after months of surgeries and rehab, staff sargeant hale left the hospital, alive.at building homes for heroes stepped in to give them a new house. when it's ready they were led to their home by a procession of motorcycles, fire trucks is and military vehicles for a true hero's welcome. >> what a day it to be an american. what a day sit to be part of something awesome, an expression of love of solidarity. >> spend minutes with this young man, you'll find someone with an infectious positive attitude who motivates others. it would have been easy to be bitter over his losing his sight he could have spent days focused on negative this, warrior continues to fight and contribute. he's chosen to inspire others. >> from all of you, for this home for your lifetime. >> i wanted to be there to get to hazards before they had a chance to injure someone else. we do it so that others don't get hurt. i want to thank andy and those at building homes for heros because they do it so those that get hurt don't get lost. >> today, we're one family, one family we hand the hale family the

this army sargeant died in korea in 1951. his remains were recently identifyed and flown to los angeles international airport for the honor guard ceremony. >> reporter: 94-year-old clara gant has been waiting for this moment her husband, joseph gant died while a prisoner of war in north korea in 1951. today, his body returned home. >> he told me if anything happened to him, he wanted me to remarry. and i told him no. no. no. here i am. still his wife. >> clara and joseph met in 1946 on a train from texas to los angeles the two married in 1948. >> he was in two wars. world war ii, in 46 and korean war. he was a good husband. >> gant was defending his unit's position when taken prisoner of war. the war hero took a last trip. the coffin carried by honor guards and law enforcement and patriot guard escorted him to his final resting place. >> just receive it. coming home. we're so blessed. and i am so happy i was living to accept him. >> wow what. a woman. abc7 news wants to thank you for helping make give were you live a success.

. >> this air force sargeant had a dangerous job imaginable, tasked with disarming live bombs.ing to a blast that injured a marine. his life would change, forever. here is how it was described when he was awarded the silver star. >> upon reaching the vehicle, he used his detector to clear a safe path and assisted with carrying the injured marine out of the area. conducting an analysis, he stepped on a initiation system. he lost both legs and his left arm at the elbow but he didn't stop working. >> despite near mortal injuries he continued to pass information concerning the device, vital as his team complete the commission. it enables extraction of two injured marines. he reflected great pride upon himself and united states air force. >> valor is of the moment. a character is built over a lifetime. the events of the 23 of september last year, can be described less as a case of spontaneous valor, more as a predictable outcome of circumstance and character intercepting on the battlefield. >> talked about the weather and sacrifice courage. we don't think about that stuff. we just d

. >> sargeant gantt's journey home began last week with a pre-dawn flight to los angeles.was right there waiting, after all these years. an unforgettable image. >> and that moment you're standing over the coffin, and you're thinking. >> the lord brought him home. so i'm happy that i'm still alive to bury him myself. >> that burial came with full military honors. [playing taps] ♪ >> my husband was a battleship man. he was a good husband. >> clara gantt never remarried, and never stopped hoping the love of her life, finally home. carter evans, cbs news, los angeles. >> a wonderful man and a wonderful woman. >> and that's the "cbs evening news" for tonight. later on cbs: 48 hours. for now, i'm jim axelrod in new york. for all of us here at cbs news. thanks for joining us and good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org the bay area is closing out driest year ever recorded. e numbers are startling. >>> police may have busted burglars behind a string of christmas break-ins. >> and the bay area closing out the driest year ever r

. >> san francisco police sargeant is a veteran markics officer who knows the turf well. >> a lot of people use drugs >> the war evolved to perhaps a difficult marketplace. with a new set of drugs. the battles are being fought by federal agents. both at the internet and airports and post offices they try to identify their compounds. >> this one they call blue berry. >> blue berry. >> most being produced from china, india and pakistan. most popular mimic bath salts and marijuana. stimulants that affect central nervous system. they're marketed under labels like mr. nice guy and barely legal. >> we're seeing them as club parties and marketed towards young teenagers and adults. >> bruce is with san francisco office of the drug enforcement operation. he says research indicates they're dangerous. >> this can have affect on young peoples brains. >> the drugs are difficult to catch. many have chemical that's haven't been banned yet. once the dea identifies it, the agency can begin outlawing it. but the producers are trying to outstart the dea. >> this is a pay for people to stay one step ahe

. >> san francisco police sargeant is a veteran markics officer who knows the turf well. >> a lot of people use drugs >> the war evolved to perhaps a difficult marketplace. with a new set of drugs. the battles are being fought by federal agents. both at the internet and airports and post offices they try to identify their compounds. >> this one they call blue berry. >> blue berry. >> most being produced from china, india and pakistan. most popular mimic bath salts and marijuana. stimulants that affect central nervous system. they're marketed under labels like mr. nice guy and barely legal. >> we're seeing them as club parties and marketed towards young teenagers and adults. >> bruce is with san francisco office of the drug enforcement operation. he says research indicates they're dangerous. >> this can have affect on young peoples brains. >> the drugs are difficult to catch. many have chemical that's haven't been banned yet. once the dea identifies it, the agency can begin outlawing it. but the producers are trying to outstart the dea. >> this is a pay for people to stay one step ahe