it was the first time the troops had come to grips with the terrible loss signified by seven battlefield crosses. and we wondered what's become of them. we caught up with them on a field trip, part of their washington reunion. what do they think of their war? was coming home the homecoming they hoped for? >> simon: when he made his comeback, levine, now in a wheelchair, before even lifting his baton, got a standing ovation. ( applause ) he would conduct mozart's "cosi fan tutte," one of his favorites. ♪ ♪ ♪ if you could see music as well as hear it, you would see it in the face of james levine. >> i'm steve kroft. >> i'm scott pelley. >> i'm anderson cooper. >> i'm lara logan. >> i'm bill whitaker. >> i'm lesley stahl. those stories, including one of the last completed by our colleague bob simon before he died, tonight on "60 minutes." and i didn't get here alone. there were people who listened along the way. people who gave me options. kept me on track. and through it all my retirement never got left behind. so today, i'm prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be. every someday needs a plan. let's talk about your old 401(k) today. when the moment's spontaneous, why pause to take a pill? or stop to find a bathroom? cialis for daily use is approved to treat both erectile dysfunction and the urinary symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently, day or night. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision or any symptoms of an allergic reaction stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. when eating healthy and drinking water just isn't enough to ease my constipation i trust dulcolax tablets. i take dulcolax for dependable overnight relief and in the morning i am back to myself dulcolax, designed for dependable relief busy week? oh yeah... i've got a pile of work... presentation tomorrow... daily workout... in-laws on sunday... make time everyday for berocca. it supports mental sharpness and physical energy. beroccaaaaaaaaaaa! ♪ its effects on society really came about because, not because i was selfish and wanted one for myself, which i did. its because i had, had a passion. my whole life i wanted to teach myself to build computers. i wanted to build these things for free. i just wanted to do it for the world and you know when you want something, that's what you do the best. ♪ ♪ [ starter ] ready! [ starting gun goes off ] [ male announcer ] over time you've come to realize... it's less of a race... and more of a journey. so carry on... with an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. >> stahl: in the late hours of a january night in buenos aires, a dashing, driven argentine prosecutor was found dead in his apartment, bullet to the head. it was the day before he was to publicly present his evidence that the country's president cristina kirchner, had secretly conspired with iran to cover up iran's involvement in argentina's worst terrorist attack 20 years ago. it immediately became an international whodunnit, in great part because of the key players-- a hard-charging, high- profile prosecutor, and a fiery, populist president with a penchant for high drama. what everyone wants to know is was it murder? was the government somehow involved? or was it suicide? forensic teams scoured the crime scene for clues; only the victim's dna was found. his name was alberto nisman, 51, a father of two. he was a prosecutor with ten bodyguards and a long list of enemies. in the days before his death, he had grown worried for his and his family's safety. just hours before he died, he asked diego lagomarsino, a tech worker in his office, to loan him his gun. so, as far as we know, you were the last person who saw nisman one day before he died. did he say why he wanted the weapon? >> diego lagomarsino: yeah. ( translated ): he told me, "do you know how it feels that your daughters don't want to be with you because they are afraid that something will happen to them by being next to you?" i had never seen nisman so concerned. >> stahl: didn't you say to him, "why do you need a gun? you have ten bodyguards?" >> lagomarsino ( translated ): yes. that's the first thing i asked him. and he answered, "because i don't trust my bodyguards." >> stahl: sunday morning january 18, nisman is up in his apartment, here up on the 13th floor, but things aren't quite right. he doesn't respond to repeated phone calls from his bodyguards. we know from the coroner that he died around 3:00 pm, in his bathroom, his body slumped against the door. he had been struck by a bullet at point-blank range above his right ear. did it enter your mind at all ever in being with him that he might use this weapon on himself? >> lagomarsino: no. >> stahl: no sense that he was going to kill himself? >> lagomarsino: no. >> stahl: do you think he did commit suicide? >> lagomarsino: i don't know. >> stahl: it looked a suicide, but there was no note and no gun powder residue on alberto nisman's hands. and a forensics team hired by his ex-wife ruled it a murder. it's a mystery with roots going back 20 years to this crime-- the suicide bombing of amia, the buenos aires jewish community center, that killed 85, burying them under the rubble. it was the worst terror attack in this country's history. it was long believed that hezbollah operatives carried it out. but who sent them? after ten years with no answer alberto nisman was named special prosecutor in 2004 to find out. >> gustavo perednik: he believed in it as a mission. he always thought that, through justice, you can defeat terrorism. >> stahl: gustavo perednik, a close friend who wrote a book about the case, said that nisman, after investigating for two years, charged iran with ordering and financing the attack. he went right to the very top of iran and accused the topmost people of approving the bombing. >> perednik: and thanks to him they have to be in iran all the time, because if they leave iran, then interpol can look for them. >> stahl: that's because interpol issued red alerts, the equivalent of arrest warrants, to several high-ranking iranians, including the defense minister. alberto nisman would spend the rest of his life trying in vain to get them into an argentine court. so he was stunned when, two years ago, his country's foreign minister signed a memorandum with iran in which the two countries agreed to interrogate the accused officials together. >> perednik: the memorandum itself is a joke. because it meant basically that argentina has to give to iran all the results of its investigation against iran for the iranians to check. that was absurd. >> stahl: prosecutor nisman felt betrayed, saying this was negotiating with the terrorists responsible for the attack. he saw it as part of the government's tilt towards anti- western regimes, shepherded by the foreign minister, hector timerman, who agreed to talk to us at the foreign ministry. there's been a lot said about your government shifting policy, foreign policy, away from the united states. >> hector timerman: why do you think that an alliance with united states is the only way a country can have a foreign policy? we have an independent foreign policy. >> stahl: independent of the united states. >> timerman: independent foreign policy! >> stahl: but you used to be very close to the united states, and that is no longer the case. >> timerman: i don't think it is so good to be close to anybody. >> stahl: problem is, alberto nisman was close to the americans and stayed close. according to leaked state department cables, washington was always pressuring him to keep the focus on iran. do you agree with those who say that mr. nisman was a puppet of the united states and the cia? >> timerman: well, "puppet" is a very strong word to use by a foreign minister. >> stahl: under the sway of? >> timerman: mr. nisman used to go to the american embassy here in argentina and tell in advance what he was going to do. >> stahl: do you know if mr. nisman was about to lose his job? was he going to be fired? >> timerman: no, he was not going to lose his job. >> stahl: you've read the speculations... >> timerman: there was speculation in the media, but there was no way that we ever discussed taking the job away from mr. nisman. >> stahl: to this day, the case of the bombing of the jewish community center remains unadjudicated, the evidence gathering dust in a giant warehouse in downtown buenos aires, over half a million yellowing documents, folders audio cassettes. and now, argentina has a new mystery because, two months ago, prosecutor nisman went on television with an explosive accusation... >> alberto nisman: cristina fernandez de kirchner... >> stahl: ...that president cristina fernandez de kirchner and her foreign minister had negotiated a secret deal with iran to improve trade in exchange for dropping those red alerts. perednik said nisman saw this as colluding with the enemy. >> perednik: this time he said "i'm going to put them in jail." >> stahl: i'm going to put them in jail. >> perednik: and "them" is the president and the foreign minister. but four days after his accusation, nisman was dead. president kirchner, not one to hold back, immediately took to facebook to suggest it was suicide; then abruptly backtracked and called it murder. people took to the streets in protest, calling for justice. polls show a majority here think he was assassinated, and the president's opponents think she had a hand in it. this country has a history of assassinations. for years, under military dictatorship, political rivals simply disappeared, but argentinians thought they had put that behind them. i've heard people talk about argentina being drawn back into its dark past. >> timerman: no. >> stahl: assassinations. >> timerman: no, it's impossible. we are talking about things that were terrible, terrible. >> stahl: one of the great mysteries is whether mr. nisman killed himself or whether he was murdered. so, what do you think? >> timerman: that i am part of that mystery. i don't know. >> stahl: he's part of the mystery because he was one of nisman's targets. the day after he died, the prosecutor was scheduled to appear before congress to publicly present a 300-page report backing up his charges. he said that you, in 2011, met in syria with your iranian counterpart. he said that you said, and this is a quote in the report: "argentina is no longer interested in solving the attack," the bombing here. "it prefers to improve its trade relations with iran." >> timerman: well, that's a lie. >> stahl: now, that's a direct... >> timerman: that's a total lie. i never said that. mr. nisman never showed any evidence that i said that. >> stahl: he didn't have that on tape or anything like that? >> timerman: he cannot have something in tape because i didn't say it. >> stahl: nisman says that you offered to lift the red alerts. >> timerman: ( laughs ) that is... it's total illogic. i mean, you have to read the law. the only who can cancel the red notice is a judge. i cannot lift the red notice. i am not allowed. >> stahl: you could not make a deal to, you could not promise to. >> timerman: i cannot do it. >> stahl: so, is it possible that the prosecutor's charge against the president and foreign minister was without merit? in an evidence room stacked two stories high with investigation documents, we met the argentine judge who issued those original red alert arrest warrants. you were the judge who made the request of interpol to... >> judge: yeah. yes, yes. >> stahl: ...arrest these people, those red alerts. >> judge: yes. >> stahl: did this government ever ask you to ask interpol to lift the red alerts? >> judge: no, never. >> stahl: never? >> judge: no government, no person, no nobody. >> stahl: it seems interpol never got a request to lift the arrest warrants from anyone. two days after nisman made his accusation, the former head of interpol sent this letter to the foreign minister, affirming that the government was "100% committed that the red alerts remain in effect." so, 180 degrees from what nisman said. >> timerman: exactly. and i read that in public. >> stahl: how could such a seasoned prosecutor make such a huge mistake? president kirchner speculated that her enemies fed nisman the erroneous information, then killed him hoping she would get blamed. she pointed, for example, to the man who gave him the gun. so the president named you as someone suspicious in this case. she says that you're an agent of the opposition. >> lagomarsino: no. >> stahl: here are some of the rumors we've heard about you-- that you're a spy. >> lagomarsino ( translated ): no, i'm not a spy. >> stahl: that you're an agent for a foreign government-- iran, israel. >> lagomarsino: no. >> stahl: no? >> lagomarsino: no. >> stahl: we haven't seen any evidence to back up the president's charges about lagomarsino. a more credible target is this man, jaime stuisso, a powerful and shadowy spymaster who was nisman's main source for years. one theory is that stuisso concocted the accusations against the president in revenge after she fired him. >> timerman: stuisso was fired december, end of december. >> stahl: right. >> timerman: and 14 days later mr. nisman accused the president and myself. >> stahl: ah, you see a connection there? >> timerman: oh, yes. >> stahl: the foreign minister suggests that the spymaster manipulated nisman into coming out with the sensational indictment against the argentine government before the details could be verified. those who believe it was suicide think the prosecutor came to realize he had been duped and snapped. is it possible, in your mind that he thought to himself, "oh, my. i got this terribly wrong, and now i don't want to be embarrassed and have to testify publicly"? does that... is that in your head? >> timerman: i cannot imagine what can go through the mind of a person like nisman. and i don't want to speculate because the man is dead. he cannot defend himself, and so i will not speculate on what happened with him. >> stahl: there's a new building and memorial at the site of the 1994 amia bombing, a crime the prosecutor dedicated the last ten years of his life to. now that he's gone, the families of the victims fear they will never have justice. at the jewish cemetery in buenos aires, luis czyzewski visits the grave of his daughter paola, often. just steps away is a fresh grave, that of alberto nisman. >> cbs money watch update, sponsored by lincoln financialment calling all chief life officers. >> glor: good evening. one year after flight 370 disappeared, malaysia says it will spend $190 million to improve civilian radar. saudi arabia is the largest weapons importer, expected to buy $10 billion in weapons this year, and the apple watch will be unveiled tomorrow. i'm jeff glor, cbs news. ♪ miranda: ♪ i got red dirt stains on my boots and jeans. ♪ ♪ calloused fingers from my guitar strings. ♪ ♪ wild like the wind in the tall pine trees. ♪ ♪ i got roots and i got wings. ♪ ♪ to create a most flavorful subway sandwich, we begin with freshly-baked-bread; tender-roasted-to-perfection- turkey-breast, genoa salami; spicy pepperoni; melty provolone; fresh veggies; and our new subway vinaigrette blended with oregano, a hint of garlic, and black pepper. made right in front of you tastes unite in a fresh-toasted sandwich like no other. in other words, the magnificent new turkey italiano melt. only at subway. ♪ ♪ no other scents feel like glade. ♪ uplift your tired tuesday attitude with our clean linen fragrance. ♪ feel fresh and new. feel glade. sc johnson. a family company. march is colorectal cancer awareness month. what better time to ask your healthcare provider about ways to reduce your risks. cbs cares. >> pelley: two-and-a-half million americans served in iraq and afghanistan. and we wondered what's become of them long after they cut down the yellow ribbons and the camo went into hiding in the back of the closet. what do they think of their war? was coming home the homecoming they hoped for? recently, we joined an annual reunion of men that we first met five years ago. it was back in 2009 that golf company, second battalion of the eighth marines, was taking the highest casualties on afghanistan's most lethal battlefield. when we met them again last summer in washington, we found that their searing experience had made them brothers in war and peace. we caught up with them on a field trip, part of their washington reunion. they fell in without uniforms, weapons, or the passing of years. they're mostly civilians now gathered in one place they could be together, the place they could say things that had been left unsaid or deliver news of the last five years. golf company's lance corporal burrow and lieutenant bourgeois were enlisted in the ranks of arlington national cemetery, each stone arch, a gateway through time. >> robert pullen: lance corporal jonathan f. straud. lance corporal gregory a. posey... >> pelley: this was september 2009. we were there as golf company stood rigid in a mud-walled memorial service. it was the first time the troops had come to grips with the terrible loss signified by seven battlefield crosses. first sergeant robert pullen called the roll of the dead. >> pullen: ... lance corporal patrick w. shimell. lance corporal dennis j. burrow, lance corporal javier olvera lance corporal david r. hall. >> pelley: the seven marines had died fighting to clear and hold the taliban heartland, exhausting months negotiating around land mines and skeptical elders. back then, their orders were to use restraint. and corporal jonathan quiceno told us what he thought of that. >> jonathan quiceno: it sucks. i don't know another word to say it. it sucks, because all you want to do is get that guy, just get them, you know, for revenge. >> pelley: revenge for the death of his friend nick xiarhos, who was killed in 2009 by a roadside bomb. five years later, quiceno had used his veteran's benefits for college, and now he's selling retirement plans for lincoln financial outside philadelphia. he moved on, but he never let go of xiarhos. >> quiceno: it's because of people like him that i want to continue to push harder in life and succeed, because it's... it's the good ones that pass. and i can't let that be in vain. it drives me, it motivates me. >> pelley: is there anything that you miss about afghanistan and the marine corps? >> quiceno: absolutely-- the brotherhood. there's no question about that. you miss the... the sense of purpose, right? you had a mission. you felt accomplished with everything that you do, even at a young age. i think, when you transition into the real world, you have to find out what your mission is. >> pelley: you know, a lot of people would think you would try to forget afghanistan, and it seems to me you're trying to remember it. >> quiceno: i don't want to put it behind me. i want it to be real in everything that i do because it gives me something to live for gives me something to stand for. >> rory hamill: i loved the camaraderie and everything that came along with it. >> pelley: there's nothing like it. >> hammill: nothing. haven't found anything like it. >> pelley: golf company's rory hamill was so dedicated to the camaraderie, he went back to afghanistan for another tour in 2011. >> hammill: i suppose it was to try and get back at the guys that killed my brothers. >> pelley: tell me about the day you were wounded. >> hammill: came across a local national who gave us some intelligence on the ground that there was an i.e.d. in a compound next to his house. i took the minesweeper off my point man's back and i jokingly said, "see you on the other side." i got about three-quarters of the compound swept, and then i stepped on a low metallic pressure plate. and my leg was instantly sheared off. i remember it seemed very surreal. my vision went gray, a lot of ringing, dust every where. >> pelley: when the dust settled, his right leg was gone, half way up the thigh. at walter reed medical center, president obama brought him an honor. >> hamill: he awarded me with a purple heart. it was amazing. it was an amazing experience. >> pelley: you must've been in a pretty dark place otherwise. >> hammill: oh, yeah. the first two weeks, lot of the thoughts going through my head were, "why didn't i die? what am i going to do now with my life?" >> pelley: were there times you wished you hadn't survived? >> hammill: yeah. i was contemplating taking my own life. but sitting and thinking about it, realizing that i have children that depend on me, i knew that was not the right course of action. >> pelley: urged onto a different course by his father hamill pressed through counseling and physical therapy. he's found work managing logistics in a navy program for wounded warriors. having been through everything you've been through, would you do it again? >> hammill: in a heartbeat. it made me the man i am today. >> christian cabannis: whether they like it or not, i still feel responsible, you know, for them. >> pelley: they're still your marines? >> cabannis: they always will be. >> pelley: golf's battalion commander was lieutenant colonel christian cabannis. >> cabannis: in this summer of decision in afghanistan in 2009, you are going to change history, living the dream one minute at a time. >> pelley: today, he's colonel cabannis, and he joined this reunion. why do you think some of the marines are still struggling after they've come home, after five years? >> cabannis: i think, in some ways, we all do when we come back. it's because we're trying to put that experience into perspective. i joked i am never more popular coming home from a deployment than right before the bus door opens. "superman's coming, superman's coming, superman's coming," the door opens and "oh, its just him." and they expect you to fall back into those roles-- husband father, brother, nephew, cousin, uncle, as if nothing changed. >> dan o'hara: there were definitely times when i questioned what we were doing over there. >> pelley: five years ago, dan o'hara was a fresh second lieutenant leading his first combat platoon. what's the biggest threat to your marines? >> o'hara: the biggest threat would be the improvised explosive devices. >> pelley: he told us, then, that he joined the marines because he didn't want to regret not serving. it turned out, we met on what would be his worst day. >> o'hara: we should be good pushing up through here until we get near that i.e.d. site. >> pelley: it was a mission to defuse a landmine, and it went exactly according to plan. but on the way back, lance corporal david hall detonated a second bomb. and the next day, o'hara tried to give meaning to hall's death. >> o'hara: just understand we're doing the right things-- we're doing good work, we're making a difference here, we're here fighting for the people of afghanistan, we're here ultimately fighting for our country. should we have been in afghanistan? i don't know. maybe the answer's yes, maybe it's no. and so, when i run into people who say, "tell me about afghanistan. what were our goals there? should we have been there?" i think i'm in the same boat where i would say, "you know, to be honest with you, i don't know." >> pelley: after two tours and a lot of questions, o'hara's been recruited into general electric's program for returning vets. he's a project manager for ge oil and gas. and sometimes, he thinks about running for office. >> o'hara: i had done what i wanted to do in the marine corps. i could say i deployed twice in the defense of my nation, so that was something i was proud of. there's certainly part of you that says, "i'm glad that that's over with." >> pelley: goodbye to all that. >> o'hara: yeah. goodbye to afghanistan. i won't be seeing you again. >> devin jones: those images are burned in your head, man. they never go away. they never go away. >> pelley: afghanistan did not leave golf company's devin jones. like many others, jones brought the war home. >> jones: i mean it was rough. i didn't do anything during the day. i moved at night and that was it. >> pelley: the anxiety of post traumatic stress left him isolated and jobless. >> jones: you're getting closer to closer to being on the streets. you're getting eviction notices. you're getting those and you're just like, "man, this is bad." >> pelley: did you lose the apartment? >> jones: yeah. i ended up losing it. i ended up... >> pelley: where'd you go? >> jones: for a little while, i stayed in my storage unit. >> pelley: you were living in a storage unit? >> jones: yeah. yeah, staying in the storage unit. >> pelley: why aren't you reaching out for help? >> jones: i felt like a complete idiot, like, a complete failure. i went from being a very proud combat, you know, veteran to just... to another, you know percentage of the homeless vets. it's so much easier to give up. you go from having a job, stable job, having everyone that cares about you around you 24/7 to being alone, broke, eating saltine crackers living in a storage unit. who wouldn't want to die? >> pelley: but what torments jones is that he isn't alone. there is the persistent presence of his friend, dennis burrow. after burrow was killed by a landmine, golf company put his name on a combat outpost so he wouldn't be forgotten, but it turns out that isn't the problem-- the dead are immortal in the mind. were you there when burrow died? >> jones: yes. yes, i was. >> pelley: what happened? >> jones: i'm not sure if i really want to go into detail on that too much, you know? i'm not... i don't want to be the person that... that the family hears that from, if they don't already know, you know? it's not easy to think about that day, because... that was a pretty rough day. sorry. >> pelley: i'm sorry that it's so hard to remember that. >> jones: it's all right. >> pelley: you're still looking out for burrow. >> jones: yeah. you never stop looking out for your team. your team's everything. i've had nightmares where i've just been sitting there just staring at him. >> pelley: did you sometimes think you'd like to trade places? >> jones: every day. every single day. how do i deserve to be here? it's been a long time, bud. miss you, dude. don't know else to really say-- just look after us, look after you know, everybody else, man. so i'm thinking about you, bud. >> pelley: the men do look after one another. phone calls at 3:00 am to be reminded that what got them through combat will get them through whatever they're fighting now. there is a bond that only a vet can know, that does not loosen with time. where do you think these marines will be five years from now? >> cabannis: what i really hope is, you know, five years from now, they're still coming together to see each other, to talk to each other. and they're talking about their kids and the things that are going on in their lives, so that they've been able to put that experience in perspective and use it as a foundation. because i've said that these kids are our next greatest generation, but not necessarily because of what they did on the battlefield. it's going to be because of what they did when they got home. >> see the photos scott pelley shot when he first met golf company in afghanistan. go to 60minutesovertime.com. sponsored by pfizer. to menopausal changes it's not likely to go away on its own. so let's do something about it. premarin vaginal cream can help it provides estrogens to help rebuild vaginal tissue and make intercourse more comfortable. premarin vaginal cream treats vaginal changes due to menopause and moderate-to-severe painful intercourse caused by these changes. don't use it if you've had unusual bleeding breast or uterine cancer blood clots, liver problems, stroke or heart attack, are allergic to any of its ingredients or think you're pregnant. side effects may include headache pelvic pain, breast pain vaginal bleeding and vaginitis. estrogens may increase your chances of getting cancer of the uterus, strokes, blood clots or dementia so use it for the shortest time based on goals and risks. estrogen should not be used to prevent heart disease heart attack, stroke or dementia. ask your doctor about premarin vaginal cream. ameriprise asked people a simple question: in retirement, will you have enough money to live life on your terms? 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one, two, three, four, and you're done. simple. so the pennsylvania lottery changed the name of "big 4" to "pick 4". it's that simple to play. pick 4. easy to play. simple to say. >> stahl: james levine is america's greatest living conductor, in the judgment of many music lovers, including our late colleague bob simon, who could often be found attending levine-led performances at the metropolitan opera. before we lost him in a tragic car crash last month, bob completed a story on the 71- year-old maestro who has directed and defined new york's incomparable met for almost half a century; has guided and inspired three generations of the world's best singers, and become americas most influential maestro since leonard bernstein. under his baton, the met became the house of levine. four years ago, a terrible accident left him partially paralyzed. as bob simon reported, only believers in miracles thought levine could return to the podium. but after a two year absence, he did. ( applause ) >> simon: when he made his comeback, levine, now in a wheelchair, before even lifting his baton, got a standing ovation. that usually happens at the end of an opera, not at the beginning. he would conduct mozart's "cosi fan tutte," one of his favorites. ♪ ♪ ♪ if you could see music as well as hear it, you would see it in the face of james levine. >> james levine: i was just grateful beyond words it was clear that i could still do this work, and that the orchestra and the company and the audience wanted me to do it. and oh, it felt like i had a chance to get my life back. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> simon: are you aware of how sad, even desperate, many of the musicians and singers were when you weren't around? >> levine: yes, bob, i'm very aware of it. they called me, they wrote me letters, and the messages were always, "we need you. get well. come back as quick as you can." it was a fantastic motivating thing for me. seasons, and it felt like forever. >> simon: it also seemed like forever not only to the met but to the entire world of opera. he's been conducting here since he was 27, but has been making music since he was a toddler. he grew up in cincinnati, the son of a former big band leader and a broadway actress. he wasn't just your garden variety prodigy and everyone seemed to know it. he did, too. was there ever a single moment when you weren't sure you wanted to devote your life to music? >> levine: never. i knew it was one... one of my earliest awarenesses-- that i loved music, and it was what i was happiest doing, always. >> simon: in 1976, levine became music director of the met, where he's conducted more than 2,500 performances. he's also conducted every major orchestra in america and europe, and coached the greatest singers of our time-- leontyne price and marilyn horne... ♪ ♪ ♪ >> simon: ...renee fleming. ♪ ♪ ♪ and he participated in what was probably the most popular classical music event in history. ♪ ♪ ♪ he brought opera to the masses with the three tenors-- domingo, carreras, pavarotti. ( cheers and applause ) >> peter gelb: he is one of the greatest conductors in the history of conducting. >> simon: peter gelb is the general manager of the metropolitan opera. can you describe what distinguishes levine from other conductors? >> gelb: he taught the metropolitan opera orchestra to listen to singers. he made them into a truly great opera orchestra, and his ability to get the best out of the performers is another hallmark. he's a conductor for the ages, in that regard. >> simon: levine's career seemed destined to accompany him into old age brilliantly and seamlessly. but then, starting in 2000, his body began to fail him, a host of ailments. he cancelled performances. >> levine: there were times when i really couldn't work, or i had to work in so much pain, it was a big distraction. >> simon: then, in 2011, he took what turned out to be a catastrophic fall. >> levine: i fell down a flight of steps onto the grass. and gradually, over the rest of that day and the following day the feeling went out of my legs and i couldn't move them. >> simon: he had fractured his spine, took an indefinite leave of absence. was there a moment when you realized, "i think i'll be able to conduct again?" >> levine: no, but there was a moment that i remember, after what seemed like an endless number of days, i kept saying to my leg, "go on, move." ( laughs ) and one day i said, "go on move," and it did. >> simon: it listened. >> levine: and i said, "you really do that, didn't you? can you do that again?" and it did it again. >> simon: that minuscule movement brought hope back to the met and to levine's closest buddy, placido domingo. they've been making music together for decades. when he was at the point that he couldn't move his legs, did you ever doubt that he'd be able to come back? >> placido domingo: i have seen him already suffering in the last years, you know. and always, he was coming back. i just cannot imagine jimmy was not going to be at the met or he was not going to be conducting. >> simon: jimmy, the comeback kid? >> domingo: the comeback kid yes. >> simon: but how would he come back? >> levine: hello. excuse me. >> simon: it took a lot of engineering. >> levine: hi. >> simon: the met designed a portable podium dubbed the "maestro lift" that works like an elevator. it goes up and down and allows him to turn. >> levine: good morning, everybody. i drove here in my chair... which is why i'm a few minutes late. in any case, let's do act two please. one, two, one, two. ♪ ♪ ♪ there we are. >> simon: you have been number one for over 40 years. what do you do that number ten does not do? >> levine: oh, bob, i haven't the faintest idea. >> simon: oh, yes, you do. >> levine: no, i don't. my job is to keep making it better, which gets subtler and subtler, the better you get. >> simon: we went with levine to rehearsals of verdi's comedy "falstaff" to find out how he makes it better. the opera is about a shameless rogue and the women who are determined to trap him. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> levine: excellent. >> simon: levine's credo-- when you think you have finished rehearsing, rehearse again. >> levine: lustier, a little bit unrestrained... one, two... ♪ ♪ ♪ >> simon: less than perfect isn't less than perfect; it's wrong. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> levine: no. excuse me. it's slightly... >> simon: levine has conducted "falstaff" 55 times and says he's still trying to get it right. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> levine: what you say. wow. >> simon: he has been working with the great american mezzo soprano stephanie blythe since she was a student of his 20 years ago. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> stephanie blythe: the man understands singers. he understands the psychology of singing, which is not easy. >> simon: what is the psychology of singing? >> blythe: well, everyone's different. you know, we're like a load of snowflakes up there. when you're up on the stage, there's an enormous amount of fear that goes along with that. you can't take a risk unless you're brave. and you can't be brave if you're looking down in the pit and you see the top of someone's head. >> levine: good, steph. >> simon: and he gives you confidence? >> blythe: he gives you an enormous confidence. >> simon: singers call him the best coach in opera, because he always tells them how good they are before pointing out how they can and must do better. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> levine: that's it. wait a minute, wait a minute. that was a nice one. >> thank you. >> levine: in other words, then the voice goes together with your smile, which is wonderful and your cheek bones and your eyes, which are beautiful. i try to make a rehearsal room a very safe environment for a singer so that we can make improvements. >> simon: when's the last time you screamed at a singer? >> levine: screamed? >> simon: uh-huh. >> levine: oh, i don't... >> simon: got really mad. >> levine: i don't scream at people. you like it if people scream at you? >> simon: no, not at all. but people do. ( laughter ) >> levine: well, i don't scream at people and people don't scream at me. >> simon: instead, they just sing their hearts out. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ when the ladies leave, levine does, too, to that other new york landmark, central park, the great outdoors. and here too, the tempo is allegro. that really goes at a fair clip. >> levine: it can go pretty fast. >> simon: i bet it can outpace me. >> levine: the park's a miracle. it's, in a way, like a mini- vacation just to come in there for a couple of hours. >> simon: what do you plan for your retirement? >> levine: ( laughs ) i don't understand why people think they want to retire. >> simon: he never plans to. maestros rarely do. but he's focused on his legacy shaping and molding the next generation of singers. 35 years ago, he created the met's lindemann young artist program. even when he couldn't conduct, he kept on working with his students. today, he's coaching mary-jane lee from canada. ♪ ♪ ♪ she is taking on one of the most heartbreaking arias in all opera-- the doomed desdemona in verdi's "otello." ♪ ♪ ♪ levine has conducted "otello" more than any other opera, and with the greatest divas of the century. but watch him with this young student-- he seems as moved as he's ever been. ♪ ♪ ♪ ( applause ) >> levine: you did a lot of great work on that piece, didn't you? >> mary jane lee: yes. >> levine: yes. i'm so happy living in music working on music, that if i'm not working on music, i'm looking forward to the next time i will be. ♪ ♪ ♪ you take it into your nervous system and into your ears and into your heart and into your intellect directly. you're guaranteed, from the minute the music starts until it stops, nothing is in there except that. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ( applause ) >> welcome to the cbs sports update brought to you by findser. i'm greg gumbel in new york. last night wellmont became first team into the ncaa tournament. today three more teams won their way into the field of 68. northern iowa, coastal carolina won the big south and north florida will make its first ever appearance in the ncaa tournament after winning the atlantic sun. for more sports news and information, go to cbssports.com. but i resign el to the fact that it wasn't going to work. but chantix helped me do it. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it gave me the power to overcome the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some people had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix or history of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. i'm a non-smoker. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. rick: new club? 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