honoring the fallen. honoring the fallen. america pauses to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice on this national memorial day. severe storms. a possible tornado rips through battle creek, michigan, as president obama gets a firsthand look at the devastation in joplin, missouri. and a rookie mistake. 23-year-old j.r. hildebrand was about to win the indianapolis 23-year-old j.r. hildebrand was about to win the indianapolis 500 until the last turn. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everyone, on this monday, i'm terrell brown in for betty nguyen. this is memorial day. the day we remember the service men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. later this morning at arlington

national cemetery, president obama will pay tribute to america's war dead. flags have been placed in front of more than 260,000 gravestones. he'll also place a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. also this morning, the president is expected to announce he's chosen army general martin dempsey as the new chairman of the joint chiefs. if confirmed by the senate he would be replacing retiring admiral mike mullen. u.s. troops in afghanistan paused yesterday to remember their fallen comrades, in nearly ten years of fighting more than 1400 americans have been killed there. this memorial day comes before the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attack. that day triggered the u.s. involvement in afghanistan, the hunt for osama bin laden, and changed the taliban government. president obama plans to start drawing down u.s. forces in the region beginning in july. [ playing taps ] memorial day was originally known as decoration day. it began as a remembrance of those soldiers who fell during the civil war. today, it is a national holiday

with ceremonies to remember the fallen in cities across the country. besides the solemn rituals, memorial day is a day of parades and family gatherings. the holiday also represents the unofficial start of summer. the latest batch of severe weather to strike the country's midsection hit western michigan. today there's a chance of severe thunderstorms in the northern plains and new england. yesterday's weather blew through battle creek, michigan. the storm was fast-moving and powerful. winds up to 80 miles per hour knocked down hundreds of trees and damaged homes and buildings. >> you could see the funnel spinning. and it was wide. it was a big storm. i've never experienced in my life. >> throughout michigan more than 100,000 customers lost power but there were no severe injuries. the same system caused 450 flights to be canceled at chicago's o'hare airport. to joplin, missouri, now, 39 people remain unaccounted for after last week's crippling tornado. the death toll has topped 130. president obama visited yesterday for an upclose look at the destruction. ines ferre reports.

>> reporter: president obama walked through the rubble in joplin on sunday, consoling survivors, and promising help as they rebuild. >> this is just not your tragedy. this is a national tragedy. and that means it will be a national response. >> reporter: the president later attended the city's memorial service. he vowed the nation would stand by the people of joplin. >> the cameras may leave, the spotlight may shift, but we will be with you every step of the way, until joplin is restored, and this community is back on its feet. we're not going anywhere. >> reporter: the service began and ended with a prayer offered by father justin monaghan. he took shelter in his bathtub when the tornado struck. >> father monaghan, i'm so glad you got in that tub. >> reporter: st. mary's was destroyed but monaghan says this won't be the end of his church. >> i think we're all saying, hey, we're strong. we can put this together, we'll rebuild, and we'll be stronger than ever.

>> reporter: monaghan says the church will be rebuilt, around the metal cross that was left standing. ines ferre, for cbs news. bad news for folks in montana today, more rain. many communities are trying to dry out after a week of soaking weather and flooding. three more inches is expected between yesterday and today. with the new rain and melting snow, flooding is expected in just about every part of that state. politics now, and the race for the republican presidential nomination. former alaska governor sarah palin insists she doesn't know if she's running. but she's in the middle of an east coast bus tour that looks an awful lot like it. joel brown is in washington with more. joel, good morning to you. >> terrell, good morning to you. while some of the other gop presidential candidates were making the rounds on the sunday news shows, sarah palin was in a black leather jacket on the back of a harley. and stealing the spotlight. former alaska governor sarah palin made a roaring start to an east coast tour, that's fueling speculation she's preparing to run for the republican

presidential nomination. palin and her family hopped on motorcycles to take part in an annual memorial day weekend event called rolling thunder to honor veterans. >> have a safe ride. >> it is a debt of gratitude we owe our veterans. >> reporter: the event is not political. so the estimated 250,000 participants had mixed reactions about her presence. >> this right here is about unity, and i don't hear that coming from sarah palin. >> i'd love to vote for her if she'd run for president. >> reporter: palin's tour of historical sites now moves to a bus, ending in the critically important primary state of new hampshire. >> she is testing the waters. she's out delivering her message, and seeing what kind of a reception she gets. >> reporter: palin could shake up a race that's still very uncertain. she gave no indication yesterday she's going to run. and she's yet to build a campaign organization. unlike other republican contenders. mitt romney's expected to make a formal announcement he'll run thursday. former pennsylvania senator rick santorum will launch his campaign next month.

and former minnesota governor tim pawlenty is working to build name recognition after entering the race. >> only about 50% of the republicans nationally even know my name. >> reporter: and then there are the possible contenders. michele bachmann, rick perry, and rudy giuliani. there's so much uncertainty, big republican donors are waiting before they sign their checks. sarah palin's not just raising her presidential profile, she's also raising money. followers are asked to donate to her on her political action committee website, then make a generous donation. terrell? >> we'll just have to see how it goes. joel brown in washington for us this morning. joel, thank you so much. meanwhile, nato commanders apologized for an air strike that mistakenly killed civilians in afghanistan. saturday's attack targeted insurgents in southwest v afghanistan. the air strike was launched after a nato patrol was attacked killing a marine. the number of casualties remains in dispute. nato says nine civilians were killed. the afghan government says 14, including ten children.

in yemen, security forces opened fire on protesters who want president ali abdullah saleh to step down. a medical official says at least 20 protesters were killed in the southern city. protests there have lasted for days. hundreds of others have been injured. former bosnian serb general ratko mladic will file an appeal today fighting his extradition to the u.n. war crimes tribunal in the hague. supporters of mladic fought with police in belgrade on sunday. they're calling for him to be released and the government to resign. many serbs consider mladic a hero. and the shuttle "endeavour" is on its way home for the last time. it undocked from the international space station last night and is due back on earth early wednesday. "endeavour" is being retired after this mission. only one other shuttle flight remains this summer by "atlantis." just ahead on the "morning news," how high gas prices are affecting american vacation plans. plus why music star sean kingston was rushed to a miami hospital. this is the "cbs morning news." woman: till all the books are read...

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lockheed martin says it's trying to find the hackers who launched a cyber attack earlier this month. the company said it detected a significant and tenacious attack on its information systems network, but they said our system remain secure, no customer, program or employee personal data has been compromised. on the "cbs moneywatch," asian markets were mostly down. tokyo's nikkei lost almost 17 points to close at just under 9500. alexis christoforous has more in business headlines. >> it's a holiday shortened week on wall street, but traders will still have plenty of new data to sift through. expect new figures this week on home prices, consumer confidence, auto sales, construction spending, and unemployment. analysts expect this friday's report from the labor department will show the economy added 244,000 jobs last month. they also believe that more people are actively looking for work, as the job market slowly recovers. that may push the unemployment

rate up slightly to 9%. on wall street, stocks headed into the long holiday weekend on an up note. the dow rose 38 points. the nasdaq was up nearly 14. the tornadoes and floods that have devastated parts of the south and midwest have also hammered the local economies. flooding farmlands, shutting down factories, and disrupting oil production. but economists believe the damage will have little to no effect on the overall economy. the natural disasters have not caused economists to reduce their estimates for the april through june quarter. and that's your "moneywatch." for more head to cbsmoneywatch.com. in new york, i'm alexis christoforous. rapper sean kingston is in a hospital in florida this morning. officials say he crashed his jet ski into a miami beach bridge on sunday. a female passenger was also injured. a representative for epic records says that kingston has now stabled. kingston rose to fame with his hit "beautiful girls." more than 39 million americans traveled somewhere for the long holiday weekend. most of them hit the highways. according to aaa the average

nationwide price for gas is $3.69 a gallon, down six cents from last week. it's still a dollar higher than a year ago and that's affecting what kind of vacations many americans can afford. terry mccarthy reports. >> reporter: it is pretty simple math. when gas prices go up, consumers have less money to spend elsewhere. for many this holiday weekend, that means skimping on vacations. >> weekends like this don't go as far and stay locally because of the expensive gas prices. >> reporter: last month the average family spent $369 on gas. a huge hike from the $201 average in april 2009. these days families spend more than filling their tanks than they spend on cars, clothing or recreation, a complete reversal from last year. some people are going to be taking shorter trips. on average, travel spending is down about $100 compared to last year. political instability in the middle east, and speculation in oil futures, have contributed to the high cost of gasoline.

and have led to eight straight weeks of falling demand for gas here in the u.s. economists say gas prices should drop by another 30 cents or so in the coming weeks to about $3.50 a gallon. but for many drivers, even that is way too high. terry mccarthy, cbs news, los angeles. coming up your monday morning weather forecast. and in sports, look out. an unbelievable finish at the indianapolis 500. this is the "morning news." >> "moneywatch" sponsored by vagisil. bring yourself back. [ male announcer ] those with frequent heartburn imagine a day when we can eat what we want and sleep soundly through the night.

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or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side-effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping me treat my depression. on here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york, partly cloudy and 90. chicago sunny and windy, 91. sunny, windy and 94 in dallas. and 72 and sunny in los angeles. time now for a check of the national forecast. latest satellite picture has a fast-moving storm going through the northeast. scattered rain and snow showers are falling in the rockies. to the southeast and southwest under clear skies. and in the northwest, a new storm is on the horizon. later today, it will be very warm in the eastern half of the nation. the plains states are under the threat of more strong thunderstorms. rain showers will hit parts of the northwest. while it stays dry and sunny in the southwest. in sports this morning, the mets break out the bats against

the phillies. new york's jose reyes went four for five. he punched out two triples for the third time this season. the mets get a season-high 17 hits. they outslug philadelphia 9-5. a blown call at the plate in atlanta. in the eighth, the reds' brandon phillips lines a single to left. martin fredo makes the throw to get paul janus at the plate. on the replay it looks like janus slides around the tag. braves take one from cincinnati 2-1. game one of a doubleheader in detroit. the tigers' jhonny peralta bloops one to center in the sixth. sent in the tying run against boston. and in the ninth david ortiz comes off the bench to blast a pinch-hit home run. boston beat detroit 4-3. the tigers take game two 3-0. and what an end to the 100th anniversary of the indy 500. on the last lap, lap 23 -- that's 23-year-old j.r. hildebrand was in the lead to make the rookie mistake, taking the last turn too high. he slammed into the wall, dan wheldon slips by, takes the

checkered flag. >> i run up on the high side before earlier in the race, and you know, so that just ended up being what i went for. as soon as i got there just because the end of a tire stint, it was like marbles. there was nothing i could do to keep the thing going. >> this is the second time england's dan wheldon has won the indy 500. and check out the beginning of this crazy race. driver tanner fox was sitting high above the stands in a pro 2 truck. he hit the pedal and raced down a specially made track going more than 100 miles an hour. when he hit the ramp. he fell 332 feet. and set a new world record. when we come back, another look at this morning's top stories and a tearful reunion. u.s. soldiers return home to begin a new mission with their families. begin a new mission with their families.

two people are killed near a motorcycle club.. the latest on the hunt for the suspects.

plus.. a bay area nursing student mysteriously disappears over the holiday weekend. the clues, police are pouring over. missing records, related to the bryan stow beating case. how it could have helped catch a suspect sooner. the bay bridge work.. finishes ahead of schedule. what's next for drivers. and, a bay area woman honored for keeping a 38 year promise. join us for cbs 5 early edition, on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at your memorial day weather forecast.

from texas to new york it will feel like summer in temperatures in the 80s and 90s. a new batch of severe thunderstorms will hit the midwest this afternoon. the west coast will see scattered showers. here's another look at this morning's top stories. severe weather, including a possible tornado, rumbled through western michigan. battle creek was hardest hit. homes and businesses were destroyed, and over 100,000 customers statewide lost power. there were no serious injuries. and it is memorial day at arlington national cemetery, president obama will honor those who died serving this country, placing a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns. on sunday, an emotional reunion in philadelphia, as a hero comes home. >> happy birthday! >> lance corporal patrick smith spent the last four months in afghanistan. he'll be home for about a month. >> it's great. i mean we're all thankful of all the support and coming home, you

know, seeing how much people actually care. and it was -- it's great to know how much everyone actually cares. >> meanwhile, other marines are finding they have some new responsibilities when they come home. alex friedman from wnct in greenville, north carolina, has the report. >> reporter: for ashley malone and jessie langston this will be the first time they welcome home their husbands from afghanistan. >> i'm so excited. all day. >> i'm very anxious. it's a good thing, though. >> reporter: for these new mothers, it's not just a meeting between husband and wife, little dominic malone and harmony langston will meet their fathers for the first time. >> it's been hard being able to see harmony's first firsts and stuff, that i just have to tell him about over the phone. >> you know, you get into a routine and it makes it go by quicker and before you know it, they're on their way home. >> reporter: and if home is where the heart is, this marines who left one heart behind now return to find two. >> she woke up this morning and she was happy. so crazy happy, it was -- it was a good feeling.

>> hey! >> what it's going to be like, what the next week's going to be like or two weeks or, you know. you have to prepare yourself. >> reporter: during their time in afghanistan their mission was to assist "operation enduring freedom" but now that they're back home, they'll have a new mission. >> it's awesome. now i got to take care of him. this is a whole new world, man. completely different. >> reporter: for these two families, it's a new world, plus one. in jacksonville, alex friedman, eyewitness news 9, on your side. this morning on "the early show," indianapolis 500 winner dan wheldon. and as we go to break, some of the sights and sounds from last night's memorial day concert in washington, d.c. i'm terrell brown. this is the "cbs morning news." ♪ i'm proud to be an american where at least i know i'm free ♪ ♪ and i won't forget the ones who died ♪ ♪ who gave that right to me and

i gladly stand up next to you ♪ ♪ and defend her still today d - with chili's new $6 lunch break combos. choose from a house salad or hot, tasty soup. then pair it with a massive texas toast half sandwich, like our delicious classic turkey or our gigantic new southwestern blt, smothered in cilantro lime mayo and jam-packed with three glorious slices of applewood smoked bacon. served with fries, that's big flavor for just 6 bucks! the $6 break for bold, weekdays at chili's. man: and all the pens are put down... woman: and everything there is to learn is learned. man: till the heroes retire and the monsters return to their dens... woman: and all the plots are wrapped up. man: till that day... boy: by hook or by crook... girl: by book or by nook... woman: i will read.

and finally on this memorial day, america's national bird is flying high again off the west coast. they were driven off the island of catalina 40 years ago by ddt pollution but rescuers have brought them back. john blackstone reports. >> reporter: 22 miles across the sea from los angeles, catalina island has a reputation for romance. it's also the adopted home of the american bison. but another american icon that is native to catalina hasn't done as well. bald eagles. >> by the early to mid '60s they were all gone from this -- from catalina and the california channel islands. >> reporter: for 15 years, peter sharp of the institute for wildlife studies has been working to bring bald eagles back to catalina. a project that lately has been

having some notable success. >> we spend a lot of the early portion of the year scanning the coastlines for just any activity. >> reporter: to get an even closer look at the island's growing eagle population, sharp has set up remote cameras looking in to the nests. >> it saves a lot of time. it gives us more information on what's actually going on at the nest. >> reporter: not only can he monitor how the adults are caring for the fast-growing chicks. he streams the whole eagle cam reality show live on the internet for anyone to watch. >> they're seeing things that, until five, ten years ago, most people never got to see. >> reporter: all the more impressive, because eagles were once in so much trouble here. the natural beauty of the island, and the ocean here hides something ugly. until the 1960s, the pacific off southern california was a dumping ground for thousands of tons of waste, contaminated with the pesticide ddt. for decades, the ddt made the birds' eggs so thin the shells would break before hatching. so sharp's team hatched them in incubators and hand-raised the

chicks until they were strong enough to be returned to the nest with their parents. >> the adults did most of the work, but we did the stressful part. >> reporter: over the last five years, ddt levels appear to have dropped enough that the eggs can survive in the nest. when the chicks are eight weeks old, almost big enough to fly, sharp climbs into the nest to tag the young birds. with only seven breeding pairs on catalina, every eagle is important to recovery. and especially important to sharp, who hand-raised some of the birds who are now raising their own young. >> i guess i have a little bit more attachment to these because i'm a grandfather now. >> reporter: he's also pleased that nature here no longer needs quite as much help to do what comes naturally. john blackstone, cbs news, catalina island. coming up a little later on "the early show," missouri governor jay nixon on the devastation in joplin and president obama's visit to see the destruction firsthand. plus a message from the chairman of the joint chiefs of

staff on the importance of remembering the troops on this memorial day. a live chat with dan wheldon on his stunning victory at yesterday's indy 500. all that and more a little bit later on "the early show." that's it for this monday morning edition of the "cbs morning news." appreciate you watching, as always. i'm terrell brown. take care, everybody. ,,,,,,