TJ, homeless man from Coney Island in viral "Byron" videos, gets help from thousands of strangers
CBSN
Many know him as "Byron" or just "that guy from Coney Island." He went viral on TikTok for his innocent and impromptu interview on the street, and now, thousands are people are chipping in to help him.
Because TikTok culture can be confusing and its trends often unfathomable, a quick recap: TikTok account "SideTalk," which posts quick one-minute interviews with average New Yorkers, shared a compilation of interviews from Coney Island.
Nearly everyone in the video stands out – one man invites Ariana Grande to Coney Island, another shouts "bing bong." And one man, who is asked about the president, innocently calls him "Joe Byron."
Ashley White received her earliest combat action badge from the United States Army soon after the first lieutenant arrived in Afghanistan. The silver military award, recognizing soldiers who've been personally engaged by an attacker during conflict, was considered an achievement in and of itself as well as an affirming rite of passage for the newly deployed. White had earned it for using her own body to shield a group of civilian women and children from gunfire that broke out in the midst of her third mission in Kandahar province. All of them survived. She never mentioned the badge to anyone in her battalion.