good evening, everyone. welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler, in new york. >> though human cost, the effort to help the millions in the philippines affected by typhoon haiyan. and the new storm making landfall right now. plus -- >> there was unity, but iran couldn't take it at that particular moment. >> no deal on iran's nuclear program. honoring veterans, what happens after veteran's day? >> what saddens me is that it becomes more about mattress sales or sales of any kind. you know, people died so

somebody can have a sale on a mattress? that's offensive to me. plus a new generation of drones, the military tests new unmanned technology. ♪ we begin tonight with powerful heart-wrenching images of the destruction in the philippines. more than 600,000 people desperately seek sheller. the supertyphoon haiyan devastates thousands of people. thousands are believed to be buried in the rubble. and aid is pouring in from all over the world tonight.

dozens of countries are sending cash and supply to the region. the biggest need, food, shelter, and fresh water. also hard hit was this city, and that's where we find reporter craig geeson. tell us what the biggest challenge for the government is right now. >> reporter: the biggest challenge is getting the food aid to the people who most need it. i'm standing at the air force base right now, and watching right in front of me, an international cargo transporter pulling in just 150 meters away from me, loaded with relief supplies. international help on its way, and it has been streaming in over the past days. there are three c130s that have

been going in and out all day. they are loading them up with supplies and unloading some of the survivors who are being taken to the hospital for the help they need. >> talk about the reports of wide-spread luting, and how that might impact the efforts to provide aid to the people there. >> reporter: i didn't quite catch that question, but i can tell you that they certainly have their hands full here trying to not only find survivors but get the aid that is here to the areas that need it. the main problem they have got with doing that is combatting the luters that have been taking some of that aid. there were reports of the bridge which links two of these islands, luters holding up some of the aide trucks and taking the aid before it even reached

the people that need it. government forces are now on the ground trying to stop that problem, and the president says that he's pretty sure they will have that under control very shortly. >> is there enough international aid coming in right now? >> reporter: yes, there -- there is plenty of international aid, where we're seeing a lot of aid coming in from the u.s., non-government organizations filling in with everything from food to shelters to blankets to sanitation devices, even body bags to combat the messy situation they have got where bodies are still laying in the street and it's four days since the typhoon hit, so they are decomposing and causing major problems for health officials

there. >> they said the official number is around 10,000 dead. are they holding to that number at this point? >> actually the official number is only about 900 people, and that's because the philippine government doesn't count somebody dead until they have identified them and tagged them, and that has been an almost impossible task here because there are so many bodies. most of them haven't been identified. there are reports in one area alone there were 300 bodies being carried to one particular government building ready for indication. the estimate is it's 10,000-plus and that comes from the governor of the island himself who believes that figure will rise to anywhere between 20 and 30,000 people. >> are they still finding survivors? >> they are still finding survivors and when they get to

them of course, the difficulty is the getting the food and aid to them, and that's one of the problems. the u.s. government has promised support, the command in fact has mobilized as the marines arrived here yesterday. they have been sending command units, and troops across in planes to help them get into the area. those aircrafts have the ability to land and take off vertically. it is almost impossible to get any other vehicle whether be land based or air based. they are getting the c-130 helicopters in there, but that's about it for this province. everywhere else needs a helicopter, and in some places there aren't even places they can put them down. >> craig, thanks very much for

your reporting. lininternet lip was able to see the damage right after the storm. >> reporter: the storm hit at about 5:30 the morning, three and a half hours ahead of the forecasted time. it was quite dark outside and with heavy rains and strong winds, it was quite frightening. and i can imagine how frightening it must have been for young children in evacuation centers or at home. debris was flying everywhere. in our building and the buildings around us, we saw houses with their roofs being ripped off. >> how long did it last? >> reporter: it lasted for a

full sick hours. so it started from 5:30, and an hour later the cell reception went off, and then an hour after that the radio signals went down, and finally it was only at 11:30 that we felt safe enough to go outside. >> was there flooding in your area? >> yes, there was a storm surge of about a meter and a half. when they knocked on our door for us to let them in, that's when we saw the storm surge, and the strong currents that came with it. >> how did you get out and get back to manila? >> i got on a military train. we needed the supplies that were so needed for the children and

the families that were effected with absolutely nothing left in their possessions, so we had to send someone back to coordinate the relief efforts and communicate the situation on the ground. >> what sort of work are you doing to help the people in the philippines? >> save the children was the first aid agency on the ground. we now have two offices, operational in the island itself. we're bringing in relief from three different groups. we're going from manila and going by sea, and also flying in relief items as much as possible, which is difficult to reach people with medical sup place, shelter items so children can feel safe at night with something over their heads. we're also trying to bring in hygiene items.

i have witnessed children openly defecating and there was no area to dispose of any waste. there was just waste everywhere in the evacuation center itself the smell was intolerable. even by saturday mid day. and we're trying to bring in clean water supplies through trucks systems to ensure that children and their families receive water. >> we're hearing at least 10,000 people may be dead. what did you see? did you see lotss of bodice as you returned home? >> yes, on friday just stepping outside, they were picking up dead people along the side of the street, waiting for rescuers to pick them up, and throughout the days that followed more dead bodies were recovered and laid by the side of the road. on saturday midday when we went

to the city council, we heard that about 200 bodies had been picked up, with many more expected to follow. as there was a lot of debris and bodied expected. >> have you seen any luting there? >> yes, certainly, on saturday when we stepped outside, children and families were telling the staff that they had nothing to eat and the storm had hit. and the government officials in these areas were incapacitated as well, and could not serve the people as they had prepared to do so. these families resorted to luting. they went to provision shops, and pharmacies and took everything they could with them. >> lynette thank you very much.

welcome communities all around the world are working to help the victims of the typhoon and jonathan betz takes a closer look. >> the government is restraining to respond and coordinate the aid being delivered. more than 20 countries have offered help so far. the united states was one of the first to arrive. more than 200 marines are there, and more on the way. they are using aircraft that can land and take off vertically. britain has devoted nearly $10 million to buy tents and water to help half a million people. and australia also announced nearly $10 million in aid. it is sending doctors and mosquito nets.

the un children's fund is sending more than a million dollars in water purification tablets and medicine, and that is expected to land tomorrow. much of this help is still on the way and it is far from enough. it is a slow process. not only is it taking days to mobilize the help, but with much devastation the difficultsy figuring out how to get the help to those who need it the most. >> for more you can go to our website, and click on the typhoon haiyan, to find out ways you can help. another heavy round of storms is hitting the philippines right now. >> that's right, john. all typhoons begin as this. it is brings rain across the

central islands, this is not what you want to have during recovery and relief efforts. we expect to see 3 to 5 inches of rain falling for the next 24 hours. a lot of people without their homes at the moment and it is raining. at some points it is raining rather heavily. right now the typhoon center has ended all of its bulletins concerning this. it has really lost all of its power source. we are still seeing quite a bit of rain up hears towards china. we'll probably see another 3 to 4 inches of rain. >> all right. kevin thank you. the u.s. ambassador to the philippines says that the country's tragedy is another sign that the world must pay

more attention to climate change. ray joins us from washington, d.c. welcome. congratulations. glad you are part of the team. >> great to be here, john, thank you. >> what did the ambassador say? >> the ambassador took places to explain that once it became apparent that his country was in the path of this enormous storm it didn't just sit passively by, instead the government took action, evacuating more than three quarters of a million people judged to be in the most vulnerable areas. what through them off, he said, was that instead of being a slow-moving storm, it moved quickly, and brought an enormous wall of water ashore, and that's responsible for the damage. just as that wall of water was stomping through the philippine islands, the nations of the world were gathering in poland to discuss global climate change

and what it may mean to the nations of the world. i asked the ambassador whether his country's tragedy might cause a different conversation in warsaw? >> the chair american of the climate change commission was interviewed by local television station, and i was watching that early this morning, and in fact she said that -- that the philippines would like to make a case for that. that the international community must pay more attention to the consequences of climate change. and we hope the philippines will take a chong chase for that in that conference. >> the philippines is one of the most vulnerable nations in the world to rising seas. on tomorrow's "inside story," we'll cover the continuing rescuing efforts in the philippines and turn our

attention to the climate change conference this polanpoland. john? >> all right. "inside story" airs monday through friday, 5:00 pm eastern, and we're glad he is here. iran says it will allow international inspectors greater access to some of its nuclear sites. the deal comes two days after negotiation between iran and global powers ended. secretary of state john kerry remains the middle east. mike viqueira joins us live from the white house with more on that. hi, mike. >> hi, john. secretary kerry telling a talk show yesterday, we, the obama administration, we're not blind or stupid, he is compelled to defend what happened in geneva for two reasons. number one they came up empty at

least for now. and number two the perception of many in congress, and most notably benjamin netenyahu, is that they are giving away too much to iran. secretary carey dropped everything, went to geneva. part of the problem there is perception. when you gather all of the foreign ministers together it leads people to believe they are on a verge of an agreement, and when it doesn't happen there is disappointment. >> the secretary will now try to explain why they should hold off on more sanctions against iran. the secretary of state made a stop in abu dhabi and explained what had transpired in geneva. >> there was unity, but iran couldn't take it. at that particular moment, they

weren't able to accept that particular agreement. hard work was done. progress was made. the p5-plus-1 was united. there is a gap still between what language may be appropriate that they are prepared to accept, but the concept that we are all working on, we have absolute unity on. >> the issue, what is on the tail here? iran's right to enrich uranium. iran says it is for civilian purposes. but if they decided to change that in to weapons uranium they could do that. there are already sanctions in place, and the administration says this is what propelled iran to the table. a very sensitive stage, john.

>> mike, thanks very much. across the country americans have been taking time on this veteran's day to honor the men and women who served in the armed forces. president obama spoke this morning. laid a wreath at the tom of the unknown soldier, >> today we have gather to honor the patriots who have offered the highest honor they can give to this country. we join as one people to honor a debt we can never fully repay. >> stay with us for more on veteran's day events coming up. we'll hear how the state of illinois is tackling unemployment against veterans. and we'll talk to george s

patton's grandson. it is election season for catholic bishops. they are choosing a new president. plus -- >> reporter: the u.s. navy is adding drone technology, but insists it won't be weaponized. coming up, the future of high-tech war fair. ♪ >>an escape from the expected.

>> every day, events sweep across our country. and with them, a storm of views. how can you fully understand the impact unless you've heard angles you hadn't considered? consider this... antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with

unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours. >> what do you think? >> stories that matter to you consider this unconventional wisdom. weeknights 10 eastern on al jazeera america the nation's catholic leaders are meeting in baltimore. the assembly of the u.s. conference of catholic bishops is take place as the new pope works to reenergize the church by changing its tone. >> reporter: pope francis is calling for a humble church that welcomes all catholics and focuses on the poor. >> let us embrace our people

with family embrace. let us make them feel that they bronco. >> that's what he is calling on the bishops to be, good pastoral witnesses of the gospel rather than eideologues. >> reporter: one of the pope's unprecedented ip initiatives has generated excitement here. a worldwide survey of perishes asking them how they handle tough issues like abortion, birth control and gay marriage. topics the pope will bring up on a major summit of the family next year. >> the enthusiasm that people on the council, and they felt so honored to even have been asked. >> reporter: conference president says the new pontiff has touched something across the touch. his tenure has focused on

religious liberty in the u.s., because he turned his attention to persecution of christians worldwide. >> we as bishops, as shepherds of one of the most richly blessed nations on the planet, because become champions for these christians who's lives literally hang in the balance. >> what i would disagree with would be the interpretation given that the conference has been less than concerned about that. because that has been a constant, constant concern. >> reporter: the church has spoken out against cuts to food stamps and health care programs. >> how they deliver this message to people, i think that they -- they are still on the side of the poor, but they are got to be a little louder.

>> reporter: with that same message coming from the vatican, it's likely the volume will get turned up. lisa stark, al jazeera, baltimore. ♪ michael eaves is here with sports. >> today it's the owner of the dolphins. steven ross said today that he was appalled by the hazing scandal hanging over his team, that has been a nightmare and he plans to get to the bottom of the allegations. ross who is setting up task force to improve the culture in miami. and will meyers is your american league rookie of the year. he hit .293, in just 88 games after getting called up from the

minors since the middle of june. . in the national league the rookie of the year award goes to jose fernandez. he posted a 12-6 record, and the second-best earned run average in the national league at 2.19. he becomes the first cuban born player to win the national rookie of the year award. coming up a veteran's day contribute to some of our country's sports stars who have also served in our armed forces.

♪ welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler. and here are the top stories. dozens of countries are answering the call for help from the philippines. international aid is pouring in from all over the world tonight including from the united states. the filipino military says it is finally beginning to deliver aid to areas for the first time since the storm hit four days ago. secretary of state john kerry says the u.s. and other global powers were united on a

nuclear deal for iran, and that iran failed to accept the proposal. but iran's foreign minister says kerry had issued conflicting statements and says some progress was made in the talks. iran and the nuclear agency did agree on a deal to give the inspectors greater access to the nuclear fall illties. president obama laid a wreath at the tom of the unknowns, and says his administration is dedicated toward helping today's veterans now and forever. nearly 2 million veterans are 35 years old or younger. 9.6 million are over the age of 65. after completing their military service, many veterans face another type of challenge,

finding work. according to the bureau of labor statistics, younger veterans have the hardest time finding jobs. unemployment for post 9/11 vets is 10%. asher reports on how illinois is trying to make sure vets are not left behind. >> reporter: today veterans celebrated their sacrifice. but for the veterans now are the challenges of transitioning into the work force. this 23-year-old currently serves in the national guard. he has already been warned that finding a good job outside of a military can be tough. >> when i first arrived at my first unit. they said it may be harder to find a job, so start looking now. >> reporter: last week he came here, a job fair aimed at

veterans in search of full or part-time work. >> too often the narrative is that our veterans come back from war and they are damaged goods. >> reporter: right now unemployment sits at 6.5% compared to 7.2% unemployment rate for the country as a whole. the highest unemployment rate hits the younger veterans. they are trying to focus on the challenges that they face in a complex and changing environment. >> somebody who walks in and says they have been an infantry squad leader for the last four years, that doesn't read illy translate into the corporate world, and we have to help them craft their raze mace, help them go through mock interviews to

prepare for engagements with employers. >> reporter: illinois is one of six states that helps veterans use their credentials for law enforcement careers, and allows them to bypass the state skills test when applying for a commercial driver's license. >> they have the leadership experience and knowledge. they have the self-motivation. they have obviously the honor, and they understand chain of command. they understand leadership. >> reporter: acknowledging the ak -- sacrifices is not only a reminder of their past, but a promise for their future. the department of veteran's affairs has been buried by a backlog of disability claims for years, but department officials say they are making progress.

they say 58% of disabled veterans are now waiting more than four months to receive their disability claims. there are more than 700,000 veterans waiting for a disability claim to be processed. that's an improvement from a year ago when more than 900,000 has pending claims. joining us now is sherman gill ans who has had personal experience in filing a disabled claim with veteran's affairs. he is a associate director at the paralyze veterans of america organization. it's good to see you, and happy veteran's day. >> thank you john. we are moving in the right direction, the department has explored a gambit of ways to

tackle the backlog, most of it involved digitizing records, coming up with records to take the guesswork out of how you process a claim. but the commitment was to eliminate the backlog by 2015, and that's what we want to see. that's what we consider the end game. >> so for 700,000 vets, what does this mean, practically. >> if you think about any time you have had a transition, whether you were in the military or just moving to a different state, there are a lot of things that happen. you have to find a place to live. a lot of things happen to us when you are not injured. in many cases these veterans have a disability, and the routine expenses that we all know about, paying rent, putting food on the table, those are things that are there, but they are also expenses that are

non-discretionary that go along withing a veteran. in a lot of cases you have to pay attendant to help you dress you and feed you. >> so they file a claim but they are spending thousands of dollars and still not getting any money back; is that what it is? >> for the veterans that are severely disabled, and there's a good percentage in that 700,000 that have the add burden of trying to find ways to survive with this new injury, and there are expenses that accrue to that situation. >> right. >> if you have got a spouse who is your primary caretaker, he or she may have to quit his or her job to take care of you. if you are waiting on a disability claim to get processed, your life isn't pull on hold, but your ability to

overcome a disability is put on hold. so that's where we see the biggest problem in the most vulnerable veterans. >> why don't the american people put more pressure on the government to fix this? >> in my view, there was a lot of pressure it's just -- you know, the ideas. it was -- the reasons behind the backlog, we can see there was inevitable. there was a mass exodus of service members out of the military when the war in iraq ended? >> i understand that, but when you are talk about the people that have served this country, and yet 700,000 are not getting the benefits they deserve, it's an outrage and you wonder why more hasn't been done. >> well, that's why you have organizations like ours.

we're going to hold them accountable. we want to raise the issues, take the focus off of the statistics and tell the stories of the real lives of people that have to wait. and as long as we're doing that, we're remaining people that this is an issue that that 125 days or 400 days, those are ticks of a clock. and so as long as we continue to try to tell the stories, that is going to keep this momentum. >> it's great to talk with you today, sherman. thanks for joining us. >> thank you, john. one vietnam vet has found a special way to honor soldiers. and alan is here with that story tonight. >> good evening, john. we're talking about a very talented portrait artist.

it is work he loves to which he is completed committed, and which help him too. >> ten hours a day, michael reagan draws. >> as long as people need these portraits and i'm able to draw them, i deal them. >> it has brought his soul back he says. >> i draw dead soldiers every day. >> back from vietnam whereas a marine corps rifleman he saw and lost so much. >> we were just holding his leg on hoping somebody could do something, and he looked up at me and said mike i just want to go home, and he closed his eyes and eyed. and i remember those eyes every day. >> on this day it is david fin looking back at him. he died in a training accident last march. whoever wants one of these portraits gets one.

ten years ago reagan got a call from a grieving wife. she wanted him to draw her husband. corporal johnson killed in iraq. simple lines that add up to complex images and demand answer of the artist. >> why are you here? why am i here? i think i'm here to do this work. >> reporter: every portrait is sent with a personal letter from region who thanks them for allowing him to share their loss and ease their portrait. >> amy? >> yes. >> we have a delivery from michael reagan. >> thank you. >> and amy frost can once again look into fin's eyes. >> sorry. >> this is an incredible broken

heart in this country, and there's nothing i can do to fix that, but part of that broken heart are these families, and i might be able to fix some of that. >> we just have the memory, and you want to get as m as you can. and this -- this will help a lot. >> reporter: and even though he draws war dead, he insists his artwork is not about war or death. >> i am never alone down here, even though i may be by myself. >> so many finished so many more to do. michael reagan will keep at this job and keep bringing these eyes alive. >> until someone has to draw my portrait. >> reporter: region says he has already picked the artist who will draw his portrait when he

dies. he has a long, long list. >> how does he afford to do all of this? >> well, the project -- the fallen hero's project is a nonprofit foundation, so they operate on donations. about $30,000 a year is being paid by a grant from the veterans of foreign wars. michael says it costs him $725 just in postage every month. >> alan thanks very much. more than 3,000 active service men and women have taken their own lives since 2001. the pentagon has been stoping up with suicide intervention efforts. >> reporter: the family home of one of the united states most celebrated generals is a long way from the battlefields of iraq and afghanistan, but for these veterans the stress resulting from combat is never far away. they are taking part in a film making workshop here, attempting

to convey their struggle to return to civilian life. >> none of us talk about our combat experience. i certainly don't. >> reporter: the process of shooting and editing allows them to share feelings that many have kept bottled up. ♪ >> reporter: this short film shows their sense of isolation. holly wanted to let other veterans know they aren't alone. >> a lot that heart in the hypervigilance in the bad emotions that i feel, you know -- just living day-to-day as a combat veteran, and i was really able to pour that and lift that off of my shoulders so to speak, and now it's out there for everybody to see. >> cutting a one day -- >> benjamin patton grew up in this house. as the grandson of world war ii

hero, george patton, he you in up with the legacy of service. >> reporter: the armed services has been forced to put mental health at the center. his grandfather was notorious for his intolerance of battle weary soldiers. >> they were always very focused on taking care of their trips, and foi -- famously so. i would like to think that my father and grandfather are up there saying, you know, you are still taking care of the troops because now is a time when we have hundreds of thousands of men and women taking off their

uniform and trying to get jobs. >> reporter: it's his own way of continuing a family tradition. over the past decade drones have become a staple, if controversial weapon of the american military. kimberly went on board the uss theodore roosevelt to see them in action. >> it's designed to make difficult takeoffs and landings. this is an unmanned aerial drone. it made history when it completed its first landing at sea. but the technology was not yet perfected. >> it came up on the power and sent the aircraft towards the shuttle. they were unable to achieve enough residual thrust to make the transition.

>> reporter: the navy is still modifying how it communicates with the carrier. right now takeoff, flights and landing are now fully automated. the u.s. navy insists this particular aircraft will never be able to kill anybody. because after testing it will be retired to a museum, but this is just the beginning of the navy's plan for unmanned flight. there may not be plans to weaponize in unmanned drone, but that doesn't rule out other models. the u.s. military armed the predators during the iraq and afghanistan wars. but these operations require fixed land bases and cooperation

with host nations on an aircraft carrier at sea, the rules are different. >> you are sovereign where you are. you don't need to ask anybody's permission. and you can bring fire power on any nation on earth. >> reporter: it's one reason the navy is determined to perfect its drone technology. it allows the navy to operate with more autonomy. >> it allows what we call the dull, dirty, and dangerous missions that affords themselves to unmanned capabilities more accurately. >> reporter: the military hopes the program will be fully operating in the next three years. on this veteran's day let's head down to washington, d.c., again, joie chen standing by to tell us what is coming up on

"america tonight." >> hey, john. on "america tonight" we'll have an exclusive investigation. our look at a disturbing policy by the u.s. military. soldier sent packing sometimes from very serious causes, but others for as minor as tardiness, and others dismissed because of the effects of brain injuries. in our exclusive investigation, we'll hear about some of their stories. >> we have been at war for so long, and so many people have been funneled into that avenue that it is totally clogged. so these commanders are stuck in this position where if they try to get them out medically, they are still stuck with them, maybe for a long time. >> reporter: sheila macvicar will have more on this investigation. coming up at the top of the hour

on "america tonight," john. >> thanks, joie. still to come on al jazeera america, we'll meet the last major league baseball player who earned a purple heart in vietnam. i'm john seigenthaler, and here's a look at the headlines... >> al jazeera america, there's more to it.

>> while you were asleep, news was happening. >> here are the stories we're following. >> find out what happened and what to expect. >> international outrage. >> a day of political posturing. >> every morning from 5 to 9am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other american news channel.

>> tell us exactly what is behind this story. >> from more sources around the world. >> the situation has intensified here at the border. >> start every morning, every day, 5am to 9 eastern with al jazeera america. michael eaves is back with sports. the big story the past two weeks, more than that, right? >> it really has been, what is going on in miami. and when you think about it, john, you have are like but there are so many other worthy people to talk about, especially when it comes to the people who have served in our military.

some of our best sports stars have been some of our country's most heroic servicemen. they are the greatest team every assemble. the united states armed forces. the admiral, david robinson in basketball, bobby doans, and coaching legends, put everything on hold to risk their lives for the greatest good of our country. rocky bliar was drafted into the army after his rookie season. during battle he was shot in his left leg and injured his right leg from this gan today in. he turned to the stealers in 1971, winning four super bowl titles during the '70s. and ted williams served in two different wars as a marine

pilot. when he enlisted the first time williams has just completed his first triple crown season. despite losing five years of his hall of fame career, he gone two triple crowns and was the last player to bat over .400 in a single season. but that was when the military draft was part of society. ever since 1973, it has been a volunteer service. which is why pat tillman's story was so compelling. in april 2004 he was killed in a friendly fire incident, but his patriotism is a throw back to an earlier era. earlier today i had the honor of speaking with

[ technical difficulties ] >> it brings back a lot of really good memories from both my career from the military and my time playing baseball. it was my boyhood dream to night the major leagues. and i was only in eight games, but i did everything perfectly, consequently i was drafted and shipped out to vietnam in 1967 and, you know, you never know what is going to happen when something like that happens in that situation, but i'm very hon in order and proud to have served my country and go through and be here today is a blessing for me, because -- believe me i'm very happy just to be breathing air right now. >> as you said like so many

young men at that time you were taken off to war right when your life is starting to begin, and then you come back and try to regain that professional athletic career. you played in the minority leaders, but never got back to the major league level. how much did your injuries effect your career? >> well, 68 was the year it was in vietnam. most of 68 before i got hit. and my wounds were to the point -- i got hit in the left calf and through the left wrist which hit the ulnar nerve. i hit both ways so consequently, hitting right handed sometimes the bat would go flying out of my left hand, but as far as

speed goes when you lose that extra step, you lose that edge to play in the majors. 66 i had come off of my best year in the minors, and i thought i was going to come back and be in the majors to stay, and the military kind of used up those two years. i came back and tried to play, but it just wasn't there like i was previously. but id digit injure me to the point where i couldn't play to that major league caliber, but just to have been here was an honor and to serve my country was an even bigger honor. >> the say he was wounded and air lifted out of the jungle, he was forced to leave behind his foot locker, which contained his championship ring. but thankfully ten years ago the dodgers presented him with a replacement. >> what a terrific story.

michael thanks very much. kevin has weather right after this. conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours. consider this unconventional wisdom weeknights - 10 eastern on al jazeera america

good evening, again. those temperatures are dropping like crazy across the northern plains. you can see the line of snow right here, across the central plains and up towards the great lakes. minneapolis 20 degrees, chicago at 29 degrees, a little bit closer in, you can see, we are in the teens here.

bismarck is at 13. when you factor in yesterday compared to what we had today a lot of these places have dropped. 11 degrees in omaha, so this is the cold air pool dropping into the south and dropping a little bit more east. when you factor in the temperatures with the wind it feels like 7 degrees in fargo. frost warnings are in effect across the area. chicago you will be down to 20 degrees tomorrow morning. you are already at 29 now. it is not until thursday that we finally stay above freezing for that period. no more snow in your forecast, but it is going to be extremely cold. have a great day everyone. john has your headlines next. ♪

is. >> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm john siegenthaler in new york. and here are the top stories. rescue workers in the philippines are struggling to reach storm torn areas tonight. the main problem, there is no electricity in the areas of the typhoon. 600,000 people have been displaced. the pentagon says the u.s.s. george washington and other ships should be there within the next two days. secretary of state john kerry is defending iran, iran failed to accept that proposal, iran's foreign minr