BACK TO SORT OF DROP
THE NEWS THAT HE WOULD BE GOING
TO WAR.
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER ABOUT THAT
CONVERSATION?
>> I REMEMBER HE LOVED THE
INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES.
IT WASN'T MY FAVORITE PLACE, BUT
HE ALWAYS WANTED TO GO THERE.
AND HE TOOK US THERE TO
BASICALLY TELL US THAT HE WAS
GOING OFF TO WAR.
AND ALL I REMEMBER IS THAT ONE
LINE WHERE HE SAID HE WAS
GOING -- HE WAS LEAVING AND
GOING TO AFGHANISTAN.
AND I LOST IT.
I -- AS A CHILD OF 9/11, REALLY,
ALL I REMEMBER IS THAT DAY.
I REMEMBER 9/11 PERFECTLY.
I SAW THE BUILDINGS COME DOWN.
I SAW THE PEOPLE FALL OUT OF THE
BUILDINGS.
I SAW EVERYONE LEAVE FROM SCHOOL
THAT DAY, AND IT WAS A DAY I'LL
ALWAYS REMEMBER, AND I KNEW
SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
TO HEAR THAT MY DAD WAS GOING TO
BE GOING OVER THERE TO BE AROUND
THOSE PEOPLE, TO BE IN DANGER
WITH THOSE PEOPLE, IT WAS HARD
FOR ME.
I WAS NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT.
AND I DIDN'T HAVE REALLY MUCH TO
SAY.
I JUST WAS BEGGING HIM, PLEASE
DON'T GO.
PLEASE DON'T GO.
>> HE WENT.
THIS WAS PART OF HIS DREAM FROM
WHAT I READ IN WAYNE'S PIECE.
AND THE MOMENT WHEN HE PASSED
AWAY, AND WE THANK HIM ALL THESE
YEARS LATER, OF COURSE, FOR HIS
SERVICE.
THE MOMENT WHERE YOU TOUCHED HIS
CASKET FOREVER ETCHED IN YOUR
MIND, BUT SOMETHING THAT'S
UNIQUE ABOUT YOUR STORSTORY,
ALLISON, IS THE FACT YOUR
GRANDPARENTS, YOUR STEPMOTHER,
YOU ALL WENT TO AFGHANISTAN,
PART OOF THIS JOURNEY OF GRIEF.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM GOING
THERE AND STANDING WHERE YOUR
FATHER DIED?
>> AT FIRST, WHEN THEY PRESENTED
THE IDEA OF GOING TO AFGHANISTAN
TO ME, I WAS VERY HESITANT ABOUT
IT.
I DIDN'T WANT TO GO.
AND MY STEPMOTHER AND BOTH OF MY
GRANDPARENTS REALLY ENCOURAGED
ME TO GO.
I'M SO THANKFUL FOR THAT
EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THE ONLY
SIGHT I HAD SEEN OF AFGHANISTAN
WAS THE VERY CRUEL SIDE, THE
SIDE THAT WE SAW ON 9/11.
BUT AFTER GOING THERE, I GOT TO
MEET ALL OF MY FATHER'S FRIENDS
FROM THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE.
I GOT TO MEET THEIR FAMILIES.
THEY WERE THE NICEST PEOPLE AND
THEY JUST RESPECTED MY FATHER SO
MUCH.
THEY JUST CONSTANTLY THANKED US
AND WERE SO APPRECIATIVE OF HIM
AND TALKED ABOUT SO HIGHLY OF
HIM AND WHAT A GREAT PERSON HE
WAS.
AND I GOT THE CHANCE TO GO VISIT
AN ORPHANAGE THERE AND ALSO A
WOMEN'S HOME, AND THE WOMEN AND
CHILDREN THERE WERE JUST SO
THANKFUL TO ME, AND THEY WERE
TRYING TO OFFER ME THINGS WHEN
REALLY I FELT AS IF I NEEDED TO
OFFER THEM SOMETHING.
THE PEOPLE THERE WERE SO AMAZING
AND I'M REALLY, REALLY THANKFUL
FOR THAT EXPERIENCE.
>> INCREDIBLE, AND ALLISON, I
HAVE ONE MORE FOR YOU, BUT
WAYNE, JUST IN READING YOUR
PIECE, IT'S INCREDIBLE TO ME ALL
THE DIFFERENT PEOPLE YOU TALKED
TO SORT OF THROUGH HER LIFE AND
IT'S THIS POINT OF SORT OF
REALIZING YOUR DREAM, LEARNING
FROM YOUR PARENTS, THE WORDS
THAT MOM AND DAD SAY TO US WHEN
WE'RE YOUNG, IT STICKS.
>> YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
AND HER GRANDFATHER WAS TELLING
ME A STORY OF THEY WERE BACK IN
ALABAMA.
SHE HAD BEEN TO EUROPE.
AND THE CLERK WAS ONE OF
ALLISON'S FRIENDS WHO THEY HAD
GONE TO HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER.
AND AT SOME POINT, THE CLERK HAD
SAID SOMETHING TO THE FACT OF, I
THINK IT WAS, I'M SO JEALOUS OF
YOU.
AND THAT TOOK THE GRAND FAURKT,
YOU KNOW, MADE HIM PAUSE A
LITTLE BIT BECAUSE HE WANTED TO
SAY, ACTUALLY, YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT THAT MEANS.
TO GO THROUGH WHAT SHE'S BEEN
THROUGH.
BUT HE ALSO UNDERSTOOD WHAT THE
CLERK MEANT, THAT SHE WAS OFF IN
EUROPE AND GETTING TO DO THESE
GREAT THINGS.
BUT IT DID MAKE HER GRANDFATHER,
THE ELDER JOHNNY SPANN, STEP
BACK AND, YOU KNOW -- SO.
>> THINK A LITTLE BIT.
>> YEAH.
>> ALLISON, I KNOW YOU'RE AT
PEPPERDINE.
YOU'RE STUDYING POLITICAL
SCIENCE AND COMMUNICATION AND
YOU HAVE AN OPEN INVITATION
ANYTIME TO VISIT US HERE AT CNN.
>> THANK YOU.
>> LET ME END WITH THIS.
I LOVE THE PICTURE OF YOU
STANDING, AND I DON'T KNOW IF
YOU WERE IN THAT MOMENT, THE
PHOTO OF YOU AT YOUR FATHER'S
GRAVE IN ARLINGTON.
IF YOU HAD ONE MORE HOUR WITH
YOUR FATHER, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?
>> IF I HAD JUST ONE MORE HOUR,
I WOULD THANK HIM FOR EVERYTHING
THAT HE DID FOR ME.
ALL OF THOSE LECTURES AND
SPEECHES I GOT AS A LITTLE KID
THAT I DIDN'T ALWAYS APPRECIATE
AND TAKE TO HEART, I SORT OF
SCOFFED OFF AND WAS LIKE, OH,
NO, NOT ANOTHER LECTURE, I WOULD
LOVE TO THANK HIM.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR INSTILLING
ALL THOSE GREAT VALUES IN ME AND
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TEACHING
ME EVERYTHING YOU TAUGHT ME.
AND THEN I WOULD PROBABLY LIKE
TO WATCH A LITTLE SHARK WEEK
WITH HIM AND SHARE A BAG OF SALT
AND VINEGAR CHIPS.
THAT WOULD BE MY LAST HOUR.
>> MAYBE HE COULD GET YOU TO
TAKE HIM TO IHOP.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.