COOPER CITY, Fla. _ Sgt. La David Johnson was remembered during his funeral Saturday as a dedicated family man who loved sweet tea and could hold a wheelie on his bicycle for an entire block.
Friends and family spoke glowingly of the 25-year-old serviceman who was killed with three other U.S. soldiers in an Oct. 4 ambush by Islamic militants in Niger.
There was no mention of the controversy surrounding President Donald Trump's phone conversation with Johnson's wife or the ensuing clash between White House chief of staff John Kelly and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla. Instead, speakers remembered a young man devoted to his family and to his Army service, with youthful high spirits and generosity.
"He wanted a better life for his family, and that's what he did," said Donald Young, Johnson's best friend.
"He was the only guy I knew who took off on a 7- or 8- mile run and come back and hydrate with sweet tea," Young said, drawing laughter from the crowd.
"We pray for clarity for the circumstances surrounding his death," a young man said in the opening prayer, the only reference during the 90-minute funeral of the questions that have arisen about the attack.
About 1,000 people attended the funeral, including dozens of men and women in military uniform and local elected officials, including Cooper City Mayor Greg Ross,. Wilson and U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla.
As some latecomers settled into their seats, Lamiyah Williams sang "Withholding Nothing" which she said was one of Johnson's favorite songs. The phrase, "I give you all of me," was repeated throughout the tune.
Johnson's mentor and supervisor, Dennis Bohler, said through tears that Johnson was polite and respectful.
"He was all about his family, that's all he talked about," Bohler said. "There was T the barber trying to cut my hair for five dollars, then there was T the chef, T the mechanic and T the stunt rider."
The Miami Gardens resident graduated from Miami Carol Senior High School in 2010, according to his obituary. He joined the Army in January, 2014, and married his childhood sweetheart Myeshia Manual seven months later. The couple had two children and a third is due. Johnson was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., and left in August for his second deployment to Africa.
Wilson steered clear of the controversies of the past few days, focusing instead on the solemn scene of the arrival of the soldier's body in Miami.
Myeshia Johnson touched the hearts of many Americans, she said, with her mournful embrace of her fallen husband's flag-draped coffin, minutes after his body returned to Miami Tuesday. Wilson accompanied the widow to that scene.
"Watching her as she received her husband on Tuesday was an incredibly powerful moment, please know you are loved and have the support of millions of people," Wilson told Johnson.
