CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It is no small irony that the soldiers who died aboard that Chinook were on their way to much needed R&R.; For those who did make it safely home, it just illustrated the danger that much more. CNN's Ed Lavandera has more for you from Dallas.</s>ED LAVANDERA, CNN DALLAS BUREAU CHIEF: Several hundred U.S. soldiers arrived at airports in Dallas, Atlanta and Baltimore on Sunday afternoon to enjoy their first day of R&R; vacation, rest and recuperation, courtesy of the U.S. military. However, many of these soldiers arriving to the news that a large number of their comrades had been killed in action, many of them on their way to their own vacations, flying to a Baghdad airport to fly back home here to U.S. soil. This news comes at a very disheartening moment for many of these soldiers who say that they're constantly hearing the news of soldiers dying in action in Baghdad and in the surrounding areas. But they do say that at this point it's very important to stay focused. And so, while they remember their fallen comrades that they need to stay focused on the mission and the task at hand.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We swallowed it pretty hard. You know, we've got to keep going, because -- I mean, if you don't, if, you know, you become lackadaisical, it may could happen to you. So, you've got to swallow it like a horse pill, I guess, and keep going.</s>LAVANDERA: Many of the soldiers we spoke with have spent the better part of this year in Baghdad and in the areas surrounding it. They describe their situation as stressful and dangerous, but they do say that for the most part the troop morale is still high. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.
Reacting to Violence in Iraq