Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden breaks his silence

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  • 9

    Okinawamike

    And because he left the Navy after 16 years of service, he does not qualify for a pension awarded only to those who remain in uniform for at least 20 years.

    He gave so much to his country, and now it seems he’s left in the dust, his wife says

    Then he should have stayed in for twenty like thousands of others do. If he has other issues that would not let him stay in, then file for the proper (Medical) discharge and his country would have taken care of him.

    The article does not say why he chooses to leave with 16 years TIS.

    Still I thank him for his service.

  • -2

    megosaa

    i agree with okinawamike.

  • -2

    Surf O'Holic

    Lots left out of this article.

    " The SEAL's struggles contradict the statement US President Barack Obama made on Veterans Day about those who serve the country.

    No one who fights for this country overseas should ever have to fight for a job, Obama said. Or a roof over their head, or the care that they have earned when they come home.

    But the Shooter is fighting financially, physically and emotionally. With a body full of scars, arthritis, tendonitis, eye damage and blown disks, the SEAL is in desperate need of medical care.

    Is this how America treats its heroes? Bronstein writes. The ones President Obama called the best of the best? The ones Vice-President Biden called the finest warriors in the history of the world?

    And the Shooter is just one of about 1.3 million veterans about one in 10 and 0.9 million family members who are currently uninsured, despite their years of service.

    [Bin Laden] crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed. He was dead. I watched him take his last breaths, the Shooter recalls. And I remember as I watched him breathe out the last part of air, I thought: Is this the best thing Ive ever done, or the worst thing Ive ever done?"

    Sounds to me that he possibly should have been medically retired, with blown disks and other medical issues, and not just left to fend for himself.

  • 1

    Okinawamike

    Sounds to me that he possibly should have been medically retired, with blown disks and other medical issues, and not just left to fend for himself

    Agree, if this is the case. But it looks like you have more information than this article states about his time in service and health.

  • 4

    Alphaape

    For those who don't know, he would have been required to attend a "TAP" (Transition Assistance Class) at least 3 to 4 months prior to discharge. In that class they would have gone over the steps for him to do in regards to filing his medical claims with the VA, and also let him know that he can apply for extended Tricare for a period of a few months (I forget the number but it should be about 90 days) after he is discharged. I read part of the story, and it looks as if he did have a plan when he was getting out, but it seems that his plans didn't exactly work out.

    I would think that someone with his skill set, there would be many job offers from that community offering him something along the lines of work. I can understand if he didn't want to put himself back out as a private "gun for hire" but still there is a tremendous amount of work for someone with his skill set.

    What I don't like, is when writers like the one and media folks who don't really know how the military system works to make it seem like he was just "thrown out" with nothing. That is not true. There may be a lot of other information left out, but still I feel sympathy for this Sailor, and I wish him the best.

  • -1

    Surf O'Holic

    @okinawamike,

    " But it looks like you have more information than this article states about his time in service and health."

    I read a couple other online articles that were more informative than this particular one, that's all.

  • 1

    Droll Quarry

    AlphaapeFeb. 12, 2013 - 11:31AM JST What I don't like, is when writers like the one and media folks who don't really know how the military system works to make it seem like he was just "thrown out" with nothing.

    Agreed. There is a "rest of the story" here somewhere. If the military had "put him out" there would have been a lot of counseling before he was released. If he had medical or mental issues, he would have been medically discharged/retired and his pension and medical care would have kicked in. It sounds like he left on his own.

    jh sends

  • 1

    cabadaje

    Then he should have stayed in for twenty like thousands of others do. If he has other issues that would not let him stay in, then file for the proper (Medical) discharge and his country would have taken care of him.

    It does seem a little odd. The Navy has absolutely no problem taking a person like this and assigning them to NAS EasyLiving for the last four years of his career. Why retire when you are so close to the short chain?

    Yeah, there is definitely a "rest of the story" floating around somewhere.

  • 0

    combinibento

    “In that second, I shot him, two times in the forehead. Bap! Bap! The second time as he’s going down. He crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again, Bap! same place,” he says.

    Cut and paste that into your resume/CV, dear shooter, and anyone will give you a job. Unemployment woes solved.

  • -2

    TorafusuTorasan

    @Alphaape "media folks...who make it seem like he was thrown out with nothing"

    The source corroborating this was his own wife. Can't blame the gol-dang media on this one, unless having the interviewee remain anonymous is what bothered you.

  • 0

    SuperLib

    Usually if there is a part of the story obviously missing it's because the reporter thought it would be more dramatic if he intentionally left certain things out.

  • 2

    Alphaape

    The source corroborating this was his own wife. Can't blame the gol-dang media on this one, unless having the interviewee remain anonymous is what bothered you.

    @ TorafusuTorasan: I have no problems with him remaining anonoymous, and I prefer it that way for the safety of his family. As for the comments coming from his wife, in regards to how he was treated by the Navy I have doubts. I served 20 years and retired, and I have had many Sailors who have had to face issues like this one in my career. I performed counseling, and career guidance and made available all the tools that they could use for success. Where there were problems, it normally came from the spouse who "thought she knew the system" and what she was supposedly "entitled" to. So many cases, the spouse doesn't fully understand what goes into some of these decisions, and when they don't they may make the service member react in a manner that screws himself out of what he has earned. I have seen too many of the supposed "know it alls" who don't really know anything, and I was the one who normally had to "unscrew" what the spouse was telling them and get them on the right track.

    I think that there is a lot more to this story than being told. If you read it closely, he had a plan to go into another line of work, and I am glad for that, but it looks like that plan fell through, and he just didn't expect that to happen so quickly.

  • 0

    fivegogo2003@yahoo.com

    Show me the money, then I will believe this whole cockamamie story and a cockamamie reason to got to war.

  • 1

    badsey3

    I don't blame him for retiring early.

    Seal Team 6 deaths:

    Story #1

    In the immediate aftermath of bin Laden’s alleged murder by the SEALs, Pakistani TV interviewed the next door neighbor to bin Laden’s alleged compound. Someone supplied the video with an English translation running at the bottom of the video. According to the translation, the next door neighbor, Mr. Bashir, said that he watched the entire operation from the roof of his house. There were 3 helicopters. Only 1 landed. About a dozen men got out and entered the house. They shortly returned and boarded the helicopter. When the helicopter lifted off it exploded, killing all aboard. Mr. Bashir reports seeing bodies and pieces of bodies all over.

    Story #2

    http://www.nbcnews.com/id/44043847/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/t/us-troops-mostly-elite-navy-seals-killed-afghanistan/

  • 2

    sailwind

    Alphaape,

    I Honor your Service. I also served 20 and am retired. I have to say this about this story as one Navy Vet to another, it just doesn't feel right at all. Something smells, it's just too damn cliche. American hero gets the shaft from a callous and unfeeling military? No support at all for the himself or his family. Has to go public with a sob story?

    Even the last line of this article is also sounds like it came from a bad hollywood movie about the Military. The are nothing but trained killers that can never really adapt back to civilization.

    A friend of the commando, another Navy SEAL, says he too is worried about his income once he retires and that ironically, his family would be better off financially if he had been killed in combat

    “I agree that civilian life is scary. And I’ve got a family to take care of. Most of us have nothing to offer the public. We can track down and kill the enemy really well, but that’s it,” he says.

    I've known Navy SEALS during my career and I would think you might have also.....Does this sound like anything close to what any Navy SEAL would ever say???? Nothing to offer the public outside of the military???? Just the finest security training and undersea diver training on the planet as if that isn't marketable in about a dozen different fields. Something smells here it really does..

  • 1

    cabadaje

    Nothing to offer the public outside of the military???? Just the finest security training and undersea diver training on the planet as if that isn't marketable in about a dozen different fields. Something smells here it really does..

    If nothing else, just hang a shingle outside the door saying "Navy SEAL Fitness Camp" and drop some leaflets about how you are the guy that tapped Bin Laden. You would get a ton of people willing to shove money in your hands just to brag that they are working out with "THAT GUY".

  • 2

    SuperLib

    badsey3: In the immediate aftermath of bin Laden’s alleged murder by the SEALs, Pakistani TV interviewed the next door neighbor to bin Laden’s alleged compound. Someone supplied the video with an English translation running at the bottom of the video. According to the translation, the next door neighbor, Mr. Bashir, said that he watched the entire operation from the roof of his house. There were 3 helicopters. Only 1 landed. About a dozen men got out and entered the house. They shortly returned and boarded the helicopter. When the helicopter lifted off it exploded, killing all aboard. Mr. Bashir reports seeing bodies and pieces of bodies all over.

    The world owes you a debt of gratitude. Only exceptional human beings such as yourself are able to find the truth behind all of the lies and set the record straight for the rest of us. You are one of the most important people in the fight, and your insight is one of the only things keeping hope alive.

  • 0

    Madverts

    "Something smells here it really does.."

    Well I'm not retired, never been in the Navy and even I have a hard time accepting elite soldiers breaking their word on silence.

    Isn't it only two shots to the head anyway?

    Bah, no wonder the photos weren't released. What kind of gun might have been used Sail?

  • 1

    Tom DeMicke

    Just to clear up some terminology. Retired from service means one is receiving a pension with benefits such as medical, on-base shopping, military Space "A"vailable travel (military hops) and more. Separation from service means that they served and then were discharged and have no more obligations. There is a big difference. This Seal is not retired from service but separated. Just think, only 4 more years and he would have gotten the whole package. I wonder why he did not stay in.

  • -3

    BertieWooster

    Maybe this guy believed that the person he killed was Bin Laden, it is extremely unlikely that it was:

    http://www.twf.org/News/Y2011/0506-OBL.html

  • 0

    Serrano

    "civilian life is scary"

    Especially if you're not working for the government or a big company that provides health insurance.

    I thought our current leaders were going to fix this...

  • 2

    Laguna

    I thought our current leaders were going to fix this.

    They are, Serrano - it's just being phased in. The man is eligible for VA healthcare - but so are 840,000 other veterans of Bush's ill-advised, ill-fated wars - the VA funnels all through a rather narrow provider system. Once the ACA is up, he'll be able to afford the healthcare for himself and his family, as will all Americans.

  • 0

    sailwind

    What kind of gun might have been used Sail?

    Wouldn't even begin to hazard a guess.

    I read the Esquire article and if I am wrong I'll be the first one to admit it but this still stinks to high heaven. The "shooter" leaves the service after 16 years is pretty incredulous to begin with. Nobody leaves with that short of time left unless they've won the lottery or that something really bad happened late in their career such as a DUI or some other career killing item on their record making any further promotion impossible.

    Secondly the "shooter' becomes good pals with the author Phil Bronstein former editor of the San Francisco Chronicle and now with Center for Investigative Reporting based in Berkeley California. Not besmirching Mr. Bronstein I'm sure he feels that he's got one heck of a scoop that a Navy SEAL that shot Bin Laden had chosen him to tell his tale to but c'mon, the "shooter" of Bin Laden giving the scoop to a guy that is based in the most anti-war and liberal city in the nation isn't just a bit odd? I think Mr. Bronstein was and is being played by a SEAL that screwed up his career but could come off to him as credible that he was the actual guy that shot Osama.

    The Esquire article stated.....At the time, the Shooter's uncle had reached out to an executive at Electronic Arts, hoping that the company might need help with video-game scenarios once the Shooter retired. But the uncle cannot mention his nephew's distinguishing feature as the one who put down bin Laden.

    A bit further Bronstein mentions:

    In fact, seven active-duty Team 6 SEALs would later be punished for advising EA while still in the Navy and supposedly revealing classified information. (One retired SEAL, a participant in the bin Laden raid, was also involved.)

    http://www.esquire.com/features/man-who-shot-osama-bin-laden-0313

    This is backed up by:

    Seven SEALs from bin Laden team are punished for sharing military secrets with creators of video game Medal of Honor

    Senior Navy officials confirmed today that seven members of the secretive SEAL Team Six, of which Bissonnette was a member, have been disciplined for providing classified information to Electronic Arts.

    Spending two days as paid consultants for the game-makers, the SEALS were punished for the latest embarrassing leak involving the elite special forces unit with letters of reprimand and forfeited their pay for two months but will not face jail time.

    Four other SEALs, all based on the West Coast, are also under investigation for similar alleged violations, one other official said.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2230296/7-Navy-SEALs-team-6-punished-sharing-military-secrets-Medal-Honor-video-game-creators.html#axzz2KcpRLjGa

    I'd say this guy was more than likely one of the 4 SEAL's on the West Coast which just happens to be where Phil Bronstein is and that our "shooter" is feeding him a line of 'stuff'' since he's pretty peeved at the Navy at the way they treated him after he screwed up his own career. I'm guessing of course and readily admit it, but I really just don't buy this story at all that this really is the guy that shot Bin Laden and now the U.S Government is screwing him over along with his family and kids and he can't find work. It's just to convenient and sounds more like a very bad made for T.V movie.

  • 0

    badsey3

    only 4 more years and he would have gotten the whole package.

    -You are right only 4 more years for benefits and definitely a Seal would be able to tough that out.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-2u1FBQ-Nk

    Benazir Bhutto states Osama Bin Laden died (later assassinated)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lW7OywJlT8o

    property owner next door to Osama's compound doesn't believe it and it is also a restricted area (military check Id's because of the near military base)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-JqyiYVYlw

    another neighbor

  • 0

    sensei258

    "Why retire at 16 years"? Because being alive at 16 years is better than being deployed to a war zone AGAIN, and then possibly dead at 17 years of service. Don't judge, it must have been a tough decision.

  • 0

    TorafusuTorasan

    Interesting theory about the video games, sailwind, but isn't it more likely he's feeling left out because other Navy Seals are getting money and recognition (e.g. Bisonnette), with the wife jumping into the fray thinking he should be a millionaire by now. The Esquire article is a way of testing the waters: The government or military can royally reward him to stay anonymous, or he can build up enough hype to get a decent advance when he writes his own book. Sharing his best material with Esquire would be a problem if he is still shopping for a deal, so my theory is that the book is already written and on the verge of publication, the same way Bisonnette published anonymously before his identity came to light as interest in his book crested.

    As for the idea that he wouldn't speak to SF based media, would you mind doing a similar psychoanalysis on Gen. McChrystal (and/or his staff) who thought blabbing candidly to a writer from Rolling Stone was a good career move.

  • 0

    sailwind

    As for the idea that he wouldn't speak to SF based media, would you mind doing a similar psychoanalysis on Gen. McChrystal (and/or his staff) who thought blabbing candidly to a writer from Rolling Stone was a good career move.

    Actually that's my point. Any Military member speaking to SF based media is never a good move just ask General McChrystal. They''ve got a history as you pointed out of wanting to do nothing but slam the military in anyway they can. Just like this Phil Bronstein is doing now. That's why I find it pretty incredulous that this 'shooter' would seek SF media to get his story out.

  • 0

    Alphaape

    I've known Navy SEALS during my career and I would think you might have also.....Does this sound like anything close to what any Navy SEAL would ever say????

    @ sailwind: True, I have known some SEALS that have done their time and are doing things that you would have never thought that they would do once they got out. Also, being a member of such an elite unit, he would have had the inside track into various jobs in that field that would not require him to go and be the "point man" but would have loved to have him be an instructor or various other duties that takes advantage of his skill sets. He wouldn't have to go back into the "field" as it were, but with 16 years of SEAL service, he would be hight sought out. Heck, I see those job listings for personal security for some of those sheiks in Saudi that pay more in 6 months than I would make in 3 years.

    If he does have all of those medical ailments, he was indeed screwed by the Navy. But, the Navy does correct itself. I once worked with a person who had retired from the Navy, but was later identified with a serious medical condition that was missed while he was on Active Duty. The end result was that he was brought back on AD until his condition was healed, and then retired again. Even though this guy didn't retire, he was still place in the IRR (Individual Ready Reserve) if he was discharged Honorably and could have been brought back to get his medical conditions corrected if he would have gone through the proper channels. And, with all of his ailmanets, I am not sure why he wouldn't have gone for a medical retierment.

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