>> you've won a few beers in bars. >> oh yeah, yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah, yeah, ernie-- ernie got me quite a few beers. >> cub fans or no, ernie banks gave doc schuebel one hell of a war story. >> it was my honor to have met the guy, in that short 15 minutes of my time in the sun with the hero, you know? [ music ] >> none of us-- understood why we were there. but we were sent there to do a job, and we were trying to do it. >> my hand's gone, my foot's ripped to shreds, i got a dead body across me--

[ music ] >> untold stories: saluting our vietnam veterans, continues now. >> christmas in a hospital. how strange it seemed to be. it's not a physical ailment, but an ailment that's called ptsd. >> 46 years later,

doug alexander still carries the burden of war. alexander is a vietnam veteran who wrote this poem by receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. he is also my uncle. >> i know... those people died... over there... fighting a war that... really none of us... understood why we were there. but we were sent there to do a job, and we were trying to do it. and i know that those people tried just as hard as the next guy. but they didn't make it.

and that bothers me. >> the year was 1969, and the country had already invested 15 years into vietnam. my uncle was 19 and more than a year into his army enlistment, when he was given orders to head to vietnam. he would soon be on the ground in tein minh. >> and i asked them, why do they call it rocket city? he said, "'cause they get rocketed three times a day-- every day." >> he remembers battles in the middle of the night against a communist group backing the north vietnamese-- commonly referred to by the u.s. as viet cong soldiers. the group repeatedly overran my uncle's military base. >> the next day, we had to do what they call "policing." and what is policing? well, you're going out now-- instead of policing for trash, they're cleaning up trash-- we were cleaning up-- basically, body parts. >> this is my purple heart which i received in vietnam, for being wounded in action. >> also from chicago's west side, my uncle's childhood

friend, paul eugene short. short was drafted at 19, and sent overseas. he spent most of his days on the front lines of combat in vietnam's jungles. >> the smells, the hollerin', the screamin', oh. you'd be smellin' blood, dirt, all kind of stuff. >> but it was friendly fire that ended paul's tour in vietnam. >> where were you hit? what was the result of-- >> everywhere. shrapnel, stuff like that. all up in here, all across here. >> he now deals with countless health issues. >> diabetes, hepatitis, uh-- i have cirrhosis of the liver. >> much of which he says was brought on by repeated exposure to the toxic agent orange, sprayed over the jungle to destroy tree cover and reveal enemies. >> we just thought it was just a quick rain flash. that stuff was just-- wasn't even in the picture. all you was tryin' to do is survive and live. that other stuff was small. >> but it was the invisible wounds that affected these vets the most.

and flashbacks from war. >> it took me almost a year to sleep with both of my eyes closed when i got back. >> we were walking down the street during the 4th of july, and someone fired firecrackers, and i dived in the bushes. someone said what'd you do that for? i said, it scared me. >> they struggle to keep jobs and meaningful relationships. frustration and anger consume them. and both look for ways to escape the painful memories. we talkin' about crack cocaine. that's what we talkin' about. and it had a hold of me. when i was getting high, i didn't think about none of it. >> it's kinda rough. i didn't really realize that i had ptsd. >> doctor mark pollock is the head of psychiatry at rush university medical center, and the hospital's road home program, which help veterans navigate the mental stresses brought on by war. despite vietnam ending in 1975, doctor pollack says the ptsd diagnosis

the medical community until the late-70's, early-80's. >> giving it a name, i think, helped validate the experience that many of the returning soldiers had. that, in fact, they weren't crazy, they weren't making it up. >> i'm a fanatic when it comes to this. [ music ] >> it's music that helps paul drown out the silence that triggers gruesome reminders. he also relies on weekly group sessions with other vietnam veterans and regular meetings with his psychiatrist. >> if you say so. >> mm-- hmm. >> for my uncle, his wife of 33 years, carolyn has helped him overcome the hurdles. he also completed a two and a half month treatment program at a v.a. facility, which taught him how to deal with his emotions. that's also where he wrote this poem. a reminder of the struggle he and other veterans endured each and every day. >> the way we saw death, it was just not fair, 'cause even when just walking,

in the air. so, if you don't understand, i have tried to explain. i went to vietnam one way, did not come back the same. >> receiving a letter-- >> hi, mom and dad-- >> from loved ones-- >> 28 september, 1968 -- >> usually meant someone cared. >> i probably got two or three a day. >> being able to send one-- >> i almost blew it. >> meant you survived another day. >> it's hard to believe he is dead. >> in the midst of bombs and bloodshed during the vietnam war, these thin envelopes carried a lot of comfort. >> made you feel like okay, they know i'm still here. they didn't forget me. >> it is 10 pm-- >> that reassurance for these army veterans didn't just come from home, but also each other. >> that was a good thing that we're all over here together. >> these childhood friends

from winstead-- >> we knew each other well. >> we all partied together. >> we were both after the same girl for a while. >> joe gadenzi, dave tazera, and paul vicari voluntarily joined the army together shortly after high school. >> paul, one day, just said, "hey, what do you say "we join the service?" >> vietnam is also the scene of a powerful aggression -- >> the three took this brave step without hesitation, as the u.s. was sending more troops overseas to support south vietnam's effort to ward off communist north. from connecticut, the trio remained side by side for months of training. and they even got off the same plane in vietnam together in 1968. >> it's like 105 degrees -- 110 degrees with 80% humidity. welcome to vietnam. >> at that moment, reality hit. >> uh, scared. >> even more so after they were

>> oh, it was really devastating for me. i just was like "wow." >> from that point, while on their reconnaissance missions in the jungle, the three could only communicate through letters. >> paul wrote a lot. >> and each one ended with a countdown. >> "the trio will be together "in 300 days." >> however, letters between the three only flowed back and forth for two months. >> september 11, 1968. >> joe still has the letter he was reading from paul -- >> "dear joe. "hello, dummy!" >> when his base camp came under attack by north vietnamese soldiers. >> my hand's gone. my foot's ripped to shreds. i'm-- i've got a dead body across me. i panicked. >> joe was taken back to the u.s. for surgery, leaving his friends behind. when paul realized weeks had gone by without a response from joe,

with nearly 17,000 deaths, 1968 was the deadliest year for americans in vietnam. >> the fact that we had decided to do this together, you know, weighed heavily on me. you know, wow. you know, we decided to go and join the army and now maybe joe's not gonna make it. >> joe did make it. and eventually got around to writing paul, with one hand. he printed the entire five pages with his left hand. from their, paul and dave continued to write, keeping each other updated on joe's condition as they finished out their taxing year-long tour in vietnam. >> it's probably one of the greatest feelings of my life, the day, if not the greatest, was the day i left vietnam. >> paul and dave reunited with joe as soon as they returned home. and, today, they're living in winstead again, with their families. dave and paul on the same street. >> listen, i'll tell you what happened. >> all three admit they're proud of their service-- >> how much?

175? >> but have talked very little about vietnam since leaving. >> they've showed up, like, the next day. >> especially because most of the country was against the war. >> you know, you could look at each other and just know, just by looking, how you felt. >> hey, was this your first girlfriend? >> yes. >> instead, they focus on the fonder memories of growing up. >> "i hope everything is okay where you are-- >> and how grateful they are letters are no longer needed. >> "joe is gonna be at placu -- >> because the trio is together again. >> you know, that bond is, obviously, never gonna break. >> woo! >> all right! >> way to go, mike!

>> it's air conditioned. >> untold stories: saluting our vietnam veterans

continues now. [ music ] >> this is hardly the image of a war-torn country. doesn't seem like a place ripped apart by a conflict that brought millions of strangers to these shores, many of whom never made it back home. no, instead, this place looks more like a tourist attraction, where beach-goers sunbathe in the shadows of thriving big cities like netrang, where commerce flows as freely as the waters of the mighty mekong river near canto. no, this is not at all the image of a war-torn country, which is why this all looks so unrecognizable to a group of u.s. veterans. >> these people, this is just like goin' down the street for them. >> returning here to vietnam for the very first time since the war. >> i've been waiting many years to come back here, to take a look at this. >> richard bentley can still remember the sound of the bomb blasts. >> it knocked us outta the beds

they were so close. >> they were so close. >> so close. >> he knew it would be tough to return here alone, so he brought his wife along for support. he wanted her to see the place he saw as 20 year old draftee. the place that changed his life forever. rich was a cook in the army. just a support guy. he didn't think he'd see much death and destruction, but that all changed the minute he set foot in vietnam. >> i think that the first day of his tour here made him who he was, because he said he got off the truck and there were rows and rows of bodies. >> that happened right here, at the kuchi army airfield in southern vietnam, where rich was stationed. >> this is as close as we can get. >> so, when he knew he was coming back to vietnam, he prepared. >> it's straight ahead. >> yep, that's straight ahead. >> by finding an old map of the airfield. even located it on gps. what he wasn't prepared for was the feeling. >> airborne, sir. >> i said airborne, but i don't know. >> appreciate it. it's all right. >> now his sunglasses hide the tears as he shows his wife

the very place he's been talking about all this time. >> we need you. >> i'm right here. i'm right here. i'm right here. i'm here. i'm here. >> there was a time richard bentley never wanted to come back here. but, more than 40 years after the war, returning fills a void. >> i don't know. i feel like it's my 20th birthday back here. >> but even now, he can't enjoy the moment for long. >> we made it. >> i know. >> within just a couple of minutes-- >> hello. >> a guard comes over and tells us to stop photographing richard's old airbase, which now belongs to the communist vietnamese army. all richard could get was this one good snapshot of the front gate. but it doesn't matter, because at least he made it here. >> isn't this great? i feel like this-- i feel like the circle is complete. >> completing that circle is the idea behind return visits like this. vietnam battlefield tours is a non-profit run by vietnam veterans

every year to find the places that forged who these people became. >> these guys had never met each other before, most of them. and when they leave, it's like they've known each other forever. they have something in common. and they just-- you can see them kind of relax. and you can see them, they reminisce. it's really nice to see that. >> a w wght lifted. >> this is great. this is great. >> after a long journey, 8000 miles. >> you only got so much life left. this'll be a memory i'll carry with me. >> thank you. >> and more than 40 years in the making. [ music ] [ music ] >> nearly everything about vietnam is foreign to the returning u.s. veterans, and that makes the simplest things fascinating. from the way the locals

town of vitan, just as they have for centuries, to the water buffalo roaming in a herd right alongside the highway. a captivating country, from both above ---- >> okay, let's roll. >> -- and down below. this is u.s. army veteran mike herndon, who couldn't wait to crawl through these elaborate tunnels used by the enemy to hide out during the war. >> oh, we're already here. >> the dark and the dirt and the bats don't bother him a bit. >> a picture of the bat right above your head, ron. >> he is dead set on covering as much ground as possible during this trip.-- >> i'm coming the easy way. >> -- since he only saw vietnam by air 45 years ago, as a crewmember on a helicopter ambulance. >> i've seen more on the ground in vietnam in the last 4 days than i saw in 2 years that i was here. >> [indistinct chatter]. >> one more. >> there you go. >> oh, yeah. >> for veterans like mike, there isn't much time to soak in this experience, unlike their lengthy tours of duty during the war. >> this is smaller. >> this return visit to vietnam is just 14 days long.

coastal town of danang, a tourist's spot where there's so much local culture it literally oozes from the infrastructure -- >> do it. >> -- we found a vietnam veteran who's become so immersed in this country. -- >> i like it here. >> -- he never plans to leave here. >> i came over here looking for my past, but i really found my future. >> bill ervin had a moustache on his face and a chip on his shoulder when he joined the marines back in 1968. he wanted to help stop communist aggression in vietnam. so it is ironic that he now calls that very communist country home. >> the war is over, and life goes on. >> it took about 30 years for him to first come back here. too many memories. bill suffers from ptsd. but back in the 90s, he started leading tour groups for returning veterans, and he liked it here. and then a life change back home in colorado brought about a big decision.

>> after my wife died, about two years later, i decided, "i think i'm gonna move over here." >> that was 7 years ago. bill now lives in danang full time, year -round. and he's not alone. >> there's probably 40 american veterans that i know that live over here. it makes you realize that you're not just totally crazy. >> hard to believe a place so connected with such a painful part of his life could now be the source of so much solace. but bill noticed something after moving here. he actually thinks less about the vietnam war now than he ever did back home in the u.s. >> you know, you got this big bubble that's been inside of you for 40 years, and it's a good place to let that go. >> vietnam soon brought about another surprise, too. >> i got married in danang in a dress and rubber shoes. >> a few years back, bill reconnected with anh, a tourguide he'd met years earlier. they fell in love and got married. >> you've never met a man like me before, right? >> never.

>> the first time he came here, vietnam changed him. little did that young man with a moustache on his face and a chip on his shoulder realize: >> didn't find what i was looking for, but i found something much better. you again? >> -- how much this place would change him again. >> i love it. >> his favorite thing was fortune cookies. and i was walking through the grery store, and i saw the fortune cookies, and all of a sudden it hit me.

anyway. >> "untold stories: "saluting our vietnam veterans" continues now. >> you're doing snacks, right? >> yeah, i'm doing snacks. yeah. >> inside the olders house, the one where american flags decorate the front lawn, wally and janice are doing what

has become their life's work: helping veterans and active duty military any way they can. >> one box ready to go with the others, janice. >> today, they are preparing care packages to send to service men and women all over the world. the work is personal, because always, just in the background, are the echos of the war that shaped wally's life: vietnam. >> i wanted to serve. i signed up. i wasn't drafted. >> wally was a sergeant and worked with munitions on ships. his three brothers served, as had his father. but vietnam, vietnam was different, especially back at home. while wally had volunteered in 1966, there was growing sentiment in the united states against the war, and that sentiment led some to blame soldiers upon their return. >> i don't know what we did wrong but serve. >> but when you got back, you felt blamed. am i right?

>> absolutely. bill, i have never had a feeling like that in my life. and i know many carry that. >> vietnam had all the horrors of war, but wally felt it was wrong to blame the soldiers who had served and fought for their country, felt that deeply. >> i want to impact lives. i'd probably still be working, had i not -- and -- >> how many heart attacks have you had? >> i've had a couple. >> wally's now 70, and he and janice raise money and help vets almost full time, especially near the holidays. they do so with the help of those wally calls 'angels,' who you can find in some surprising places. >> wally'll tell me, "hey, i got a guy that's hard up for somethin', he needs a car, he can't do somethin', and yeah, we just try to help 'em out. i have a brother-in-law that's a vietnam veteran and another brother-in-law that's still in the army, and he's been over in afghanistan three times already. >> so you know what john has

your car being repaired is courtesy a to z. no charges. >> oh, really? thanks again. i appreciate it. >> bill crumroy, a marine veteran, and his wife, tracy, the parents of three daughters, have been through the ringer. >> i ended up getting cancer, and from that, they found out there was a tumor in the lower part of my brain. >> losing his job, and with tracy off work with back problems, the family struggled. for a while, there was no income coming in. when wally and janice found out, they brought donated food, got the crumroy's car fixed at a to z, did basically whatever they could. >> hey, bill. >> you know, you just put your hand out, and he's here to grab it and help you out. i actually don't consider it help. i think he's saving people. >> so wally keeps on giving, with the help of angels he finds everywhere, including at the local post office. >> we're on a first name basis, here. wally and mike. >> mike eckart manages the post office, and has a nephew in

the service who's received wally's care packages. mike says customers often offer to pay for the packages when they see wally in line. >> it gives us a sense of pride that we're involved with wally. >> and i heard some of your guys actually have chipped in some. >> yes. yes, we have chipped in, ourselves, too. >> wally believes mike and john and all his other angels share with him a common purpose: >> to improve the quality of life of our veterans. they'll know that we made a difference, and we will never, never forget what this country's about and what we represent. >> this is the album from the beginning. >> you can ask this waterbury mom about her firstborn child -- >> this is my favorite picture. >> -- but these days, don't expect a short answer. >> he was a little man. >> mary kite proudly talks abour her son michael kite. >> i don't want to stop talking about michael. >> as she flips through the pages of his life she captured. >> i wasn't bragging. >> -- from childhood --

>> he earned that bike. >> -- to adulthood. >> a mother couldn't have wanted a better son. >> however, kite was not prepared for what was going to fill the next page. >> when that young man stood at that door, i knew what had happened. >> michael was deployed to vietnam as a helicopter pilot in february of 1967. and 3 months later, the rotor blades on his huey were acidentally hit by another american crew, sending the aircraft, and later, kite's heart, plunging. >> we regret to inform you your son, warrant officer michael a. kite-- >> after those words, kite says she went into a daze and remained that way

even through his funeral. she kept picturing this moment, when michael surprised her with a visit home, just a few days before he departed for vietnam. >> it was my birthday. >> this would be the last time she'd see him alive. kite says it took months to realize michael was really gone. >> and i used to make a package to send over to him, and his favorite thing was fortune cookies. and i was walking through the grocery store, and i saw fortune cookies, and all of a sudden, it hit me. i'm never gonna send him -- anyway. so sometimes it hits you later on. >> coping for kite was difficult because michael died as the anti-vietnam war movement in the u.s. was escalating, with most people protesting the war and the u.s. servicemen in harm's way. >> that hurt me because it was like michael lost his life for nothing. >> so, kite kept quiet

about michael for decades. >> okay. >> that was until recently, when she joined the gold star mothers. >> that was the turning point for me. >> a group of moms who had lost children in war. >> 'cause a lot of people don't wanna hear your sad stories. >> she finds comfort in talking to other moms who share her pain, like francis mccan, whose son, james carney, was killed in a friendly fire >> you know, sometimes we just need to talk. >> the other times, kite says, it's simply -- >> did you have your supper yet? >> about the company. >> you want me to drive through there? >> no, no. >> i will. >> no, no, no. >> mccan is by her side as kite prepares for an uplifting trip. >> i can just picture michael up there, saying, "okay, mom, >> she's afraid of heights. >> is this in case i fall out? >> but kite says michael was so excited when he earned his wings. >> did they really leave the doors open? >> and this time -- >> all the way open. >> oh, that's the part

>> she wants to make him proud. >> watch your head. >> by going up in a healey. >> wonderful. >> just like the one he flew. >> woo! i'm gonna hold on to michael here. >> holding on to michael is what kite says she'll do forever. >> hey, god bless both of you. >> along with the newest picture for the next page in her photo album. >> there ya go! >> coincidentally, the huey kite flew in had the same rare warrior logo on the front, like this one in michael's picture. >> michael is proud of me. yeah, he's proud. i knew you could do it, mom.

i did. >> ...a thing that i still live with today,

mourn my soldiers who died. "untold stories: saluting our vietnam veterans" continues now. >> ralph wordel is not dying, but he has come to this

his memories alive. >> i'm running out of audiences. my family has all heard my stories. >> he's talking about something called the veterans history project. started by the library of congress 15 years ago, as a way to preserve the personal stories of america's wars as told by the men and women who fought them. >> it made a man out of me. >> many of their interviews are posted on the project's website. >> you ever see combat? >> unity hospice is one of the groups conducting those interviews. >> it was hot as blue blazes. just so hot that you couldn't believe it. it was stifling. >> ralph wordel is a vietnam vet who started with the usual anecdotes about awful food and crazy drill instructors. >> he could scare the paint off the wall. >> but then he began to unpack memories he had not thought about in decades. and the truth of war emerged. >> my wife had kept all the letters that i sent her. and i was, uh, i was a good guy to write her. i wrote every day. and when i went back and re-read the letters,

was. >> we seem to be losing them quicker than we lost the world war ii and the world war i veterans. >> as unity's program director for hospice care, brenda mcgarvey knows the importance of drawing out memories before it's too late. >> there's a hero in everyone. this gives us the opportunity with these vietnam vets and saying i know you may not have experienced that. i know you may have heard things, but we want you to go back through that. remember, you're a hero. >> ralph wordel calls his tour of vietnam "charmed." during his ten months and ten days in country, his platoon had contact with the enemy on only three days. and no one in his unit was killed. still, there is a memory that haunts him. it happened just days after the invasion of neighboring cambodia, when his mistaken assumptions about the casualties were confronted by hard truths. >> when this helicopter landed, instead of waving for stretcher-bearers to come out, the guys told him to stay back.

and so they start -- throwing bodies off. and you tell yourself... "god, it's vietnamese." and they threw out a body. the guy had long, blonde hair. that's a g.i. and they start zippin' 'em up in body bags. start just stacking 'em like cord wood. and it was like, "okay, they're there. and they're dyin'." that was-that was hard. that was hard. >> all across america, the stories of the wars we fought and the lives we lost are made permanent with monuments. but stone is cold and space is limited. there are, however, virtually no limits in cyberspace.

and no subsitute for a long story told from the heart. >> my fellow americans... >> it was our country's war, but it was their vietnam. >> there will never be a time that the vietnam veteran will be totally, uh, satisfied. because we think that we're special and there's someplace in history for us. there's a lot of things that-that are important to me that i wonder is it gonna end with me? am i-am i the last one of my generation that's gonna say this is important? [birds chirping] >> 867 iowans are on a wall

this country. we can't forget that. it's hard to reach the vietnam veterans because, when we came home, we didn't talk about it. so we got on with productive lives. you weren't -- you -- nobody wanted to hear from you. it was a very controversial war. we were all young. you know, i was 25. i spent my whole tour in combat. and it was-it was survival, uh, everyday. constant fire fights. you had to be vigilant. you had to be on the alert. you had to be able to do without sleep. we're not brought up to-to kill people. but that's what your job is. you don't' even realize how much you've changed until you come home and then you have those issues that don't' go away. myself, i have a lot of flashbacks, a lot of nightmares. i still do today.

i was havin' a lot of issues and i was kinda covering it up with alcohol. so, when i have the issues, i would drink. at one time in that process i didn't wanna live anymore. i guess you wanna - might wanna say i've been saved. and now i-i figure there must be a purpose for that. you know, why was i chosen to go through combat? and why was i chosen to survive the cancer and survive my post-traumatic stress? and i think through that, i realize there must be a -- some divine intervention or a higher power saying you gotta help the other vets. we are now the generation that-that's passing away very fast and in big numbers. i think they need to wake up to that fact. a thing that i still live with today, i never ever got the chance to

mourn my soldiers who died. never got the chance. there's no glory to war. if we quit talkin' about it, it's gonna go away and everybody's gonna forget about it. and that would be a sad day, when we do that. >> i'm judy gorman-king from kingfield, tennessee, the spirit of the wall. you came to see my name today. i saw you standin' there. man, you sure look different with that silver in your hair. but me, i haven't changed, i'm still the ripe-old age of 21. that's one of the things about us ghosts, we're now and forever young. do you remember how proud we were when we were called by uncle sam. and i remember bein' a little

shipped us to vietnam. and i remember the heat, the marchin' through the mud, the sound of all that shooting, and the sight of all that blood. and i remember when it was time for us to go home. i could not go, so you made that trip alone. you returned to a country that couldn't seem to understand how all the boys that left came back messed up men. now some of us are just a name, just a small part of history. but, with the building of that wall, somehow it restored our dignity. i saw that there was still pain, even after all those years, and i'm afraid i saw a lot of bitterness in your tears. but this is a wall of love. and we hope that's what everyone feels. the warm spirits of all the ones that surround the wall that heals. >> i would like to tell you

about one soldier, i don't know his name. but i was pulled to icu. and this soldier that i was given was very badly wounded. fractures in both arms, both legs. and he was not really very conscious. and i stood there, taking care of him, and i kept thinking, it's just not right. he's, you know, 19 years old. and it's saturday night. he should be home, pickin' up his girl and going to a movie. and before i got the lab results back, he died. but i wish i could've known his family, because he died there with me, but they wouldn't find out for a couple of days. and i wish his mother could know that somebody mourned him. but all the nurses did that. all of them mourned the soldiers they took care of. and i just wish the mothers

this sunday morning, what's the story or stories with ben carson? did he embellish tales about his violent youth and possible admission to west point? carson talks directly to nbc news. >> it's not time to spend every single day talking about something that happened 50 years ago. plus, countdown to election day t. i exactly one year away from today. voters are fed up with washington and yearning for outsiders. joining me this morning are all the outsiders, trump, sanders and fiorina. also, what we now know about why that russian plane crashed in egypt. we'll talk to the vice chair of the senate intelligence committee, dianne feinstein. and finally, look at who hosted "huge snl last night. >> they don't have my talent, my money or especially my good looks.

analysis this sunday morning are radio talk show host hue hewitt, msnbc's rachel maddow, gwenifill and mark caputo. welcome to sunday, it oes "meet the press". >> good sunday morning. well, exactly one year from today, we'll be hearing a lot of this music. ah, they're playing my tune. the nbc news election night music one year out. we can agree on this. american voters have lost faith in their elected officials and are looking for someone to restore trust in government. in a moment, i'll be joined by two candidates who represent the anti-politician mood of the country, donald trump and bernie sanders. but first, another one of those candidates who has seized on republican voter frustration with politics as usual, and that's ben carson.

but his rise in the polls is now clouded by allegations that he has been embellishing or potentially making up stories about his youth. my colleague chris jansing caught up with ben carson at jfk airport last night and asked him about these stories that include whether he was a violent teen, that he was offered a scholarship to west point after meeting with general william westmoreland and the first thing you'll hear about, a "wall street journal" story that questions his claim that he protected white students at his high school during those mlk riots in detroit. >> reporter: so what they said was that they contacted a number of people there, they talked to teachers there, that none of those people remember this happening. >> well, they don't remember the riot? >> reporter: everyone remembers the riot. they don't remember the role you said you played to protect the white students. >> why would they know about that unless they were one of those students?

surprise you that no one in any of these stories has come forward? >> well, maybe one of those students will come forward. i don't know. i'm just now hearing about it. maybe they're not spending all of their time reading the "wall street journal." >> reporter: general westmoreland we know now looking at his records he was not there when you said in your book -- >> i know he was in in detroit and there was a congressional medal of honor. it may not have been memorial day, but it was sometime during the time when i was the city executive officer. >> reporter: wouldn't the easiest way to defuse at least some of these questions is to ask your brother to come out and speak about this? you said it was your mother and brother who would knee about your democracytemper. >> my mother has alzheimer's, my brother is it not interested in talk being to the media. and a number of other people aren't either that i've talked to. >> reporter: vetting is a normal part of the process. did you not expect this?

expect to be vetted. but being vetted and what is going on with me, you said this 30 years ago, you said this 20 years ago, this didn't exist, this didn't exist, i have not seen that with anyone else. if you could show me where that's happened with someone else, i will take that statement back. >> reporter: i think almost every person who has been president -- >> not like this, no. i have never seen this before. and many other people who are politically experienced tell me they've never seen it before either. >> reporter: you don't think that bill clinton or the president with his birth certificate, people who still -- >> no, not like this. >> reporter: -- refuse to believe -- >> not even close. >> reporter: so why you? why? >> because i'm a threat.

i'm a very big threat to the progressives in the country. because they can look at the polling data and see i'm the candidate that's most likely to beat hillary clinton. they see that. >> reporter: is this fun for you? >> would i have preferred to be doing something else? certainly. but it is important to me. and when i think about the sacrifices that were made by those who preceded us in order that we might have the freedom that we have now, it's the very least that i can do. >> there's more to chris' interview on our website meetthepressnbc.com including a question on his recollections on the class he took at yale. let me go over to donald trump. he joins my on phone just hours after hosting "saturday night live." so, without further ado, itlive from new york, it's sunday morning with donald trump. welcome to "meet the press." >> good morning. >> do you think this matters what's going on here with dr. carson? >> i feel badly for ben. i've gotten to like ben. it's a tough thing.

after his mother or wanted to hit his friend in the head with a hammer, hitting a friend hard in the face with a padlock, stabbing somebody only to be broken up by a belt buckle, which if you know belt buckles they turn and twist. i don't think they're going to stop a knife with the force of a strong man. and when he writes that he has pathological disease in a book, he obviously wrote this book prior to thinking about running for office, i assume. but he says he has pathological disease. >> so you don't believe him, do you? >> if you have pathological disease, that's a problem. i wrote it. i didn't write it. he's going to have to explain a lot of things away, the scholarship situation, the dinner with westmoreland when westmoreland wasn't there, the pyramids. you know, a pyramid is a solid structure essentially, a little area for the pharaoh. and you don't put grain in a pyramid because it's all solid. >> you know, you've done a little --

>> they have large structural beams. >> you have done a little political trick. you have referenced every negative connotation you can pick up on on dr. carson. number one, you obviously believe he's a threat to your standing in the polls. number two, you believe these are pretty serious. >> well, i think everyone is a threat to me. i look at all of these people. i like a lot of them. i respect a lot of them. i think everybody is a threat. but nobody is going to be able to do the job i do. nobody is going toake america great again. nobody is going to take away jobs from china and bring them back to this country and many other places, india, japan. nobody will be able to do that. but i view in terms of the election -- i'm number one in the polls. i was number one as you know qualifying for the fox debate. i'm number one. i'm in the pole position, as they call it. but i think everybody is a threat. >> let me ask you something about your book that you said because i think in order to restore trust with the american people i think you have to be putting out your plans, you've got to put it out on paper. you said this in your book "crippled america." they have been claiming i haven't put out enough

specifics. there's a good reason for this and it fits perfectly with my overall philosophy of leadership. there are a lot of different voices and interests that have to be considered when working toward solutions. this involves getting people into a room and negotiating compromises until everyone walks out of that room on the same page. i think on the negotiating front, that's what a lot of americans want to see. in our own polling, they pick a president that they want to see compromise. but don't you owe it to republican primary voters to put your stances on paper, more of them, put your plans and details on paper? we know they might change. >> sure. >> but let's see it. show us your work. >> and i've done that. as you known i've come out with a tax plan, very detailed. i've come out with a plan for vets where we're going to make the vets happy and healthy. these are great people. we're going to take care of our vets. >> but you haven't told us how you're going to make mexico pay for the wall. >> it's easy. we have a trade imbalance of

$40 billion, $45 billion with mexico a year. we spend billions of dollars, we give mexico billions of dollars a year. the wall is going to cost $6 billion or $7 billion if i build it. >> so tariffs. >> if somebody else builds it, it will cost $20 billion. >> so tariffs. >> we can build a magnificent wall and spend $7 billion, not the numbers i'm hearing. and when you have a trade imbalance of $40 billion and $45 billion a year, when we give them billions of dollars, it's really easy to negotiate that deal, chuck. that i can tell you. the other politicians can't negotiate because they don't have a clue about negotiation. but it's really easy. we're losing 45 -- think of it, a trade imbalance of $40 million to $45 million, and that doesn't include the drugs that pour over into our country. that's exclusive of drugs, and the drugs are probably bigger than the numbers we're talking about. >> so you're saying tariffs are going to pay for this. >> no. i think mexico -- i'll get mexico to pay for it one way or the other. i guarantee that. and i have great relationships with the mexican people.

the hispanics. but the leaders are taking advantage of our leaders because our leaders are not smart people. they're incompetent frankly. >> quick question. a new book about george 41 says you called up lee atwater and said, vet me as vp. >> it's interesting because lee was a very good friend of mine, he was a terrific guy, died at a very young age. he came to me when i was quite young and he said, you know, you'd be a great vice president. i said, really? tell me about it. this is like the first time i ever thought in terms of -- i was building my empire, starting to build my empire, i was in the midst of it, i guess. frankly, lee said, you'd be great, and you should do it. i want to get back to you. and we talked about it on two occasions. but nothing ever came of it. >> quickly, on snl, there's always a line on these things. do you think -- some people question how serious you are about running for president. does hosting "saturday night live" undermine how serious you are running for president? >> well, if you look, every

on "saturday night live." it's a very iconic thing. it's actually my second time hosting it. i did it 11 years ago. "the apprentice" was number one, and they asked me to do it. andi it. i had a great time doing it. hillary was on two weeks ago, and everybody was on. hosting it is a bigger deal than doing a single skit. but i had a fantastic time doing it. i think it's going to get tremendous ratings. i guess that's what they're saying already. you know, it was a big success for nbc. you should be extremely happy, chuck, because i think it was a very big success for nbc. i had a lot of fun. >> do you think you should have taken the protesters more seriously? i mean, that must bother you. >> no, not at all. you know, before the show, there handful. i think there were more people against. and before the show started, about 30 minutes before the show started, everybody left. you know why they left? it. they went home to watch "saturday night live." >> you were comfortable with protest? >> not only comfortable, it was

something i had to agree to and i loved it. i thought it was great. i mean, larry got up and he said certain things, and i fully -- no. that was part of the script, i mean, in all fairness. it was funny and the place was roaring. i can tell you inside the studio they were roaring. we had a good time. it's not a question of -- you know, i'm doing great with the hispanics, chuck. i'm winning so many different areas with hispanics. i employ thousands of hispanics. i'm going to bring jobs back for hispanics. and we're going to win the hispanics. you watch. >> donald trump, i believe we have a face-to-face coming up soon. i know we're close to figuring it out. look forward to it. >> very good. thank you, chuck. let me move to the other side of the aisle, the democratic presidential candidate number two in the polls these days, independent senator from vermont, bernie sanders. welcome back to "meet the press." let me ask you about this ben carson stuff because you have seen people leak out stuff you wrote 30 and 40 years ago. is this fair game?

look, i listened to the interviews with dr. carson, and it's interesting. but you know what, chuck? the american people want to know why the middle class of this country is disappearing, why we have 47 million people living in poverty, why we have massive income and wealth inequality. when you look at dr. carson, to the best of my knowledge, this man does not believe that climate change is caused by human activity. this man wants to abolish medicare, impacting tens of millions of seniors, and this man wants to give huge tax breaks to the rich. i think it might be a better idea -- i know it's crazy, but maybe we focus on the issues impacting the american people and what candidates are saying rather than just spending so much time exploring their lives of 30 or 40 years ago.

turned off to the political process is because we're not talking about the issues impacting real people. >> you know, you have been very consistent about this, and i think it's been a very admirable part of your campaign. in fact, you made it clear you didn't want to go after hillary clinton. let me play the many times you said that. >> i am not going to get into the media game, andrea, of attacking, making personal attacks against hillary clinton. i just am not going to do that. i don't think that's what the american people want. if i were to start viciously attacking hillary clinton, it would be all over the front pages of the paper. but i don't do that. i happen to respect and like hillary clinton so i don't get into personal attacks. you know that. >> senator, something seemed to change this week. a boston globe interview, you said, i disagree with hillary clinton on virtually everything. "wall street journal," you said, consistency of such issues does speak to the character of a person. you spoke about the e-mails where you said at the debate you're tired of the damn e-mails you said let the investigation proceed impeded. are you backtracking here? do you want to target hillary clinton the person? >> not at all.

chuck, this is exactly media stuff. my views on hillary clinton's e-mails are exactly what i said in the debate and right after the debate. the american people are sick and tired of seeing on the front pages e-mails. they want a real discussion on real issues. there is an investigation ongoing. i have nothing to do with it. that's that. but my views on that have not changed. in terms of disagreeing with hillary clinton, yeah, i do, on many, many issues. what i understand politics and elections to be about is to discuss differences of opinion. i intend to do that and do that vigorously. that does not mean that i'm making personal attacks against somebody i respect. i disagree with hillary clinton on whether or not we should break up the large financial institutions in this country. i don't have a super pac. she does have a super pac. we have many different points of view, and i will discuss those vigorously. >> one of the things you've pointed out is consistency. you believe that matters. what's wrong with evolving on issues? what's wrong with that?

>> there's nothing wrong.