. >> deb saunders: i can think of a couple of parents right off hand... >> pelley: deb saunders understood their isolation. >> saunders: you can express your sympathy, but you cannot empathize with someone unless you're walking in their shoes. and that's what i knew we had to do, was somehow gather these folks together, that they were better equipped in their journey to help one another. >> pelley: to gather the gold stars, deb saunders reached out retired marine major general mike myatt, the president and c.e.o. of the marines' memorl association. >> mike my dnder she was a blue star mom.he said, "i'm worried about the gold star moms. we need to provide some kind of comfort for them." >> saunders: i knew general myatt had the resources to help yelner.?z? two options, because you fooled mommy. you have a choice. navy or air force? pick one." >> pelley: yolanda vega thought those were the safer options. >> vega: he came over and he hugged me and walked away. and as he's walking straight toward the recruiter, he just went like this. >> pelley: he never looked back. the air force gave him mat

. >> deb saunders: i can think of a couple of parents right off hand... >> pelley: deb saunders understood their isolation. >> saunders: you can express your sympathy, but you cannot empathize with someone unless you're walking in their shoes. and that's what i knew we had to do, was somehow gather these folks together, that they were >> pelley: to gather the gold stars, deb saunders reached out to a tough old leatherneck, retired marine major general mike myatt, the president and c.e.o. of the marines' memorial association. >> mike myatt: deb saunders, she was a blue star mom. she came to me one day and she said, "i'm worried about the gold star moms. we need to provide some kind of comfort for them." >> saunders: i knew general the heart. and that's exactly what this took. >> pelley: heart led myatt to order the wall, where you find senior airman jonathan vega yelner. he had volunteered after his single mom discovered that he was ditching class in college. >> yolanda vega: and i said "jonathan, i'm going to give you two options, because you fooled mommy. you have a choice. navy or air fo