SEAL who shot bin Laden speaks out

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Who cares?

Maybe if it was you, you would care but since it was not I can understand your lack of concern for the safety of men/women that protect you.

Average trucker in Wisconsin makes $44,000 a year, and most likely if he wes driving for a major brewery the pay may have been higher with pretty good benefits. Not a bad starter job IMO, and no one's shooting at you..

http://www.thetrucke...ckerreport.html

I know but maybe a security job would be better. Fact is he should have stayed in 4 more years.

[John S. Veteran]

Gotta love these armchair pundits asking questions they could've had answered by reading the article.

The price he's paid with the physical toll it's taken on his body, his marriage, and his lack of thrill for the action were all factors in his decision to not re-up.

[Scorbing]

I can respect them for what they do and what they volunteered to do without holding them on a pedestal. I realize what they do is hard work but they have the hard work of an entire military behind them and an entire nation paying taxes to support them. What does respect mean to you?

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respect

[He's Dead Jim]

This isnt meant to sound disrespectful, but if you make a grandiose gesture of hero worshiping the shooter, then you also create the great martyrdom for bin laden, no?

but I do hope he gets some compensation with his disabilty claim, at the very least.

[Scorbing]

This isnt meant to sound disrespectful, but if you make a grandiose gesture of hero worshiping the shooter, then you also create the great martyrdom for bin laden, no?

but I do hope he gets some compensation with his disabilty claim, at the very least.

Nobody is worshiping anybody. This is about having a little respect for someone who gave up his life and freedoms to defend and protect ours. That's all.

[Memphis]

Wasn't their a reward money for Osama's head? Why did he not get a portion of that?

[Scorbing]

Wasn't their a reward money for Osama's head? Why did he not get a portion of that?

Because he was a U.S. Government employee (a soldier on a mission), not a bounty hunter, therefore they do not get the reward. They get a simple "Thank you for serving your country. Good job" and a pad on the back.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Obama put all members of Seal Team 6 lives in jeopardy when he reveled what Team was involved. He never should have done that.

[Growled Member]

The problem seems to be that "The Shooter" left the military well before the 20-year requirement for retirement benefits.

That's a no-no. He should know better than that.

[Nathaniel Smith_329019]

Those men are out there, risking their lives, leaving their families behind to fight in another country on the other side of the world and do their best to slow down terrorism, keep people like Bin Laden away from your families and your countries so you can enjoy the freedoms you have without worry. I think they deserve some respect, don't you think?

I will not disrespect the military but we have real big problems at home. Bring the troops home. Take care of them and the elderly because we will soon be them.

[Shiranui]

I was hoping he would say:

I put two in his heart, one in his computer...

[Richteralan]

Very true, but that doesn't mean we have to be disrespectful to him.

Do you respect your garbage man? Do you wish him get a job when he lost his job?

[Scorbing]

Do you respect your garbage man? Do you wish him get a job when he lost his job?

So what are you telling me, that this man is garbage? Seriously?

Of course I wish him the best and I wish he would get a job. WTF is wrong with you? Do you have any respect for our U.S. Military personnel? The same military personnel that safe guards your freedom and your life. Have a little more respect for those guys. They are not garbage.

[Nerd Rage]

So what are you telling me, that this man is garbage? Seriously?

You missed his point. He referred to a garbage man, which is a profession, not an insult.

[Scorbing]

You missed his point. He referred to a garbage man, which is a profession, not an insult.

Oh my bad. Yes, I do respect my garbage man and I have absolute respect for everyone. It doesn't matter if they pick up garbage or not. A lot of people who have such jobs are there because of lack of resources to get a better education and therefore cannot get a better job. Also, a lot of those people who do that type of job are there because they cannot find something better. Good, high paying jobs are hard to find these days. Most companies will not hire you unless you have a bachelors degree, even if the bachelors degree has nothing to do with the job they are offering you. They just want you to have one. I guess in their eyes having a bachelors degree makes you smarter, which is completely wrong.

Just because someone picks up garbage, doesn't mean they are less important. Everyone is important, so yes, I wish those who pick up garbage would be able to find a better job. Why not? Everyone deserves to have a good job and a good life.

[Empyrean Glow]

He should have just rode out his last 4 years in a desk job, or going around giving little speeches, since that's likely all he'd have been doing for the remainder of his career.

I'm not exactly sure what he was expecting; it takes a bit for any sort of disability payments to kick in, and the military doesn't just hand out civilian jobs after separation. I'd think after 16 years in, he'd have figured out how the system works.

[Nerd Rage]

I'm not exactly sure what he was expecting; it takes a bit for any sort of disability payments to kick in, and the military doesn't just hand out civilian jobs after separation. I'd think after 16 years in, he'd have figured out how the system works.

Exactly. Being in the military that long, he knew what was going to happen if he got out before 20. It's kind of underhanded in my opinion for him to be acting shocked and hurt by this when he knew darn well that was going to happen if he dropped.

My wife is in the marine corps and she hates it. That being said, she knows the benefit of staying in to hit her 20, so that's what she is doing.

I have the utmost respect for this guy and the sacrifices he has made, but it was his choice to join the military and his choice to leave before the 20 year mark. In regards to it impacting his family life, he could have gone into the reserves. I doubt that one weekend per month is going to take a huge toll on the family life.

[theyarecomingforyou]

He left early knowing the consequences of doing so. Should we really be expected to feel sorry for this guy? He could go to any publisher and get six-figures without even trying or he could become a celebrity and do the chat-show circuit. As for the lack of a pension or healthcare, that's an issue with the US in general rather than something specific to military personnel. In terms of protection, if his life is genuinely at risk for serving his country then he should obviously be entitled to protection for himself and his family. That said, for PR reasons the government should have treated the SEAL unit as heroes and allowed them to retire with full perks.

Personally I think the killing of Bin Laden speaks to the problems with the culture of the US military, in that unarmed people are executed rather than facing trial for their crimes. There is no desire for justice, only retribution. This guy isn't solely responsible for that, obviously, but he carried out orders which any normal person should consider wrong. As they say, two wrongs don't make a right.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

That other seal that was murdered had 150 confirmed kills as a sniper. You do what you do in the Military and one has to have the type of personality where this type of thing does not bother him. I thank God for these types of people and wish the remaining members of Seal Team 6, nothing but the best.

[Empyrean Glow]

Personally I think the killing of Bin Laden speaks to the problems with the culture of the US military, in that unarmed people are executed rather than facing trial for their crimes. There is no desire for justice, only retribution.

Please don't take this the wrong way, but what, precisely, would you think a trial would accomplish in a matter such as this? He put out a series of videos and statements saying that he and his organization were responsible for the deaths of a few thousand people, and would be fully willing and able to continue committing such acts. Unless your stance is purely that of someone unequivocally against the death penalty.

Also, I'm not sure where you get this idea that this is exclusive to the US military.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

He left early knowing the consequences of doing so. Should we really be expected to feel sorry for this guy? He could go to any publisher and get six-figures without even trying or he could become a celebrity and do the chat-show circuit. As for the lack of a pension or healthcare, that's an issue with the US in general rather than something specific to military personnel. In terms of protection, if his life is genuinely at risk for serving his country then he should obviously be entitled to protection for himself and his family. That said, for PR reasons the government should have treated the SEAL unit as heroes and allowed them to retire with full perks.

Personally I think the killing of Bin Laden speaks to the problems with the culture of the US military, in that unarmed people are executed rather than facing trial for their crimes. There is no desire for justice, only retribution. This guy isn't solely responsible for that, obviously, but he carried out orders which any normal person should consider wrong. As they say, two wrongs don't make a right.

Where did you get the idea that he was unarmed? The most wanted Terrorist on the planet without an AK-47 nearby?? Come on.

[Scorbing]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but what, precisely, would you think a trial would accomplish in a matter such as this? He put out a series of videos and statements saying that he and his organization were responsible for the deaths of a few thousand people, and would be fully willing and able to continue committing such acts. Unless your stance is purely that of someone unequivocally against the death penalty.

Also, I'm not sure where you get this idea that this is exclusive to the US military.

Agreed. He deserved to die. No sense in putting that maniac through trial only to have some judge declare him insane and lock him up in some questionable prison where most inmates would probably be fans of his and help him escape at some point.

[Davo]

:s

I get worried reading the responses of some people here. It's like they've never experienced real life outside of Homeland or Call of Duty.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Where did you get the idea that he was unarmed?

From media reports by soldiers involved in the raid.

Agreed. He deserved to die. No sense in putting that maniac through trial only to have some judge declare him insane and lock him up in some questionable prison where most inmates would probably be fans of his and help him escape at some point.

There should be transparency in the justice system. Once you start assassinating people where do you draw the line? Clearly some police officers think that it's okay to assassinate Christopher Dorner given the way they've been shooting up random vehicles. I mean, he killed a few police officers - why bother with a trial? What about someone fleeing a robbery? There have already been countless cases of police / armed guards in the US shooting and killing unarmed robbers fleeing a crime scene. How much longer until the court system is scrapped altogether and police act as judge, jury and executioner like in Judge Dredd?

The reason you put people like Bin Laden on trial is to show that they are human, to show that they cannot escape justice, to show they weren't smart enough to evade capture and to show that society is above killing them. Society shouldn't sink to the level of criminals; society should rise above it and demonstrate moral superiority, even though it will make many people uncomfortable. That's exactly what Norway did with Anders Breivik. Reason needs to come before emotion, otherwise we're nothing but animals.

[AJerman]

Agreed. He deserved to die. No sense in putting that maniac through trial only to have some judge declare him insane and lock him up in some questionable prison where most inmates would probably be fans of his and help him escape at some point.

From media reports by soldiers involved in the raid.

There should be transparency in the justice system. Once you start assassinating people where do you draw the line? Clearly some police officers think that it's okay to assassinate Christopher Dorner given the way they've been shooting up random vehicles. I mean, he killed a few police officers - why bother with a trial? What about someone fleeing a robbery? There have already been countless cases of police / armed guards in the US shooting and killing unarmed robbers fleeing a crime scene. How much longer until the court system is scrapped altogether and police act as judge, jury and executioner like in Judge Dredd?

The reason you put people like Bin Laden on trial is to show that they are human, to show that they cannot escape justice, to show they weren't smart enough to evade capture and to show that society is above killing them. Society shouldn't sink to the level of criminals; society should rise above it and demonstrate moral superiority, even though it will make many people uncomfortable. That's exactly what Norway did with Anders Breivik. Reason needs to come before emotion, otherwise we're nothing but animals.

Unfortunately, my friend, that's what a large group of our population is becoming. Angry, bloodthirsty, violent animals. It's what our society thrives off of. We LOVE to hear about violence, and then pretend to be sad that it happened. Look at the news at any given time and 75% of it is probably reporting violence. Why? Because we need every single violent act broadcast to the entire country? No, logic would tell you that that just feeds the egos of these kind of people knowing they can become so famous by committing these acts, yet, we HAVE to hear about it and know about it, and if you managed to get pictures, then you probably will have a headline and front page spot on some newstand magazine. The people of our great country are quickly becoming war mongers, and you can bet your ass our massive overlord style military is a large part of the reason why.