he enjoyed cooking. >> reporter: at 24 years old, timothy echols had an entire life ahead of him. his parents, friends and fellow sailors were forced to say good-bye. on august 20th, a merchant vessel collided into the uss mccain, killing ten sailors including echols. his mother will never forget the moment she receives the excruciating call. >> i don't want to hear that. i don't want to hear that my son is missing, that i didn't want to hear that. ♪ ♪ >> no matter how much we all hurt, none hurt like a father and a mother who lay their child to rest. ♪ ♪ >> i describe my feelings as those of overwhelming sadness, but also overwhelming pride. so, it became evident very early on in this process that timmy left a lasting impression and positively influenced his family members, friends and peers. >> my dear est temy, you are the essence of what mankind should be. your unconditional love, strength and compassion towards others was like no other. >> reporter: few parents struggling to say good-bye to their only son who is now their angel, and to the rest of the nation, he's a hero. rep

he enjoyed cooking for individuals. >> reporter: timothy echols was rachel's only son. he was her pride, her joy, and on so many occasions the reason she smiled. >> he always wanted to serve mankind. >> reporter: that's why four years ago at just 19 years old, he chose to join the navy. he was stationed in japan on the uss mccain, and on august 20th his ship was heading towards singapore, but it never arrived. the uss mccain collided with a merchant ship, trapping ten sailors inside. >> the uss navy and marine corps divers joined the search today. >> reporter: hours later rachel received the heart breaking call. >> he just basically told us that he [ inaudible ]. my heart had stopped that day. i literally broke down. i said, you can't come to my house. whatever you have to say, you can say it over the phone. because i don't want to hear that. i don't want to hear that my son is missing, that my son is gone. i didn't want to hear that. >> reporter: for days she waited in agony, praying that somehow timothy survived, while divers scoured the ship, trying to locate the sai

timothy echols was one of ten sailors killed over the summer in a ship collision. the young her life says his mother. services start at 10:00 this alexandria. a military burial follows at arlington national cemetery. he was killed after the "uss mccain" collided with a merchant ship from malaysia. megan sat down with his mom and will share his story tonight on news 4. >>> wading into the nfl protest controversy. this time he tweeted praising jerry jones, he wrote a big salute to jerry jones, owner of the dallas cowboys who will bench plairs who disrespect our flag. jones said any player that disrespects the flag won't play. it was two weeks ago that jones took a knee with his players before the anthem. there you see there. that came out after the president suggested that the owners should fire players who don't stand during the anthem. >>> tim first lady. me lan that trump is firing back against president trump's first wife, ivana trump. this started when ivana trump made an appearance on abc to promote her book. that's when she said she had a direct line to the wh

the family allowed us to be at arlington national cemetery yesterday as they laid petty officer timothy echols to rest. he was one of the compassionate young man you'll ever meet. they're still processing their grief. there's an incredible amount of pride in their only son. he grew up in carroll county. not the only multiple casualty. electronics technician second class kevin bushell is from gaithersburg. >>> he's known for being a pro in the pool. now michael phelps is changing minds and promoting mental health awareness. he explains how he's doing it. i'm going to fill you in just ahead. >>> plus, zombie takeover at the smithsonian. a look at the new donations keeping "walking dead" alive. >>> yikes. more michelin stars. which of the district's restaurants are being called cnarrator: ed gillespie and i wants to endis ad. a woman's right to choose. ed giof a woman'sd put thpersonal decisions,rge not women and their doctors. as governor, ed gillespie says, i would like to see abortion be banned. if ed gillespie would like to see abortion banned, i would like to see i would like to see i would

timothy echols was one of ten sailors killed over the summer in a ship collision. services begin at 10:00 this morning in alexandria. a military burial will follow. he was killed after the "uss mccain" collided with a merchant ship near singapore and malaysia. our meagan fitzgerald sat down with his mom and will share his story tonight on news 4. >>> the driver convicted of running over a baby in a stroller will be in court today. john miller iv is facing one year in jail. you may remember when he ran over the child and mother in landsdowne last year. miller was turni riverside parkway and they were in the crosswalk. the mother survived. but 5-month-old tristan schultz died. the grand jury originally indicted him for involuntary manslaughter. that charge was dropped. >>> if you're worried about the extra traffic that could happen when the wharf project opens in d.c., you're not alone. muriel bowser is showing off other ways to get around. the mayor is taking a free west shuttle with us to the wharf and ride a water taxi that connects to several areas. now, the whar

timothy echols was laid to rest in arlington national cemetery last week. he was killed on the uss mccain in august. his mother rachel says she has not received a letter or a call from president trump and it's hurtful. it may be a small gesture, but kristen and arlene will tell you it makes a big difference. >> that they care and that they are aware of what's happening. and i think that's what any gold star family wants. >> reporter: meagan fitzgerald, news 4. >> riot gear at the ready, police down in gainsville, florida work to keep the peace at a speech, the same speaker in charlottesville when the violence broke out. this speech drew hundreds of protesters and police by the hundreds. nbc's sarah rosari reports. >> raise your hand if you identify with the alt-reich. >> reporter: rich errard spence speaking at the university campus in gainsville. sparring with many in the audience. >> who are you screaming at? what are you trying to achieve by this? >> reporter: the controversial alt-right leader ahead of today's scheduled talk says he's a white nationalis

well today timothy echols laid to rest. >> and only on news 4 this evening, we are heang mother about man, that he was and how she is now dealing with the loss. >> also, we have more major civil war battles taking place or took place in virginia than in any other state. but now there is another battle about how those events should be remembered. >> ahead tonight at 5:00, the threats against a local civil war reenactment that have both reenacters and vendors on edge. our darcy spencer has reaction to that story. >> we'll see you soon with those stories and more on this tuesday afternoon in just a minute. >> all right. we'll see you in just a bit right here. >> thanks, guys. >>> a story that's trending heavily on facebook today is about love, joy and persistence. >> we love this story. a little girl in utah. her reaction priceless when she learned she and her two younger siblings would be adopted. an office manager at the school pulled her out of class. you can see the surveillance video that captured the moment when the woman told the girl she now has a forever family. and i just said,

timothy echols was laid to rest in arlington national cemetery last week. he was killed on the uss mccain in august. his mother rachel says she has not received a letter or a call from president trump and it's hurtful. it may be a small gesture, but kristen and arlene will tell you it makes a big difference. >> that they care, and that they are aware of what's happening. and i think that's what any gold star family wants. >> reporter: now, as we reported, general kelly said that the most important call that gold star families receive is that from the military members that served with their child. but, jim and doreen, i talked to a lot of different families who say that call from the c in chief really means the world to them. >> sure. doesn't get any bigger. >> this whole discussion about this is creating new pain for a lot of people. meagan fitzgerald, thank you. >> sure. >> a double tragedy on what was supposed to have been a fun night out. two people on their way home to potomac were killed when their car hit a tree and today we are learning more about th