Spreuken over Familie

The feeling on the ground here was that neither the family nor the Cuban-American leadership had any intention of ever handing the boy over. For weeks they'd essentially told the government that the only way to get the boy was to come and fetch him. To anyone watching this unfold over the last few weeks, the claim that a deal was near in the wee hours before the raid rings a little hollow.

It came down to a number of things, but obviously family was big, ... I'm going to be 35 minutes from my son, I'm going to be 20 minutes from my parents and a half-hour from my brother's family.

I've got to check on my family. I haven't been able to reach them at all.

He was simply one of the most loved members of the CNN family,

John Holliman was one of a kind -- a CNN original, ... He passionately loved his family, his friends and his job. John's smile, his humor and his contagious optimism brightened the lives of all who met him.