Katie: Kimberly Comes Home

This was a day many at CBS News have been waiting for.

Kimberly Dozier came home.

Eight months to the day after being seriously injured in Iraq, she walked into the CBS newsroom to thunderous applause. There was emotion, too – tears and hugs and smiles all around. Kimberly looks terrific: strong and steady and full of the spirit that has sustained her through all the hospitalizations and surgeries she has had to undergo. She looked deeply moved by the reception – and spoke poignantly about the support she has received, and about the loss she still feels.

Cameraman Paul Douglas and soundman James Brolan were with her the day the car bomb blew up beside them. They didn’t survive. Kimberly paid tribute to them in her remarks, and clearly wished they could be standing beside her today, too.

Kimberly said she had one more major surgery scheduled for next week; she lost her right eardrum in the blast on May 29th, and can’t hear on that side, and doctors hope they can correct that.

I had a chance to talk with her briefly. It was our first meeting, and I came away so impressed by her resilience and determination. I’d heard so much about Kimberly from people at CBS who knew her so well. It was a privilege to finally get to shake her hand. She is that rare breed of smart, courageous and committed journalists, one willing to put her life on the line to get the story out. We need more like her.

We look forward to the day when Kimberly will return to the air and continue the great reporting she’s known for.

For now, it’s just great to have her back.