This is the fallen soldier who Trump reportedly said 'knew what he signed up for'
President Trump on Wednesday denied telling the widow of a U.S. soldier killed by Islamic State-linked militants in Niger that her husband knew "what he signed up for, but I guess it still hurts."
The response to that reported conversation has been constant and loud on social media. But how much do we know about the soldier and the family he left behind while serving his country?
His name is La David Johnson. He was 25 years old, a husband and a father.
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First, the controversy
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said she overheard the comment during a conversation on speaker phone Tuesday between Trump and Army Sgt. La David Johnson's widow, Myeshia Johnson, as they traveled together to meet Johnson's body in Miami.
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The soldier’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, says she was in the car during the call and confirmed with the Associated Press that “the statement is true.”
Trump, however, told a different story.
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"Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!" he tweeted Wednesday.
Wilson said Johnson could not remember everything Trump said but felt that the president didn't know her husband's name.
Wheelie King 305
Before Johnson became an Army Sergeant, social media users formerly knew him as “Wheelie King 305.”
The Miami Gardens native was known for riding a bike with only the back tire for miles and miles.
People in his hometown took notice. His Instagram account had thousands of followers.
He removed his tire from the front axle of his BMX bike for a “challenge,” according to WPLG-TV in Miami.
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The love for a challenge pushed the former Walmart employee to become a member of the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Johnson, who was nicknamed “Tee,” graduated from the ATI Technical Institute to become an Automotive Service Technician, according to his Facebook page.
He enlisted in the Army in January 2014 as a Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic (91).
"My brother stood for something," Angela Ghent, his half-sister, wrote on Facebook. "He fought for this country and that's how he will be remembered."
Johnson's awards and decorations during his service include the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Parachutist Badge, the Army Air Assault Badge, the Driver and Mechanic Badge and the Marksmanship Qualification Badge - Sharpshooter with Rifle, according to the Army's website.
His love of wheelies did not stop when his military career began. He was often spotted riding a one-wheeled bike in his uniform while stationed in Fort Bragg.
The family is having a “Wheelie King 305” Parade in honor of Johnson on Saturday. His wife is inviting friends and loved ones with dirt bikes, four-wheelers, pocket bikes and BMX bikes to “come out and shout out for my husband!”
“Everyone knew him as the one wheelie king and I know he would gladly appreciate it,” a post on Johnson’s Facebook page reads.
'A reliable dad and husband'
His friends remember him as a "reliable dad and husband," according to WPLG-TV.
He has a 6-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy. His wife Myeshia is six months pregnant with the couple’s third child, which is due January.
He even had his wife’s name tattooed across his chest.
The grieving widow leaned over Johnson’s casket with her pregnant belly Tuesday after his remains arrived at the Miami International Airport.
The couple’s daughter stoically stood next to her mother while her little brother waited nearby with relatives.
A GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Johnson's children to attend college has raised more than $550,000 as of Thursday. The fund will be called the Sgt. La David Johnson Scholarship in honor of "our Role Model Son and American Hero," according to the GoFundMe page.
What happened?
Johnson was one of four soldiers ambushed, shot and killed while on a reconnaissance patrol in the west African country on Oct. 4.
U.S. officials said 40-50 extremists in vehicles and on motorcycles fired rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns at the patrol, setting off explosions and shattering windows.
They were serving as part of an operation to train local forces to combat the Boko Haram terror group in Niger, which has ties to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
Johnson was initially declared missing when French helicopters evacuated the soldiers after the attack. Nigerian military personnel recovered his body at the scene nearly two days later.
"The Bush Hog formation (Johnson's battalion) was made better because of Johnson's faithful service," Lt. Col. David Painter said in a statement.
Wilson questioned the air support and firepower the soldier's patrol was provided with for its mission and said she wants an investigation into Johnson's death.
Trump was widely criticized after he defended his slow public response to the deaths of the soldiers, falsely claiming that most of his predecessors never called the families of service members killed in action.
Contributing: USA TODAY and The Associated Press. Follow Cydney Henderson on Twitter: @CydHenderson