Transcripts For WUSA The Early Show 20110530

washington. kick-starting a road tour of key political states. is she any closer to joining the presidential race? we'll tell you "early" this monday morning, memorial day, we'll tell you "early" this monday morning, memorial day, may 30th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs and good morning to you, everyone, on this 30th of may. it is memorial day. i'm jeff glor. >> it is memorial day, and we do remember today all of those who have served our country. i am rebecca jarvis. erica and chris are off this morning. >> important to remember. good to see you, by the way. as we honor our armed forces on this memorial day, it's very important to note that this morning we should mention american troops are active in three different battle zones. in iraq, in afghanistan, and also with the nato air offensive against libya, of course. >> and there are currently 46,000 u.s. troops in iraq. about 100,000 in afghanistan. 4,454 american troops have been killed in iraq while the u.s. death toll in afghanistan is 1,597. >> indeed, that's where we begin this morning, in afghanistan, where nato forces faced another suicide attack this morning, after u.s. officials apologized for killing at least nine civilians during a nato air strike. cbs news correspondent mandy clark is along the afghanistan/pakistan border with the latest this morning. mandy, good morning. >> good morning. well, the incident seems to have been triggered when a u.s. base came under attack and the marines called in for backup. a coalition air strike and the provincial governor said two civilian homes took a direct hit. women and children were reportedly killed. afghan president hamid karzai issued a scathing statement. calling the attack a big mistake, and warning u.s. and nato forces to stop what he calls arbitrary and unnecessary operations that were killing innocent civilians every day. nato forces have apologized, saying, unfortunately, the compound the insurgents purposely occupied was later discovered to house innocent civilians. across the country, a wave of deadly attacks continues. this morning an italian civil aid base in the western city was stormed by a group of armed insurgents. this is the beginning of what's known as the fighting season. here, along the pakistani border, u.s. soldiers are preparing for a wave of insurgents to come through the border. the border is just two miles away past that mountain. this morning, the base came under attack for the sixth day in a row, in a very hot and very deadly war. there's no sign of it dying out. jeff? >> cbs' mandy clark, thank you. joining us now from the pentagon on this memorial day is admiral mike mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, who's retiring this fall, after four years as america's top man in uniform. admiral, thank you so much for joining us. >> good to be with you. >> i want to start by asking you, we heard mandy talk about what's happening in afghanistan right now. i'd like to start by talking to you about pakistan, because we're seeing these reports that pakistan said they're launching a targeted military offensive in north waziristan. as you know, a safe haven for militants in al qaeda at times. what do you expect from this? >> well, actually, that's probably the most challenging area in pakistan, and on that pakistan/afghanistan border. so i'm encouraged to hear that they're doing that. that the pakistani military has actually been in a very tough fight in that part of the country for a significant period of time. and while we're going through a very difficult patch right now, we should never forget the sacrifices of the pakistani military. they lost thousands of their soldiers, thousands of their civilians. so it's a very, very tough fight. and it's a very important fight, and a very important operation. zblad mir, i want to talk more broadly now about our military at large. and i read a poignant speech that you gave at west point this month where you talked about the disconnect between our civilians and our military. you said, quote, i fear they do not know us. i fear they don't comprehend the full weight, talking about civilians, that is, of the burden we carry or the price we pay when we return to battle. if that disconnect is there, how do we make it better? >> well, i -- i speak to this in terms of it being a two-way street. and one of the reasons that i speak out on it is because i've seen it as i've traveled throughout the country. and i'm -- i've been very encouraged in recent years by the incredibly positive support of the american people for our men and women in uniform. and these very, very difficult fights. at the same time, i think there's a lack of knowledge, in terms of the depth of what we've been through. the numbers of deployments. the stresses on our families. the wounds that they're suffering, visible, and invisible. they're extraordinary young men and women who've made such a difference, who've gone off to war and done exactly what we have asked them to do. and so i justs think we have to continue to work to make sure we're connected. it's less than -- the military comes from less than 1% of the population. they come from fewer and fewer places throughout the country. and if we let this continue, at some point in time we're going to wake up and we'll find out that we are disconnected. so i think it's very important to give this voice, and to focus on it, and actively make sure we're connected, and that we understand each other. >> admiral, we mention that you're leaving. does a change of guard mean a change of strategy in afghanistan? a year from now, where is afghanistan at? >> well, actually, i think from an overall strategy standpoint, we have obviously have added these additional troops over the course of the last year. general petraeus and others have focused on this comprehensive strategy. and we've really seen progress on the security side. and i think it's a very difficult fighting season right now. this will be a very tough year. we will sustain losses, as we have just in the last few days. and every single one of those is a tragic, tragic loss. that said, i am confident by the end of the year that we'll be in a much better position. and i think be able to see much more clearly the longer term potential for a positive outcome. >> admiral mike mullen. we thank you for your time this morning. and by the way, on this memorial day, sir, we thank you for your service. >> thank you very much. >> now here's rebecca. >> jeff, thank you. now the latest from joplin, missouri, where people paused with president obama on sunday to remember the victims of last week's killer tornado. this morning they're back at work, getting their lives back on track. and cbs news national correspondent ben tracy is in joplin with more. good morning, ben. >> good morning, rebecca. this is definitely not the holiday weekend people had in mind here in joplin. so much still to clean up. but you know, almost everywhere you go in this town right now, you also see a lot of this. american flags are everywhere. signs of mourning and hope. for lisa hartman this memorial day is especially painful. her fiance, 37-year-old jay petty, was an army ranger for two years, serving his country in somalia. >> he had the dedication, too. i mean, he never stopped. it was -- it was like he was always on a mission. >> but petty did not die on a battlefield. he lost his life here in joplin when the tornado tore through missouri last week, he was outside, across the street from this building where both he and lisa worked. >> my supervisor is the one that -- that found him, and he came and he hugged me. said, i'm sorry. >> reporter: but there is also much to be thankful for here. those who survived gathered for a moment of silence sunday at 5:41, one week earlier, that's when the tornado so violently changed their town. also on sunday, president obama came to see the devastation firsthand. ♪ at the city's memorial service, he promised the nation would not forget. >> the cameras may leave, the spotlight may shift, but we will be with you every step of the way, until joplin is restored and this community is back on its feet. we're not going anywhere. >> reporter: yet slowly all that debris is going somewhere. people are now dividing up into piles what was once their homes. the city will start hauling it away this week. ♪ so there are sounds and signs of hope nearly everywhere in joplin this memorial day. their spirit is still alive, even if it is a little tattered. of course, as of this morning, there are still more than 40 people missing. so for many families here in joplin, there is no thought yet of moving on. rebecca? >> cbs' ben tracy in joplin, missouri. thank you. and missouri governor jay nixon joins us now from the governor's mansion in jefferson city. thank you for joining us, governor nixon. >> thank you. thank you for being with us. this weekend, this week and today. >> it's been, obviously, a very, very tough week for your state. yesterday you toured joplin with the president. did you have any conversations with him? what was the exchanges between the two of you? >> well, i mean, i've been there every day as we've worked to recovery and continue that recovery process and rebuild. i think he was amazed at the size of the debris field. the size and the total devastation for houses along the way. but we were heartened to hear his commitment to their partnership. we've been working hard ourselves with all the state, federal and local agencies. we will have a full partnership to help rebuild joplin. >> did you ask the president for anything specific? >> yesterday was a day of memorial for our state. we're working well with the agencies and everyone has been very, very helpful. i did not see yesterday as the time -- i wanted to get his eyes on what was going on here. but more importantly we wanted to pause and pray for the families. we still have unaccounted for folks out there. we still have folks that are -- you know, bodies being released to families. we still have dna tests going on. and while there's clearly a spirit of rebirth moving all across joplin, much remains to be done. >> clearly. in previous experiences like this previous disasters, for example, hurricane katrina, the president has waived or asked fema to waive that 25% reimbursement where the states chip in 25% and the federal government chips in 75%. do you think something like that could really help joplin here? >> well, certainly. we look forward to continuing to work on those numbers to get what other major, major -- this is the deadliest tornado in the -- single tornado in the country's history. yeah, you've got upwards of 8,000 buildings destroyed, three schools, churches, thousands and thousands of homes. hundreds and hundreds of injuries, hundreds of deaths. i mean, this is a massive rebuilding process that i'm glad to see the president pledged a hand? hand work to do that. we're working through all of our damage assessments. we're going to obviously get, you know, the most in that sense that we can. but the most important part is to have the resolve of the people to rebuild. you've seen in some areas like this where folks have, you know, not come back to those cities and it's taken literally decades to rebuild the population. joplin's going to be much different than that. the resolve there is much different. and i'm focused -- the money things we'll work to make sure and be very aggressive. but the most important thing is that spirit there, and continuing the good samaritan spirit of people coming from all across the country to help us. >> yeah, absolutely. governor jay nixon. it was good to see those two buildings start going up over the weekend, as well. thanks for being with us. >> yes, yes, definitely. >> coming up we'll have more from joplin, missouri. also we're going to see how the recovery is going in alabama where more than 200 people died last month in the tornadoes. >> it is a very busy news morning so elaine quijano has more headlines from over at the news desk. elaine, good morning to you. >> good morning to you. we begin with new protests in yemen this morning, in the capital of sanaa. pro-democracy demonstrators. at least 20 people were killed today after government soldiers fired on them. demonstrators are calling for the ouster of president ali abdullah saleh. this morning ratko mladic's lawyer says he plans to appeal mladic's extradition to the war crimes tribunal at the hague. thousands of mladic supporters demanding his release clashed with police in belgrade last night. mladic is charged in the massacre of 8,000 muslims during the bosnian war. germany's government agreed this morning to phase out all of its nuclear power plants by the year 20 22. it's the first major power to become nuclear-free since the disaster in japan. germany has 17 nuclear plants. seven are already offline. the space shuttle "endeavour" is orbiting the werth on its own again this morning. the astronauts undocked from the international space station last night, and are headed back home for the last time. after it lands early wednesday, "endeavour" will be retired. and a rookie mistake on the final lap helped veteran dan wheldon win the indianapolis 500. 23-year-old j.r. hildebrand, he is in the lead going into the final turn yesterday, oh, but loses control for a split second and slammed into the wall. wheldon zips by to take the checkered flag, and despite serious damage to his car, hildebrand still manages to come in second. >> i have run up on the high side before earlier in the race. and you know, so that just ended up being what i went for and as soon as i got up there, just because i think the end of a tire stint, it was like marbles, there was nothing i could do. >> this is weldon's second indy win. we'll speak with him in our next hour. now here's jeff and rebecca. >> i cannot even imagine. >> heartbreaking. >> unbelievable. >> 200 laps, and the final turn. >> just as you're getting over the line. i bet he won't make that mistake again, though. >> he may not. thank you, elaine. the good thing is he's 23 years old. >> right. he's got a long road ahead, so to speak. >> speaking of the road ahead, let's check on the weatherwise, marysol castro has more on that. >> good morning, jeff and rebecca. good to see you two this morning. good morning, everyone at home. it feels more like july fourth than memorial day. much of the eastern half of the united states is just downright hot. take a look at this happen. you can see the jet stream is well to the north ushering very, very warm temperatures into the southeast. these temperatures are well above normal. you take the heat and the humidity, we will see plenty of heat watches and warnings throughout the day. the nation's capital, the city of brotherly love. but this really extends from new jersey into virginia. i wouldn't be surprised if by this afternoon, new york city gets its own heat advisory just when you factor in the humidity and the heat. the other big stories, severe weather, not anything that we saw last week, but we're keeping an eye on it because we're going to look at a lot of downpours, and of course we can't rule out the possibility of a tornado. and we're going to keep an eye on it for you and update yo thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to rebecca and jeff. >> mary, thank you very much. still ahead this morning, sarah palin steals the political spotlight, it seems, again on sunday. is she any closer to officially running for president? and on this memorial day, we will visit some remarkable women. they make sure no fallen hero is ever forgotten at arlington national cemetery. this is "the early show" on cbs. finally, there's a choice for my patients with an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem. today we have pradaxa to reduce the risk of a stroke caused by a clot. in a clinical trial, pradaxa 150 mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have kidney problems or a bleeding condition, like stomach ulcers. or if you take aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctor's approval, as stopping may increase your stroke risk. other side effects include indigestion, stomach pain, upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke. erika: ... my computer is the same as a new computer. vo: so to show her what she's missing, we built a pc store in her house. erika: (gasp) employee: come on in. make yourself at home! erika: this is my home! employee: let's take a look! erika: (lifting laptop) it's really light. honey, help me shop! employee: you can get up to seven hours on this battery. jesse: the color really pops out. employee: everything's wireless. wireless keyboard. jesse: that's impressive. i like this one better. erika: and i like this one... vo: new pc. what's it gonna be? erika: i'm a pc, and i got what i wanted. jesse: as usual. on sunday sarah palin kicked off her east coast bus tour. not on a bus, but on a harley. >> she and her family joined the annual rolling thunder motorcycle rally in a short ride to the national mall in washington. we're going to tell you if palin said anything about a potential run for the white house. >> we'll be right back. you're watching "the early show" on this memorial day. >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by the home depot. more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. so let's plant some perennials that'll turn up every year. trees and shrubs to give us depth. and fill it out with flowers placed in just the perfect place. let's start at the place with the best plants, people, and prices. what do you say we plant a weekend, water it, and watch a summer spring up? more saving. more doing. that's the power of the home depot. we're lowering the cost of keeping the pests away, with ortho home defense max now just $5.88. to stay healthy. but did you know fiber choice can help support your overall well-being? every tasty tablet has prebiotic fiber from fruits and veggies... that lets your good bacteria thrive and helps support your immune system. fiber choice. an easy way to defend your health everyday. learn more about prebiotics and get a free sample at fiberchoice.com. with less chronic low back pain. imagine living your life with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a non-narcotic treatment that's fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing of the skin or eyes. talk with your doctor about your medicines, including those for migraine, or if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles, to address a possible life-threatening condition. tell your doctor about alcohol use, liver disease, and before you reduce or stop taking cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. side effects include nausea, dry mouth, and constipation. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. ok. what if i just had a small slice? i was good today, i deserve it! or, i could have a medium slice and some celery sticks and they would cancel each other out, right? or...ok. i could have one large slice and jog in place as i eat it or...ok. how about one large slice while jogging in place followed by eight celery... mmm raspberry cheesecake... i have been thinking about this all day. wow, and you've lost weight! oh yeah, you're welcome. thank you! [ female announcer ] yoplait light. with 30 delicious flavors all around 100 calories each. yoplait. it is so good. well, there it is. the most important picture of the morning. stars and stripes. doesn't matter where it is. this is in new york city. no matter where it is, it is memorial day here. welcome back to "the early show," i'm jeff glor along with rebecca jarvis. coming up we're going to highlight an extraordinary group of volunteers at arlington national cemetery. they attend every single burial at the cemetery, up to 30 a day, making sure that no veteran is laid to rest without a witness. the arlington women, coming up here. >> such important work that they do. and they volunteer to do it. also ahead, more buzz for sarah palin, as she rumbles through washington on the back of a harley yesterday. we're going to see if palin's any closer to running for president, and also check out all the other big names in the republican pool. >> plus before that elaine quijano has a look at our top headlines this morning. >> good morning. and good morning to you at home. this morning, nato commanders apologized for an air strike that killed innocent civilians in afghanistan. saturday's attack targeted insurgents in southern afghanistan. the afghan government says 14 civilians, including 10 children, were killed. this morning, a taliban suicide bomber attacked an italian base in western afghanistan. five italian soldiers were wounded. at least four people were killed. and in southern afghanistan, the nato service member was shot dead by an afghan wearing an army uniform. president obama is back in washington, after visiting tornado-ravaged joplin, missouri. the president toured the damage yesterday and met with victims before attending a memorial service. more than 130 people were killed when the twister hit a week ago. 39 remain unaccounted for. battle creek, michigan, was hit hard by severe storms yesterday. homes were damaged and more than 100,000 around the state were without power. there were no serious injuries. and this morning in australia, a water spout formed in the ocean north of sydney. the funnel-shaped cloud was tall and thin and put on a spectacular water show off the coast of new south wales. sarah palin is revving up new speculation on a presidential run by climbing on the back of a motorcycle. cbs news political correspondent jan crawford is in washington with more on that. hey, jan, good morning. >> good morning, jeff. i mean, rolling thunder is always a big event here. but yesterday, it got significantly more attention. >> bristol variety, piper variety, todd variety. >> reporter: sarah palin rode into washington as part of the rolling thunder biker variety. it's the first stop on what she's calling her one nation bus tour, taking her up the east coast, including a stop in the pivotal state of new hampshire. on sunday she made no moves toward announcing her candidacy. remaining tight-lipped on presidential aspirations, and only thanking those who fought for our country. >> it is a debt of gratitude we owe our veterans. they are who secure and have secured our freedom. >> reporter: but the buzz over palin's possible white house bid is as loud as the motorcycle she rode in on. she hook hands and waved to the crowds, looking every bit the politician. but still not using any closer to running for the nation's highest office. so will she or won't she? it's a question only she can answer. but senator john mccain, who plucked her from obscurity as his running mate in the last election, says she has a chance if she gets in the race. >> can she beat barack obama? >> of course she can. she can. now whether she will or not, whether she'll even run or not, i don't know. >> now, palin is said to be headed toward the historical civil war sites of antietam and gettysburg, plus a visit to the liberty bell in philadelphia, as she makes her way up there to new hampshire. but, you know, as for now, it's a guessing game which way she's headed when it comes to a presidential run. jeff? >> let's talk a little more about that guessing game, jan. because right now, conventional wisdom seems to be that she's doing this more to keep her name in the news, to keep the profile up there, as opposed to a prelude to a serious presidential run. have you seen anything to conflict with that? >> no. i mean, no. that's the short answer. i mean, she has not started doing any of the things that candidates typically do, like setting up a campaign structure in the states, or reaching out to some of those big money donors who can bring in the big bucks. if you think about it in that way, this bus tour seems more like a way for her to kind of keep her options open. she can stay in the public debate while she decides whether or not to run. but, on the other hand, this is sarah palin we're talking about. so even though she's not acting like a candidate, she's someone who does not have to follow all these traditional old rules of campaigning. she can just throw them out the window and really run her campaign in a completely different way. but the short answer is, no. >> we appreciate the clean, straightforward answers, jan. if, let me ask, if sarah palin did get involved, if she got involved, who else would her candidacy hurt the most? >> oh, okay. i've got a short answer for this one, too. tim pawlenty the former minnesota governor. no question, tim pawlenty. i mean he is trying to assemble this broad, cross-section of voters. he's looking to knock off presumtism front-runner mitt romney. he needs the social conservatives and tea party p l followers and he's been campaigning for those votes. but a lot of those votes would go to palin if she gets in. and that would really set his campaign back. >> another hopeful let's talk about here, minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann who's, i think, maybe made some more serious indications that she'll join the race than palin has. do bachmann and palin compete for the same voters? >> they do. i mean, they both will be competing for that same bloc of voters that tim pawlenty is hoping to get. i mean pawlenty and palin and bachmann, they're all going to -- and newt gingrich, rick santorum, herman cain, it's not just bachmann and palin, all these guys are going for the social conservatives and the tea party supporters. we have seen a lot of people say, kind of positioning it where is bachmann going to get in if palin doesn't? will palin get in? almost pitting those two against each other. i think we have to think a little more broadly because there are a lot of people going for those votes. not just the two women going head-to-head. >> jan crawford in washington this morning. jan, good to see you, thank you. >> thank you. >> up next here, as nato adds more muscle to the air strikes on libya, we'll look at maybe one last diplomatic move to break the stalemate over moammar gadhafi. you're watching "the early show" right here on cbs. [ waves crashing ] ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] and just like that, it's here. a new chance for all of us: people, companies, communities to face the challenges yesterday left behind and the ones tomorrow will bring. prudential. bring your challenges. and today, we're re-inventing aspirin for pain relief. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief right to the site of your tough pain. ♪ in fact, it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. extra strength pain relief, twice as fast. this morning nato's top official says they're ready to put more pressure on moammar gadhafi's forces in libya, ahead of more negotiations to get libya's longtime leader out of power. cbs news correspondent allen pizzey is in tripoli, libya's capital, with the latest there. allen, good morning. >> good morning, rebecca. well, the latest news here is that jacob zuma is due to arrive in the next few hours at what seems a last-ditch effort to find an exit strategy for colonel moammar gadhafi. it's not clear what zuma can bring to the table. because the last time he came with the african union it was only a question of trying to get gadhafi to agree to a cease-fire. that's not going to work unless he says, says gadhafi agrees to leave the country. because the rebels in the east say they will not negotiate, and will not make a deal until colonel gadhafi is gone. she's shown no inclination to do that and nato is stepping up the pressure to try to convince him that he has no other choice. the british have just announced they've got some bigger, better improved bunker busting bombs. they'll presumably be dropped on gadhafi's compound. which is about a mile off to my right here. that was hit several times last week and they even resorted to daylight bombing. the last couple of days have been extremely quiet. presumably just a little lull to give jacob zuma a chance to talk to colonel gadhafi. he hasn't arrived and gadhafi has shown no inclination of wanting to go anywhere. >> if gadhafi did want to go somewhere, allen, where would he go? >> there don't seem to be too much choices. you look at the kind of people that might accept him, hugo chavez of venezuela has said that he might take him. presumably he could look at harare in zimbabwe. i understand from sources down there that libyans were in harare a few weeks ago looking at some of the higher end real estate. but whether they bought any, i don't know. and of course there's always north korea. now, it's interesting that there have also been some other diplomatic developments. the libyan foreign minister was in tunis over the weekend talking to a former british minister. that was all unofficial, off the record, and so far nothing is working. >> cbs' allen pizzey in tripoli, libya. thank you so much for joining us. and coming up next, the arlington ladies. they are always there when someone is buried at arlington national cemetery. we'll have their remarkable story on this memorial day. this is the "early" show on cbs. [ female announcer ] a revolutionary conditioner from dove. we've combined conditioner with a weightless nutri-oil treatment. to give 3x the internal nourishing power of our regular conditioner. new dove daily treatment conditioner. make friends with your hair. to come and try coffee-mate's new cafe collection flavors. then we asked them to show us how the taste inspired them. new rich caramel macchiato. one of three new ways to add your flavor. with coffee-mate, from nestle. one of three new ways to add your flavor. metamucil uses s a little more down with i buy plants, i bring them home, and then...i water too little... too much... or i just forget. but look. this is doing fine. why? it's planted in miracle-gro moisture control potting mix. it holds 33% more water... than ordinary potting soil. releasing it as plants need it. not when i get around to it. and there's miracle-gro plant food mixed in. so you get miracle-gro results... i like that. [ female announcer ] miracle-gro moisture control potting mix. success starts with the soil. on this day we honor the memory of all the men and women who have served this country. at arlington national cemetery, a quiet group of volunteers, the arlington ladies, ensure that no one is buried alone. as they say, you are not forgotten. >> the significance of arlington national cemetery is almost overwhelming. >> reporter: it is our nation's most hallowed burial ground, a final resting place for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. >> when you look around, and you see the granite tombstones you see all of the people who cared about our country enough to defend it. to fight for freedom. >> reporter: an average weekday at arlington sees nearly 30 funerals. each one attended by someone like joayn bahr, a member of the arlington ladies. they've been honoring the fallen since 1948. >> the ladies came into being so that no person who ever served this country will ever be buried alone. there are many circumstances where family members are unable to come, due to health, due to distance to travel. and we never want anyone who's given their life or their service to this country to be forgotten. >> reporter: for nine years joayn has stood vigil at gravesides. the daughter and niece of military men, the wife of a retired colonel, she understands the sacrifices. >> when we come here, we bring the army family and we represent the chief of staff, and the army family, to this family to say, we haven't forgotten you. what you have done is important, and we know that. >> reporter: at the conclusion of each service, she gives a note to the family from the army chief of staff and his wife. the other, her own personal letter of appreciation. private words of thanks, comfort, and understanding. >> when i write to a widow, i hope that her memory of happier times will sustain her. when i write a note to a young child, i realize that they are not fully aware of the honor being bestowed about their parent, but i hope that in the years to come, they will know exactly what an honor it was, and that they, too, will remember happier times, and know that their parents loved them. >> every member of the arlington ladies has either served in the military or is related to someone who has. and each volunteer attends a service at least once a month. >> it is such a tremendous thing that they're doing. obviously a tremendous thing that all the service men and women in this country do for all of us. >> and how consistent both our service members are, not just on this day, and joayn for that matter, but throughout the entire year. she's there, as we said -- >> it's not just today. it's all the time. >> and we pause and remember all of that this morning. you're watching "the early show." you're watching "the early show." we'll be right back. a calling ere for the veterans who protect our freedoms working with today's va i can use my license anywhere in the u.s. in the city or the wide open spaces it's amazing how you can grow as a doctor a nurse a pharmacist you grow as a person it's the quality of care our veterans deserve this is what i'm called to do. is it a blast of clean ? is it winning the race against time ? it's the countless innovations of lg, designed to make life good. so is it an appliance or something better ? this morning we're looking at the long road ahead for the people of joplin, missouri. to get an idea, look a few hundred miles to the south, or thousands of miles to the east. >> it has been such a heart-breaking and challenging year for so many people. the northeast coast of japan still recovering from that tsunami that killed tens of thousands in march. the cleanup goes on in the south after last month's tornado that killed 340 people there. along the mississippi river, the flooding that began weeks ago will still take weeks to go away. coming up we're going to take a look at all those disasters and how the recovery is going this morning. >> we'll be right back. your local news is next. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's movie time. with a wii twist. netflix now delivers unlimited tv episodes and movies instantly through wii. all for only 8 bucks a month. the one place that makes it easy to buy a new laptop. or get one fixed. with highly trained tech experts, staples makes repairing technology easy. staples. that was easy. there it is, the white house, on this memorial day. it is 8:00 right now. thank you so much for joining us on this memorial day. welcome back to "the early show," i'm jeff glor with rebecca jarvis, sitting in today for chris wragge and erica hill. coming up, as you know, rebecca, in the middle of disaster a lot has happened this year when it comes to disasters. we're going to meet a couple here, in the middle of all this disaster from joplin, missouri. they set this date months ago, they talked it over and over. they decided not to wait. people in joplin say this weekend's celebration was exactly what they needed, as joplin tries to pull itself out of despair. we're going to talk to the happy couple this morning. pretty amazing story. >> it is an incredible story. also ahead for 499 1/2 miles j.r. hildebrand was perfect. then he hit the wall on the very final turn as he was about to win the indy 500. as he did, dan wheldon, who was looking at a third straight second place, drove by to take the checkered flag. this might be the most unbelievable finish in the 100-year history of the race. and dan wheldon is going to be joining us right here to talk about his totally unexpected victory. sort of maybe a bittersweet one. >> it is, indeed. i would say so. and i want to ask dan, what was he thinking as he sees this yash? he thinks he's going to come in second or third. >> it's right in front of him. >> and all of a sudden j.r. hildebrand crashes. that's coming up very soon. but first, it's been a week now since the worst tornado in half a century struck joplin, missouri. president obama has come and gone. the media spotlight will eventually fade. there will be federal help, along with volunteers from across the country. but joplin clearly faces a massive cleanup. this morning, we look back at three similar disasters and try to get a snapshot of where each is in its recovery. from alabama, still dealing with the aftermath of that tornado, to mississippi, where floodwaters are still high. but we go first this morning to tokyo, where cbs' lucy craft has the latest on that region, devastated in march by earthquake and tsunami. lucy, good morning. >> good morning. well, you know, may was supposed to be the month when the government finished building roughly half of the temporary homes needed for disaster victims. there's still about 100,000 people living in evacuation centers who need these prefab homes. today the government conceded that it won't be building those approximately 30,000 homes on time, and one of the biggest barriers is that most of the tsunami's aftermath has yet to be cleared. months after the catastrophe, and workers have scarcery made a dent in the debris mountains that once were homes, shops, cars and belongings. fishing towns laid waste, like this one, are literally choking in their own debris. >> translator: i was stunned when i saw the debris. how does this happen so fast? what will we do now? all of use are in shock. >> reporter: the volume of garbage is so bad, it's equivalent to 23 years worth of household and commercial waste. the mayor of the town of kisenuma says rebuilding right now is all but at a standstill. >> translator: the debris contains steel, paper and wood and electrical appliances. it cannot just be moved aside. it has to be separated into burnables, recyclables and landfills. this will take three years. but we cannot move ahead with the recovery until it's cleaned up first. >> reporter: trucking 2 million tons of debris away is easy, but where to put it all? for japan's tiny sea towns, wedged onto narrow mountainous strips of coastline, space is at a premium. >> translator: unlike towns with lots of wide open space, we don't have enough room for garbage dumps, so we have to crowd everything into a few locations. which causes traffic jams, and slows the whole process down. >> reporter: so the 70,000 residents have hunkered down for a long, hard road ahead. it will be four to five years before this port starts to take shape says this fishing industry, official. ten years before we're back to where we were. you know, temperatures are rising right now. japan is going into the rainy season, and the debris is becoming a public hygiene menace. kisenumaya is a food town. a lot of plants were destroyed in the tsunami and now officials say the stench of rotting fish is almost all but unbearable. another concern is that all this debris could turn out to generate foodborne illnesses. back to you. >> all right, lucy craft in tokyo. thank you very much. now we turn to alabama and mississippi. which have been plagued by tornadoes and flooding for the past six weeks now. joining us are mayor william bell of birmingham, alabama, still recovering from last month's tornadoes that killed at least 340 people across the south. and also mayor paul winfield of vicksburg, mississippi, where flooding from the mississippi river has gone on for weeks now. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> mayor bell, i want to start with you. because, the primary area in birmingham, alabama, as you know, that was hit by the tornado on april 27th, a month and three days ago now, was a low-income community. and lucy just talked about a low-income community, a poor neighborhood in japan that is struggling to recover from the earthquake. i want to ask you about your neighborhood there. is there a way that you can ensure that that neighborhood is better off after the recovery takes place? >> yes. you know, first of all, we're trying to make sure that we do all we can to assure the residents that we're in this for the long haul. and by doing so, they see us every day. we answer all their questions. we try to provide as much direct help as possible. but basically, we have to also do a plan, and go through a planning process which we're working with the american institute of architects, to help us lay out a new grid plan for the redevelopment of that area. >> mayor, as you say, you talk to them every day. so a month later, what are they feeling right now? do they feel like things have gotten any better yet? >> well, it's a step by step process. some people are still in a state of shock. we have to constantly remind them that this is not an overnight situation that is going to take months and years to get back to a sense of normalcy in the area. you have to remember, people have lost everything. and frustration is starting to set in, because things have not moving as quickly as people would like for them to do. but they're moving as quickly as they should move. at this particular point in time. >> mayor winfield, let me move to you, you've expressed frustration that parts of your city are still inundated with water this morning. some houses had 15 feet of water, in some houses it's still 12 feet of water now weeks after. how long does this recovery process take? >> well, first of all, thank you for inviting me on the show. right now, what we have is a slow and long recession of the water. as of yesterday, our water levels in vicksburg were at 53.7 feet. which is almost four feet below the crest that we all saw a couple of weeks ago. so it's going to be a pretty long process. >> as we know in situations like this, when there's sitting water for a long period of time, concerns about chemicals and toxins being trapped in homes. how do you deal with those concerns right now? >> well, one of the things we've been doing is informing our residents and our business owners about the process. this is not going to be a quick and easy fix. one of the things that we've encouraged them to do is to go through the process of filling out the fema applications. understand the dynamics of that process, encourage patience on their part. and to encourage them, by letting them know that we as local government officials are going to do all that we can through our strategic process to help bring our community back, and even better. one of the things that we've done with our residents is encourage them to stay out of the water, because of the toxins. they're going to be assessment, environmental impacts that are going to be done in our community before we allow them to go back in to a home that has been totally inundated by the water. >> mayor paul winfield and mayor william bell. we thank you both for your time. both in the middle of long, long recoveries, and we have not forgotten. we appreciate your time this morning. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> tough to see so much of the country, even the world, in pain right now. but i will say, when you go to these locations and you see the people working together to make things better, that -- >> they know it's not going to happen overnight. >> right. >> long, long recovery. >> elaine quijano, meantime, is at the news desk this morning with another check of the headlines. >> good morning, guys. this morning the taliban attacked an italian base in western afghanistan. the attack was led by a suicide bomber. four people were killed and four italian soldiers were wounded. and nato apologized for an air strike that killed innocent civilians. the afghan government says 14 civilians died in saturday's attack, including ten children. earlier the chairman of the joint chiefs as mir mike mullen told jeff this will be a tough year in afghanistan for nato forces but he is optimistic. >> i am confident by the end of the year that we'll be in a much better position. and i think be able to see much more clearly the longer-term potential for a positive outcome. >> mullen is retiring, and today president obama is expected to announce he's naming general martin dempsey as the new chairman of the joint chiefs. u.s. troops in afghanistan paused yesterday to remember their fallen comrades. in nearly ten years of fighting, more than 1500 americans have been killed in afghanistan. there were fresh demonstrations in the capital of yemen this morning. angry crowds took to the streets to protest the latest round of deadly attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators. today, at least 20 people were killed in the southern part of the country when government soldiers opened fire. the protesters are blaming president ali abdullah saleh and are calling for his resignation. also in the middle east, for the first time in four years, a border crossing with gaza and egypt is open this morning. despite security concerns from some israeli officials. cbs news correspondent elizabeth palmer is in london with more. good morning, elizabeth. >> good morning. yes, the opening of the border from rafa in gaza into egypt is actually a direct fallout of the egyptian revolution back in january. and it's also a symbol of the much larger political shift taking place across the middle east. a simple traveler's routine. out of the question for most palestinians since 2007, is back at last. after the hundreds of gazans who crossed the border into egypt this weekend, it represents freedom to visit family, to shop, or in the case of siad khalifa's wife, to seek better medical care. medical facilities in gaza aren't modern, he explains, so as soon as i could i arranged to have her moved to egypt. back in 2007, the radical palestinian group hamas took control of gaza by force. and israel to prevent smuggled arms entering a territory decided to seal it off. it closed one border crossing at erez and asked the egyptians to close the other at rafah. egypt's president at the time, hosni mubarak agreed, and 1.4 million residents of gaza were penned in to one of the most densely populated strips of land on earth. then four months ago, egypt's revolution changed everything. including its relationship with israel, one of the first signs that egypt is rethinking its broad cooperation with israel is the newly opened border crossing at rafah to the relief and delight of long-frustrated palestinians. now, the israelis for their part are very uneasy about the policy shift coming up in the region, and particularly their relationship with egypt. and specifically they're worried about the open border crossing at rafah because they think it means more arms smuggled into gaza and then used to attack israel. elaine? >> okay. cbs' elizabeth palmer in london. thanks. for the last time the space shuttle "endeavour" is getting ready to return to earth. the shuttle astronauts separated from the international space station last night and are headed back home for a landing early wednesday. this is the final mission for "endeavour." now marysol castro is here with another check of the weather. >> good morning, elaine. so great to have you on the show this morning. good morning, everyone else at home. well, severe weather for the unofficial start of summer. and it seems kind of appropriate because we've seen more severe weather this year than last year, and there aren't been a lot of folks who can tell you about it. so the northeast you're already seeing a few thunderstorms pop up this morning. in the upper midwest we're looking from fargo to wichita, the usual suspects a wind, hail, tornado, but rain, some folks pick up as much as three inches of rain by day's end. the backside of this severe weather is also colder so instead of rain in yellowstone, you're going to see three to seven inches of snow for your unofficial start to su >> this weather report sponsored by chrysler. imported from detroit. >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to rebecca. >> mary, thanks. coming up next, if you want to feel younger at any age, exercise could be the solution. we're going to show you why it's never too late to hit the gym. this is "the early show" on cbs. woman: till all the books are read... man: and all the pens are put down... woman: and everything there is to learn is learned. man: till the heroes retire and the monsters return to their dens... woman: and all the plots are wrapped up. man: till that day... boy: by hook or by crook... girl: by book or by nook... woman: i will read. to come and try coffee-mate's new cafe collection flavors. then we asked them to show us how the taste inspired them. new rich caramel macchiato. one of three new ways to add your flavor. with coffee-mate, from nestle. one of three new ways to add your flavor. sfx: bed crashes to floor kids seem to get bigger overnight. good morning... whoa! whoa! and when they do, they're ready for goodnites. the nightime underwear specially designed for kids 4 and up. imagine a day when we can eat what we want and sleep soundly through the night. prevacid®24hr prevents the acid that causes frequent heartburn all day, all night. we all want fewer chemicals. new all free clear oxi-active. a free clear detergent that's tough on stains and gentle on skin. try new all free clear oxi-active. and gentle on skin. you know rheumatoid arthritis means pain. but you may not know it can also mean destruction. not just of your joints, but of the things you love to do. and the longer you live with the aching, swelling, and stiffness, the closer you may be to having your favorite things... taken away from you. but you can take action today. go to ra.com for your free joint profile so you can better talk to your rheumatologist about protecting your joints. [ man ] ♪ trouble ♪ trouble, trouble trouble, trouble ♪ ♪ trouble been doggin' my soul ♪ since the day i was born ♪ worry ♪ oh, worry, worry worry, worry ♪ [ announcer ] when it comes to things you care about, leave nothing to chance. travelers. take the scary out of life. in this morning's "healthwatch," aging and exercise. doctors say the older you get, the more exercise you need. but it's not that easy to get seniors to work out when gyms tend to cater to younger people. a number of personal trainers are doing something about that, as cbs' priya david clemens reports. >> all right, let's go. >> reporter: 61-year-old trainer sharon hill is putting a group of fitness fanatics through an intense workout. >> you're going to do bicep curls. >> reporter: it's a class designed to encourage the over-50 crowd to hit the gym. something many of them are reluctant to do. >> what are the concerns that you have? >> falling. falling and breaking a hip. >> good work, ellen. >> reporter: hill is one of a growing number of trainers who are helping the senior crowd get back in the gym. >> i knew that i could maybe be inspirational because i'd been as bad as whoever came in. >> reporter: sharon may look like she's exercised every day of her life, but just ten years ago it was a very different story. you smoked? >> yes. >> reporter: you over-ate? >> right. >> reporter: you slept poorly? >> i didn't exercise. >> reporter: she was a hot shot sales exec making bold moves in the board room but feeling the aches and pains of life. >> a fitness studio opened up in the neighborhood and i went in for a massage. but the massage therapist was the owner and he said i really think we could help you with your pain but you're going to need to start exercising. >> reporter: that moment changed her life. it gave her the inspiration to step out of the rat race and into the gym. >> nice work. >> most of the time i didn't feel well. and that is not a way that i wanted to live the rest of my life. i needed to be doing something different. and that's how it started. what are we developing when we do this? fast switch muscles. >> reporter: today she's training seniors and using her own experience to inspire her clients. >> she is definitely an inspiration to us. because she's our mentor. >> nine, ten, eleven -- >> it's the best thing i've ever done for myself. >> she allows us to feel that we can do whatever it is. we don't have limitations. >> reporter: and giving back and getting healthy is something that no corporate board room could give her. >> my day is very focused on what i'm doing with my clients. what results are we seeing? it is not about me. i love it. >> reporter: priya david clemens, cbs news, san diego. >> we're done. >> we'll be right back. this is "the early show" on cbs. kids seem to get bigger overnight. good morning... whoa! whoa! and when they do, they're ready for goodnites. the nightime underwear specially designed for kids 4 and up. i mean you still almost feel guilty about doing it and about being happy. we still have people we know who are still trying to put things back together, still staying in shelters, so you feel awkward doing it. i think last night, though, doing the rehearsal and seeing everybody, and seeing all that support for us, let you relax a little bit and enjoy it a little bit. >> you talked to them just before the wedding. >> yeah. >> people in joplin, missouri, devastated, brooke watson and aaron cox's wedding this weekend was exactly what they needed. >> they weren't even sure, like they said, about whether or not it was right to get married just a week after a tornado that killed more than 130 people. but they went ahead with it, and a very sweet day for them. we will hear from the happy bride and groom in just a bit. >> a beautiful ceremony. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. j.r. hildebrand. >> traffic, he's got to get around the lap traffic. no! >> he hit the wall! >> oh, my goodness. >> dan wheldon is going to win. >> that is unbelievable. >> unbelievable. >> it really was unbelievable. if you see this yesterday, j.r. hildebrand, a rookie out of california, rookie driver, about to win the indianapolis 500. the most prestigious race. >> can't believe it. >> in the world. and he crashes on the last lap. >> he has to be kicking himself today. >> one would say he may be doing a little bit of that. but this morning, we're going to talk about that. it was stunning. dan wheldon drove right by to win the indy 500. it was dan's second victory and dan wheldon joins us this morning from the indianapolis motor speedway. sir, good morning and congratulations. >> thank you very much. i appreciate it. >> dpan, we should mention your first full ride of the year, right? >> yeah, this is my first race of the year. i haven't been competing in the full season. and my contract actually expired last night at midnight. so i'm on the unemployment line right now. >> i have to imagine the unemployment won't last for very long after this performance. but let me ask you, so the final lap, you're behind j.r. held brand here at this point. when did you realize something was wrong and what were you thinking when you saw that? was it just shock? >> well, it was an incredibly intense last 20 laps of the race. and there was a couple of different strategies being played out by different teams. j.r. had stayed out under a yellow to gain some track position. he was struggling a little bit back in the field. or back in the, you know, seventh, eighth, ninth position. it was very hard to overtake. and so they stayed out, and several others did the same, as well. so for me it was about making sure that, you know, i maximized every ounce of speed that that car had in it. and on the last lap i was approaching, there was a car in between myself and j.r. the team was telling me that there was huge potential for him to run out on the front stretch, so i needed to, you know, keep pushing as hard as i possibly could. and i ducked underneath the car exiting turn three into turn four, and because of that, i really couldn't see j.r. very clearly. once i cleared the car that i had overtaken, i noticed that he'd got up in the gray, and just made contact with the outside retaining wall, and from that point, it was about running through the debris, and making sure i avoided him if he came back across the track. and i had to motor that honda powered indy car across the start/finish line for my second indianapolis 500 win. >> we should mention that. your second win. is this one sweeter? >> you know, this one was -- they're both very good. not one is better than the other. but certainly this was very emotional to, you know, for me to be part of ryan herta, he's been a friend, a teammate. for him to give me the opportunity to drive the car with the backing of big machines record and i-go was very, very nice of him and it was a very competitive package which is what you need to take on the likes of roger penske and chip ganassi. >> one reason i thought this might be more meaningful for you, you recently partnered at the alzheimer's association because you just went public your mother who is 55 years old was just diagnosed with early onset alzheimer's. i know you said you were racing for her in part yesterday. have you spoken to her? >> yeah, i've spoken to both my mother and father, and you know, it's obviously something that's very close to me, and i'm honored and privileged that the alzheimer's association let me talk on their behalf, and obviously run the association logo on my helmet. you know, alzheimer's affects a lot more people out there than people perhaps believe. and so to get that word out there, hopefully, to drum up, you know, some interest and for people to understand more about the disease is very important for me. and hopefully we can, you know, continue to raise more funding to work on finding cures, or early diagnosis, which will help. but you know, my thoughts and prayers are with, you know, everybody out there that, you know, has the diss aease, and for the loved ones that surround that person. because it affects -- it affects everybody, and you know, i'm truly honored and blessed for them to allow me to do this. and i really hope for the people that do have this disease that this put a smile on their face. that's what the intention was. i know did it for my mother and my family, too. >> ki only imagine it did. dan, let me ask you, what's next for you? >> well, like i said, my contract expired last night at midnight. so, you know, we're going to work very, very hard to continue with this program. the great thing about the team is that they're only do it if it's done right. we want to be competitive. we want to continue to race in the way that we should. you know, to contend for wins. we don't just want to be there to make up the numbers. so we'll just have to see. but certainly, you know, i don't think this has hurt my chances of continuing, and you know, i'm just appreciative that the people like william rast are coming on board and giving me such a good opportunity. >> a man who i guarantee will be employed in the not near future. dan ledden, his second indianapolis 500 victory on his first full ride of this year. dan, congratulations. >> thank you very much. i very much appreciate it. >> good time to be a free agent. >> yeah. >> absolutely. >> i think he'll do okay. >> here's elaine quijano at the news desk with one more look at the headlines. >> hello again. good morning to you again. parts of michigan are cleaning up this morning. a fast-moving and powerful storm knocked out power to 100,000 residents yesterday. dozens of frees were toppled and homes heavily damaged. in joplin, missouri, this morning, 39 people are still missing from last sunday's deadly tornado. president obama visited yesterday, and met with families of some of the more than 130 people killed. earlier, missouri governor jay nixon told rebecca that the spirit in joplin will guarantee a comeback. >> the most important part is to have the resolve of the people to rebuild. i mean, you've seen in some areas like this where folks have, you know, not come back to those cities and it's taken literally decades to rebuild the population. i think joplin's going to be much different than that. but the most important thing is that spirit there, and continuing the good samaritan spirit of people coming from all across the country to help us. president obama said the nation will be with the people in joplin every step of the way. former alaska governor sarah palin kicked off her east coast tour on the back of a motorcycle. palin joined yesterday's ride to the vietnam veteran's memorial. her tour is adding to speculation that she's running for president. but when asked yesterday if she's running, palin said, don't know. and no headache in hollywood as "the hang over part ii" takes the top spot at the holiday box office. the sequel pulled in $86 million in its first weekend. that's the best three-day weekend ever for a live action comedy. second with $48 million, another sequel, "kung-fu panda 2", and yet another sequel was third, "pirates of the caribbean" with $39 million. now here's marysol with another check of the weather. >> good morning, elaine. good morning, everyone at home. we know it's been the great flood of the year 2011. we talked about the mississippi river. well there is another flood that we're keeping an eye on, it's further to the west coast we're looking at the missouri, yellow stone and plat rivers. they have record-breaking snow fall over the winter some folks saw a up to 15 feet of snow. we also have a storm system bringing a lot of rain so we're keeping an eye on the yellowstone and missouri river today into wednesday, those rivers are expected to crest over the next 24 hours. a in the southwest, it feels press pleasant. it's not nearly as warm as it is on the eastern third of the united states. the further inland you go, 80s in phoenix. this is still below average. it's also going to be very windy, so any outdoor >> thanks so much. that's your latest weather. now over to rebecca. >> marysol, thanks. the people of joplin, missouri, need a lot right now, and one week after their city was cut in half by that killer tornado, the most precious commodity there is hope. cbs news national correspondent ben tracy is in joplin with the story of one young couple who provided some of that hope over the weekend. hey, ben, good morning. >> good morning again, rebecca. you know, with all the destruction around here, obviously there's not a whole lot of celebrating going on in joplin right now. but we did manage to find one celebration this weekend in the form of a trip down the aisle. after days of unending heartbreak and loss, there was a moment of joy. >> we are getting married. yay. >> finally. >> everybody look here. >> reporter: high school sweethearts aaron cox and brooke watson had one of the most stressful wedding weeks ever. >> it seems like there's been a lot of obstacles thrown in our path, but we finally made it. >> the house is gone. >> reporter: aaron shot this video just after the tornado hit, as he and brooke desperately searched for his sister sarah. her home destroyed in the storm. yet there she was saturday, a bridesmaid for brooke, both she and her gown perfectly intact. >> it was meant to be, right? they're signs. that's what we decided. >> reporter: brooke's wedding dress had to be rescued from the wreckage. aaron grabbed it out of a downtown tailor shop, hauling it down the street. the couple did have their doubts. wondering if it was okay to celebrate when so many are in pain. >> and we still have friends and people we know who are still trying to put things back together. i mean, you still almost feel guilty about doing it, and about being happy. >> reporter: but their guests told them this is just what joplin needs. >> we all need the hope for tomorrow. what a better way than a young, married couple. ♪ >> aaron, you may kiss your wife. >> reporter: so in a town where so much has been torn apart, aaron and brooke are beginning a new life together. and as it turns out, brooke and aaron's was not the only wedding that took place in joplin this weekend. i was actually driving down main street on saturday, saw another couple taking pictures on the street corner. people were honking and waving. clearly a moment of joy in a town that so desperately needs it. rebecca? >> ben, nice to see amidst some of that desperation there. how are people in joplin today observing memorial day? >> well, this is going to be a very different memorial day here in this city. you know, in a lot of places around the country, today's going to be about barbecues and the parks. here it's going to be about a lot of hard work. you look around here and see the daunting task that these people have ahead of them. they're actually now kind of undergoing the process of separating all of this debris into types. so you have wood, you have steel, you have household goods, and the city is going to start hauling that stuff away this week. so won't be a normal memorial day here in joplin. but as we've seen all week, for the last week, these people really know how to come together and help each other out. rebecca? >> yeah, they absolutely do. cbs' ben tracy in joplin, missouri, thank you. now here's jeff. >> rebecca, thank you very much. on this day as we honor the sacrifices of those who served it's clear that for many veterans the struggles continue after they return home. the unemployment rate for vets who fought in iraq and afghanistan is 11%. that is two points higher than the general population. more than 200,000 of them are jobless. here's just one of their stories. >> my name is shannon dodson. i was 19 years old when i joined the air force. been in the war three times, i was married for eleven years and i have three beautiful children from it. mommy won an award. i know i've been having a problem since i've gotten out. it's not for lack of trying. when the economy is already poor, and i am literally beating the street all over, i've worked as a cashier. i worked at the post office as a casual hire. i worked at the airport temporarily. but those things were all short-term. i have trouble paying my bills because i can't get a job. i don't have any income coming in. how is it that a single mother can be in the military, wearing a uniform today, and file bankruptcy more than once in her career? i guess technically i'm not homeless because i'm in my apartment. but being i'm currently under eviction right now because of lack of payment. it's hard. but i have to swallow more pride and walk into the government office, where i served my country, and ask someone else to feed my children. that's hard for me. to now be on food stamps, facing an eviction and unemployed for the first time in my life. it's not good. why do i think it's worse for veterans? i think it's worst for veterans because we don't have, on paper, i don't think we have the actual educational skills that employers are currently looking for today. my job specifically was in logistics, it was traffic management officer. moving people and their things, freight, cargo, moving trucks, moving supplies. as an employer would give any veteran, especially a woman, es specially a mom, five seconds of their time, he or she would give them 210% better than any other employee they will ever have on their payroll. >> joining us now is iraq war vet tom tarantino who is with the group iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. tom, good morning to you. i think you heard that piece, and you heard what shannon had to say. single mother, served her country 19 years old, now is facing eviction, and can't find a job. and has to declare bankruptcy. when you hear that, what do you think? >> i mean, it's disappointing, and it makes me a little angry. someone like shannon has a hard skill. being someone who manages logistics is not easy and it's something that can be valued across many sectors. this is a problem that we're seeing when we're coming out of the military. we have a lot of soft skills with leadership and management, but we also have a lot of hard skills. medics, mechanics, logistics managers, network technicians. these are all people who have transferrable skills but because we've never tried to figure out the gaps and overlaps in military education, and jobs in the civilian market, we can't translate that. we don't know what to put on our resume. >> so how do we fix those gaps? because as you say, if they have hard skills that can be used, why are they not being employed? >> well, it comes from a lack of understanding. you know, this is a first generation in america where our business leaders largely never served in the military. we're talking about 92% of this population has never even seen the inside of a military uniform. and so whereas 20, 30 years ago coming out of the military with a job, the chances are one of your managers knew what you did in the military. now that's just not the case. so we actually need to commission a study. we need congress to ask the corporate sector, and ask private industry to study what it really means to be a medic for ten years, and then get out and not have to start training what you did when you were 18. >> tom, i know in april you did speak to congress, you spoke about the veteran unemployment issue. did you get the sense that you made progress there? >> yeah, absolutely. actually from is a bill in the senate that will do just this. it will have a study that figures out those gaps between the military and civilian employment. there's one currently being worked on in the house. and i'm really optimistic that we'll actually get something passed this year, so that this generation of veterans doesn't fall through the cracks. >> all right. tom tarantino joining us this morning. tom, thank you very much for your time this morning. appreciate it. >> thank you. also on this memorial day we also remember here those we've lost at cbs news. five years ago on sunday cbs news crew was with the fourth brigade combat feel of the 4th infantry. a car bomb exploded killing cameraman paul douglas and sound man james brolan along with a u.s. soldier and an iraqi translator. cbs news correspondent kimberly dozier was severely wounded in that attack. she survived her injuries. she continues her mission of reporting for the associated press today. paul and james, like so many of our colleagues, put themselves in places of great personal risk and great danger, because they believe that truth matters. they brought home hard facts from places like iraq, afghanistan, darfur, the balkans, and every danger zone on earth. their dedication to purpose made us better. their work made us more aware of our world. as we recognize our troops who defend our freedom, we also think of paul and james, as well, today, and all of our colleagues who defend truth. we hold them, and their families, in our thoughts today. me. on this holiday weekend here, the heat is -- did we miss spring? >> it wasn't straight from winter to summer. there was no spring whatsoever. >> i miss the in-between seasons. i was going to say, no fall, either. >> putting away the winter wardrobe for good. there was no transition here. >> right. >> we need a nice transition period. >> no way. no. >> all right. >> possibly transitioning some thunderstorms today. >> yeah. >> in some areas, as well. >> i'm just the messenger. thanks for joining us this morning, by the way. >> thanks for asking me. >> thank you for having us, everyone. some sights and sounds of this day, now. >> for as long as this great republic of ours has been free and independent, there have been young men and women willing to fight and day to keep it so. for too many never made it home. >> captain james adamowski. first lieutenant -- >> came home to the respect and thanks of my family and friends. folks who are represented today, they didn't come home. ♪ good bless america -- >> remember each one of the 6,000 american service members who died in iraq or afghanistan. >> the hope is that more americans realize just what the price of freedom is. >> today, actually the girl scout troops and boy scout troops are going to the flag planting at the cemetery. we do it every memorial day, so it's kind of like they're always honored. >> we're all thankful of all the support. coming home, it's great to know how much everyone actually cares. >> i'm really proud of my dad, because he's been fighting for freedom, and he risked his life to help our nation. ♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ [ male announcer ] there's a new ride coming to busch gardens williamsburg -- mach tower. dude, it's like two hundred and... ...forty feet high... ...right in the middle of oktoberfest... ...the seats go, whoooa... ...up to the top, then... ...the music just stops. and the seats totally start shaking. it's insane. but then all of a sudden... [ group ] aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! [ male announcer ] mach tower. heart racing. jaw dropping. coming soon to busch gardens williamsburg.

Related Keywords

Vietnam , Republic Of , North Waziristan , Federally Administered Tribal Areas , Pakistan , Bristol , City Of , United Kingdom , Alabama , United States , Australia , Rafah , Shamal Sina , Egypt , Tunis , S26 , Tunisia , Busch Gardens , California , Alaska , Minnesota , San Diego , Zimbabwe , Belgrade , Serbia General , , Washington , District Of Columbia , Harare , Mashonaland East , Hollywood , Libya , New York , Tokyo , Japan , Missouri River , Missouri , New Hampshire , Germany , Afghanistan , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , Virginia , Tripoli , Tarabulus , Michigan , Mississippi , London , Sanaa , San A , Yemen , Iraq , New Jersey , Sydney , New South Wales , Israel , Gaza , Israel General , Phoenix , Arizona , North Korea , Somalia , West Point , Balochistan , Jefferson City , Venezuela , Italy , South Wales , Bosnia Herzegovina , Italian , Americans , America , Egyptians , Pakistani , Bosnian , Israelis , Afghan , Iraqi , British , Israeli , American , Libyans , Egyptian , Libyan , Palestinian , Mir Mike Mullen , Hugo Chavez , Paul Winfield , Mandy Clark , Jan Crawford , Brooke Watson , Elizabeth Palmer , Shannon Dodson , Jay Nixon , Williamsburg Mach , Ben Tracy , Hamid Karzai , Roger Penske , Jacob Zuma , Michele Bachmann , Mike Mullen , Siad Khalifa , Tom Tarantino , Ratko Mladic , Newt Gingrich Rick Santorum , Lisa Hartman , Paul Douglas , Tim Pawlenty , Hosni Mubarak , Ali Abdullah Saleh , Aaron Cox , John Mccain , Liberty Bell , Kimberly Dozier , William Bell , Elaine Quijano , Barack Obama , Ryan Herta , Sarah Palin , Moammar Gadhafi , Priya David Clemens , Rebecca Jarvis ,