President Spoke With Widow of 25 Year Old U.S. Army Sgt. For Five Minutes
President Donald Trump Tuesday afternoon at 4:45 PM called the widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four soldiers killed in Niger two weeks ago, and told the grieving mother of two that her husband “knew what he signed up for.” Miami-Dade’s ABC 10 reports the call to honor the 25-year-old soldier, a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, lasted for five minutes.
The Commander-in-Chief told Johnson, “he knew what he signed up for …but when it happens it hurts anyway.”Â
Myeshia Johnson is mother to a 2-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter. She is expecting a third child in January.
Shortly after speaking with the president, Johnson received the casket containing her husband’s remains. CBS Miami filmed her and her small child at her husband’s coffin.
“Her pregnant belly was shaking against the casket as she sobbed uncontrollably. Their daughter stood next to her stoically. Their toddler waited in the arms of a relative,” ABC 10 reported.
Sgt. Johnson “died during a mission fighting alongside Green Berets. Islamic militants ambushed them Oct. 4 with rocket propelled grenades and machine guns. The team reportedly didn’t have overhead armed air cover and were in unarmored pickup trucks. Reuters reported the lack of planning upset the French.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson (video below) called the president’s remarks to Myeshia Johnson “so insensitive.”
“Yes, he said it,” Rep. Wilson verified. “He should have not have said that. He shouldn’t have said it.”Â
Wilson criticized Trump for failing to acknowledge Johnson’s death after he was left behind during the evacuation and it took nearly two days to find his body in the Republic of Niger’s desert. Johnson’s body made it to the U.S. Oct. 7 when Trump was playing golf with Sen. Lindsey Graham.Â
The other victims of the attack in Niger include 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.
Trump has been fending off attacks since Monday when a reporter asked him why he had not called the families of the four fallen soldiers. The president lied, claiming President Barack Obama never called soldiers’ families.
The Miami Herald reports a scholarship fund has been set up for Sgt. Johnson’s children.
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