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Americans gather to honor fallen service members on Memorial Day; president heads to Arlington

ATLANTA – Americans plan to gather at cemeteries, memorials and monuments nationwide to honor fallen military service members on Memorial Day.

President Barack Obama is expected to lay a wreath Monday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington.

Another wreath-laying ceremony is planned at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park in New York City. The park is a tribute to President Roosevelt's famous speech supporting freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

In one of several ceremonies honoring Americans killed in Afghanistan, the city of South Sioux City, Neb., plans to unveil a statue honoring Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Douangdara, a dog handler for the SEALs killed in a 2011 helicopter crash.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/27/americans-gather-to-honor-fallen-service-members-on-memorial-day-president/

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One week later: The daunting recovery in Oklahoma

by Holly Yan, George Howell and Catherine E. Shoichet

Moore, Oklahoma (CNN) -- One week after a tornado devastated the lives and landscape of Moore, much of the city seems frozen in time. But despite the staggering wreckage that still litters the ground, the road to recovery is well underway.

Here's the latest on the Oklahoma tornado aftermath:

Remembering those lost

Thousands of residents poured into First Baptist Church in Moore for a public memorial and prayer service Sunday night. Tissues in each of the pews greeted the mourners.

"It was pretty amazing celebrating all of the people that died and that lived," third-grader Ally Keepers told CNN affiliate KOCO.

Ally was inside Plaza Towers Elementary School with the tornado shredded the building and killed seven of her schoolmates.

"Some of my friends died, and I was so upset that Kyle Davis died," Ally said. "I was crying. I went to the cemetery and put some flowers out there for him."

Debby Goss of nearby Shawnee said the mass gathering was therapeutic.

"I think it was probably the start of healing for the community," she said.

"This was a good time for them to see each other in one place that wasn't a rescue center or a disaster area. ... There was a peaceful place for them to just sit and think about the other people that are here to support them and help."

Obama tours devastated area

President Barack Obama saw the destruction up close Sunday and vowed to support residents long after the media leaves.

"As fellow Americans, we're going to be there as shelter from the storm for the people of Moore who have been impacted," Obama said.

He praised local officials, first responders and school principals for their efforts after the storm, which killed 24 people, injured more than 375 others and damaged or demolished 12,000 homes in the Oklahoma City area.

Speaking from the wreckage of Plaza Towers Elementary, Obama called on Americans to help with relief efforts.

"It's going to take a long time for this community to rebuild, so I want to urge every American to step up," he said, suggesting citizens donate to the American Red Cross website.

Governor: We need help now

Shortly before Obama's visit, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin told CNN that her chief request for the federal government was help plowing through regulatory hurdles.

"Basically what I need is the ability to get through red tape, the ability to get the FEMA funds in here quickly and to get the services that our citizens need to help them recover through this terrible disaster," Fallin said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Fallin, a Republican, said the initial reaction from the federal government in assisting her state was fast and effective.

"So far we have had great response," she said, quickly adding there was a long way to go before Moore returns to normal.

"This is a massive debris field," she said. "It's not just a couple blocks. It's miles."

Schools across town destroyed

Weekend graduation festivities in Moore were infused with reminders of the tragic tornado.

When Southmoore High's Alyson Costilla walked across the stage to get her diploma, about a dozen people in the crowd stood and held up pictures of her mother, who died in a 7-Eleven ravaged by the powerful winds.

The cost of rebuilding classrooms for Moore's students will be enormous.

The city's public schools suffered $45 million in damage, including the two elementary schools that were leveled. Overall, insurance claims related to last week's storm will likely top $2 billion, said Kelly Collins from the Oklahoma Insurance Department.

Strangers rush to help

The cleanup can be arduous, if not overwhelming.

Caleb Allison stared at the mass of debris that covered the yard where his home once stood.

"Who's going to come get it?" the high school Spanish teacher wondered last week.

But his mammoth problem was quickly solved Sunday with the help of students, parent-teacher association members and fellow teachers from his school and the elementary school where his wife teaches.

"We probably had 70 to 80 people in our front yard, and we cleaned it in a matter of 30 minutes," he said.

Morgan DeLong, one of the volunteers, said many whose homes survived the storm are eager to help.

"It's kind of our turn to return that blessing and help people out," she said. "It's amazing to just look out and see how our community's coming together."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/27/us/oklahoma-tornado/index.html

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Kentucky

Police chief vows revenge after officer gunned down for no obvious reason

by Rick Martin and Holly Yan

(CNN) -- Grief over a Kentucky officer's death is giving way to rage and anxiety as police believe someone set up a trap just to kill their colleague or another driver.

Bardstown Police Officer Jason Ellis was driving home from work around 2 a.m. Saturday when he noticed some debris on the road, Kentucky State Police Trooper Norman Chaffins told CNN.

When Ellis got out of his car to remove the debris, he was shot multiple times.

"It was an obvious ambush," Chaffins said. "He never used his service weapon. It was holstered."

Other drivers pulled over and used Ellis' police radio to call for help. But the officer didn't survive.

Bardstown Police Chief Rick McCubbin promised to avenge his officer's death.

"It's an eye for an eye. You kill one of my guys, I'm not going to rest until I have you in cuffs or on the front side of a weapon. And I mean that," he said.

Chaffins said it's unclear whether Ellis was the intended target or if the shooter planned to kill a different officer or even a random citizen.

But he believes the killing was premeditated.

"Someone planned this, and someone planned to shoot somebody at that spot, at that location, at that time," Chaffins said.

The brazen and mysterious circumstances surrounding Ellis' death has sent a ripple of fear across Nelson County.

"It scares everybody in the community. It could happen to anyone," resident Martin Rogers told CNN affiliate WHAS. "If he wasn't the intended victim, that means anyone could have been the victim."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/27/justice/kentucky-officer-killed/index.html

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