The Navy SEAL who shot Osama Bin Laden gave a vivid, blow by blow account of the dying moments of Osama bin Laden.
”
- The Shooter‘ speaks for first time about the ’15 seconds’ that changed the course of history
- Describes in gruesome detail how bin Laden’s brains spilled out of his head after he was shot
- The moment he realized bin Laden’s young son witnessed the whole thing
- He also talks extensively about the way the U.S. government has neglected him and the other veterans leaving him with no pension, medical care or protection
- His job led to the breakdown of his marriage though he still lives with his wife and kids to save money
- Taught his kids to hide in the bathtub and showed his wife how to use a gun in case there would be retaliation
The Navy SEAL who claims he shot and killed Osama bin Laden in the famous raid which captured America’s most wanted terrorist has spoken for the first time about the moment he shot the al Qaeda three times in the head and watched him take his last breath.
The Team Six member – who is referred to as ‘The Shooter’ for the safety of his family – described in unforgettable detail the days leading up to the kill, the moment he shot bin Laden three times and the fallout from the raid.
Once they were given their mission, the woman at the CIA – made famous by Jessica Chastain‘s portrayal in Zero Dark Thirty – told the team bin Laden was ‘100 per cent on the third floor’ of his compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan.
‘We got him,’ she told us. ‘This is him. This is my life’s work. I’m positive.’
In an interview to appear in the March edition of Esquire magazine, The Shooter describes for the first time in unforgettable detail the tense and life-changing two minutes that changed the course of history.
Once he locked eyes on his target, he remembers being surprised at his appearance. Bin Laden was much taller than he expected him to be – taller than any of their guys, and skinny with a short beard and shaved head.
He was holding his wife Amal in front of him as a shield and though The Shooter could see exactly what was going on through night vision goggles, bin Laden was in total darkness and could hear but not see.
‘And he’s moving forward. I don’t know if she’s got a vest and she’s being pushed to martyr them both,’ he recalls. ‘He’s got a gun within reach. He’s a threat. I need to get a head shot so he won’t have a chance to clack himself off [blow himself up].
‘He was dead. Not moving. His tongue was out. I watched him take his last breaths, just a reflex breath.
‘And I remember as I watched him breathe out the last part of air, I thought: Is this the best thing I’ve ever done, or the worst thing I’ve ever done?’
‘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.
‘That time I used my EOTech red-dot holo sight. He was dead. Not moving. His tongue was out. I watched him take his last breaths, just a reflex breath.
‘And I remember as I watched him breathe out the last part of air, I thought: Is this the best thing I’ve ever done, or the worst thing I’ve ever done? This is real and that’s him. Holy sh**.
‘His forehead was gruesome. It was split open in the shape of a V. I could see his brains spilling out over his face. The American public doesn’t want to know what that looks like.’
The Shooter, a father-of-two, then describes the moments after the shooting and how the al Qaeda leader’s wife Amal launched herself at him screaming.
After zip tying her to the bed, he then realized bin Laden’s youngest son, who was about two or three years old at the time, had also witnessed his father being shot.
‘He was standing there on the other side of the bed. I didn’t want to hurt him, because I’m not a savage. There was a lot of screaming, he was crying, just in shock.
‘I didn’t like that he was scared. I picked him up and put him next to his mother.’
He said the third-floor action lasted for about 15 seconds. Afterwards, he remembered that he had a bottle of urine in his pocket the whole time, after having to relieve himself on the helicopter ride on the way in.
The Shooter’s interview in Esquire describes how the job led to the breakdown of his marriage, and claims the U.S. government largely neglect their veterans after they retire.
Related articles
- SEAL Who Killed bin Laden Jobless, Loses Health Care, Offered No Security (conservativebyte.com)
You must be logged in to post a comment.