MONEY BUT GIVE PEOPLE MUCH
BETTER HEALTH CARE.
>> Ross: BACK LIVE RIGHT NOW
TO THOSE PICTURES COMING OUT OF
MIA, YOU'RE LOOKING AT LIVE
PICTURES OF THE WIDOW OF
LA DAVID JOHNSON.
AISHA JOHNSON ON THE TARMAC
THERE AWAITING HER HUSBAND'S
BODY TO COME IN ON THAT TARMAC.
AGAIN, THE PRESIDENT JUST
SPEAKING WITH HER BY PHONE,
LAURIE AND CALVIN, A LITTLE
HOUSE.
WE UNDER THAT THE TWO SPOKE FOR
SOME FIVE MINUTES.
WE'RE WAITING FOR WORD FROM THE
PRESIDENT RIGHT NOW TO SEE
WHETHER HE WILL BE ATTENDING
THAT FUNERAL DOWN THERE IN SOUTH
FLORIDA COMING UP ON SATURDAY.
AS SOON AS WE GET THAT
INFORMATION, WE'LL GET IT RIGHT
OUT TO YOU.
FOR NOW, THOUGH, THAT'S THE VERY
HOUSE.
>> Laurie: WE ARE JUST LOOKING
AT SUCH EMOTIONAL IMAGES, THE
FAMILIES TRYING TO STAY STRONG
WITH VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE
THIS, HIS WIDOW, VERY PREGNANT
THERE EXPECTING THEIR THIRD
CHILD IN JANUARY.
THEY'RE OUT ON THIS HOT TARMAC
AND THE TEARS ARE FLOWING AT
THIS POINT.
THE FAMILY DID ATTEND A, ALSO,
ROSS, A REMAIN CEREMONY WHEN
JOHNSON'S BODY ARRIVED AT THE
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, CORRECT?
>> Ross: YES, THANKS THAT IS
CORRECT.
AND I ALSO WANT TO POINT OUT
THAT SENATOR BILL NELSON, ALSO
FROM FLORIDA, DID SPEAK WITH
AISHA EARLIER TODAY, AND HE WAS
COMMENTING ON JUST HOW
HEART-WRENCHING IT IS THAT SHE
IS PREGNANT, THAT HER HUSBAN
WILL NOT BE THERE FOR THE BIRTH
OF THEIR NEXT CHILD.
HE ACTUALLY, WHEN HE WAS IN THE
MILITARY HIMSELF, WAS ONE OF THE&
OFFICERS THAT HAD TO GO TO THE
HOUSE OF FAMILY MEMBERS WHEN
THEY LOST SOMEONE, SO HE HAS
BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE.
HE KNOWS HOW CRUCIATING IT IS TO
FACE THESE FAMILY MEMBERS AND HE
SAID TODAY ABOUT HIS
CONVERSATION WITH THE WIDOW WAS
NO LESS PEAPS THE PRESIDENT
HIMSELF REFERRING TO HOW
DIFFICULT THESE MOMENTS ARE WHEN
HE MADE THOSE CONTROVERSIAL
COMMENTS, BRINGING THE OTHER
ALL OF THIS.
BUT ALL CAN AGREE DIFFICULT
MOMENTS TO CONTACT THE FAMILY
MEMBERS, ESPECIALLY WE HEARD
THOSE SENTIMENTS COMING FROM
SENATOR BILL NELSON, HOW
HORRIBLE IT IS THAT SHE'S ABOUT
TO GIVE BIRTH AND NOW SHE'S
THERE ON THE TARMAC AWAITING THE
URN RFP HER HUSBAND'S BODY.
>> Calvin: ROSS, SPEAKING OF
THE TARMAC WE HAVE OUR GLENNA
MILBERG WHO IS JUST FEET AWAY
FROM THE FAMILY OF LA DAVID
JOHNSON.
GLENNA, JUST KIND OF WALK US
THROUGH WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN
OUT HERE IN TERMS OF THE
CEREMONY AS WE AWAIT THE FLAG
DRAPED CET OF LA DAVID JOHNSON.
>> Glenna: -- CASKET OF
LA DAVID JOHNSON.
GLENNA, ARE YOU THERE?
I'M SORRY.
IT IS SO LOWTD HERE BECAUSE A
TARMAC.
I WANT TO STEP ASIDE.
IT HAS LANDED.
SERGEANT LA DAVID JOHNSON'S
REMAINS ARE HERE, AND I WANT TO
JUST STEP ASIDE BECAUSE IT IS
SIMPLY A HEART-WRENCHING SIGHT
FOR HIS FAMILY ASSEMBLED HERE ON
THE TARMAC TO WITNESS THE
CASKET.
WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW
IS A WHITE CARGO CONTAINER OF
SPORTS, A SPECIAL CARGO
CONTAINER BY THE AIRLINES FOR
EXACTLY THIS KIND OF CEREMONY.
AND WITHIN THAT CONTAINER IS THE
COFFIN AND THE REMAINS WITH A
FLAG, AN AMERICAN FLAG DRAPED
OVER THE CAST CAST CONTEST SPECIAL
FORCES SERGEANT GREEN BERET
LA DAVID JOHNSON, 25 YEARS OLD,
WHO WAS KILLED IN NIGER
OCTOBER 4th ALONG WITH A GROUP
OF PEOPLE.
AS WE LOOK AT THIS PROCESS RIGHT
NOW, I WANT TO JUST, FOR ANYONE
WHO HAS NOT BEEN CLEAR ON THE
DETAILS, THE ACTUAL AMBUSH THAT
SERGEANT JOHNSON AND FIVE OTHERS -- THREE OF THEM AMERICAN
SOLDIERS, SIX IN ALL -- DIED IN
THIS AMBUSH IN NIGER ON
OCTOBER 4th.
THEY WERE ON A TRAINING AND
RECONNAISSANCE MISSION WITH THE
U.S. MILITARY AND NIGERIAN
FORCES, FRIENDLY FORCES.
THEY WERE THERE AS THEY HAD BEEN
SEVERAL OTHER TIMES BEFORE WHEN
THEY WERE SURPRISED BY A VERY
VIOLENT AMBUSH WHERE SIX OF THE
TEAM OF 12 WHO WERE THERE WERE
KILLED.
RIGHT NOW TODAY THE DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE HAS JUST LAUNCHED A
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO
THE DETAILS OF THA ATTACK.
SERGEANT JOHNSON WAS MISSING FOR
48 HOURS AFTER THAT ATTACK, AND
THAT WILL BE PART OF THE
INVESTIGATION, HOW HE BECAME
SEPARATED FROM THE CREW.
TODAY, THOUGH, AT THIS MOMENT A
SOLEMN HEARTBREAKING CEREMONY AS
THE REMAINS OF A FALLEN HERO, AN
HOME.
SOUTH FLORIDA IS HOME FOR
SERGEANT JOHNSON.
HE IS A NATIVE OF MIAMI GARDENS.
HIS CASKET YOU SEE NOW, IS I
FULL VIEW.
THE SURROUNDING CONTAINER HAS
BEEN TAKEN AWAY AND THEY ARE
PREPARING TO TAKE HIS REMAINS
OFF THE DELTA FLIGHT.
THIS IS A COMMERCIAL FLIGHT.
ONBOARD THIS FLIGHT I'M NOT SURE
IF YOU CAN SEE IN THE WINDOWS OF
ABOARD.
THEY DO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
THEY HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED THAT
THERE IS A FALLEN AMERICAN
SOLDIER WHOSE REMAINS ARE BEING
TAKEN BACK TO HIS FAMILY.
THEY ARE ASKED TO WAIT ONBOARD.
THEY WILL NOT BE DEPLANING UNTIL
THIS CEREMONY IS FINISHED.
YOU SEE ONE OF THE WOMEN IN THE
WINDOW WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER
PEOPLE, A COUPLE OF PASSENGERS,
ALL OF TOO WHOM ARE HOLDING UP
IPHONES AND CAMERAS TO RECORD
THIS INCREDIBLE CEREMONY.
IF WE CAN, TAKE A SHOT ON THE
TARMAC WHERE IN CHAIRS SERGEANT
JOHNSON'S FAMILY HAS ASSEMBLED.
HIS WIFE IS REALLY TRYING TO
MAINTAIN COMPOSURE.
IT HAS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT.
SHE HAS WITH HERTHER TWO
CHILDREN.
-- HERTHER TWO CHILDREN.
SHE IS PREGNANT WITH THEIR
THIRD.
SHE IS BEING COMFORTED RIGHT NOW
BY SERGEANT JOHNSON'S UNCLE
RIGHT NEXT TO MRS. JONDZ IS
SERGEANT JOHNSON'S AUNT, THE MAN
IN THE LEATHER CAP BEHIND HER
HIS UNCLE.
HIS AUNT ESSENTIALLY RAISED
LA DAVID JONDZ AS HER JOHNSON AS HER OWN SON.
ALSO ASSEMBLED AMONG FAMILY
MEMBERS MIAMI GARDENS POLICE
CHIEF, DELMA PRATT,
CONGRESSWOMAN FREDERICA WILSON
IS HERE.
SHE, AS YOU MAY KNOW, IS FOUNDER
1 ONE OF THE FOUNDERS, VERY
INVOLVED WITH AN ORGANIZATION
CALLED 5,000 ROLE MODELS.
SERGEANT LA DAVID JOHNSON WAS
ONE OF THOSE ROLE MODELS, AND I
SUPPOSE I CAN SAY HE WILL REMAIN
FOREVER A ROLE MODEL.
THAT ORGANIZATION HAS
ESTABLISHED IN HIS NAME A
SCHOLARSHIP IN JUST THE PAST
COUPLE OF DAYS.
BARBARA JORDAN IS A MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY COMMISSIONER WHO IS ALSO
HERE.
SHE IS THE COMMISSIONER WHOSE
DISTRICT IS MIAMI GARDENS.
SHE HAS BEEN WITH THE FAMILY, AS
HAS CONGRESSWOMAN WILSON.
I WILL SAY WHILE WE ARE LOOKING
AT THE SOLEMN ASSEMBLAGE OF
MILITARY AND POLICE FROM
MIAMI-DADE AND MIAMI GARDENS,
THE INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT
HAPPENED IN NIGER ALMOST TWO
WEEKS AGO HAS RIGHT NOW TAKEN
CENTER STAGE.
AFTER TWO WEEKS, THERE ARE SO
MANY DETAILS YET TO LEARN, AND
TODAY CONGRESSWOMAN WILSON,
ALONG WITH CONGRESSMAN ELSIE
HASTINGS, WROTE A LETTER TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ASKING A
WILL IT
LITANY OF QUESTIONS, DETAILS
ABOUT HOW SERGEANT JOHNSON
BECAME SEPARATED FROM THE TEAM,
HOW THE MILITARY COULD NOT HAVE
BEEN MORE PREPARED FOR THE
POSSIBILITY OF AN AMBUSH AND AN
ASSAULT, WHAT WERE THE DETAILS
OF THE DISCOVERY OF SERGEANT
JOHNSON 48 HOURS AFTER THAT
HANDS.
THESE A ALL QUESTIONS THAT
HAVE BEEN REQUESTED AND WILL NOW
BE PART OF THIS DEPARTMENT OF
HAPPENED.