Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 10-20-17

White House and Political News
Trump Told Widow Of Black Ambushed Soldier, ‘He Knew What He Signed Up For’
Sgt. La David Johnson was killed in an ambush in Niger on Oc- tober 4th. His flag-draped casket arrived in Miami Tuesday where his pregnant widow, Myeshia and one of his two children met it. He and 3 other members of the 3rd Special Forces Group killed were: Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Washington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia.
Former President Obama Makes Surprise Appearance At Youth Program
Students from Chicago who participated in a pro- gram organized by Barack Obama’s foundation, re- ceived a surprise visit from the former president himself on last Saturday evening, re- ports the Chicago Tribune.
Nearly 175 youngsters, who gathered at the Gary Comer Youth Center in Greater Grand Crossing for the Obama Foundation’s Training Day program, got the opportunity to hear Mr. Obama speak about the im- portance of making an im- pact in their local communities.
When he entered the room, the participants— whose ages ranged from 18 through 24—greeted him ex- citedly.
“The reason I wanted to come by is because this is the first of what we’re calling field days,” he said.
“When I left the White House, I thought to myself, ‘What’s the single thing I could do to be most impactful in the next phase of my life?’”
The students were surprised by former president Barack Obama.
He added that one of the ways to push his legacy for- ward is to dedicate himself to coaching the next generation of leaders.
During his visit former President Obama sat in on presentations, that were de- livered by students, which highlighted issues that they identified in their communi- ties and how they would like to overcome them.
Prior to his visit, the stu-
dents had spent the entire day in workshops related to civic engagement and press- ing issues surrounding af- fordable housing, health, and education. A majority of the students were from the South Side of Chicago.
The workshop was the first program initiative under his organization.
Mr. Obama’s Presidential Center is slated to officially open in 2018.
President Donald Trump told the widow of a U.S. serviceman killed in the October 4th ambush in Niger that "he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurts," according to Con- gresswoman Frederica Wilson.
The body of Sgt. La David Johnson was returned home to Miami late Tuesday after- noon, with the plane receiving a water cannon salute as it ar- rived near the gate.
The call from the President to Johnson's pregnant widow, Myeshia, came shortly before Johnson's cas- ket arrival.
"Basically he said, 'Well, I guess he knew what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurt,” Wilson said, adding that she listened to part of the call on speaker phone while in a vehi- cle with the family.
“How could you say that to a grieving widow? I couldn’t believe... and he said it more than once. I said this man has no feelings for anyone. This is a young woman with child who is grieved to her soul.”
Sgt. La David T. John- son a native of Miami Gar- dens wore the name of his wife and mother of his two chil- dren, Myeshia Johnson, tattooed across his chest under his U.S. Army uniform. He was part of a joint mission with the Niger military, and got caught in an ambush Wednesday.
Sgt. Johnson was one of four men killed in the attack. He was 25.
The three other members of the 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, who didn’t make it out of the ambush were Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash- ington; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Spring- boro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia.
According to the Miami Herald, Lt. Col David Painter, , Commander of 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, said, “The Bush Hog formation was made better be- cause of Johnson’s faithful service and we are focused on caring for the Johnson fam- ily during this difficult period.”
Trump’s call to Sgt. Johnson’s family comes on the heels of reports that he did not acknowledge the soldiers killed Oct. 4th in Niger until Monday. Following a question about why he hadn’t spoken about their deaths publicly or called troops’ families, Trump said that he had writ- ten personal letters and that he planned to call later. He then used the opportunity to falsely assert that his prede- cessors “didn’t make calls” themselves.
Former President Barack Obama frequently called the families of soldiers killed in ac- tion and visited those wounded during his adminis- tration. President George W. Bush visited troops at the Walter Reed medical center 16 times before he left office.
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