Article snippet: John F. Kelly, President Trump’s chief of staff, delivered an emotional statement on Thursday in the White House briefing room, defending Mr. Trump’s call to the widow of a slain soldier and responding to criticism from Representative Frederica S. Wilson, Democrat of Florida. The following is a transcript of those remarks, as prepared by the White House. For further coverage of Mr. Kelly’s statement, read here » _______ JOHN F. KELLY, White House chief of staff: Well, thanks a lot. And it is a more serious note, so I just wanted to perhaps make more of a statement than an — give more of an explanation in what amounts to be a traditional press interaction. Most Americans don’t know what happens when we lose one of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, our Coast Guardsmen in combat. So let me tell you what happens: Their buddies wrap them up in whatever passes as a shroud, puts them on a helicopter as a routine, and sends them home. Their first stop along the way is when they’re packed in ice, typically at the airhead. And then they’re flown to, usually, Europe where they’re then packed in ice again and flown to Dover Air Force Base, where Dover takes care of the remains, embalms them, meticulously dresses them in their uniform with the medals that they’ve earned, the emblems of their service, and then puts them on another airplane linked up with a casualty officer escort that takes them home. A very, very good movie to watch, if you haven’t ever seen it, is “Takin... Link to the full article to read more