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National Guardsman Denied Burial at Arlington; Transgender Woman Pushed onto Train Tracks; Sheryl Sandburg Talks Husband's Death. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired June 04, 2015 - 14:30   ET

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

KIERRA BOULWARE, LIVES IN FREDDIE GRAY'S NEIGHBORHOOD: They now have the kids' zone, which is two blocks away from where the man was shot that I was just explaining earlier. Kids can go from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and have fun and enjoy themselves. We didn't have that in the community two weeks ago. So now we have taken the responsibility, like I said, of the entire community. We don't just have substance abuse or supportive housing. We are at large. We are trying to save our city. The biggest asset anyone can be is to call, see what we need, come by, bring your children so they can have somewhere that's safe where they can play until we can figure out how to get through the bigger problems.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Right. I'm just sitting here quiet and listening to you. I hope other people are as well because you're living it. You're in it. We should be talking to people like you.

My best to you, my friend. Let's talk again. Thank you.

Kierra Boulware in Baltimore.

Coming up next, this heart-wrenching story. This National Guardsman died during a tragic, tragic training accident. His family is being denied burial at Arlington National Cemetery. We'll tell you why and how his father is responding. He says, obviously, he deserves to be there. He'll join me live next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:35:53] BALDWIN: We are just past the bottom of the hour. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.

I want to tell you about this Louisiana Army National Guardsman. He was killed during training exercises last March. He cannot be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. To the dismay of his family, the cemetery says that Staff Sergeant Thomas Florich is ineligible because he was active duty in training only at the time of his death. He died along with three others when is their Blackhawk helicopter crashed off the Florida coast. The rules at Arlington say, quote, "Members who are serving on active duty for training only cannot be buried in such this hallowed ground, but they can be cremated, and their urns may be placed in a memorial wall."

Joining me now is Sergeant Florich's father, Stephen Florich, who I should point out, was also a veteran. Thank you so much, sir, for joining me, and thank you so much for your

service and that of your son.

STEPHEN FLORICH, FATHER OF SOLDIER DENIED ARLINGTON BURIAL: Thank you, Brooke. Thank you for the opportunity to represent my son.

I think some of the things that fly in the face of common sense are the fact that, as Arlington points out, they're running out of space in 40 years. I hope they have a long-range operations plan or are looking at that. My son was killed 82 days ago, and my son is not a second-class citizen. He was in uniform. He was in an authorized position as a crew chief door gunner, and he was training with seven tier-one Marines who were training for combat. That's pretty active to me. Everybody in my family and all those who were on board, at this time for my son to be denied ground burial there. The concern is that for those who are now serving on active duty that there might not be room for them when they retire. I would have to answer that there ought to be a form of prioritization here. My son will not grow old. My son will not retire. My son died in the line of duty. That should be a pretty obvious qualification for his ground burial at Arlington.

BALDWIN: Mr. Florich, let me back up because I want to hear more about Tom. It was eight years, right? He was in the National Guard for eight years. Do you remember when he told you he first signed up?

FLORICH: Yes, it was a family discussion. My son grew up at a joint training center, where many of the friends I have in the last 14 years have been shot and horribly wounded in the war. He personally knows many of them. When he went to enlist, my wife asked, why are you doing this, son? My son turned around and said to her, if not me, then who? He knew when he enlisted that it was during a time of war and not if but when he would go in harm's way or train and work with those that are. So my son volunteered for what he was doing. He loved what he was doing. He was in uniform when he was killed.

BALDWIN: How did you find out what happened?

FLORICH: I found out in what is probably the most difficult way our soldiers are notified. It's when someone comes to your front door in dressed blues and tells you that your loved one has been killed in service and that there had been a horrible accident from the news and that two helicopters were out and one came back. I did not know which one my son was on until the casualty assistance officers came to my front door.

BALDWIN: So with the situation now at Arlington, reached out to Arlington, and this is what they said to us: "His record of service makes him eligible for an inurnment, meaning cremation, so he may be forever enshrined at Arlington National Cemetery. However, since at the time of his death he was on active duty for training only, he therefore does not meet the well-established criteria for internment at Arlington National Cemetery."

Is cremation an option for you, sir?

[14:40:15] FLORICH: Well, what I would like to address here is I would like to ask others and their parents that if your son or daughter was on active duty and killed on active duty, the fact that they're in the National Guard doesn't make them a second-class citizen. Don't they have the right to be interred there when they gave their life? To say that we should burn the remains of my son so as to put them in a smaller vessel there, when the space we're providing over the next 40 years will be for others who have retired who will actually have the opportunity to retire and grow old, troubles me as my son was 26, and he will not have the opportunity to retire. He should have the opportunity for ground burial there.

BALDWIN: There are others who have heard your story who have come forward. Are there not? Who have said, please, take my space.

FLORICH: Yes, it is humbling to hear fellow veterans and soldiers say that they'll give their slot up for my son to be buried there. My son earned his slot when he was in uniform on a helicopter that went in at 161 miles an hour with 10 other heroes.

BALDWIN: Before I let you go, you have to tell us about the last time you spoke with Tom.

FLORICH: Yes, it was on March 10th. My son called me. My son used to give me a hard time about my office jobs as I grew older. He said, dad, I want to give you a view from my office. He would send me pictures and say, hey, this is from 1100 feet, I love what I'm doing. He said, "Dad, I'm going to send you a video, "this is what we did today with the Marines. We're training." At that time, the door opened and my wife was coming in from Quantico and my son said, dad, I'm going back out in two hours. The weather's bad, but we're going back out to train. I love this. My wife and I said to my son, we love you, and my son said, love you, talk to you Friday. Two hours later, he went in at 161 miles an hour and all 11 personnel were killed on that aircraft.

BALDWIN: And he said I love you and you said I love you two hours before then.

Stephen Florich, I am so sorry for you. Please, let's stay in touch. I'd love know, as you have said, your son has yet to be buried.

FLORICH: Yes, I appreciate this opportunity. It's about the right thing to do. There are others who will die in the line of duty, and we need to do the right thing. Thank you.

BALDWIN: Thank you.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[14:42:43] BALDWIN: One college basketball player is not letting a genetic disorder slow him down. Here's our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, with this week's "Human Factor."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Isaiah Austin is blind in his right eye due to a detached retina he suffered as a teenager, but that didn't stop him from dominating the court as a Baylor University basketball center.

ISAIAH AUSTIN, BLIND TOP RECRUIT FOR NBA DRAFT: I knew I had to perform at a high level for people to really respect me.

GUPTA: In 2014, he was a top recruit for the NBA draft. But just days before that draft, Isaiah was told he has marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body's connective tissue. Doctors said he could no longer pursue a career in basketball. Isaiah had to be tough, especially for his younger siblings.

AUSTIN: I just knew that I had to handle myself right in front of them because they look up to me like no other.

GUPTA: The NBA selects Isaiah Austin.

AUSTIN: The NBA commissioner recognizes Isaiah with an honorary draft pick and a job after he graduates. For now, Isaiah's working with NBA cares and bringing awareness to marfan syndrome through a foundation he started in his book "Dream Again," Isaiah shares his personal journey in the hopes of encouraging others.

AUSTIN: I could have been playing in the NBA right now. There could have been a high chance I would have collapsed on the court. My new passion is to inspire people with my story.

GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[14:49:16] BALDWIN: Coming up next, was it a hate crime? Terrifying moments on a New York City subway platform as a transgender woman is pushed onto the tracks. Brand new details here.

You're watching CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Was it a hate crime? Investigators in New York trying to answer that very question after they believe this man pushed a transgendered woman on to the train tracks in a Manhattan subway station Monday. The woman was taken to the hospital, has been released. We don't yet have video of the actual incident, but police released the surveillance tape here you're seeing in hopes someone may actually be able to identify the suspect.

Joining me to talk more about this, CNN correspondent, Jean Casarez.

Do police believe this woman was targeted because she is transgender?

JEAN CASAREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the issue. We were able to confirm today she is transgender, but that's the whole issue. Let's look a little more at the facts here. We saw this video. This man is acting erratically. It's in the subways of New York. He says to the 28-year-old victim, "what are you looking at," goes to get that plastic bottle out of a trash can, and then throws it at her and pushes her onto the track right there. So everybody that was around jumped in and saved her. She went to the hospital. She was released and she is OK.

[14:55:05] We want to show what the mayor of New York actually tweeted out hours ago. He says, "Violence in any form against trans people is abhorrent and unacceptable. They're now investigating a possible hate crime on our subway." That's the New York Police Department. Also, "To the New Yorkers who came to this woman's rescue yesterday, thank you for representing the best of our city in the face of such hate."

Also nationally, the FBI, the statistics on hate crimes in America, it's interesting to look at those statistics. For transgender, it is a very low percentage. You can see there, gender identity, 0.5 percent. You can see how racial is 48.5. These are hate crimes in America --

BALDWIN: So this is just a little sliver here.

CASAREZ: -- from 2013. In New York -- and back to your original question -- the reason the issue is, is it a hate crime, is you've got to look at the intent of the person committing it. Do they select their victim because of what they perceive to be the gender of that person? Do they commit the crime against that person based on the gender? You have to get into his state of mind. I'm focused on his sentence, "What are you looking at." What does that mean?

BALDWIN: So she's OK. She's out of the hospital?

CASAREZ: She's OK. I spoke to her grandmother earlier today. You could see how distraught she was when I spoke with her grandmother. This affects more people than just the victim, the entire family.

BALDWIN: Jean Casarez, thank you.

And now to this. Have you seen this here? This is an incredibly raw, very emotional account of loss and grief. Facebook executive, Sheryl Sandberg, writing openly about the sudden death of her husband, David Goldberg. Her very public post revealing a personal experience with grief, anger, and the void our loved ones leave behind.

CNN's Sara Sidner has her story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A very personal post on Facebook from company COO, Sheryl Sandberg.

"A childhood friend of mine, who is now a rabbi, recently told me the most powerful one-line prayer he has ever read is, 'Let me not die while I am still alive.' I would have never understood that prayer before losing Dave. Now I do."

Sandberg's husband, David Goldberg, unexpectedly died on a family vacation, leaving Sandberg a single mother and grieving widow.

"I think when tragedy occurs, it presents a choice. You can give into the void, the emptiness that fills your heart, lung, constricts your ability to think or even breathe, or you can try to find meaning. I have lived 30 years in these 30 days. I am 30 years sadder. I feel like I am 30 years wiser. I have gained a more profound understanding of what it is to be a mother, both through the depth of the agony I feel when my children scream and cry and from the connection my mother has to my pain. She's tried to fill the empty space in my bed, holding me each night until I cry myself to sleep. She has fought to hold back her own tears, to make room for mine."

Sandberg doesn't hold back on whatnot to say to someone experiencing the pain of loss.

"Real empathy is sometimes not insisting it will be OK but acknowledging that it is not. When people say to me, you and your children will find happiness again, my heart tells me, yes, I believe that, but I know I will never feel pure joy again. Even a simple 'how are you' almost always asked with the best of intentions is better replaced with 'how are you today'."

Sandberg shares wisdom on life back in the office after death at home.

"I realize that to restore that closeness with my colleagues that has always been so important to me, I needed to let them in, and that meant being more open and vulnerable than I have ever wanted to be."

Lastly, she says good-bye to her husband, marking the end of the Jewish mourning period.

"As heartbroken as I am, I look at my children each day and rejoice they're alive. I appreciate every smile, every hug. I no longer take every day for granted. We came up with a plan to fill in for Dave. I cried to him, but I want Dave, I want option 'A.' He put his arm around me and said option 'A' is not available, to let's just kick the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of option 'B'."

Dave, to honor your memory and raise your children as they deserve to be raised, I promise to do all I can to kick the (EXPLETIVE DELETED) out of option 'B.' I will always mourn for option 'A.' As Bono said, there's no end to grief, and there is no end to love. I love you, Dave."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:00:02] BALDWIN: And we continue on. Hour two. You're watching CNN. I'm Brooke Baldwin.