Sgt. La David Johnson, Green Beret Killed In Niger, Laid To Rest

COOPER CITY, FL — Hundreds of family members, friends and fellow soldiers bid farewell to Army Sgt. La David Johnson on Saturday following a tumultuous war of words that pitted President Trump, his chief of staff and press secretary against a Miami-area congresswoman over what has traditionally been a formality: the commander-in-chief setting five minutes aside to console a grief-stricken widow.

Things went terribly wrong even before the Delta flight carrying Johnson's body landed at Miami International Airport early Tuesday evening, where his pregnant widow was escorted out onto the tarmac to meet the silver casket. Myeshia Johnson placed her head on the flag that draped her childhood sweetheart's remains and openly wept across its crisp, red and white stripes. She then kissed the flag and accompanied her husband's hearse through an emotional procession marked by first responders along the route in a show of respect.

Moments before the ceremony, Myeshia received a telephone call from President Trump in the limousine she was riding in along with Miami-area congresswoman Frederica Wilson and the soldier's mother. The call was placed on a speakerphone and Wilson later described it as "insensitive." She shared her outrage with the national media, touching off a weeklong war of words with the Trump administration.

On Friday the White House doubled down on former Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly's comments concerning Wilson after video released by the South Florida Sun Sentinel appeared to show that Wilson did not make any of the self-aggrandizing statements at a 2015 dedication ceremony that Kelly had accused her of just one day earlier. Wilson sat next to Johnson's family during Saturday's burial ceremony.

The congresswoman's account of the telephone conversation with President Trump was subsequently verified by Johnson's mother, according to a report in The Washington Post.

Also See: Rep. Wilson Stands By Remarks On Trump's Call To Widow

On Saturday, the attention returned to Sgt. Johnson, 25 years old at the time of his death, whose funeral was held at Christ the Rock Community Church in Cooper City, Florida. The burial was held at a nearby cemetery. Johnson was a member of The 5000 Role Model of Excellence Project, which was created by Wilson, who also planned to establish a Role Model Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson Scholarship to benefit Johnson's children.

Many of the mourners were dressed in white and wore red carnations as they made their away to Johnson's final resting place.

A GoFundMe page had raised more than $636,000 toward a scholarship program for Johnson's children as of Saturday afternoon. The GoFundMe page said that the area where Johnson was killed was "overwhelmed by Boko Haram."

Johnson was from Miami Gardens but was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg. His death remains under investigation by the U.S. military. He and fellow soldiers were ambushed on Oct. 4 in southwest Niger by dozens of Islamic extremists. Initially, only three solders were reported to have died. But after an extensive search, Johnson's body was found about a mile away from the others.

Born on Jan. 2, 1992 to Samara Johnson and Terrance McGriff, Johnson was raised by Richard and Cowanda Johnson after his biological mother passed away in September of 1999.

"During his early years, La David was involved in many activities and enjoyed playing Optimist football at Risco Park," according to an obituary released by Fred Winter Memorial Services. He attended Miami-Dade County Public Schools and graduated from Miami Carol City Senior High School in 2010. He studied mechanical engineering at AIT.

Johnson met his best friend and future wife during his early school years.

"They would go on to be wed on Aug 22, 2014 and together have three children — Ah'Leesya, Ladavid Jr and La'Shee," who has not yet been born, according to the obituary. Johnson's children are 2 and 6.
Before enlisting in the Army, Johnson worked in the produce department of a local Walmart, where "he would remove the front wheel of his bike and ride to and from work, earning him the nickname 'wheelie king,'" the obituary noted.

"He remained at Walmart until he made the decision to further his career with the United States military. He enlisted into the United States Army Jan. 28, 2014 where his leadership abilities continued to shine as he excelled in his career."

During his time in uniform, Johnson received the following medals and honors: Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Parachutist Badge, Basic, Air Assault Badge, Combat and Specific Skills Badge Basic Marksmanship Qualification Badge, Driver and Mechanics Badge.

He was killed during his second deployment to Africa, which began on Aug. 28.

Photo of Army Sgt. La David Johnson courtesy GoFundMe