aaron vaughn of virginia beach, a bear of a man, with a father's gentle touch. wife kimberly on "today" said his legacy would live through their two children. >> he'll take away his strength, his love for this country, and they will know what an amazing man he is -- was. >> reporter: so many were born to be s.e.a.l.s. kraig vickers of maui, a big man with a big heart. childhood friend moses goods said combat service was in his blood. >> he did the rambo thing. he covered himself in mud, so he was completely camouflaged. that was his thing. and when someone would come by, he would jump up covered in mud. >> reporter: kevin houston wanted to be a s.e.a.l. since the fifth grade. in afghanistan, he always carried this american flag under his body armor next to his heart, except on this final mission. he had sent the flag to his mentor, vietnam veteran christopher kelly. >> when you realize that he wore it on his chest between his body armor on all these missions he was on, it sure was an honor. >> reporter: today, at the special operations command in tampa, defense

aaron carson vaughn. i spoke to his grandmother about the last time she saw him. >> it was aaron's birthday. in june he turned 30. i told him to be careful. he said, granny, don't worry about me. he said i'm not afraid because i know where i'm going if something happens to me. aaron was a christian and stood firm in his faith. >> aaron vaughn was stationed in virginia beach, virginia. brian todd is there. this is a tight-knit military community. how are they taking this tragic loss? >> reporter: don, a tough development for people in this community. you don't have to look far around here to realize this is a military town. you have memorials here, military bases dotting the landscape, including one down the road that is the home of s.e.a.l. team six. the realities of war are engrained in the culture here but the enormity of this attack is just sinking in. a while ago, we spoke to kimberly vaughn. she learned that her husband, aaron vaughn was among the s.e.a.l.s killed. >> i woke up, i saw the reports on t

among those mourned is navy seal aaron vaughn. other said he wanted to be a navy seal since he was a child. vaughn returned to combat just two weeks after his two-month-old daughter was born this summer. his grand moth calls him a hero and a great american. i'm joined by msnbc contributor colonel jack jacobs. >> good morning, alex. >> does the navy seal involvement suggest there was a high ranking target? >> i don't think so. this is the area of the mountain division. my understanding is this was not a raid of the type we saw the seals do to get osama bin laden. this was a quick reacting force to go assist nato forces that were already engaged right there in the village. it's an unusual use of the seals. typically seals would be used for long-range patrols, raids, snatch operations and so on. they can be used as a quick reaction force to help others, but it's unusual that they would be used in this circumstance. >> talk about this chinook chopper. it's one that i know can go 200 miles per hour, but not when you are trying to get do

. -- like aaron vaughn, 30 years old, and the father of two. >> my father came in sight in uniform. fell to my knees. the energy, everything drops out of view. i remember saying nano. >> some are asking why they had to make such a vulnerable landing. special forces are likely to play an even greater role in the war coul. these deaths have posed new questions about the afghanistan strategy at a time when a president needs desperately to focus on matters here at home. many americans have already concluded that the war is unwinnable. >> there is a new warning that the drought in the horn of africa is likely to last for months. because of the harsh conditions in somalia, more than 100,000 people have fled into neighboring kenya. it has put a strain on the refugee camps. >> for a few hours every day, the children of this section can pretend they are children like everywhere. the playground cocoons them from a harsh world. the make-believe houses of they built for 1 million miles from their reality. and the aid workers insurance than to imagine affection. these children were born here and

aaron vaughn was based in virginia beach, 1 of 22 killed in the attack. he leaves behind a wife and two young children. >> it just felt like what he was doing was his duty and we were very proud of him. >> reporter: eight other u.s. service members died in the crash. among them 30-year-old patrick ham pittsburgher who was a sergeant in the air national guard survived by his fiancee. air force tech sergeant john brown, the mother of the special forces medic never knew anyone more patriotic, she said. >> if there is a comfort in it, i am so proud of my son. >> reporter: in afghanistan they had just completed a rescue mission that helped a ranger unit that came under fire. u.s. troops are working to remove the debris from the crash site. even as fighting continues in the area. while back home military communities across the country continue to deal with the overwhelming loss of 30 american heroes. franc franciscoe, nbc news. >>> to london where extra police were on the streets sunday after clashes saturday sdpashged by the fatal shooting of a 29-year-old by

aaron vaughn of tennessee was a member of the same field team. his grandmother describes him as a brave warrior. >> aaron was brave, but yet he was a gentle man. he loved his family, he loved his country, and he was willing to give his life to protect his family and protect his country. he was a great american. >> the batting with insurgents where the helicopter was shot down continues. the taliban is claiming responsibility but u.s. officials have yet to confirm that. >>> a wildfire cuts off a southern california highway. how drivers were able to get around the danger. >> what happens if someone gets injured on one of their cabs, and how that reflects on our industry as a whole? >> and a war on the waterfront. why some pedicab operators claim they are spinning their wheels. >>> it's been a summer full of below average temperatures, and this weekend was no exception, but we did get some sun out there in those inland locations, plenty of cloud cover right now. will we warm up for your workweek? i'll tell you in a full report coming up. ,, ,,,,,,,,,

aaron vaughn was based in virginia beach. he was one of 22 s.e.a.l.s killed in the attack. the 30-year-old leaves behind a wife and two young children. his grandmother wishes she could have seen him one last time. >> i would say, aaron, you made me proud. and i would say you did a good job. and i'd say i love you, and i always will. >> reporter: cynthia morrison with the navy s.e.a.l. foundation, a nonprofit supporting s.e.a.l. families, estimates that half of the 2,600 elite commandos are based in the greater norfolk area. the other half call coronado, california, and san diego home. in such a small group, the loss of 22 is magnified. >> we pray every day that they do come home, and this weekend unfortunately they're going to be a lot of guys not coming home. >> reporter: eight other u.s. service members died in the crash, among them, john brown, a native of northwest arkansas. his mother called the special forces medic a humble healer. >> if there is a comfort in this situation, i'm so proud of my son. so very proud of him. >> reporter: 30-year-old patrick hamburger was a

aaron vaughn was based i beach.1: 2 s.e.a.l.s cc1: killed in the attack. the 30-year-old leaves behind a wife and two young children. the 30-year-old leaves behind a wife and two young children. >> you just feel like what he was doing was his duty, and we were very proud of him. >> reporter: eight other u.s. service members died in the crash. service members died in the crash. in afghanistan, u.s. off say the crew had just completed a rescue mission to help a u.s. army ranger unit that had come a rescue mission to help a u.s. army ranger unit that had come under fire. chopper was u.s. troops are working to remove the debris from the crash site even as fighting continues in the area. while back home, military communities across the country continue to deal with the overwhelming loss of 30 american heroes. frances coe, nbc news. heroes. frances coe, nbc news. >>> well, to london now where fresh unrest erupted yesterday following a violent riot earlier this weekend that left buildings charred. extra police were on the streets sunday after clashes saturday spa

aaron carson vaughn, of union city, tennessee, was a 30-year-old member of s.e.a.l. team 6.ughn leaves his wife kimberly, his 2-year-old son reagan and his 2-month-old daughter chamberlain. 32-year-old chief petty officer robert james reeves, served on s.e.a.l. team 6 and had earned four bronze stars. robert grew up in shreveport, louisiana with jonas kelsall, lieutenant commander kelsall was a member of s.e.a.l. team 7. craig vickers was on the maui high school football team in hawaii and was a member of the navy bomb disposal team. kraig lived in virginia beach with his wife who is pregnant and their three children. he would have turned 37 later this week. 35-year-old john tumilson always wanted to be a navy s.e.a.l. he was a wrestler in high school and a neighbor told the associated press, he was going to be a navy s.e.a.l. since i can't remember when. brian bill graduated from vermont's norwitch university in 2001 and then joined the s.e.a.l.s. a high school teacher of brian bills at trinity catholic high school in connecticut said brian just wanted to do his best to pro

. >> reporter: aaron vaughn of tennessee was a member of the same seal team.copter. his grandmother called him a proud father, and brave soldier. >> he was such a good boy and he loved his country enough to put his life on the line. >> reporter: john browne, a special forces medic, also grew up in the south. a childhood friend remembered him as a hero. >> i'm very proud of him, i'm proud to say that i'm a friend of his, and i'm gonna miss him tremendously. >> reporter: u.s. military sources say the seals were called in to help a team already under fire on the ground. though the taliban claims responsibility, u.s. officials have yet to confirm that. only saying the helicopter was shot down. drew levinson, cbs news. >> and the bodies of the u.s. military members will be flown to dover air force base later this week. they will be met by their families, military brass and possibly the president. >>> hope for the imminent release of the 2uc berkeley graduates behind bars for two years have been dashed tonight. this is after the ambassador rejected reports that they

and there was aaron vaughn, father of two. his wife, a former nfl cheerleader who met aaron while performing with the uso, spoke to him just hours before the crash. >> his last words to me were, "i love you, i'll talk to you later." and one day in heaven, we will. >> reporter: kimbebey told me her family, friends and the remarkable s.e.a.l. community are helping her through this. >> i'm just afraid i'm going to forget what he smells like, what he feels like, and -- i'm sorry. i just miss him. there's no other way to put it. >> reporter: aaron's remains will be returned with others to dover air base tomorrow. kimberly will be there to meet the plane. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. >> our hearts will be with kimberly and all the families. >>> we movovoverseas now to london. a city on edge and in flames tonight. new violence and new fires are breaking out after a weekend of mayhem. as abc's lama hasan reports, it is the most devastating uprising the city has seen in years. >> reporter: tonight, flames across london. rioters

and within minutes aaron vaughn was heading into the fight, on board a chinook helicopter.er s.e.a.l.s, including texan stephen mill commissioned a s.e.a.l. on 9/11. high school buddies robert reeves and jonas kelsa from louisiana. around 1:00 a.m., now saturday as the helicopter descends in darkness, the taliban take aim with an rpg. normally easy for a helicopter to evade. >> it is an inaccurate weapon. it's not able to hone in. it's like shooting a bullet. >> but this night was different. the taliban were able to set up an ambush and fire on the helicopter as it came into the landing zone. a single shot and the helicopter burst into flames. >> an rpg is designed to blow up a tank so it is no match for the thin skin of a helicopter. >> the greatest catastrophe in afghanistan in a single incident since this war began. 30 american warriors gone. young patrick hamburger was going to propose when he got back. michael strange had just gotten engaged. his brother trying to remain stoic. >> everyone hears about it happening, you know, happen to us. >> and kimberly vaughn who had

one was aaron carson vaughn, 30 years old and the father of two small children. i spoke with his grandmother about the last time she saw him. >> it was aaron's birthday in june. he turned 30. i told him to be careful. he said, granny, don't worry about me. he said, i'm not afraid because i know where i'm going if something happens to me. aaron was a christian. he stood firm in his faith. >> the flight engineer leaves behind a two-year-old daughter, a 13-year-old daughter, and a fiancee. i spoke with her a short time ago. everyone wants to know -- how are you doing? >> i'm doing the best that i can do. >> yeah. >> it's really hard. >> it's hard. >> it's very hard. it's something that i never thought would ever happen to us. >> how are the girls? what have you told them? >> my 2-year-old, she just knows that everybody's unhappy. she can't stop crying. it hurts all of us. the entire family, every single one of us. all of his close friends. >> this was his first tour. he had only been there a week. >> yes. >> when was the last time you saw him? >> i seen him in july f

aaron carson vaughn. he was 30 years old and the father of two small children. i spoke with his grandmother about the last time she saw him. >> it was aaron's birthday in june, he turned 30. i told him to be careful. and he said granny, don't worry about me. he said, i'm not afraid because i know where i'm going, if something happens to me. aaron was a christian. and he stood firm in his faith. >> aaron vaughn was stationed in virginia beach, virginia. and our brian todd is there. hello to you. you have been talking to people in this tight-knit military town. how are they doing? how are they taking this? >> it's been very tough to take, don. a very difficult day for them here. and reminders everywhere here of the sacrifices the naval personnel and others make in this war. you've got a tribute here to the fallen naval personnel who've given their lives. and over here a tribute to the concept of the homecoming. a wonderful statue here, and a mural here that kind of reminds you of just what people are going through. and of course it's even more sobering and heartbre

servicemen in afghanistan. 17 of those, navy seals including aaron vaughn whose faith in god and countrypursue service with the seals in the wake of september 11th. aaron's parents, billy and karen vaughn join us live right now from washington, d.c. good morning to you. >> good morning. thank you, steve, for having us. >> listen, thank you. i know you have had the worst week possible. and for you to join us today, that says a lot about you. because i know you want to talk about your son and we've just put up his picture. tell us about aaron. >> i tell you, just -- aaron was the boy that any mom and dad could dream of having. he just -- just a pleasure to raise. lots of joy. a little bit of aggravation, lots of fun, lots of laughs. >> that's what i would say most about aaron is aaron, we've been talking as a family, the biggest thing that's going to hurt about him being gone is he was just -- he was just bigger than life. you know, and he -- and he just was always fun. every time he came home, it was those hey, y'all, watch this moments. and you know, we just had a blast every time he was

how did you learn that aaron had been killed? miss vaughn, are you there? >> yes. >> yes. how did you learn that aaron had been killed? >> his father, my son, called me after he found out about 8:00 this morning. >> did military officials tell you or your son anything about the attack and if the taliban were responsible? did they even go into that? >> no. all i know is about that is what i saw on the news. that the taliban said that they shot the helicopter down that my grandson was in. >> can you tell us about aaron? he lived in virginia beach, right? >> yes, he was stationed in virginia beach with his wife and two children. >> yeah. and he had a 2-year-old? >> a 2-year-old little boy. he'll be 2 in september. and a 2-month-old baby girl. aaron only got to see her for two weeks. he was deployed when she was two weeks old. >> his wife, how is she doing? >> his wife kimberly. kimberly right now is with her parents in virginia with the children. she went there to stay until aaron came home from his deployment. >> we're looking at a picture of him on television now. and the la

. >> that is the wife of aaron vaughn.o is guarding that crash site, and one civilian translator also died in that crash. palm? >>> there was another scare, the helicopter was flying in to pick up troops when some sort of mechanical failure occurred causing that landing. nobody was hurt and none of that activity is being reported. >>> a died after being sucked into an engine. it was not attached to the airplane at the time of the accident. he worked for a company that did maintenance on civilian planes for the royal new zealand air force. >>> one of the duo outcast is out on bail after being arrested on drug charges. >> get out my face. what you are looking at their, big boy as he was leaving the country jail, big boy was arrested for having extasy pills, powder and viagra without a valid prescription. he was caught and he is facing three felony charges. >>> it is playing a roll for two small charter schools in oakland. they have received more than $1.5 million in donations. donors have given more than a million dollars to

and aaron vaughn from tennessee was a s.e.a.l. who asked to return to combat six weeks ago. kimberly vaughn, aaron's wife, spoke on the "today" show this morning about their 2-year-old son and newborn daughter. >> i'm proud that i will get to carry on his legacy through our children, who will take away his strength and his love for this country. and they will know what an amazing man he is. was. >> nbc's atia is live in kabul for us. do we know more about the mission that these troops were on? >> reporter: hello, thomas. we are hearing from nature foe officials who are confirming what exactly happened saturday during the overnight raid. they're saying this helicopter carrying the men were actually a part of a reinforcement team going in to help u.s. army rangers who were pinned down in a fire fight in the tanji valley in wardak province. when their chinook helicopter was coming down, that's when the tal boone decided to fire a rocket-propelled grenade, bringing the helicopter down and killing everyone on board. 30 americans and 8 afghans were aboard that chinook helicopter.

among those who died was aaron vaughn in union city, tennessee. his grandmother said aaron was not afraid as he once told her, i know where i am going if something happens to me. >> as a brave warrior, aaron was brave but yet he was a gentleman, and he loved his family and country and was willing to give his life to protect his family and country. he was a great american. >> his grandmother says she will see her grandson again some day. >>> now, reynolds, two people want to know, emily, where is she headed, and are we ever, ever, going to get rid of all this heat? >> well, let's deal with emily. emily is going to pull away from the coastline and going to die and become part of history and become part of the next 72 hours. but the heat unfortunately is something that may last all the way through next week and possibly a bit longer. we will tackle both of those coming up in a few minutes. sit tight. >>> 3,000 athletes pushing the limit on their bikes and feet. we will take you live on the new york city triathlon. >>> also ahead, what if you could rat

alisyn: today, family who is lost loved ones like deck indicated navy sale aaron vaughn are speaking about that catastrophic accidents. bill: he is at the helm, does this -- what does this mean for timothy geithner? >> alisyn: one today, a plea from the mother of three siblings now fugitives after a wild crime spree. we're going to talk to a former fbi agent about this. >> only mom knows what good people you are inside. please, prove me right. and everybody wrong by doing the right thing now and turning yourselves in. bill: heartbreaking stories free some of the relatives, so many of these relatives of those navy seals killed over the weeghtend in that helicopter crash in afghanistan, including the familiar lev 30-year-old aaron carson vaughn, he was a decorated seal, who asked the military to return him to combat after taking a state side position as an instructor. he deployed only six weeks before the incident this weekend. his grandmother, describing him as a warrior, with deep faith, who did not fear his job: >> talked to him on his birthday, he said granny, if it -- don't worry

aaron vaughn of virginia beach left a wife and two young children. his family calls him a devout christian but a hardened warrior. his grandmother, geneva, says he loves to hunt. >> he was going to come back and see granny and go hunting. that's the last thing he told me. >> reporter: s.e.a.l. kevin houston, also 30, wanted to be a s.e.a.l. since the fifth grade and swam with a knife in his teeth for early training. cousin teresa hayes calls it a commitment he held to his death. >> he said this is what i had to do. >> reporter: for some, it was a twist of fate. air force tech sergeant john brown's mother calls him a gentle giant who wanted to go into medicine. elizabeth newland says her son instead became a medic for special operations forces. >> if there is a comfort in this situation, i'm so proud of my son, so very proud of him. >> reporter: for sergeant patrick hanburger with the nebraska air national guard, it was simply bad timing. he had been in afghanistan only two weeks. as president obama returned to the white house sunday, this tragedy is

aaron carson vaughn.ke to vaughn's grandmother in tennessee. >> i say pray for her military every day, hold them up to the lord and support them in any way that you can. pray for their families because the wife and children are the ones that they really have to be brave because when their husband goes away, they don't know if he's coming back or not. and this time aaron didn't. >> dignitaries from around the world came to tacoma washington to pay final respects to retired general, the former chairman of the joint chief of staff died two weeks ago and will be buried at arlington national cemetery. >>> if you live in the southeast, don't be surprised to see these faces on digital bill boards. the fbi is going all out in a manhunt for a brother and sister and half brother. they are wanted for an armed bank robbery in south georgia and attempted murder of a florida police officer. >> this may look like any ordinary airliner to you but it is not. boeing 787 dream liner was unveiled yesterday. the $200 million

aaron carson vaughn. his mother said he was a great american willing to give his life for his family and country. those are today's top stories. thank you for watching state of the union. i'm candy crowley. next sunday's state of the union lp be reporting from the campaign trial. ill bee covering the ames straw poll next sunday, 9:00 a.m. eastern. >>> up next for our viewers in the u.s., fareed zakaria gps. >>> this is gps, the global public square. i'm fareed zakaria. first up we have a star-studded panel, arianna huffington, joe klein and others to talk about the aftermath of the debt deal and the political landscape going forward. then why in the world are we not taking an' larger chunk out of the defense budget? i'll explain. >>> next up, remember last summer's controversy over the so-called ground zero mosque. forget everything you thought you knew and listen to an exclusive, the man behind the mosque tells the whole story. >>> finally, a novel solution to parking problems. first here is my take. we'

aaron carson vaughn, 30 years old, a husband and father two. cnn's don lemon spoke to vaughn's grandmother in tennessee. >> it was aaron's birthday. in june he turned 30. and i told him to be careful, and he said granny, don't worry about me. he said i'm not afraid because i know where i'm going if something happens to me. aaron was a christian, and he stood firm in his faith. >> and you said you know he is with the lord now? >> he is with the lord now. and i'll see him again some day. and that's -- that's what the family is standing on now is faith. we know that god is in control. and we know that he took aaron for a reason. we don't know what, but we know that he took aaron for a reason, and the rest of them too. >> keeping you updated on the latest on the crash. stay tuned to cnn and cnn.com. >>> also following the weather, it's a disturbance that has been on weather maps for days and days. tropical depression emily now off the florida coast. jacqui jeras tracking. why don't they give these storms last names? this is emily. emily who? >> jus

today we are learning more about the american heros and who they were. 30-year-old aaron vaughn of virginiahe navy after the september 11th attacks vowing to protect the country. 36-year-old kevin houston from massachusetts wanted to be a seal since the fifth grade. family and friends said he was a star athlete. the captain of the high school football team. a loyal friend and a loving father. brian bill from stanford yb connecticut was an accomplished skier, pilot and try athlete. he dreamed of becoming an astronaut. air force tech sergeant john brown played basketball and ran track. he loved watching saturday night live. family described him as a model soldier. and army reserve specialist spencer duncan, just 21 years old. served as door gunner on the chopper. these are just some of the true american heros that gave their lives to protect this country. they will not be forgotten. ♪ yes! ha ha! [ clicking ] ♪ what happened? power went out, want a hot dog? [ female announcer ] oscar mayer selects are made with 100% beef and have no artificial preservatives. from body and bath shops? with ola

aaron vaughn. >> i woke up, saw the reports on the tv. my mother came and told me about it. i was okay. nobody had come. as i come up the stairs, i heard the door bell ring and i thought hopefully, it's just a neighbor. as i rounded the stairs, i saw the men in uniform. and i just fell to my knees. it was just -- there's no preparing for it. you know, it's something that you see in the movies, not something you're supposed to live through. but it was men from the command and, you know, it was as nice as it could be, i guess. >> reporter: kimberly vaughn is now left to care for a 2-month-old daughter and a little boy who will be about 2 years old next month. she says -- the family says that aaron vaughn left for his latest deployment in afghanistan only two weeks after the little girl was born. kyra? >> brian todd, definitely and continues to be a tough story for all of us to hear. >>> if you want to hear more on the helicopter crash, check out our new national security blogs, security clearance at cnn.com/security. reports, analysis, opinion pieces. we're also on twitter @na

among the dead, 22 navy s.e.a.l.s including aaron vaughn whose wife kimberly spoke with cnn. >> i wanthe was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband and fabulous father to two wonderful children. he was a warrior for christ. and he was a warrior for our country. and he wouldn't want to leave this earth any other way than how he did. >> with us now, fran townsend who advised president bush. also brad thorr, went on several research missions in afghanistan and pakistan with navy s.e.a.l.s. fran, the large -- most deadly at being a in the history of this ten year war. i want to show our viewer where is it took place. this is in some of the most treachero treacherous. what does it say as we pay tribute to these heros that this is still where a lot of the hardest parts of this war are being fought? >> well, it tells and you number of things. first of all, this is right on the outskirts, pot venot very fm kabul. it was the sacred ground that our troops protected. mostly to give the karzai government the opportunity to extend their reign, their government. this is very close to the ca

once comes as a sharp blow to the family and friends of navy s.e.a.l.s, like the grandmother of aaron vaughn, one of the men killed in the crash. >> i'm very proud of him. he was such a good boy. and he loved his country. and i talked to him on his birthday. he said granny, he said, don't worry about me, i'm not afraid. >> very moving to hear from his granny on this morning. yungng a quick question for you, after the osama bin laden raid, the names of the s.e.a.l. team members who carried out that mission, those names were never released for security reasons. however way me learn the names of the men that died in afghanistan. why is that? >> reporter: it's military procedure. 24 hours after all of the family members are notified, the department of defense and pentagon will release those names to the public, dan. >> martha, have the notifications all been carried out and how is that process carried out when it comes to the s.e.a.l.s? >> the notifications have been carried out as far as we know. they notify them like any other member of the military. you know the scene. they have notification

high school friends robert and jonas who served together and died together there was aaron vaughn father of 2. his wife a forker nfl cheer leader met aaron while performing with the uso. >> last words to me were i love you. i'll talk to you later. and one day in heaven, we will. >>reporter: kimberly sawn says her family friends and the remarkable field community are helping her through this. >> i'm afraid i'll forget what he smells like. what he feels like. i'm sorry. i just i just miss him. no other way to put it. >>reporter: aaron remains will be returned with the others to dover air base tomorrow. kimberly will be there to meet the plane. martha, abc news, washington. >>> mean time the pentagon says the down helicopter is not a water shed moment indicating new momentum by the taliban. pentagon insist the taliban is still on the run. helicopter crash also took the life of san jose native kevin houston. he later moved to massachusetts entering the navy after high school and moved up the rank eventually become ago seal. kevin houston is survived by his wife and 3 children as well as his

. >> aaron was one of the navy s.e.a.l.s who died in saturday's crash in afghanistan. she joins me along with erin's parents, billy and karen vaughn. first, i want to express our condolences to all of you and thanks for talking to us at this difficult time. good morning. >> good morning. >> kimberly, you have an amazing story with aaron that you met. you were on a uso tour as a washington redskins cheerleader. he was stationed in guam. tell us a little about the man you fell in love with. >> well, when i met him, 6'4", he's hard to miss. i mean, i won't get into all how we met, but the man i fell in love with is gentle and kind and a wonderful father and wonderful son. but he was strong and courageous and a warrior for christ and for his country. >> you said he was a wonderful father. in fact, he was home just eight week ago for the birth of your second child, chamberlain. tell us about that visit. >> yes. as much as they're gone, i was very blessed to have him home for the birth of our daughter. she's 8 weeks old. i was a little curious as to how aaron would be raising a daughter as opposed to our son. but he just took her in his

. >> reporter: the family of aaron vaughn, navy seal, is mourning his death.randmother released a photo calling him a tough warrior and a gentleman. on facebook, a prayer page for vaughan who's survived by his wife and two children, one of 22 navy seals killed this weekend. they are often involved in covert military operations. >> they work in the shadows. the sooner they can step back in the shadows the happier they are. >> reporter: in california where many seals train, hearts are heavy. >> took a while for it to sink in. then i just felt like i was melting. i didn't know what to say or do. >> reporter: the seals are shrouded in secrecy but the members gained worldwide attention after seal team 6 raided osama bin laden's compound in pakistan, killing the al qaeda leader. military families are no strangers to sacrifice. there is not much that can prepare them for the loss of so many. >> these young men are national treasures. they are irreplaceable. you don't find them everywhere. this was a tragedy for the country. >> reporter: we often hear about how the na

. >> reporter: and to the family of 30-year-old aaron carson vaughn, a father of two, with a newborn daughter he had been with for two weeks before heading overseas. vaughn had volunteered to return to combat. >> he was a fabulous son. parents and a great big brother. and to me, the love of my life. >> reporter: at the wade church in virginia beach. >> we thank god for all of our military. >> reporter: prayers for those lost and left behind. in this town, there are no lines dividing civilians and the military. >> it's a great sense and love that we have for the military. it's part of our family. it's touched part of our family. >> they served us. we need to serve them with the same honor. >> reporter: and especially now. >> especially now. >> reporter: i spoke to the woif of a navy s.e.a.l. here who was not involved in the incident. she says that the wives are rallying around the women that are widows. they are dividing cooking duties, trying to get ready for the flood of family coming here, doing everything they can to provide some comfort. yunji de nies, abc news, virginia beach. >

aaron carson vaughn leaves behind a wife and two young children. his baby girl, born just weeks before he was deployed. >> he was such a good boy and he loved his country enough to put his life on the line. >> reporter: the mission was just one of dozens of operations u.s. special forces carry out every week in afghanistan. an investigation is under way to figure out how and why this time it ended in tragedy. >> we're going to question something, why was it a chinoook? the chinoook helicopters are big, lumbering, noisy, not the black hawk, getting in and out quickly. >> reporter: u.s. forces recovered the wreckage of the helicopter sunday, along with the remains of the troops. their bodies will be flown to dover air force base in delaware later this week for a somber homecoming. the u.s.-led coalition intends to rely more heavily on special ops missions as it draws down the number of combat troops over the next three and a half years. >> jay dow in washington, thank you. >>> residents of a town in northern ohio are still reeling this morning after

. >> reporter: and to the family of 30-year-old aaron carson vaughn, a father of two with a newborn daughter he had been with for just two weeks before heading back overseas. vaughn had volunteered to return to combat. >> he was a fabulous son to his parents and a great big brother. to me, the love of my life. >> reporter: at the wave church in virginia beach this morning. >> we thank god for all the military. >> reporter: prayers for those lost and those left behind. in this town, there are no lines dividing civilians and the military. >> it's a great sense and great love we have for t t military. it's part of our family. it's touched part of our family. >> they're serving us. we need to serve them with the same integrity and honor. >> and especially now. >> especially now. now is just a really hard time. >> reporter: david, i spoke to the wife of a navy s.e.a.l. whose husband was not involved in this incident. she tells me that the wives are rallying around these women who suddenly find themselves widows. they are creating cooking schedules, babysitting schedules, getting ready for the flo

aaron carson vaughn.imberly told abc news she was going to dover. >> it's a way of healing for me. i don't want to miss anything. no matter how hard it is. >> reporter: kraig vicars and jason workman. three were from the air force. among them, john brown and daniel zerbe. and five were army. alexander bennett. spencer duncan. dave carter. patrick hamburger. and bryan nicholol 30 american troops were killed in this incident. they leave behind at least 13 widows and 21 children who lost their fathers on the deadliest day for the u.s. in this, the tenth year of the war in afghanistan. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. >>>>nd we are thinking of them and praying for their families tonight. >>> thanks for watching. diane will be back tomorrow. don't forget to check out "nightline" later and i'll see you in the morning on "gma." have a good night. >>> breaking news from oakland on the murder of a 3-year-old boy. police deliver on a promise to solve the crime quickly. >> tonight how a down turn in the stock

aaron carson vaughn of union city, tennessee, was a 30-year-old member of s.e.a.l. team six. his wife, 2-year-old son reagan, and 2-month-old daughter. 32-year-old robert james reeves served on s.e.a.l. team six and had earned four bronze stars. robert reeves grew up in shreveport, louisiana. joe than kelsall, a member of s.e.a.l. team seven. kraig vickers was a member of the navy bomb disposal team. he lived in virginia beach, virginia with his wife, who's now pregnant and their three children. kraig would have turned 37 later this week. 35-year-old jon tumilson was a wrestler in high school and was going to be a navy s.e.a.l. since i can't remember when. brian bill graduated from vermont's norwich university in 2001. a high school teacher of brian bill's said, "brian just wanted to do his best to protect other people, challenge did not deter him. ever." most of the names of the people lost in the helicopter crash are not yet known to us, but we do know none of the families and friends of anyone on that helicopter needed to be reminded that we are a nation at war. [ female a

aaron carson vaughn asked the military to return him to combat. six weeks before he was killed.y he wanted to be a seal since he was a child and returned to combat two weeks after his two-month-old daughter was born this summer. >> i'm very proud of him. he was such a good boy. he loved his country and put his life on the line. >> reporter: 24-year-old michael strange was another victim. he volunteered for friday's mission. his grieving family speak out of philadelphia loved being in the service and especially in the seals. he took pries pride in his work and his family took pride in him. he promised them he would be home for thanksgiving. >>> he went in the navy and went right up the ladder. he loved his family and sister and became an uncle. >> reporter: speaking on fox news sunday, john kerry noted there were seven afghani commandos on the chinook and he is interested to know who might have been involved. >> eric: they are true american heroes. thank you so much. >> heather: a full analysis of the deadly helicopter crash and what it means to the current state of the war in af

among them, 30-year-old aaron vaughn, the father of a boy not yet 2. a daughter, whose birth he witnessed just eight weeks ago. and the husband of kimberly, a former nfl cheerleader, who aaron met when she was performing with the uso. >> his last words to me were, i love you. i'll talk to you later. and one day in heaven, we will. >> reporter: kimberly got the terrible news on saturday. >> i heard the doorbell ring. and i remember thinking, oh, it's just a neighbor. and i came upstairs. and i saw my father opening the door and then, coming inside, in uniform. and i just fell to my knees. there's just -- the energy -- everything just drops out of you. and i remember saying no, no. >> reporter: kimberly's pain is so raw, but it is pride in her husband that she says will get her through. that and the remarkable support from family, friends and the s.e.a.l. community that is smothering her with love. >> these navy s.e.a.l.s, they don't do it for the medals or for tv interviews or anything. they do it because it's the right thing to do. >> reporter: and kimb

navy seal aaron vaughn from virginia, father of two who loved his familiar me -- family and loved serving his country, too. his widow remembers their short life together. >> it's funny the things you remember. the smell of their skin. the way they walk. you know, just come in the door, and put their keys down. those little things, i'll miss. i just remember him climbing into his truck and telling me he'd see me soon. and how much he loved me and the kids. so i'll always value and cherish that moment, the last moments that i got to spend with him. bill: what a sacrifice. jennifer griffin is at the pentagon and jennifer, good morning to you. the bodies come back today, smart? >> reporter: that's right. they've not landed yet at dove e. i'm told. there will be a high level delegation to meet them later today. among those who will be there will be secretary of defense leon panetta and admiral mike mullen and his wife, deborah, also the chief of naval operations, admiral gary ruffhead. the pentagon is not allowing press to go to dover to see the coffins as they return. you'll remember they did

pittman, tommyraflull, robert james reeves, nicholas spehar, michael strange, john tumleson, aaron carson vaughnhis widow kimberly told abc news, she was going to dover. >> it's... it's a way of healing for me. so i don't want to miss anything, no matter how hard it is. >> craig vickers and jason workman. three were from the air force, among them john brown and daniel swrishy. and five were army. alexander bennett, penser duncan, dave carter, patrick hamburger and brian nichols. 30 american troops were killed in this insz dent. they leave behind at least 13 widows and 21 children who lost their fathers on the deadliest day for the u.s. in this, the 10th year of the war in afghanistan. jake tapper, abcninetynews, thee house. house. >> we'll be right back in just a [ man ] i got this new citi thankyou card and started earning loads of points. you got a weather balloon with points? yes i did. [ man ] points i could use for just about anything. ♪ ♪ there it is. [ man ] so i used mine to get a whole new perspective. ♪ [ male announcer ] the new citi thankyou premier card gives you more ways to earn p

. >> navy seal aaron carson vaughn was among them. he deployed just six weeks ago. two weeks after his 2-month-old daughter chamberlain was born this summer. >> i talked to him on his birthday and he said granny, he said, don't worry about me. i'm not afraid because i know where i'm going. he was a christian. and when i get home, i'm coming to your house to hunt. >> the pentagon is not allowing any media coverage of tuesday's dignified transfer of the troops' remains. despite lifting the years long ban on coverage, the pentagon explains the remains are still being identified. at the pentagon, jennifer griffin, fox news. >> all right, jennifer, thank you very much for that report. tough story. >> all right. now, fannie and freddie are bad investments. who knew? details on the s&p's latest downgrade. do you think? what it means for americans who might want to borrow money. >> and buy a house. then she fell off a cliff, broke her back. and her legs. but this woman survived for days in the forest on nothing but berries and bugs. hear from her when we come back on this t

navy seal aaron vaughn from virginia is among those killed, a father of two who loved his family anderving the country, his widow remembers their life together: >> it's funny the things you remember. the smell of their skin. the way they walk. you know, just come in the door, put their keys down. just little things that i'll miss. i just remember him climbing into his truck and telling me he'd see me soon. and how much he loved me and the kids. so i will always value and cherish that moment. the last moments that i got to spend with him. >> reporter: but there are more questions than answers about what brought down the standard chinook ch-47 helicopter, normally special operators tell me they would cross-load on multiple aircrafts to reduce the risk to the entire unit, the rangers who called for help weren't pinned down with fire, we understand, none were injured, and they were the ones that secured the crash site without taking casualties. the taliban target was not a high-value target, but yet, it looks like the seal team deployed in hayes. the question is why. other questions abou

aaron carson vaughn. we're learning the names and hometowns of those casualties as the defense department goes through the agonizing process of notifying 30 separate families of their loss. cnn's brian todd is in one of the nation's s.e.a.l. communities today, virginia beach, virginia. >> reporter: kimberly vaughn describes that horrible moment when uniformed officers came to her door and told her about her husband. >> and i just fell to my knees. >> reporter: arson carson vaughn was one of 22 navy s.e.a.l.s killed in the helicopter crash in afghanistan. kimberly is now left to care for 2-month-old daughter chamberlin and son reagan who turns two next month. >> i want to the tell the world that he was an amazing man, that he was a wonderful husband and a fabulous father to two wonderful children. and he was a warrior for our country. and he wouldn't want to leave this earth any other way than how he did. >> reporter: on the boardwalk, in the diners of the vaughn's newly adopted town of virginia beach, a c

. >> kimberly vaughn describes that moment when uniformed officers came to her door and told her about her husband. >> i fell to my knees. >> reporter: aaronvy s.e.a.l.s. killed in the helicopter crash in afghanistan. kimberly is left to care for 2-month-old daughter chamberlain and son reagan who turns 2 years old next month. >> i want to tell the world he was an amazing man, he was a wonderful husband, and a fabulous father to two wonderful children and he was a warrior for our country. and he wouldn't want to leave this earth any other way than how he did. >> reporter: on the boardwalk, in the diners of the vaughn's newly adopted hometown of virginia beach a community grieves for two dozen young nen their midst but never really got to know. mary's restaurant is a hangout for some of the s.e.a.l.s. based near virginia beach. >> you feel like you're at rock bottom again. you just feel like you're not succeeding at what needs to be done. and you have to ask, is it worth it? is another life worth it? >> it's a great loss. very sad. very sad. >> reporter: these were secretive, elite commandos who could never reveal what they did to these nei

aaron carson vaughn, a tennessee native. d a 2-month-old girl. >> it was aaron's birthday. in june he turned 30. and i told him to be careful. and he said, granny, don't worry about me, he said i'm not afraid because i know where i'm going if something happens to me. aaron was a christian. and he stood firm in his faith. >> the chopper went down in wardak province, southwest of kabul, apparently shot down by the taliban. this is filed video of the type of helicopter they were on, a ch-47 sha shochinook. 22 of the dead were navy s.e.a.l.s. none of the s.e.a.l.s that brought down osama bin laden were involved. >>> bob, the loss of this team, these men, particularly devastating. >> it really is, deborah. keep in mind we only have a few thousand s.e.a.l.s and only one out of enten or more pass the s.e.a.l.'s program. the president changed our strategy over the next year. we're going to a counterterrorism strategy which means we have to depend upon the special forces, these excellently trained, very highly skilled people. >> it's