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Violence Rocks Yemen; 12-Mile Path of Destruction; President Obama Tours Tornado Damage; People are the Church, Not the Building; Identifying Veterans; Friends of Bin Laden's Children

Aired May 29, 2011 - 22:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is the first Sunday since the Sunday it struck, and today in Joplin, Missouri, the president arrived, paying tribute to those who lost their lives and those who survived the killer tornado.

There's been a bizarre accident at an Atlanta hotel, leaving one woman dead. Police say she and a friend fell out of a window after what's being called "play fighting."

Look at these incredible pictures. This is from Yemen. Troops opening fire from rooftops. People had been marching to demand the release of political prisoners when the bullets rained down.

And Sarah Palin, thundering into D.C. today, but is she ready to roll into the race for president?

I'm Drew Griffin. The news starts now.

And first tonight, Yemen tipping into civil war. Take a look at this. Troops and anti-government protesters fighting in the southern city of Ta'izz. There's tear gas and gunfire, all this increasing fear that turmoil will give al-Qaeda and other Islamic militants breathing room to launch attacks against the U.S. I spoke earlier with CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom in Abu Dhabi about that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Earlier today, far more dramatic pictures, also a lot of it posted on social media, purporting to show security forces in the city of Ta'izz firing on these protesters from rooftops of nearby buildings. Take a listen to some of the shots as you can hear on these videos.

(SOUNDS OF GUNFIRE)

JAMJOOM: They tell us that rocks were being thrown from rooftops, that gunfire was ringing out from rooftops, that over 90 people were injured. At least three people killed as a result of that gunfire being aimed at those protesters, the members of the People Youth Revolutionary Movement in the city of Ta'izz.

Now another worrying development in Yemen today happened in the city of Zanjibar in the province of Abyan. We're told by eyewitnesses that they are from residents there and security forces that Islamic militants, masked Islamic militants in the past two days, seized that city and that they took over the city. They started attacking security forces there. Security forces initially withdrew and then came back. There were fierce clashes throughout the day. We have some video purporting to show some of those clashes as well.

Now, one of the reasons that this is so worrying is because this province is a real hotbed for extremism for al Qaeda in that country. There's a huge al Qaeda problem in Yemen. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has been able to -- trying to launch very spectacular attacks against the West, against the U.S. from their base in Yemen.

You have a peaceful protest movement that's been going on now. People that are emboldened by the Arab spring movement these past few months that have been coming out by the hundreds of thousands in major cities across Yemen these past several months. They are committed to trying to make sure that President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen steps aside.

Now, there have been times that they've been met with violence. Today, peaceful protesters and eyewitnesses are telling us that security forces have fired upon them in the city of Ta'izz. That's one issue.

Now the other issue in Zinjibar. You have militants there. They're saying they're taking over this town. People are worried that al Qaeda in Yemen and militants in Yemen will try to make their presence more known. And that will be more of a threat not just to Yemen but surrounding countries in the West as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: On the eve of Memorial Day, a moment of silence in Joplin, Missouri, for the victims of last Sunday's terrible tornado.

That from earlier this evening. At least 142 people died, a number almost certain to go up. Another 43 still missing. The service started precisely at 5:41 p.m. Central, the exact moment one week ago the tornado struck. The total destruction almost unfathomable. CNN's Casey Wian toured the length of the tornado's path.

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, all week long officials were saying that the tornado cut a six-mile path of destruction through Joplin. It seemed to be a little bit of an undercount, so we decided to see for ourselves.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Show us the initial damage from the tornado.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Initially, the little trees started through there, and they were stucked over here, That's the trailer for the business here, the working trailer.

WIAN: So this is ground zero of the Joplin tornado. And we're going to drive its entire length from west to east to get a good picture of just how widespread the damage was.

Here's the first downed power lines, major electrical transmission lines. One reason much of Joplin is without electrical power.

So less than a mile into our journey, you see the first homes that have lost part of their roofs. You can you see over on this house a sign warning looters will be shot. We can see some of the power company crews who are working on repairing these downed electrical lines. That will be vital to this area's recovery.

We're now about three miles into our journey, and you can see behind me that by the time the tornado got here, it destroyed almost everything in its path, including one of the iconic images of this disaster, St. John's Hospital.

Now about four miles into the path of the tornado, this is where we first came just hours after it hit and spoke with a family who was trying to salvage what they could, despite a driving rain and hail storm.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was normally just starting off with hail. I'm used to that. And then, it just went insane afterwards.

WIAN: Here is the collapsed Home Depot where we first met 17-year-old Aundrea Osborn who was desperately searching for her father.

AUNDREA OSBORN, TORNADO VICTIM: My dad and my uncle are in there, and I just -- I'm hoping and praying to God they are OK.

WIAN: It turned out they were buried in that rubble.

So we are now about seven miles to the east of where the tornado first touched down. As can you see, there's still lots of damage here. So those original estimates of six miles on the ground are way too conservative.

This is where Jim and Stacy Richards lived. Stacy survived the tornado by hanging on to two dog crates as her home collapsed around and on top of her.

STACY RICHARDS, TORNADO VICTIM: That was awful, lying there, screaming and screaming and screaming, and -- it was horrible.

WIAN: This week, they got their insurance settlements so they can rebuild.

How far east did it go?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sure. I know there's damage over on the next mile section.

WIAN: We're now almost exactly 12 miles due east of where we started this journey and where the tornado first touched down. This is the area where locals say the tornado actually lifted off the ground, meaning its path is about twice as long as first estimated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WIAN: Just today, the National Weather Service updated its estimate of the length of the tornado's path. They now say it was 13 miles long as measured by aerial reconnaissance photos.

Drew?

GRIFFIN: Well, there's been an inspiring sight among the rubble in Joplin, Missouri this Memorial Day weekend. One of our iReporters is a volunteer working on cleanup. Her group found an American flag in the debris. One of them climbed a tree and let the Stars and Stripes fly from a branch. An 81-year-old veteran lived at the home before it was flattened. He reportedly survived the tornado by hiding in his refrigerator.

Update on something we told you about last night. People who live near a North Carolina chemical plant back home tonight after an explosion forced them to evacuate. A huge fireball erupted Saturday from the plant in Hudson, about 70 miles northwest of Charlotte. The blast ignited a large fire, as you can see, forcing 750 people who live within a mile of the plant to clear out for several hours before firefighters got it under control. No injuries reported.

In Atlanta, a model plunged to her death from a high-rise hotel. Lashawna Threatt, she was celebrating her birthday with friends late into the night. Michelle Marsh from our affiliate WGCL tells us horseplay with another guest led to a horrible accident.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I actually came downstairs and everybody was looking kind of shocked.

MICHELLE MARSH, WGCL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Atlanta police say two women fell from this tenth floor window at the W Midtown Hotel early Saturday morning. Hotel guest Steven Bailey says he was inside his room sleeping when it all happened.

STEVEN BAILEY, HOTEL GUEST: I was wondering how that happened because these windows seem to be, you know, pretty thick and sealed up pretty good. So I was kind of wondering, you know, what the situation was that caused her to fall out of a window.

MARSH: Police say Lashawna Threatt and several friends were partying when Threatt and another woman began play fighting. They bumped into the window and fell.

BAILEY: I would think that something would really, really have to go really wrong for somebody, you know, to fall out a window, because these windows seem pretty sturdy.

MARSH: Police say Threatt hit the sidewalk while her friend landed on a balcony. Threatt was a popular model. Police say Threatt was celebrating her 30th birthday. Many of Threatt's friends who were also at the hotel for the visibly shaken.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And we're told the other woman who fell from the window is listed in critical condition. Well, Sarah Palin rolled into the nation's capital with bikers, but we'll tell you why and what she had to say today to our cameras.

And severe weather could hamper your Memorial Day holiday. Tomorrow's forecast is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Now to the big stories in the week ahead from the Pentagon to Wall Street. Our correspondents are going to tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight at the Pentagon.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Chris Lawrence at the Pentagon, where a very busy week ahead is starting this weekend, because on Sunday the U.S. Navy will name its newest aircraft carrier. Then, of course, on Monday, military and families all across the country will celebrate Memorial Day, culminating with Defense Secretary Robert Gates laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Then the Pentagon shifts into business mode for the rest of the week. We expect to get an operational update from Afghanistan at a very pivotal time as it gets closer and closer, just weeks away now, from the possible first withdrawal of American troops.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY CORRESPONDENT: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Well, coming up this week on Wall Street, we'll get a couple of key economic reports, including the latest reading on home prices and new numbers on car sales. Prices of those cars have gone up after the disaster in Japan. Also ahead, a look at construction spending in the U.S. and also the latest job numbers. The government's monthly employment report will be released on Friday morning. We'll see if the unemployment rate has declined at all, and just a head's up for everyone, financial markets will be closed on Monday here in the U.S. for the Memorial Day holiday.

A.J. HAMMER, HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer and here's what we are watching. We're going one-on-one with one of the hottest stars on the planet, Lady Gaga. Plus, a "Showbiz" special report. We're investigating how all of those bizarre celebrity death rumors get started. "Showbiz Tonight" is TV's most provocative entertainment news show, exclusively at 11:00 p.m. Easter and Pacific on HLN.

GRIFFIN: Well, we get the Memorial Day holiday tomorrow, a lot of people want to know what the weather is going to be like in their area for the holiday, Jacqui Jeras, but tonight severe weather in many parts of the country including dangerous situation in Texas.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We're talking about the Amarillo area right now. Let's go ahead and get right to the video and tell you about a situation where three homes have burned down and about 150 to 300 more are being threatened. This is on the northwest side of Amarillo, and this is the second major wildfire to break out this week. About 600 acres have been burned. This is from the Tascosita area and Westcliff. So, we'll continue to follow this situation as it develops, but critical fire conditions across much of West Texas. No rain in the forecast. An exceptional drought conditions are persisting.

(WEATHER REPORT)

GRIFFIN: All right, Jacqui, thank you so much.

JERAS: Sure.

GRIFFIN: Well, the president tours tornado damage in Joplin, Missouri. That report is next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORMER GOV. SARAH PALIN (R), ALASKA: I'm an American. I have no title. I have no office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Plus this story -- Sarah Palin making an appearance in Washington to honor the nation's vets, but is she close to running for president? We're going to ask political contributor Errol Louis.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: President Obama promised the people of Joplin, Missouri today that federal government would stand by them as they rebuild from last Sunday's F-5 tornado. CNN senior White House correspondent Dan Lothian.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Drew, as you know, last week, the president was overseas building relationships with European partners. During that time, White House aides said that he was updated frequently on the situation here in Joplin. Well, today, the president got to see the devastation up close.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice over): Before touching down, Air Force One flew over Joplin, Missouri, giving the president an aerial view of the devastation. What took months and years to build was destroyed in a few moments -- homes, businesses and anything else in the tornado's path.

On the ground, it was a somber president surveying the breathtaking damage up close, meeting with officials, survivors and promising not to abandon the city.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What I've been telling every family that I've met here is we're going to -- we're going to be here long after the cameras leave. We are not going to stop until Joplin is fully back on its feet.

LOTHIAN: There is plenty of pain here but also plenty of hope. Roadways were lined with thousands of people, some waving flags or holding signs with messages like God bless Joplin.

At a memorial service on the campus of Missouri Southern State University that escaped the tornado's wrath --

OBAMA: We will be with you every step of the way. We're not going anywhere.

LOTHIAN: President Obama thanked the people of Joplin for their courage.

OBAMA: You banded together. You've come to each other's aid. You've demonstrated a simple truth, that amid heartbreak and tragedy, no one is a stranger. Everybody is a brother. Everybody is a sister.

LOTHIAN: Recovering from one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history will not happen overnight, but Missouri Governor Jay Nixon is optimistic about the future.

GOV. JAY NIXON, MISSOURI: Joplin will look different and more different still in two years and three and five, and as the years pass, the moral of our story will be the same. Love thy neighbor. God bless.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN: President Obama said that when he visited Tuscaloosa several weeks ago after that deadly tornado, it was the kind of devastation that he had never seen in his lifetime. Well, this, he says, is just as heartbreaking, and in some ways much worse.

Drew?

GRIFFIN: Dan Lothian with the president today. And, of course, President Obama headed to Missouri a day after he arrived back in the U.S. from a big trip to Europe, a six-day trip, including stops in Britain, France and Poland. We want to talk about the president's diplomacy and another story, a really interesting political development here at home involving Sarah Palin.

Errol Louis is here. You know him. He's a CNN contributor, political anchor for New York 1.

And Errol, this trip by the president really didn't make a whole lot of news. Did it make much progress?

ERROL LOUIS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Oh, I think so. There were some very interesting things that went on. I mean, we don't pay much attention to it here, but Europeans know that he is as leader of the free world the leader of a superpower that has guaranteed the peace in Europe for over 60 years, and it's an important role, and it's one that requires a little bit of face time, a little bit of attention, a lot of diplomacy. It's the cornerstone of American diplomacy to make sure that Europe remains at peace and we backed that up with tens of thousands of troops. So, he certainly did that.

I think also one of the most important things he did, he talked to the G-8 and he convinced some of our European partners to commit as much as $40 billion by one estimate to the nations that are emerging into democracy, the nations of the Arab spring, including Egypt and Tunisia. That's a -- that's a huge big deal if it actually comes through. This is the emergence of something entirely new in the world, and here again the president is leading the way. Very important stuff.

GRIFFIN: Well, let's see if it does come through because a lot of those European countries, as you know, are hurting for cash. It will be interesting to see if they can come up with that money.

Let's talk about politics here at home. It looked like Sarah Palin might skip the 2012 White House race. Now, all of a sudden, she is everywhere, hiring staff, launching a bus tour and today riding a Harley into D.C.

What is going on, Errol? Is she running?

LOUIS: Well, you know, it's very interesting. We don't know and we're not even in a position to know because apparently she doesn't really even have a scheduler. I mean, she is keeping this all very close to the vest. She and her family apparently are making all of her decisions, which is why they don't follow the kind of script or pattern that you and I might be used to seeing.

And frankly, she's got that luxury. She's got almost 100 percent name recognition with the public, in particular the Republican public. So she can -- she can take her time. She's got more time than anybody else.

On the other hand, she needs a lot of infrastructure. It's not enough to hire a couple of aides. I mean, you know, she's in a world where a Mitt Romney can raise $8 million in one afternoon. She's going to have to talk to some major funders. She's going to have to talk to some members of the RNC. Apparently that has not happened yet. She's not talked to incumbent governors apparently to try and line up their support early. She's got -- she's got some time. She hasn't got forever.

GRIFFIN: Do you think she could actually run this way, a kind of counter media? We tend to pop ourselves up, think we're important, but she's proven that we're not that important in reaching her supporters.

LOTHIAN: Well, she -- I don't know if we're not important, but we certainly hang on her every word. I mean, you've seen it, I'm sure, as I have , where she'll make a little twit -- tweet, and yes, I am a follower, and before you know it, it's a news story, you know.

So, she's got the spotlight on her. She knows that she's got the spotlight on her. And so, look, if she waits until the straw poll in Ames, Iowa in August to make a firm decision, I think she's got that kind of time. Has she got much time beyond Labor Day of this year? Probably not. So, I think she has a media presence that can be activated when she chooses.

GRIFFIN: All right. Errol Louis, thank you for activating tonight and coming into our New York studio. Appreciate that.

LOTHIAN: Good to see you.

GRIFFIN: Take care.

Now, listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SOUNDS OF GUNFIRE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: That is gunfire ringing out in Yemen. Security forces opening fire on protesters down below. That report ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Next, news for the banking industry and the price of your morning coffee going up. Alison Kosik has the details in this week's "Getting Down to Business."

ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Bank profits hit their highest level in almost four years. First-quarter earnings rose to 67 percent compared to last year, but all that glitters is not gold for the banking industry. Also up this quarter is the number of banks on the FDIC's so-called "problem list." 888 unidentified banks were cited for having low levels of capital.

While some banks are rebounding, the housing market is still struggling. But that could be good news for potential home buyers. The blood of foreclosed homes has led to deep discounts with prices for distrust properties running an average 27 percent below market nationwide.

Looking for even better deal? According to a report by Realty Trac, 10 states offer more than a third off the price of foreclosed homes with Illinois and Ohio showing the highest discounts at 41 percent.

And finally this week, if you can't go without your morning cup of Joe, get ready to pay up. The cost of popular package coffee brands like Starbucks, Folgers and Millstone are rising. The culprit? High prices for coffee beans and a weaker than expected harvest in many important growing nations around the world.

That's this week's "Getting Down to Business." I'm Alison Kosik, CNN, New York.

GRIFFIN: Well, this movie may not have won over the critics, but "The Hangover Part 2" won the box office crown. The comedy sequel is taking in more than $86 million since just Friday. The Memorial Day holiday weekend isn't over yet.

A distant second with $48 million, not bad, the kids' friendly animated flick "Kung Fu Panda Two."

In third, "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides." That got nearly $40 million. Well, did you ever hear that food pyramid? The little government symbol that tells you how to eat healthy? It's on the way out. We'll tell you why next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Checking top stories. Security forces in Yemen turning water cannon on the anti-government protesters tonight. There's tens of thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets, demanding the embattled president resign. He shows no sign of going anywhere. At least three people have been injured -- excuse me -- killed, 90 injured in a town called Ta'izz. Yemeni troops are also battling armed Islamic militants for control of another coastal city.

In Atlanta, a model plunges to her death while partying on her birthday. Police say Lashawna Threatt was "play fighting" with another woman at a high-rise hotel early Saturday. The preliminary investigations show they accidentally crashed through a ten-story window and fell. Threatt died; the other woman listed in critical condition.

People who live near a North Carolina chemical plant back home tonight after an explosion forced them to evacuate. It was a huge fireball erupting Saturday from the plant in Hudson, 70 miles northwest of Charlotte. The blast ignited a large fire, forcing 750 people who lived within a mile of that plant to clear out. Firefighters managed to get control. No injuries reported.

An icon of healthy eating is being cleared off the dinner table? The Obama administration plans to replace the much maligned food pyramid with just a plate. The plate will be divided into wedges to represent different food groups. While millions of us instantly recognize the two-decade old pyramid, critics say this was just too confusing.

Dillons Supermarket was one of the major businesses in Joplin, Missouri in the path of last Sunday's monster tornado. About 35 customers and employees, they all took refuge in the store's produce cooler. One of them was a customer named Rick Morgan who had gone to the store for milk. He wanted to leave the store and go home but was talked out of it by the assistant store manager, John Gollihugh. Earlier, I spoke with both men. Listen as Gollihugh describes what happened as the tornado hit the store.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN GOLLIHUGH, ASST. STORE MANAGER, DILLONS: People were screaming. People were praying. People were crying. I know it seemed like everybody was holding on to everybody. So, you know, it's just -- I believe it was just everybody's efforts. The employees as well as customers who were holding on to and keeping maybe each other from any more possibility of being hurt or injured.

GRIFFIN: You came out of that cooler. What did you see?

RICK MORGAN, TORNADO SURVIVOR: To see this behind you, it's just -- it's like the end of the world. It's devastation. It's -- I don't know. It was terrible. It was -- we were all just in shock. Just -- just shock. I don't know what else to call it. But I came back and walked home. And I came back later that night about midnight to see if my car, which was just completely trashed in the parking lot, and see if there was anything left in it worth anything, and there's not.

GRIFFIN: That was the car you were going to drive home in?

MORGAN: Yes, that's the car. It was just crushed down. It's just -- I mean, the roof is completely crushed in. It's just really bad.

Anyway, when I got there, we talked with people and some of the guards that were there, and then I brought my son with me, and we were walking away and -- John was just coming back. He had walked back from his house. And I said to them, here's the man that saved my life and we just talked for a little bit.

And the thing he shared with me that I just found so encouraging and profound, he said I don't think anyone was left in the store, I think they all lived. And I was just so thankful. I mean, that's what leadership is all about. It's just, you know, I mean, I was at the thing with President Obama where he talked about the manager who, you know, actually gave his life to save his customers in a cooler, I think in a pizza hut.

And -- I don't know, I appreciate this man because he really did. I mean, God spared us, but in the natural this man saved my life, literally, and I thank you.

GRIFFIN: Well, heroes come in all shapes and sizes, guys. A nice moment there.

John, congratulations for stepping up to the plate when your customers really needed you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: We found out faith not confined to a building. Plenty of proof of that this Sunday in Joplin, Missouri. CNN photojournalist Chris Turner went to service today in Joplin even though the churches were gone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We open this service in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

CAREY PRATER, PARISHIONER: The church was gone which was completely devastating. All of it. I mean, the whole community was gone. It looked like a bomb had exploded here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let us all sing the opening hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee."

In less than 20 minutes, lives were changed, some for eternity. People still alive were changed. Buildings and houses were changed. Joplin was changed. And it will never be quite the same for any of us.

PRATER: Our church is our family. We are not just a building.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So now we know what has happened. The question now is what will happen?

PEOPLE (SINGING): Lord, listen to your children praying. Send us love.

JUDY STILES, PRESIDENT OF THE CONGREGATION: When God talked about people gathering, He didn't say we had to gather in a building. You know, the church is the people. We have no building. We have no -- the chairs were used were something that was salvaged out of the building. As far as material things, they are gone, but we have the people.

PEOPLE (SINGING): Oh, Lord have mercy on me.

PRATER: We can rebuild this church and we will rebuild this church, and we will rebuild it right here.

We still have our belief, and we still have our future, and I still have my belief in God and I will never ever not have that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Amen. Go in peace. Serve the Lord.

PEOPLE: Thanks be to God.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And up next, a historic Brooklyn cemetery and an ongoing project that is helping to identify the civil war veterans who are in unmarked graves.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. And in honor of this milestone, Brooklyn's historic Green- Wood Cemetery hosting commemorative events including this one tonight, the candlelight ceremony. Throughout this Memorial Day weekend, they will have it. In 2002, Green-Wood started a project to identify all of the Civil War veterans laid to rest there. And our Adriana Hauser found the ongoing initiative has identified more veterans than anyone imagined.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOE JACOBS, DESCENDANT OF CIVIL WAR VET.: We knew he was here but we didn't know much about him.

ADRIANA HAUSER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This Memorial Day, Joe Jacobs is honoring a man he never met, his great, great- grandfather William Ogle who fought in the Civil War.

JACOBS: He came here from Ireland. They found out that he was injured. He was shot. He had a -- that he was a carpenter.

HAUSER: Jacobs has always known about Ogle and his service, but he recently learned he has two more relatives who served.

JACOBS: They were actually William Ogle's brothers-in-law. Those we didn't know about.

HAUSER: Discoveries like those are being repeated over and over again at Green Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. For the past 10 years, cemetery historian Jeff Richman has been trying to figure out exactly how many Civil War veterans are here and more about who they are.

JEFF RICHMAN, HISTORIAN, GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY: These men sacrificed tremendously, some sacrificing their lives, some losing limbs, some sacrificing their health. And so, the least we can do is to honor these men who so faithfully served their country.

HAUSER: Of the 4,600 Civil War veterans discovered so far, the majority fought with the Union, 76 came from the South. There are 18 generals including two Confederate generals, but there may still be more discoveries ahead.

RICHMAN: We think that there are at least several thousand more Civil War veterans that we've not yet identified out here.

HAUSER (on camera): It takes tedious research to find the Civil War veterans among the hundreds of thousands of graves. Many were unmarked, but now that their identities are known, the Veterans Administration has provided hedge stones and graves like this one are now marked.

(voice over): The discovery has turned the cemetery into a destination for those who love the Civil War, especially this weekend.

PAT CANIZIO, CIVIL WAR REENACTOR: Memorial Day was started after the Civil War.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now that these people are remembered and found, you'll be able to feel their presence when you walk and visit them and remember them at Green-Wood.

HAUSER: Joe Jacobs says he brings the flag here every Memorial Day, but this time he knows a little more about his great, great- grandfather and the others here who fought in the war between the states.

Adriana Hauser, CNN, Brooklyn, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And this weekend, of course, Americans are remembering our fallen heroes, you know, but for thousands of widows across the country, every day is their Memorial Day.

Taryn Davis, she lost her husband at 21. She went on to build a sisterhood for those like her and that's why she is this week's CNN hero.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TARYN DAVIS, CNN HERO: My husband, Corporal Michael Davis, was killed in Baghdad, Iraq.

You know, even four years later, people still don't really know how to react when you say, "Hi, I'm Taryn and I am a widow."

After the funeral, I felt ostracized. Everybody liked to write off my grief due to my young age. They'd, like, say, "Well, at least you're young, you can get remarried."

I come bearing widows.

I just wanted to talk about it with other widows, because they're not going to judge you for laughing, they're not going to tell you that I'm grieving wrong.

I just wanted to create what I was searching for, and just hope that there were others there that could come and help me build it, too.

I'm Taryn Davis, and I invite a new generation of military widows to share their love, their sacrifice, and their survival.

Follow me, guys.

It's even (INAUDIBLE), because they step outside of that comfort zone.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His impact will continue to affect us all for the rest of our lives.

DAVIS: There are moments where they can all reflect, followed by that time where they feel like they're living life to the fullest.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My little sister wrote Taryn. She didn't know how to get me through the loss, and so she wanted me to find other sisters. From my first event, I went from feeling completely alone to not anymore at all.

DAVIS: You get up that high, you see the world a different way. And I think as widows, we see our life a different way when we land, too. So, these military widows, they've give me a life again. They teach me so much and show me how far I've come, and to know one day another widow is going to come along and they're going to be the one that's changing that widow's life, I mean, that's pretty amazing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Taryn's organization has connected nearly 800 widows through her online community and retreats. And to nominate someone you know who is making a big difference in your community, it's easy. Go to cnnheroes.com.

Well, it's been one month since that U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden's compound. Listen to this. CNN's Stan Grant went back there and talked to some kids who may have had play dates inside the compound. That report just ahead.

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GRIFFIN: To Pakistan now where it's been nearly a month since American forces found and killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. Several children were living inside bin Laden's compound. And just like any kids, they like to play and make friends, but, as our Stan Grant is reporting, their neighborhood playmates didn't really understand who was living behind those walls.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): One month along, killing Osama bin Laden has not won America too many friends here. This shopkeeper lives less than 200 meters from where bin Laden lived and died. He has more sympathy for the slain al Qaeda leader than foreigners and swearing at us, calling us pigs.

"Are Muslims terrorists everywhere?," he says. "Actually, America is the biggest terrorist."

Others, though, are friendlier. This boy, Zara (ph), approaches us with a story to tell. He and his sister Asa (ph) befriended bin Laden's youngest children and grandchildren. They say there were two boys, one girl, 7, 4 and 3 years old.

Zara relives the cricket games he played with them.

That's the white bin Laden house you can see behind us.

Contradicting reports that no outsiders breached the bin Laden security, Zara says he actually played inside the compound itself, getting a close look at a secret world.

Despite being neighbors, the brother and sister didn't know the bin Laden children's names. The children told them their father was the family courier they called Nadim (ph). Only now do they know who their playmates really were.

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL (through translator): My grandmother asked him in Pashto, "Who is your father?" Asa says they said Nadim, they always said Nadim.

GRANT: Through this brother and sister, we get to piece together daily life in bin Laden compound. Rather than speaking the local language, the bin Ladens preferred Pashto, the language of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. They were normal family, friendly, the children say. They never saw Osama bin Laden. He remained well hidden. They did meet the bin Laden wives.

There were two aunties standing in the house, Zara says. They asked me how was I, where did I live, what did my mother do? I told them my mother was a housewife. They wore ordinary Pakistani clothes.

Zara says he noticed the women were different from other mothers in the neighborhood. They spoke in a strange language, he says, very poor Urdu and then I thought probably they were Arabic.

And the children were different, too. Even in this Muslim community, they were especially devout. They were very religious, Zara says. Whenever I went there to play, they asked me to wait until afternoon prayer and then they would stop playing later for evening prayer.

Asa shows us pet rabbits, a gift from the bin Laden family. After everything, she says, she misses her friends. They we're young. They were beautiful. I really miss them. They were the only children we played with.

Zara and Asa's father is a government official in the justice department. Yet, Osama bin Laden lived right next door and no one knew. The bin Ladens lived this way for years in the heart of Abbottabad, a military city in the mountains, two hours' drive north from the Pakistan's capital Islamabad. Now the area is in lockdown. In recent days it's been opened for the CIA to collect material and information, but no such access for us.

As we try to get close, this is what happens. The police say they are under instructions to smash our cameras. We get them back, but we won't be going any further.

(on camera): Well, this is clearly as far as we're going to go. We're not going to get any closer to the bin Laden compound. Here, life continues as normal. Beyond here, though, 200 meters or so away, is the bin Laden house, still holding in so many of the secrets of his life here in Abbottabad.

OK. We're finished. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Stan Grant, CNN, Abbottabad, Pakistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And the president tours a tornado damage in Joplin, Missouri. We're going to have more on that story and other stories next.

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GRIFFIN: In the headlines tonight, President Obama went to Joplin, Missouri today, his first chance to see the damage caused by last Sunday's F5 tornado. He spoke at a memorial service for 142 known victims. The president promising continued federal assistance as that city rebuilds.

Former Texas Governor Bill Clements has died. In 1978, he became the first Republican elected Texas governor since reconstruction. Former President George W. Bush, also a former Texas governor, called Clements a political pioneer. Clements served as a deputy defense secretary under Presidents Nixon and Ford. Bill Clements, 94 years old.

In the Texas Panhandle, about 300 homes are being threatened right now. There's a large wildfire in Randall County. The pit road fire is just south of Amarillo and covers about 500 acres. It's just one of more than a dozen wildfires now burning in that drug-plagued state.

Rookie driver JR Hildebrand was leading the Indy 500 in the final lap when that happened. Dan Wheldon sped right past him to take the checkered flag. His car came in second. Hildebrand did slide across the finish line there. But check out the reaction of the Indiana National Guard soldiers watching, rooting him and -- oh, wow, says it all, doesn't it? Hildebrand's car sponsored by the National Guard.

Well, this is the most heat we've seen from the Los Angeles Dodgers so far this season. It was a fire that broke out right in the middle of the game versus the Marlins. You can see the smoke coming from a small fire in the storage area. Some fans had to be evacuated but nobody had to leave the game, and the game went on. And in the stands, a Dodger fan did something that's going to come back to haunt him on Father's Day in a few weeks. Watch the video.

Dad trying to get a player to throw him a foul ball, drops his little girl and he drops the ball and he goes to try to pick her up and, boom. "Yeah, almost, dad, leave me alone."

Cute story to end on there. I'm Drew Griffin at the CNN Center in Atlanta. A "CNN PRESENTS" special, "A Twister's Fury: In the Path of Destruction." It begins right now.