making news in america and around the world. the rescue is under way. >> as the world watches, families separated for months, finally reunited. men freed from captivity, breathing fresh air. >> one, by, one, pulled to the surface. a delicate operation, ten weeks in the making. >> complete coverage from chile, on this special edition of "america this morning." good morning, everyone. what really is an extraordinary news day. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm vinita nair. all around the world this morning, people are cheering the

amazing rescue under way right now in chile. it is just after midnight there, when the first miner was lifted to the surface. he was greeted with cheers of joy, and chants and plenty of hugs. >> it is a spectacle that will go on all day, and well into tomorrow, until all 33 men are finally free. a rescue operation like this has literally never happened before. >> reporter: diana alvear is at the san jose mine, where she's been watching this historic event unfold. diana, i know this particular story is near and dear to your own heart. >> that's right, vinita and rob. i'm a chilean-american and i never thought i would see anything like this happen and be able to witness it with my and eyes. five miners have been rescued. 18 more to go. everyone here is singing. nair excited. they'll be here until the last miner emerges from under ground. chileans celebrated in the streets, as the miners, trapped under ground for 69 days, were

brought to the surface, one by one, at the san jose mine. they blew their horns, sang songs and cheered, as they watched on large plasma screens. >> we are going to work all around the clock for 48 hours, during the rescue process. >> reporter: rescuers finished reinforcing the mine on monday. as each miner is being hauled up, a small camera will be focused on his face, so rescuers can watch for panic attacks. the rescue of each man will talk about one hour. 25 minutes for the capsule to descend. time to load the miner. and 15 minutes to bring him to the surface. they've been told to keep their eyes closed. and were given dark glasses to protect their eyesight. the miners will spend two days at a nearby hospital for observation. the miners aren't coming out of the mine empty-handed.

they will carry with them letters from loved ones, religion statues and rocks from the mine. it taught the world that sometimes miracles do happen. and they have an interesting tidbit to share with you. chile and bolivia doesn't have the best relations. but that's change after tonight. one of the miners is bolivian. as he was lifted to safety, all of the chileans broke into the bolivian anthem. an incredible moment in this incredible story. >> i want to ask you about the ride itself, though. it looks so easy. so well-choreographed. but this is actually a difficult ride for the men. they're coming up through the capsule. the entire thing is rotating. it's at an angle of like 80 degrees. what is it like for them in the capsule as they're making the 15-minute journey, as you mentioned? >> it's a harrowing journey.

the longest 15 minutes of their lives. they've been underground for so long. that's why they sent the mining experts and the medical assistants down to work with the men and tell them what to expect when they're in there. the capsules are not comfortable in the least. they're about the width of a basketball hoop. they're cramped in there. and they have to wear the special suits and special eyeglasses. they had a camera inside the capsule to monitor them throughout the ride. it's not the kind of experience you'd want. a rollercoaster, when the best part comes at the end when you get to come out of the capsule. we've seen it five times. we expect to see it 18 more times. >> we've heard about the medical impact of the ordeal. but the men coming out of the ground seem excited and jubilant. they seem healthy and in a great spirit. >> yeah. you know, the first four rescues, you saw these men come out. they were stoic. one acted like a rock star.

mario sepulveda, he came out. immediately opened up his bag and pulled out rocks to give to president pinera, as a memento. he said, take the rocks. he hugged him repeatedly. and broke into a soccer chant. you're seeing a variety of reaction. there was a dramatic moment with the fifth rescue. that began with the miners they had concerns about their health. and that fifth miner, he was brought to the surface. and minutes later, all of a sudden, we were live. we had the lights on. and the chilean police came over and said cut all the lights. as soon as we cut all of the lights, a helicopter flew over hur head. we later learned it was carrying the fifth miner. and the reason they wanted the lights off is because the pilots were using night vision goggles. they didn't want to take the chance that the could damage the fifth miner's eyesight. another incredible moment in

this story. >> it says a lot about the brotherhood that has formed. a lot of them would be fighting who was the last one out. >> thank you, diana for that report. we'll check back with you later in the half hour. thanks. 69 days underground in a dark, hot and humid cave will certainly leave its mark on every 1 of these 33 men. >> each of them will undergo weeks of medical and psychological monitoring. our medical editor, dr. richard besser, tells us what the doctors will be looking for. >> you really have to think about this as a series of 33 separate rescues. not just one, big event. and this is really an extraordinary feat of medical planning and coordination. the most critical period is that period from coming up from the floor of that mine to reaching the surface. that assent. and had they come up after day 17, it would be much more dangerous than it is now. there's been so much planning and so many steps taken to assure that the risk is minimized.

what you're really worried about as they come up in that tube, is that their blood pressure might drop. the feeling when you stand up suddenly and you get that feeling when you have the light head. when you stand up quickly and the blood rushes to your brain. when you're trapped, in a rescue capsule, you can't do that. they've taken precautions to make sure that the risk of that is very small. it's demanding on their body. the hot, humid environment. that environment can breed infections, especially skin infections. it can be difficult, if you have underlying medical problems like asthma, heart disease or long disease. some of the men in that mine have heart conditions. thankfully, during the 50 days they've had contact with the surface, they've been able to get special nutrition to build up their strength. they've prepared them for this day to be brought up to the

surface. >> dr. richard besser. all of the men will spend time at a hospital that's about ten minutes away. two wards are prepared for them, kept dark. let's get a check on the morning's weather from around the country. showers and thunderstorms around detroit, indianapolis, cincinnati, louisville and memphis. lighter showers, extending from birmingham, into the carolinas. gusty winds and rain in south florida, from miami to west palm beach and ft. myers. more record highs in california. >> 72 in albuquerque. cooler in the middle of the country, with mostly 60s, from fargo to omaha and detroit. 60s also in the northeast. 80s from new orleans to atlanta. and when we come back this wednesday morning, the military's don't ask, don't tell policy, could be in its final days. and a group of sailors found drifting 100 miles offshore. and more live coverage from chile, as they lower the cage to

get another man out of that mine finally. >> you're watching a special edition of "america this morning."

♪ welcome back. we are watching these extraordinary, live images. you can see the capsule there, being lowered into the cave. of course, this is all playing out in chile, where they're trying to rescue those miners who have been trapped half a mile underground for 69 days. >> 5 of the 33 men have arrived on the surface, of course, to absolute jubilation, joy and relief by friends and family.

the operation will continue until all of the men are finally free. there is other news this morning. the obama administration, now, has two months to make a move regarding the pentagon's don't ask, don't tell policy. the clock is ticking, now that a federal judge has ordered the military to immediately top enforcing the law that bans gays from serving openly. the administration can appeal the order or let the policy be overturned. there's been a violent turn in the investigation of the death of an american man who was killed while jet skiing along the u.s./mexican border. a mexican police commander looking into david hartley's death has been murdered and beheaded. hartley's wife says her heartbreaks for his family. and six fishermen who were found 120 miles off the new jersey coast are back home this morning. their boat suffered a total power outage, causing them to spend three days simply drifting at sea. they said a coast guard helicopter found them just as

morale was at its lowest point. minutes from the federal reserve's latest meeting signaled the central bank is ready to do more to revive the economy. that's lifting stocks this morning. tokyo's nikkei average rose almost 0.2% today. the nasdaq was up 16. and coming up next on this very special edition of "america this morning" -- >> the human drama of the mine rescue. family members on the surface, showing the same strength as those underground. kinds of exercise,ot of dift but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury. so i wanted a doctor who had done this before. and unitedhealthcare's database helped me find a surgeon. you know you can't have great legs, if you don't have good knees. we're 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare.

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some time. the rescue will go on until tomorrow, until every 1 of the 33 men are finally free. as the world celebrates with the miners and their family, more stories are emerging about the 33 men who, more than two monthsing a, were feared dead. >> we're finding out more about their individual stories and they're fascinating. abc's jeffrey kofman has spent a lot of time at the mine since august. and he has their stories. >> reporter: among the men who have been waiting 2,300 feet below the surface, is jimmy sanchez, youngest in the mine at 20 years old. he only started working in the san jose mine just months ago, after quitting school for his pregnant girlfriend. among all of the miners, jimmy is the most emotionally distraught. he was afraid he was going to die of hunger, he said. he's been having nightmares down there. and he's been crying himself to sleep. just after the miners were found in august, we met liliana ramirez, the wife of the oldest miner, 63-year-old mario gomez.

that frame holds a letter he says. dear leila, i'm okay, thank god. i hope to get out soon. johnny barrios, armed with medical training, has been acting as the group medic. when he gets pulled up that he has answering to do. it was because of the mine collapse, that his wife found out that for five years he has had a mistress. one man, esteban rojas, proposed to his partner of 25 years. he wrote her a letter saying, when i get out, let's buy that dress. we'll get married. claudio yanez had the opposite problem. despite asking, his girlfriend refused to marry him. all that has changed. ariel will be the last out of the mine. he has to wait to meet his daughter, esperanza, which means

hope in spanish. tonight, it was just joy, as mario sepulveda was the second man saved. and the man with the longest wait, is 54-year-old luis arsua. he got his men to work together during their almost ten weeks under ground. and he managed to keep them sane. >> it's totally natural. >> reporter: it was him that decided to parcel out the meager meal they found in the emergency shelter after the collapse. each man was allowed two teaspoons of tuna, half a glass of milk and half a biscuit, every two days. that may have been what saved their lives. and like a true captain of the ship, luis will wait until all of his men have been taken to safety, before he takes the last ride up. >> of course, after the men emerge to the surface, they have an opportunity to see their family. then, essentially, there's immediate medical treatment. they have to make sure that these guys are healthy, which has been a concern during the

entire ordeal. >> many of the men will have vision issues, blood pressure issues, hydration. and the psychological and all that will be dealt with. the government has promised six months of treatment. you're looking at live pictures as the rescue goes on. we want to rejoin with diana alvear, our chilean-american on the scene. diana, it occurs to me how different these men are after two months. not only have they had a drastic weight loss on a 2,200-calorie-a-day diet, but psychologically, six months from now, they could still be recovering from the ordeal they've been through. >> absolutely, vinita and rob. let me explain why i'm shrouded in complete darkness. they've been asking us to turn our lights out, when they're about to helicopter men out of here to the nearby hospital. that's what we're doing right now. we anticipate at any moment, one of the helicopters will be carrying one of the miners to go

for further medical treatment. bear with us. as soon as we can, we're going to put the lights back on. back to the mental health and the emotional state, there's some concerns about that. it was a lot of fun to watch the first four miners come out. they seemed like they were doing okay. that was not an accident. they were chosen because they were healthy enough to come out and be the first ones, in case something happened in the first few rescue attempts, to be able to assist in the rescue process. now, we're in the group where there are some medical concerns. for example, some of these miners, we were told, the fifth miner, had some difficulty from anxiety, which is totally understandable, given what they've been going through for the past 68 days. that's where we're at right now. they're taking a lot of care to make sure that the miners get the privacy that they need and get some time away from the glare of the media, which, they have no idea how much the world is watching right now. and we know their faces. we know their names.

we know their personal dramas. it will be a lot to adjust to. >> a remarkable scene, unfolding with the images. incredible day. coming up next on "america this morning," the stories we'll be following today. >> you're watching a special edition of "america this >> you're watching a special edition of "america this morning." tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide 24 hour relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is easier. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke,

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this very busy wednesday morning. that amazing mine rescue operation is under way in chile this morning and will go on all day. the first group of miners has been freed. but it will take until sometime tomorrow for all 33 men to be rescued. each miner is being greeted with hugs and hand shakes and tears. and will also have private time with family members, as well. they're now being quickly flown to a hospital, where they will be monitored closely for medical and psychological conditions. hurricane paula is bearing down an mexico's yucatan peninsula. the storm will brush by hundreds of resort areas. some tourists and residents have been evacuated and the number of flights have been canceled. the school chancellor in washington, d.c., michelle rhe, is expected to announce she is stepping down. she closed schools and fired hundreds of teachers. and we hear from the latest casualty of "dancing with the stars." after becoming the fourth celebrity to get the boot, "mike

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and finally this morning, another look at the amazing mine rescue, still under way right now in chile. you're looking at live pictures of this really incredible scene. the miners are slowly surfacing, one by one, from 2,000 feet below. >> after two months after ground, they are finally reuniting with their families. as you can imagine, it is very emotional. john quinones talked with two, little girls who have been keeping vigil. >> reporter: they are the littlest victims of this tragedy. the survivors above ground. 8-year-old arlyn, who can barely contain herself, when she sees her father, claudio yanez, pop up. i love you so much. and i'm waiting for you, with tons and tons of hugs and kisses. and there's 8-year-old catalina. every day, she's boarded a bus for the hour-long ride from her home to the mine, to be closer

to her father. he's the most wonderful man in the world, she tells me. i'm going to wrap myself around him, she says, and rock back and forth, back and forth, like a giant swing. and i will never let him go. john quinones, abc news, copiapo, chile. >> it won't be long now. they will be hugging their dads for real. the first trapped miner was pulled up just after midnight chile time. and was greeted with chants and hug, lots of tears. joyful scenes will be happening all day long, well into tomorrow. until, of course, all 33 men are finally free. first, each miner gets a preliminary medical check. then, is allowed to spend time with family members if they are then. >> after ten weeks around ground, the men will have serious psychological and physical adjustment. they will being flown to a hospit