Trump Call Controversy Renews Spotlight On Gold Star Families President Trump's condolence calls to the families of the fallen has put new attention on Gold Star Families. But this isn't the first time Trump has offended families who lost loved ones in combat.
Myeshia Johnson, widow of U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson, who was among four special forces soldiers killed in Niger, sits with her daughter, Ah'Leeysa Johnson at a graveside service in Hollywood, Fla., on Oct. 21. Joe Skipper/Reuters hide caption
Myeshia Johnson, widow of U.S. Army Sergeant La David Johnson, who was among four special forces soldiers killed in Niger, sits with her daughter, Ah'Leeysa Johnson at a graveside service in Hollywood, Fla., on Oct. 21.
Sgt. La David Johnson, Soldier Killed In Niger, Laid To Rest In Florida
The widow of Army Sgt. La David Johnson, one of the four U.S. soldiers killed in a military operation in Niger earlier this month, says President Trump's condolence call only made her feel worse.
Families of fallen service members have been thrust into the spotlight in ways they never have before, says Bonnie Carroll, president and founder of TAPS, which stands for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, a charity that offers services to Gold Star families.
Grief is a very private matter, and for our families when they suffer the loss of a military loved one, there is a public mourning that occurs, Carroll tells
Myeshia Johnson, Widow Of Green Beret Killed In Niger, Talks About Trump Call
Alex Ashlock. The conversation has shed a light on the service of our men and women in uniform, and then especially, on the sacrifices that are made by those who serve and by the families left behind.
On Monday that the president made me cry even worse when he called her last week. She said she objected to Trump's tone and his confusion over her husband's name.
Trump told her that 'he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyways, ' Johnson recalled. It made me cry, because I was very angry at the tone of his voice and couldn't remember my husband's name.
Body Language Analysis No. 4101: Myeshia Johnson, The Widow Of Sgt. La David Johnson
The phone call controversy has continued to build over the past week, since Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., who listened in on the call, disclosed details of the conversation. It has also renewed attention on Gold Star families, which is a term used by the military to describe the parents, siblings and children of men and women killed in combat.
Carroll, who founded TAPS after her husband was killed in an Army aircraft crash in Alaska in 1992, says that since this controversy began, TAPS has received so many calls.
The organization consists of a national network of more than 70, 000 families that offers peer-to-peer emotional support, benefits and resource assistance, grief counseling and a 24-hour help line, she says.
Heartbroken Widow Can't Imagine Life Without Fallen Soldier Who's At Center Of Latest Trump Standoff
Right now, we are getting on average, over the course of this year alone, 16 newly bereaved families each and every day, Carroll says. That means by the end of this year, we will probably have over 6, 000 new surviving military members as part of all that TAPS offers.
In this political climate, Carroll says Gold Star families need to support each other to know that they are safe, to know that their loved ones' life and service is honored above all else.
This moment in the media may be fleeting, but the journey that they are on is a lifetime, she says. What I'm most grateful for in the media this past week is the way they've talked about the individuals. They've shown photographs of these fallen heroes. We've had a national discussion about what extraordinary men they were and women.
Trump Disputes Widow's Story, Continuing Feud Over Army Death
Following their appearance at the Democratic National Convention last year, Trump attacked Khizr Khan and his wife Ghazala, whose son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq in 2004.
In the DNC speech, Khan challenged Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. and offered to lend the Republican candidate his pocket copy of the Constitution. Trump then questioned the Khan's motives and religion in TV appearances and on Twitter.
This month that he was deeply troubled by Trump's remarks to the wife of an American soldier killed in Niger. Khan is out with a new book,
Trump Defends Call To Fallen Soldier's Family After Widow Claims He Forgot Husband's Name
Everything, every word is wrong, Khan said. Every word is wrong. These men and women, my sons and daughters, signed up for something more than this president can comprehend. This is beyond his comprehension, patriotism, sacrifice. When John McCain sacrificed so much to serve this country, this president ran away. This president ran away from serving.
Despite his lack of military service, Trump has a history of criticizing service members. When he was running for president, Trump said Sen. McCain was only a war hero because he was captured, referring to McCain's five and a half years in captivity after being shot down over North Vietnam.— -- In a wide-ranging interview, Myeshia Johnson, the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, spoke out on Good Morning America about her husband's death during a mission in Niger and the controversy that has surrounded it.
She told ABC News' chief anchor, George Stephanopoulos, that she was upset about remarks President Trump made during a condolence call and said she has many unanswered questions.
It Made Me Cry': Gold Star Widow Myeshia Johnson Breaks Silence Over Trump's Condolence Call
George Stephanopoulos: We’re joined now by the widow of Sgt. Johnson, Myeshia Johnson. Myeshia thank you for coming in this morning. I hope you’re feeling the prayers the thoughts of all of us.Myeshia Johnson: Yes.
GS: You know it was so clear watching the funeral how loved and respected La David was by his family, his friends, his community, his fellow soldiers. What do you want people to know about him?MJ: Well, I want the world to know how great of a soldier my husband was and a loving and caring father and husband he was to our family.
GS: In Niger, What’s at the top of your mind?MJ: The questions that I have that I need answered is I want to know why it took them 48-hours to find my husband; why couldn’t I see my husband? Every time I asked to see my husband they wouldn’t let me.
Fallen Soldier's Widow: Trump Forgot Husband's Name
GS: What did they tell you?MJ: They told me that he’s in a severe, a severe wrap like I won’t be able to see him. I need to see him so I will know that that is my husband. I don't know nothing they won’t show me a finger, a hand. I know my husband’s body from head to toe. And they won’t let me see anything. I don’t know what’s in that box, it could be empty for all I know. But I need, I need to see my husband. I haven’t seen him since he came home.
GS: And what have they told you about what happened in Africa?MJ: I really don’t know the answers to that one neither because when they came to my house they just told me that, um, it was a massive gunfire and my husband as of October 4th was missing, they didn't his whereabouts. They didn't know where he was or where to find him and a couple days later is when they told me that he went from missing to killed in action. I don’t know how he got killed, where he got killed or anything. I don’t know that part they never told me and that’s what I’ve been trying to find out since day one, since October 4th.
GS: There are also a lot of questions about the phone call you received from President Trump. I know you were in a car to the airport. Tell us what happened next.MJ: Me and my family was in the limo to receive my husband from I think it was Denver, Dover, we went to...
Soldier's Widow Angry Trump Didn't Know Her Husband's Name
GS: Dover.MJ: Dover, and we was literally on the airport strip gettin' ready to get out and he called Master Sergeant Neil’s phone. I asked Master Sergeant Neil to put his phone on speaker so my aunt and uncle could hear as well. And he goes on to saying his statement as what he said was...
GS: The president...MJ: Yes the President, said that he knew what he signed up for, but it hurts anyway. And it made me cry cause I was very angry at the tone of his voice and how he said he couldn’t remember my husband’s name. The only way he remembered my husband's name is because he told me he had my husband’s report in front of him and that’s when he actually said La David. I heard him stumblin' on trying to remember my husband’s name and that’s what hurt me the most, because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country why can’t you remember his name. And that’s what made me upset and cry even more because my husband was an awesome soldier. He did what it take other people like five years to do in three years. So imagine if my husband was here now. It took my husband three years to make E-5 -- it takes other soldiers five to six years just
Posting Komentar untuk "Good Morning America Myeshia Johnson"