Soldier Buried, Controversy Continues

What could have been settled with a simple apology, would have ended the nightmare that the family of Sgt. La David Johnson is currently experiencing. Sgt. Johnson was buried Saturday (Oct. 21) with honors, but the controversy over what led to his death/body recovery has not been answered by the Trump administration. The total unexplained deaths of Sgt. Johnson and three of his fellow soldiers in the nation of Niger, is turning uglier each day by a president who will not explain what went wrong. The world knows by now how President Trump bungled a condolence call to Myeshia Johnson on the very day that she was going to receive Sgt. Johnson’s remains. It was alleged that President Trump told the young mother that La David “knew what he was signing up for”, which has been supported by Chief of Staff John Kelly, who also lost his son in a military operation. But all of the anger by Trump supporters has been directed at Florida Congresswoman Fredericka Wilson, who made public the words that Trump allegedly told Mrs. Johnson. Congresswoman Wilson explained how Myeshia broke down in tears after hearing what President Trump said that was heard on speakerphone, noting that President Trump didn’t even mention Sgt. Johnson’s name when he made the call.

According to Wilson and Sgt. Johnson’s mother, that caused Myeshia to cry which led to Wilson going public with the incident. Did the president apologize in an effort to “clear up” any misunderstanding? No, he did what he always does to take the attention away from himself. He attacks Congresswoman Wilson for doing something that the president often fails to do, which is tell the truth. Who started the controversy about the soldiers’ deaths and calls to their families? It was none other than President Trump himself.

When asked why he had not mentioned the soldiers’ deaths after over two weeks, Trump blamed Presidents Obama and Bush(43), saying that they didn’t contact families of deceased soldiers. That was proven to be a lie. Next Trump said that he sent out letters to all families(or most of them, he couldn’t get it straight), but said nothing of the four soldiers’ deaths. Nonetheless, Congresswoman Wilson’s name is dragged through the mud for simply telling the nation why Johnson’s family is suffering through one of the most difficult moments in their lives. Chief of Staff Kelly, who is also a retired Marine general, astounded many people, when he publicly defended President Trump, saying that it “took bravery” to make the call to the Johnson family, even after Kelly “instructed’ Trump on how to make those calls. Kelly referred to Wilson as an “empty barrel” for going public, even though she knew Sgt. Johnson from a mentoring program that she founded, which Kelly did not mentioned as an accomplishment of Wilson. Instead he went to the president’s playbook.

Kelly, when referring to Wilson as an “empty barrel” (which has racial overtones) said that at the dedication of a building named after two FBI agents slain in Wilson’s district, she made “everything” about her without so much as mentioning the FBI agents. He talked about a great speech made about recently fired FBI Director James Comey by Trump, but had nothing but utter contempt for Wilson, saying on that day, she was an empty barrel, making noise, and that was all. But on that day, the video/audio transcript showed that the general was not telling the truth. He has not recanted his statement, or anyone else in the Trump White House. But Wilson is the target of something that President Trump started, and continued by the White House and Fox News.

Myeshia Johnson has said through media interviews that President Trump did indeed say what was reported, even the part about Trump not mentioning her late husband’s name. Congresswoman Wilson will continue to take the heat/blame for Trump’s actions/words from Fox News, but they will not dare attack Johnson’s family because they are in the Gold Star status. To attack anything said by his widow, or mother, is an assault against the memory of an American soldier who gave his life for his country. General Kelly didn’t confirm Trump’s version, even though the president said that he had “proof” that he is right. No one from the White House is rushing to provide that proof. The blame for where we are is not Congresswoman Wilson’s fault, but that of the president.

None of us would expect a man of God to speak in the manner as President Trump did. Nor should a president. All is needed is an apology. Don’t expect one to come from the Trump White House. To do so would admit to the truth.

Remember, the world is watching. So is God.