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Arrest in Serial Stabbing Case; Marines Search at Tarawa

Aired August 12, 2010 - 10:00   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Breaking News.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news to tell you about, strong storms pounding the D.C. area this hour. 100,000 people are without power.

Rob Marciano has the latest for us. What you got, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This was a really intense line, Kyra, that moved through the D.C. area. This is Montgomery County, pictures out of Gaithersburg, I believe. Fire department on scene. A number of trees down, but a large tree which you'll see here in a minute, I believe, came crashing down either through a home or what looks like an apartment building, and there were some injuries. I think we have on the line Corporal Dan Friz from the Montgomery Police Department.

Corporal Friz, can you hear me?

VOICE OF CORPORAL DAN FRIZ, MONTGOMERY POLICE DEPT.: Yes, good morning.

MARCIANO: Good morning. Can you tell us exactly what happened with this apartment building and how serious the injuries were?

FRIZ: Yes, sure. This morning, our fire rescue employee personnel responded to the 500 block of South Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg for a tree into an apartment building. The tree, fortunately, fell right into the common stairway area and there was a child and a couple other individuals who suffered some minor injuries, but, really, fortunately, that was about it. A lot of property damage but minor injuries.

MARCIANO: Is this a one off event or are there other - is the surrounding areas similar? Are there multiple trees down? Are there roads blocked? What kind of situation in Montgomery county are we looking at?

FRIZ: It's a mess. It's a mess from Silver Spring down to Clarksburg, we got trees down, high standing water, power outages, not only to residences, but to businesses as well as the traffic signals. Up in Clarksburg at one point in Clarksburg Road, we had five power poles down. At about 7:30 this morning, we had trees down on interstate 270, blocking three of the five lanes on southbound rush hour traffic. So it's been a busy morning. MARCIANO: To say the least. Corporal Dan Friz from the Montgomery County Police Department, thank you very much. Corporal Friz. This is part of a line of thunderstorms that rolled through this area earlier this morning. It lasted, well, depending on where you were anywhere from an hour to two hours.

Here's where the line is right now, moving southeasterly at about 30 miles an hour, weakening somewhat but some of these have some embedded thunderstorms that are severe and you can see actually this last one kind of bowing out like that. That's probably got some big winds in it as well.

No reports of tornadoes touching down but you saw the straight- line winds, what kind of damage they can do. When you take down those old growth trees, they can do some damage to a structure and certainly create some injuries. So dangerous, dangerous situation here. This will all be offshore probably within the next hour or two, but if you live along the Delmarva especially along the coastline, things are going to be rough here for some time to come.

Speaking of rough, down in New Orleans, all morning long, thunderstorms have been dumping heavy, heavy rain. This is what's left over of that tropical depression. So not a big windstorm but a lot of heavy rain. A flashflood warning out, all morning long. You can see a level over swirl there. And this may be a problem for some coastal communities ongoing because this thing is going to sit and spin probably for a day or two, and then the heat is another issue.

Another day of sizzling temperatures across the mid section of the country. Dangerously hot yesterday. Again, Kyra, with temperatures up and over 100 degrees. And we'll see that again today. Back over to you.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Also breaking this morning. There's been an arrest in a serial stabbing case. A case that left a trail of carnage and violence across three states. 20 people have been attacked across Michigan, Ohio and Virginia since may. Five of those victims have died.

Police have been or people have been living in fear for three months, but finally a person of interest has been captured, and it happened here in Atlanta. Now a survivor of one of those attacks is speaking out. Here's what the teen had to say directly to his attacker.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ETHAN WILSON, STABBING VICTIM: I went to the first house I've seen with a light on. God bless you. You know, that's all I can say to him. I don't, got nothing to say to him. Let somebody know, man. That's it, just come forth.

KENDALL GRAB, VICTIM'S FATHER: Bring closure to the situation. Give my son some rest and peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to Susan Candiotti, live in New York. So Susan, what can you tell us about the arrest?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, what an amazing situation it was. A tip that led to this arrest that happened about 10:00 last night. And Homeland Security official is telling CNN's Jeanne Meserve that this man is being held on murder-related charges.

Apparently as he was attempting to leave the country. Here's what we're hearing. It happened about 10:00 last night as information came to authorities that this man was at the airport in Atlanta, Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson Airport, and they say that he was boarding a flight that was headed to Tel Aviv.

A law enforcement official tells me that he was traveling on an expired Israeli passport and that just as he was about to board that plane, the TSA asked that Delta Airlines hold that flight until they could get to this man. They did. They put the cuffs on him and they're not revealing his name just yet but they are telling us they're working on an exact identity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, this is a key step in the investigation. There's still many issues that need to be addressed before we identify this individual as the person responsible for this horrific crime spree.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: So, of course, they do have the man's name, but until they can make sure that he is who they believe he is and that they can link him to the attacks, they may be doing certain - taking certain steps such as, for example, taking a DNA example, trying to match that to some evidence that they have. That could be why they are holding back on releasing his name.

But, you know, Kyra, there are several news conferences planned for this afternoon to give up updates on the situation. In the meantime, he is, of course, being held in Atlanta. Back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thanks, Susan. 30,000 people simmer in blistering heat for a slim chance to be wait-listed for partial rent vouchers here in Atlanta, Georgia.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This was unorganized, completely unorganized.

(END VIDEO CLIP) PHILLIPS: Confusion, frustration, anger flaring up outside the housing authority right there in East Point, Georgia. 20 people hospitalized. According to the AJC, one of them, a toddler went into a seizure in the heat. This near mob scene escalating also that people could get their hands on a section 8 application. That's a government voucher program for private housing that's meant to keep rent affordable for low-income families and provide safe housing and promote freedom of housing choice, but to qualify, families must make no more than half the median household income for that area.

In East Point, that's about $32,000. So the vouchers go to those pulling in under $16,000 a year. And that desperation for help in East Point is far from over. Josh Levs there today.

Now, Josh, the city starts accepting these applications today. Is there concern that we're going to see a repeat of yesterday's chaos?

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's so much concern that they've taken a lot of steps to avoid it. In fact, if you look behind me, you're going to see, it's kind of night and day right now. Look what's going on. I want to tell everyone what's happening here.

People have driven here from all over the country to take part in this federal housing, to try to get some housing help. What we've seen, Kyra, is a steady stream of cars. People are driving up, and what they're doing is, the authorities here are saying don't even get out of your car, just take the filled out form and hand it to the authorities who are in the middle of the street and keep on driving.

They are trying to avoid large crowds piling up on the streets, massive parking. All these things. So only filled out applications now are being accepted. We are seeing a steady stream of cars but so far, we haven't seen any of the craziness of what we saw yesterday.

I know we have more video of what we saw yesterday. I tell you a little bit more of what happened. I want everybody to understand the context here. They were expecting about 10,000 people to show up, instead about 30,000 people showed up, partly because people brought their families and people were here with large groups.

The officials here are saying that everyone who wanted an application ultimately got one but the reason this is kind of crush is the last time East Point offered this was eight years ago and they're saying so many people have picked up the se applications, it could be at least 10 more years before they have applications available, for people to get this kind of public housing help.

I spoke this morning with one of the first families that arrived to turn in her filled out application. A woman named Candice Dixon who has three children. She is 37 weeks pregnant. You're going to hear a little bit of that interview now. She's going to talk about yesterday and how she got here days in advance just to be first in line.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CANDICE DIXON: Honestly, it was horrifying. It was chaotic. To be someone who waited in line patiently, that was orderly. I was scared for my life. I was terrified.

LEVS (on camera): Did you sleep on the street? You were here continuously? You didn't leave?

DIXON: No, sir, I didn't. I actually had a lawn chair with a pillow and a blanket that my friend had bought me. I stayed against the wall, lined up with everyone else that started the line. And I slept out there. I washed up in Kroger, went back over there and camped out some more.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: And I spoke with Candice a little bit more. I tell you she told me that she has gotten herself a job. She is a single mom. She is really not trying to look to the government to pay for her whole life and do everything for her. What she wants is a home she can actually afford in this economy. And she's got a job and she's ready to pay for that.

We also have some video, I know, of more people who have been coming in throughout the day. So what we're seeing so far, short version here, is an orderly stream of people turning in those filled out applications, but, I'll tell you, it could be years before they get a call saying you have now come up on this waiting list to get some federal housing, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. All right, Josh. We'll follow what happens today for sure.

And a rare occurrence on Capitol Hill this hour. Live pictures right now, Chuck Schumer addressing this issue there on the Senate floor. Talking about the border security bill. Two senators returned from their August recess to give the chamber unanimous consent. That bill provides $600 million in emergency funding to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

It provides about 1,500 new law enforcement agents and new unmanned aerial vehicles, and also $14 million in new communications equipment. The House passed the measure today, and the Senate now taking it up live.

As you can see Senator Chuck Schumer right there addressing that issue.

Now in the next few hours or so, we are expecting a key legal decision on same-sex marriage. A federal court in California will hand down a ruling on proposition 8 and whether or not to implement a judge's decision that the law will be struck down.

If so, same-sex marriages would be legal in California. Last week, a federal judge ruled that a voter approved ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. The fight is expected to ultimately land before the Supreme Court. Islam is a virtual battle. Moderate Muslims are taking to the web to fight terrorists.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And scanning our "Morning Passport" now. There's a new twist in the case of the Iranian woman sentenced to die by stoning for adultery. (INAUDIBLE) says she has never met her lawyer and never wanted her case publicized. Her lawyer says Ashtani (ph) is just making those statements in a state-run TV in an effort to save her life. She still faces a death sentence for adultery.

And a battle for the hearts and minds, it's the people committing acts of terror that are getting all the attention. But as CNN's Deborah Feyerick reports, that's about to change.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With wanna-be jihadists being recruited on line. It's radical voice within Islam getting the most attention. A reality not lost on mainstream Muslims.

EDINA LEKOVIC, MUSLIM PUBLIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL: Osama Bin Laden or any of these extremist figures can videotape a message in any cave and any corner of the world and it will get played on air and translated for free.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Islam is a religion of peace, of building community and not destroying or tearing it apart.

FEYERICK: Now a new video on Youtube is designed to counter the message of violent extremism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That we cannot kill innocent people.

FEYERICK: Edina Lekovic produced the five-minute video titled "Injustice Cannot Defeat Injustice."

LEKOVIC: We realize it is time to step up and you know, engage in that, you know, that virtual battle on line.

FEYERICK: Nine influential imams and scholars from across the religious sanctum are featured, and all denounced terrorism. Some are converts. Most like Yasser Kati (ph) are well known to American Muslims and popular with younger generations.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to help the oppressed and help the weak.

FEYERICK: We met up with Imam Yasir and other clerics at a recent Islamic summit in Houston.

YASIR DAHDI, ALMAGHRIB INSTITUTE: The senior-most scholars that all various tribes of Muslims look up to denounce terrorism and they have denounced 9/11. They have denounced Al Qaeda and they've denounced Osama Bin Laden. FEYERICK: And it's not just clerics fighting back, but young Muslims as well.

(on camera): The biggest reason the Muslim youth gets radicalized is you have 40 percent say lack of general Islamic knowledge.

(voice-over): Meet the staff of Muslim matters, the web site that answers questions using traditional Islamic teachings to counter arguments made by extremists.

IFY OKOYE, MUSLIM MATTERS: It's confusing especially if you're a young person, trying to navigate between your Muslim identity, your western identity and to find the right path.

FEYERICK: In the last year and a half, the site's creator says they've gotten close to five million hits.

AHMED SHAKH, MUSLIM MATTERS: Our goal was to be able to present an orthodox view on line and show that you can be 100 percent Orthodox and 100 percent American.

FEYERICK (on camera): You are trying to counter the radical message by putting out something that's very positive?

SHAKH: That's right.

FEYERICK: That deals with real issues so if somebody is having a crisis in their life, it's not about building a bomb and taking it into the middle of Times Square? That's not a rational response.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

FEYERICK: That's not a rational response to having a bad day. Iesa Galloway converts to Islam defines the mission.

IESA GALLOWAY, MUSLIM MATTERS: It's to inoculate people so no matter what challenge comes to them, they have enough skepticism and common sense to say, you know what, that's just ridiculous.

DAHDI: Our religion is not about violence and terrorism and killing people. The primary purpose of our relationship is to establish a relationship between man and god, a relationship of love.

FEYERICK: It's not an easy sell. The moderate message put up on Youtube garnered less than 20,000 views in a month but the fight back has to start somewhere.

Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And in India, the government has given the manufacturer of Blackberry an ultimatum - provide access to information on two popular services by the end of the month or India will block Blackberry's encrypted messaging systems. That would affect one million Blackberry users in India. The government is concerned that terrorists could Blackberry to plot attacks.

They fought and died for their country but for decades, their remains have languished in unmarked graves, thousands of miles from home. Today, a new wave of marines fighting to return them to U.S. soil. CNN has the exclusive story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories - an arrest is made it connection with a serial stabbing case. A person was taken into custody in Atlanta as he tried to board a flight to Tel Aviv. Five people have been killed and 15 others wounded in the serial stabbing attacks since May.

In just hours from now, a California federal court is set to issue a key ruling on same-sex marriage. The court is deciding whether to back a judge's decision that struck down the ban on same- sex marriage. That judge ruled voter approved Proposition 8 was unconstitutional.

Chaos and desperation in suburban Atlanta, over a chance to apply for a federally subsidized housing. That was the scene yesterday in East Point, Georgia. About 30,000 people stood in the blistering heat just to receive an application.

So which is nor cost effective iPad or paper pad? Some city governments say $500 is saving them big money but losing the paper trail could cost them valuable public information. We're debating it next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: For generations, America's combat warriors have lived and died by one credo, leave no man behind but that vow had to be abandoned in one of the deadliest battles of World War II. Today, U.S. Marines are back in the tiny island of Tarawa, in the South Pacific. They are searching for the unmarked graves of their comrades left behind.

CNN's Ted Rowlands has our exclusive story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This seems to be an intact, undisturbed zone.

TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Archaeologist Gregory Fox analyzes dirt as military service men dig, searching for the remains of U.S. Marines who died in the Battle of Tarawa, more than 65 years ago.

This is the first of six sites to be excavated. Historic researchers believe more than 100 Marines could be found during this mission.

GREGORY FOX, ARCHAEOLOGIST: If we run into a row of missing individuals that were buried, that's fantastic. We have additional anthropologists on standby in Hawaii.

ROWLANDS: This is the U.S. military unit that specializes in finding the remains of missing Americans around the world, killed in battle. The team is made up of members from every branch of the military, but on this mission, it is almost all Marines.

CAPT. TODD NORDMAN, JPAC MARINE: Tarawa, you know, holds a soft spot in the Marine corps's heart. So it is important that we bring a large Marine Corps contingency here.

ROWLANDS: Tarawa was one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history. More than 1,000 men were killed in roughly 72 hours of fighting with the Japanese. Many of them gunned down in the water before they can made it to shore.

(on camera): When you come here to Tarawa, you really understand why there were so many casualties. It was low tide when the Marines came on shore, just like it is now, meaning they had to walk onto the beach. Waiting for them were huge Japanese guns and these bunkers which were so fortified that it gave the Japanese an opportunity to just sit inside and fire at point blank range at the Marines who are coming onto the beach.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were wading ashore, for the most part. I can't imagine it.

ROWLANDS (voice-over): Clay Bonnyman Evans, Clay's father Alexander Bonnyman was one of the marines killed on Tarawa. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroics, which included leading a charge on this massive sand covered bunker. It's now called Bonnyman' Bunker.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where the Japanese -

ROWLANDS: More than 100 Japanese soldiers were crammed inside what is now a storage facility. Outside, the sand is gone, revealing the cement fortress. We climbed with Clay to the top where his grandfather was killed.

CLAY BONNYMAN EVANS: Frankly, most of my life I knew vaguely of the story but I didn't know much detail and I feel like I feel like I know a lot more now.

ROWLANDS: As these photographs show Bonnyman and the other Marines killed in the campaign were originally buried in graves all around Tarawa but because there were so many bodies, including about 4,000 Japanese, Tarawa was bulldozed by the Navy.

Years later, the U.S. government came back to get the bodies but couldn't find them all. It's estimated the total number of Marines still buried here could be as high as 500.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) exchange of U.S. remains on 11 August 2010.

ROWLANDS: On Wednesday, officials turned over remains to the U.S. military. Over the years, sets of remains like this have been found on Tarawa, something we experienced first hand while at Bonnyman's Bunker, which is located next to a local police station.

(on camera): Here at the police station, they've told us they have some remains, and now they're opening them up to show us.

(voice-over): Police say the bones were dropped off about a month ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know where it come from but we just keep it in our storage for someone to come and collect it.

ROWLANDS: The military is planning to spend more than a month on Tarawa collecting bones that have been found and digging for the rest of the Marines left behind.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's basically a promise by the United States government that they will do everything in their power to bring their fallen warriors home, and that's the way we roll.

ROWLANDS: Ted Rowlands, CNN, Tarawa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: For more than 65 years, historians have debated whether the battle really needed to be fought or if Tarawa could have simply been avoided, but one thing is clear, the men who died there ultimately saved the lives of other marines.

Lessons learned from Tarawa were later applied to the invasions Hiroshima and Okinawa.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: So, what's cheaper, an iPad or paper? It may seem like a no-brainer, but cash-strapped city halls across the country are starting to convert to the iPad pointing to long-term budget savings. Still, cutting down on paper means less of a paper trail, and that has some government watchdogs a little bit worried.

One city that's switching over, Williamsburg, Virginia. Jack Tuttle is the city manager there. And Megan Rhyne is the executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government.

Now, Jack, let's go ahead and start with you. Why make this switch?

JACK TUTTLE, CITY MANAGER, WILLIAMSBURG, VA: Well, the city staff is looking at ways to find efficiencies, and one of the ways we can do that was cutting down on the amount of paper we were sending out and all of the copying expenses for city council agendas and some 20 copies of those thick packages that are printed every month. So, we looked to technology to help us.

PHILLIPS: Now, you're going to be able to file and retrieve documents. But there is a big concern here about transparency. Government officials will be able e-mail and text and chat and all of that kind of stuff without that conversation becoming public record, right?

TUTTLE: Well, no, not at all. Actually, the electronic readers that we're using, we have not configured them for e-mail. But, in any case, even if those applications were to be put on by someone other than us, there are lots of ways people can use smartphones and laptops to communicate, and they are all subject to the open government laws in the same way. So, it is a legitimate concern, but one we think is workable.

PHILLIPS: And, Megan, let's talk about your concerns here, and Jack kind of hit the nose on one word I wanted to bring up, and that is laws. You have electronic records versus paper records, and because of the technology changing so quickly, you to have the issue of laws that differ from state to state and statutes and things like this. And so, how could this impact public access?

MEGAN RHYNE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, VIRGINIA COALTION FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT: Well, for one, not all state the, as you mentioned -- states have different laws and not all states have regular rules for the retrieval of electronic reports. I'm just looking at this from a standpoint of Virginia. Virginia does say that electronic records, whether they're e-mail or files on a Web site, they are to be treated the same as paper records.

So, we're just concerned that anything that is exchanged through an iPad application or a smartphone application might not be retrievable for the public's use after the fact.

PHILLIPS: And, Jack what do you say to that? Because, of course, as a journalist, we're thinking, "OK, we want to get access to all documents that are submitted by government officials."

TUTTLE: Well, certainly, and, in fact, we in city management have a similar concern to promote transparency, to promote competence in government, and in fact, to use the technology to make it easier for the public to access these documents.

So, all of the documents, for instance, in the case of the iPads that the city council are using are also come to them on the same public Web site that anyone in the city of Williamsburg or, indeed, the world, can download the same documents and review them.

So, we see the cautions, and we agree with Megan that -- that's her job is to be suspicious, and we in government appreciate that.

(LAUGHTER)

TUTTLE: And it's up to us to make sure that we're using the technology to enhance transparency, not the other way.

PHILLIPS: Well, Jack, do you monitor e-mails on the e-mail that your government officials use? Is that monitored? Is that recorded? Do you have -- TUTTLE: Yes. All -- indeed, it is. And, in fact, one of the good things about digital records is, in fact, they are maintained. And so that if issues come up, or we get a request for -- under the Freedom of Information Act, a citizen wants a copy of any public record, we can access that and get it to them.

So, again, I think that the digital records can actually enhance keeping of records and making sure that they're available.

PHILLIPS: Megan, final thought. You know, we're so used to the old school way of FOIA and then getting the paperwork, you know, this seems sort of bizarre that I'm going to FOIA the iPad.

(LAUGHTER)

RHYNE: Right, right. As Jack has been talking about, they are taking the proper steps in going through this. They're using a program that does retrieve the documents.

What our concerns were involved the development of the applications for the iPads and for the smartphones, that these applications are not necessarily being developed with the thought of government transparency in mind. They're looking at bells and whistles. People think they're just neat, they're innovative and they might allow a lot of real-time communication, some drawings, some annotations. But they are not developed with the thought of archiving them and then later retrieving them and later retrieval of those records.

It it's up to local governments to then monitor the use of those applications and to remind city council members we're only supposed to be using those things. We're only supposed to be using this designated program for the marking up of documents and sharing of documents. I think if they take a cautious approach to it, there shouldn't be a problem.

PHILLIPS: Times are definitely changing, that's for sure. Megan Rhyne and Jack Tuttle, thank you both for your time. We had a little issue there with weather. Knocked out video, but we could hear you just fine. Thanks to you both.

They suffered terrible wounds in war only to find a new battle at home: finding a job and starting a new life. We're going to take a look at who's reaching out to help disabled vets.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, they're heroes on the battlefield, but when American service men and women come home from Iraq and Afghanistan, they often struggle to find a job. Now, a program at six universities across the country is teaching some disabled vets to become successful entrepreneurs. CNNmoney's Poppy Harlow has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN IGLESIAS, WAR VETERAN: It blew up, and it felt like I got hit in the face.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM (voice-over): It was an IED explosion in Iraq that nearly killed Brian Iglesias. In total nearly 40,000 men and women have been injured fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

MIKE HAYNIE, TEACHER OF VET ENTREPRENEUERSHIP: Brian's story has been phenomenal.

HARLOW: Mike Haynie and Brian Iglesias were brought together by war, both veterans and now both entrepreneurs.

HAYNIE: What is entrepreneuership? What are the fundamentals of entrepreneurship?

HARLOW: After serving 14 years in the Air Force, Haney became a professor of entrepreneuership. But he saw his fellow veterans struggling to find work after returning from war.

HAYNIE: Self-employment, entrepreneuership, going out and starting a business has been a vocational past that the government has virtually ignored when it comes to the transition process for veterans.

HARLOW: So, what was is like for you looking for work after serving for so long?

IGLESIAS: It was probably one of the toughest things I had to go through. Because when you don't get a job, you take rejection after rejection, and it gets pretty tough.

HARLOW: So Haynie set out to change that, founding the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp for Veterans with Disabilities, or EBV. It's a free traing program for vets that want to start their own businesses. The competition is steep but vets that make the cut take 40 days of online classes and then a summer course at one of six universities that have signed on.

HAYNIE: The most American dream possible, I think, business ownership. That's the aim of this program. Passion is the number one criteria.

HARLOW: Brian's passion was film and he set out to make movies, starting his own production company.

IGLESIAS: It was that purpose. It was that mission. It was, we will do it no matter how tired you are, no matter how hungry you are. You don't have an option to quit or stop. I don't want to owe anybody money, right? I found another veteran and got together and said let's do it.

HAYNIE: Brian had no resources. He bootstrapped, you know. That's what we call it in entrepreneurship. He bootstrapped, found a way to get his movie made.

HARLOW: The result was a documentary about the brutal Korean War battle at Chosin (ph). And t is now being turned into a $100 million feature film, and Brian will be the executive producer.

IGLESIAS: In the military, what we are really, really good at is managing chaos. And we thrive in chaos. So, in small business that's what it's about. As hard and difficult as it was, it will never, ever be as hard and as difficult as combat. Like, that's the beauty of perspective.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARLOW: Talk about perspective. Pretty amazing story of what Brian has been able to accomplish after being injured by that IED, Kyra. His documentary is going to be in theaters in New York and L.A. That feature film will come out in 2012, and he says he's hoping to be nominated for an Academy Award.

And it's all because of this program, EBV, and is mainly funded, Kyra, not by the government, but private individuals, vets, that give money to the program because they believe in it. About 300 vets will have gone through the program as of the end of this summer. Kyra.

PHILLISP: That's fantastic. And we'll be rooting for him, of course, to win that award.

HARLOW: Absolutely, absolutely.

PHILLIPS: All right. Poppy, thanks.

Decorated World War II vet to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, but his widow can't afford to make the trip from Idaho. When we heard this story, we wanted to help, and this morning, a timely donation is changing everything.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: The ashes of a World War II hero to be buried next month at Arlington National Cemetery. But only one problem: his widow couldn't afford to make the trip. We heard that Heidy Baker wouldn't be able to attend her husband Vernon's funeral, our hearts sunk and we wanted to do something about it.

Listen to what Second Lieutenant Vernon Baker did for our country. He was the only black World War II vet to be awarded the medal of honor while living. He earned the distinction for wiping out four German machine gun nests in the mountains of northern Italy in April of 1945. President Bill Clinton awarded the medal in 1997, and Baker said simply, "I was a soldier, and I had a job to do."

How could this hero be laid to rest without his wife present for the military honors? Here's (INAUDIBLE).

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEIDY BAKER, WIDOW OF WWII VETERAN: I can keep it together more on the outside but on the inside, I'm just so sad.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): It's been almost one month since Heidy Baker lost her husband of 17 years.

BAKER: I have been for days now all by myself, and I haven't spoken to no one.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After long bouts with brain cancer, sensing he was slipping away, Heidy says Vernon Baker cracked jokes, remained positive and tehn spoke his final words.

BAKER: He hugged me and told me he loves me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Baker was 90. Nine days ago, hundreds of people went to his memorial service in St. Mary's Idaho. Heidy was presented the American flag, the same flag that draped over Vernon's body the day it left home.

BAKER: I think that was the hardest from the whole service. That was a real, real bad moment.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: September 24th, the Medal of Honor's recipient's body will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

BAKER: The military is not covering any of the trip. That's all up to me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But she is financially down, need a job. Heidy can't afford the plane ticket. And she would like to have her grandson and daughter by her side for what she says will be an even more difficult ceremony than the first.

BAKER: That's a burial. This was just a service. That's the absolute final, so I'm not looking forward to that. But I have to be there, and that's where he deserves to be.

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PHILLIPS: We just got word this morning that Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick is making a special donation. He's joining us live by phone from Boise. Congressman, before we tell folks what you're going to do, how did you hear about Heidy Baker's story?

REP. WALT MINNICK (D), IDAHO (via phone): Well, Vernon Baker is a legend in Idaho. I'm a veteran myself, and in veteran circles, anyone that can win the Medal of Honor is someone that we all know about and revere. So, when he died, I became aware of the fact that his widow did not have the means to get to Washington, and we thought we should do something about it.

PHILLIPS: So, tell us what you're going to do.

MINNICK: Well, I have done a couple of things. One is Congressman from Idaho accumulate a lot of frequent flier miles.

PHILLIPS: You do do a lot of traveling

MINNICK: We do. Frequent flyer miles are not high my Christmas list, so we have donated some of my frequent flyer miles so that the family can go back there. We've also put on my Web site, waltminnick.com, a story about the Bakers' problems, and we've encouraged my constituents to contribute money so that she will not only have frequent flyer miles but also the ability to hail a cab, go to dinner and otherwise enjoy herself is in Washington. I hope she and the family will do that after this very touching ceremony.

Vernon Baker was an orphan. He grew up in Father Flanagan's Boys' Town and he lived in a segregated America. He volunteered for the military, even though he wasn't eligible as an Afro-American to serve and was in the combat -- first segregated combat unit to see duty in World War II. So, it's a very appropriate that we recognize his sacrifice and his leadership in helping us put discrimination and segregation behind us hopefully forever.

PHILLIPS: And not only do we want to lift up everything he did for our country, we appreciate, Congressman, what you're going to do for his family.

Final question before I let you go, though. Why is it that this even happened in the first place? Widows and the families not being able to afford to get to that funeral. Do they not get any type of financial assistance to help them with something like that?

MINNICK: The Department of Army has a small program. They've got a few dollars to spend on helping people come back for funerals, whether they are Medal of Honor or not, for housing. However, it's usually oversubscribed, and there's nothing that the Army has currently that provides for transportation. So, when I get back to Washington, if we can't get that straightened out, I think we're going to introduce a bill --

PHILLIPS: We're going to count on you to do that, sir.

MINNICK: -- that takes care of this for widows and families of anyone that's buried in Arlington. It's something that the country needs to do for its war heroes.

PHILLIPS: Amen. We appreciate what you are doing for the Baker family and look forward to the introduction of that bill. You keep us updated. Congressman Minnick, thanks so much for your time today.

MINNICK: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

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PHILLIPS: Well, it's time for "Home and Away," where we lift up a service member who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq or Afghanistan. Today we're honoring Staff Sergeant Mike Hollander, killed in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq in April 2002.

And today, joining us via Skype to talk about Mike, fiancee, Kyle Harper. Kyle, good to see you. KYLE HARPER, MIKE HOLLANDER'S FIANCEE: Thank you for having me. Good to see you as well.

PHILLIPS: Well, I love the story of how the two of you met. It was actually over a jukebox song and a dollar that you borrowed from your fiancee.

HARPER: Yes, it was. I had asked him for a dollar to go play some music at the jukebox, and I walked over and he came with me. And I put on a song called "Social Distortions" by Ball and Chain, and he gave me a look because it was a '90s punk rock band and very few people had heard of it. And he just looked at me, and I thought, maybe he doesn't like punk rock. And he just told me it was his favorite song, and no girl ever listened to Ball and Chains. So, that became our song.

PHILLIPS: And you told me you even played it at his funeral?

HARPER: Yes. We did. It was our song. We were going to play at our wedding. Unfortunately, we didn't quite get there, so we played it at his funeral instead.

PHILLIPS: Now, your first date. Is this true? Did he show up in shorts in Alaska when it was freezing cold? And what was the deal with wrapping his legs in saran wrap?

HARPER: On our first date, he drove down from the military base. And on his way down, he got a tattoo. So, in March in Alaska, he was wearing camo shorts and Saran Wrap. And we're sitting there, having a wonderful dinner with (AUDIO GAP), and he's wearing Saran Wrap.

PHILLIPS: So, what was the tattoo? Was it "I'm falling in love with Kyle"?

HARPER: I wish. It was praying hands and some doves. It was a beautiful tattoo. He told the story of his life on his body, he said.

PHILLIPS: Oh, wow. That's definitely a deep meaning.

Well, you were actually -- this is the tough part -- looking at wedding dresses when you received that call, right?

HARPER: Yes. We had just picked the location and date that weekend before. And I was home any my parents' house in Maine, and I got a call from my roommate in Alaska, actually. And she let me know Mike's parents were trying to get in touch with me all day. And at that moment, I knew they wouldn't call and leave messages like that if he was hurt or injured. So I knew he had been killed. So, I actually called his sister, the only family member I met at that point, and she told me he died.

PHILLIPS: You know, it's amazing. You are still so full of -- I don't know -- energy and warmth and you're smiling, and I know it's because you're talking about him. But where do you find the strength?

HARPER: He was the most amazing person I've ever known, and I remember after he died, I was sitting at the funeral home. And I made him a promise that our relationship would never be a bad thing in our life. It was a wonderful love he gave me, and I wanted to remember that part of our relationship and not his death.

PHILLIPS: Wow. An amazing man. And Kyle, you continue to do great things for T.A.P.S., one of my favorite charities, Tragic Assistance Program for Survivors. And you raise a lot of money for families who have lost loved ones, especially those kids. That grief camp is one of the best things around.

Kyle Harper, thank you so much for sharing your story. Really great to see you today.

HARPER: You as well. Thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

Well, now we would sure like to hear from all of you that have a story. Join us on our "Home and Away" project. Here's how you do it. Go to CNN.com/homeandaway, and type in your service member's name in the upper right-hand search field, and then you pull up the profile. You can send us your thoughts, your pictures, and we'll keep the memory of your hero and our hero alive.

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