Navy Seals: A battle for the conscience
By Barbara Starr
(CNN) - Deep inside the military's special operations forces there is a crisis of conscience unfolding. The publication of "No Easy Day," a former Navy SEAL's account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, is forcing many to rethink a fundamental point of military honor. How much should America's commandos talk about what they do?
It's a debate that goes beyond disclosure of classified information, which is a crime. The discussion now centers on honor, ethics and cultural values inside the ranks.
"This is a battle for the conscience of the SEALs," a recently retired senior SEAL told me.
He served for decades in operational positions in the force, and has never told me any of the details of his missions. For years he did what every SEAL has done: Go on raids, find targets and, if necessary, kill them. It's what the nation asks of them.
Buzz ramps up over SEAL's bin Laden book
The question now: Is the SEAL community taking that Tom Clancy superman image and turning it into celebrity? "Was No Easy Day" indeed that last straw?
"It's a generational thing that is happening to some extent," the retired SEAL said. Some younger SEALs who have grown up in the age of the Internet and instant online communications simply feel it's their right to talk about their work, as long as they can claim it's not classified, he said.
This senior SEAL said he and his peers grew up in a generation where "we don't talk about what we do," and he feels it should be kept that way.
In fact, the chief Navy SEAL wrote a scathing e-mail to his 2,500 troops, which began with the fundamental SEAL ethos.
"We do NOT advertise the nature of our work, NOR do we seek recognition for our actions," said Rear Adm. Sean Pybus.
Pybus told the men he is "disappointed, embarrassed and concerned" that troops are now openly speaking and writing about what they do.
"Most of us have always thought that the privilege of working with some of our nation's toughest warriors on challenging missions would be enough to be proud of, with no further compensation or celebrity required.
"Today, we find former SEALs headlining positions in a presidential campaign; hawking details about a mission against Enemy Number 1; and generally selling other aspects of NSW training and operations."
Pybus continued: "For an Elite Force that should be humble and disciplined for life, we are certainly not appearing to be so. We owe our chain of command much better than this."
Every SEAL, indeed everyone in U.S. military special operations units, knows exactly what Pybus is saying. He's warning that fundamental trust is at risk. And the risk is on many levels, from the campfire to the Oval Office.
Matt Bissonnette wrote in his book about casual chatter among SEALs, which he portrayed as less than supportive of President Obama. An Army special operations guy who read that passage was shocked.
"That's just 'team talk' around the fire," he said.
Does anybody expect that to show up in a book? The men on these small covert units literally place their lives in the hands of each other. They trust that they'll keep each others' confidence. And confidence must be unshakeable at the highest levels.
Bergen: Sense and nonsense about Obama and Osama
Pybus' reference to a chain of command is read by some to mean only one thing: the president of the United States. A president has to fundamentally believe when he sends SEALs on a secret mission to kill the world's top terrorist that those in the rank and file aren't going to start talking.
Of course, there has been plenty of chatter about Obama administration officials themselves talking too much about the raid. Now there has been outright admission classified information was exposed.
Pentagon spokesman George Little acknowledged classified information about the raid did get out in the hours and days after bin Laden was killed.
"We were all deeply concerned, not just in this building, but elsewhere in the administration, about the disclosure of highly classified information that made its way out the door," he said. "I don't know precisely who did it, but it shouldn't have happened. And many of us tried to keep some of those sensitive details, particularly those involving sources and methods, from making their way to press reports."
Little was the CIA spokesman at the time of the raid.
But many believe there is a difference between Pentagon officials disseminating information and rank and file members of the military sharing it. If service members want to write a book, the material has to be reviewed before publication. If a service member believes he or she needs to bring wrongdoing to light, there are procedures within the military for whistle-blowing. Bissonnette did not follow the rules, the Pentagon said.
In fact, in the book's introduction, Bissonnette justifies his book, writing "It is time to set the record straight" and, "This book will finally give credit to those who earned it." It's odd phrasing, because so many, including Pybus and Adm. William McRaven, the head of all 65,000 special operations forces across the military, think the SEALs have received plenty of credit around the world for killing bin Laden.
Pentagon: SEAL's book has classified info, didn't follow protocol
Both admirals are agonizing over the emergence of SEALs as celebrities as well as political operatives.
McRaven is aiming squarely at a group of former SEALs actively opposing President Barack Obama. The admiral is referring to the Special Operations OPSEC Education Fund, which has sponsored a Web video featuring former special forces officers accusing the president of taking too much credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden and allowing classified information about the raid to become public.
While McRaven said former SEALs have the right to express their opinions, he wants any link to the active duty force to be kept out of it. "By attaching a special operations moniker or a unit or service name to a political agenda, those individuals have now violated the most basic of our military principles," McRaven said in his e-mail message to the troops.
McRaven and Pybus know their worries are raising eyebrows. That's because the Pentagon itself has encouraged worldwide commercial interest in SEAL lore. In one case, top Pentagon and CIA officials offered their support for the upcoming "Zero Dark Thirty," a movie that Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow is making about the bin Laden raid.
Some in Congress have complained that the Pentagon and CIA should not have offered the filmmaker background briefings.
Active duty Navy SEALs also were given permission to perform in the Hollywood thriller "Act of Valor."
Also, Pentagon sources told CNN, SEALs are also working on two other Hollywood movies.
The recently retired senior SEAL summed up the problem for his brothers in arms since the Bin Laden raid: "We swallowed the golden egg. But now we can't get rid of it."
@natlsecuritycnn on Twitter
IN THE REAL WORLD OUR FORCES TRAIN WITH MANY WHO WOULD AND WILL USE THAT TRAINING AGAINST US AT THERE FIRST OPPORTUNITY...
TO THINK THIS BOOK WILL BRING ABOUT THE DOWN FALL OF OUR SPECIAL FORCES IS ABSURD IN FACT THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS OBTAINED BY BY THE CHINESE FORCES FROM OUR GOOD FRIEND'S THE PAKI'S IS A FAR GREATER THREAT THAN THIS BOOK BY FAR
Navy Seals..Delta Force...Soar...Rangers.... Why is there such an admiration in the USA for groups of people who are trained to enforce a political will, and who never question if that will is right or wrong ?.. It leads to the assassination of Salvador Allende, the invasion of Iraq ( No 2), multiple interventions in South America which too often propped up corrupt anti-social regimes, multiple interventions the world over, all under the guise of words like "defending freedom", "keeping America safe", when not advertising some religious value like " God is on our side"...
Yes it was a good thing to look for Bin Laden.. But why did it take 10 years , given the resources.. ? Because the political will shifted to something else, and these elites units are a toy in the hands of policies, and policies are often ethically dubious when not downright wrong... To draw an analogy that will have everyone scream, the SS in Nazi Germany did not behave differently.
Time for ethics to get into the heads of soldiers, the world over, here especially.
I don't think anyone who has a clue will scream. Especially here in a America for the all to ridiculous comparison to the Nazi SS. It is the refuge of a weak argument, It would be easy for you to do better.
Because they are trained to be hindu gentile, filthy slave's and forced to be by oath on truth absolute in hindu Pharisee ism, filthy hypocrisy, for more visit http://www.limitisthetruth.com/blog.html
Take your medication you muslim wacko.
Your just a dum-o-crap liberal bed-wetter. Move to China fool if you don't like it here!
I think people should get over this fairy tale romance with the military these are just men and women in a uniform doing what they are told. They have a job if they don't like it then don't sign up. When they bring back the draft then maybe we can talk about hero's. Untill then go to work and shut up.
We voted for "Change" and now we're seeing it. Welcome to the modern world.
Navy seals are trained to be hindu, opportunist of best kind to take advantage, nothing is wrong if one of them is proving to be, what he was trained to be, a hindu, opportunist to help himself. To find out more, visit http://www.limitisthetruth.com/blog.html
Mohammed A Dar, you are full of excrement, you paki pig!
You're a freaking idiot.
To know causes of mayhem among humanity please visit http://www.limitisthetruth.com/blog.html
Look into your own people before you look in others. Hindus are peaceful people you wack job.
Write a book make a movie so what if it puts other people in danger as long as you make money! Sad!
The book is putting nobody in danger! I'm still expecting everything in this book is well known in the public or at least those who know something about SEAL...it is not that secret. The movei had Pentagon and Navy support for SEALs actually being actors. I think what most people are surprised about is accessability to get where the mission need to occur!
You are WRONG! Every book, terribly acted movie, Pentagon, and Obama administration leak puts lives at risk! All 3 should be ashamed at the least!
THEY TRAIN AND INTERACT WITH INDIGENOUS FORCES ALL THE TIME.
FOR SOME ONE TO THINK THAT OUR ENEMY'S DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW OUR FORCE'S OPERATE. SHOW'S A COMPLETE LACK OF ANY UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE REAL WORLD OPERATE'S
My opinion of the SEALS has gone from 10 to zero.
Why? The white house leaked information. No one has been held accountable. Every senior person in government writes a book and makes money writing memoirs. Your opinion has changed about Navy Seals because he go out and wrote a book? Pleas shut up. navy Seals Rock. It most respect for those guys. From a retired Marine!
FORTUNATELY INTELLIGENCE AND OPINION HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH EACH OTHER IN THIS INSTANCE
That would be you bed-wetter!
For a member of the United States military, honor should trump all else. It requires a sense of purpose that encompasses more than personal pride, but the safety and security of the nation as a whole. Apparently the aspect of honor is no longer relevant in today's military, and so we fail again and again, and soon we fall.
IN THE REAL WORLD OUR FORCES TRAIN WITH MANY WHO WOULD AND WILL USE THAT TRAINING AGAINST US AT THERE FIRST OPPORTUNITY...
TO THINK THIS BOOK WILL BRING ABOUT THE DOWN FALL OF OUR SPECIAL FORCES IS ABSURD IN FACT THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WAS OBTAINED BY BY THE CHINESE FORCES FROM OUR GOOD FRIEND'S THE PAKI'S IS A FAR GREATER THREAT THAN THIS BOOK BY FAR
i don't get the problem. Anyone who has been in the US military knows they are mostly in the military for the money and benefits and nothing else. In other words, they are mercenaries for sale to the highest bidder.
All this patriotic hero stuff is for Hollywood, not real life.
This guy just sold out for a lot more money than most.
Drop the salary to minimum wage with no benefits and see how many "patriots" sign up.
I has not changed since I volunteered.
I agree. There is a small percentage, very tiny percentage of people who join with a sense of patriotism and a desire to serve our country. The majority join because they have nothing else left to do. For them, it is a paycheck and benefits. That is all.
The people who join the military because they can't get a job elsewhere and are only in it for the paycheck and benefits do not become members of the special forces. That's like saying a guy who couldn't qualify to play baseball on his high school team shrugs off the failure and just joins the major league.
are we having this discussion because one of those opted for money over tradition?
You need to spend some more time doing a touch of research before you lump the members of the US military together as having no other choices. Certainly there are those who join for benefits and pay. Kind of foolish if you do. Much easier to get a student loan and hang out at college. And a lot easier to be in college. No one will shoot at you, make you move every few years, and most importantly, the standards for getting in college are much lower than joining the US military. Less than one in ten HS graduates qualifies to be in the military
I don't need to do reasearch. I lived it.
umm you do realize that people in the military are on duty 7 days a week 24 hours a day 365 days a year ....a lot of them are elligible for food stamps and wic their pay is so low ....and you want them to make less money? do you put your life on the line for your paycheck?? unbelievable!!! most people in the military are in because they want to be there ...you may not realize it but even if they didn't have the patriotism before they went in they have it after they are in! if they don't they are the ones getting out fast they don't make a career out of it ....when you start putting your life on the line for less than $2 an hour then maybe you can say stuff like lower the pay ...they don't make minimum wage ...
stupid republicans don't know anything and that is what is wrong with this country!!
Agreed,capitalism before patriotism! The American way.
Damn! What happened go from ultra-conservative to pacifist!
You are one igorant and moronic statement. I made $25k as a 'butterbar' out of college. Had I went the corporate route I would have started at at least $50k. This wasn't during a recession either. Believe it or not, people UNLIKE YOURSELF do want to serve something greater than themselves.
How does the Navy justify essentially making "Act of Valor," and then whining about a book?
.......I thought it was good book. Pretty entertaining, but it sure as heck won't teach the bad guys anything aside from the fact that they can now safely say that American troops like to ride in helicopters, and are decent shots.
For me, I never had the priviledge to meet a S.E.A.L. But just to hear the word SEAL demanded and enourmous amount of respect for those who gave it all for nothing in return. Kind of the same as a CIA. It could only be a start on the wall but the sense of respect it demands is beyond words. They lifted that sense of patriotism and love of country we neglect once in a while. Not anymore. I now need to get to know the kind of person each one is. So Sad.
I meant "a star on the wall" for CIA's
Attention CNN!!!!! It's SEAL...not Seal....they aren't marine mammals! Thank you.
Since you think it's ok to make corrections, it's S.E.A.L. thank you very much for your concern.
Actualy, it is SEAL.....you're welcome.
Actually, it is SEAL.....you're welcome.
Reading the article the use of "Seal" is meant to express...a Seal as something that keeps a thing secret. Like stop talking about your work; stop making movies, stop drawing attention!
S.E.A.L. instructors say if they know you were there you didn't do your job right. There is a reason behind this. S.E.A.L.'s are the world best covert special operations group. COVERT being the key word Americans and Foriegners Should have no idea of what a S.E.A.L. has done or where a S.E.A.L. has been. If you don't like those rules written by S.E.A.L.'s for S.E.A.L.'s then don't become one. END OF RANT.
The USA spends billions on maintaining misinformation campaigns and this idiot "wants to set the record straight". His hinney needs to go "straight" to prison.
EXACTLY what I have been thinking!
For cause of Mayhem among humanity, please visit http://www.limitisthetruth.com/blog.html
Lots of emotion on the subject. Just a couple of things to dwell upon:
- The raid was carried out at the direction of the ultimate decision maker, the President of the United States.
- Would ther be a book if the presidential directive to conduct the mission had not been passed to Seal Team Six, after all we have many elite units Delta among them whom are equally proficient on that type of mission. They are all known (Seals included) as "the quiet professionals", and they are known as such for a reason. To them the mission, team integrity, an extreme level of proficiency, utmost loyalty and secrecy are their hallmarks.
- Setting "the record straight"? from a trigger puller level?? we have to remember our world as military personnel is the planning and execution of direction provided by civilian leadership. It is clearly stated in our oath. The full understanding of policies and implications for actions we are directed to undertake are not always clear to us. So to state that the book is written to set "the record straight" smacks of narcissistic behavior since it implies it knows more than our policy makers. A better comment would have been "in my opinion" for that is what is stating.
- Lastly and foremost, "God bless all those that have and continue to endeavor to keep this great country of ours safe and are willing to put their very lives on the line to ensure no harm comes to American lives".
in other word's people like them to the dirty work are called hindu's terrorist, to learn reason of carnage please visit http://www.limitisthetruth.com/blog.html
Gerry,
I sincerely appreciate your comment. It is very well written. I am a proud U.S. Army Brat. My Father was Special Forces/Green Beret and served for over 20 years in the U.S. Army. He served in countless covert operations and not once did my Father ever divulge mission information. He passed away in 2009, and till the day he died he kept his mouth shut. He would have considered saying anything treason. I am my Father's daughter and I think the same way he did....In those special ops units, you take an oath. Honor and integrity are still prevalent in the U.S. military..... it is sad that some are forgetting what this really means. Honor and integrity have nothing to do with being a Democrat or a Republican....it has to do with being brave, honorable Americans!
Too much information came out of the White House, which it should not have done.
If you need to talk, your ego needs the glory, you shouldn't be a SEAL.
End of discussion.
The P clearly needs to lead by example; as all commanders must do. Hard to criticize and hold the SEALs accountable for talking when he is.. appears they are just following his poor example
Blah, the President and the DoD have the authority to decide what should be released regarding this and what shouldn't. The whole chain of command means something significant in the military. They don't all have the same rights and authority- and that's well known before someone chooses to join.
Agree!!! Obama shouldn't be showboating, taking all the credit and leaking information. Very poor leadership.
Too funny is that the easiest part is to make the decision to carry out the actual mission I mean who wouldn't have taken Osama out. Kudos to Hillary for ensuring Obama finally gave the green light.
Shame on Obama for trying to make himself look better.
The Commander and Chief of our armed forces is a politician/elected official and NOT part of the military. Whether in your opinion or not, the president lead by poor example is absolutely NO excuse for the behavior of this former Navy SEAL. They know the code, and they swore an oath to honor the code at all times, no matter what. Not to do so brings discredit on themselves and all members of the armed forces. He has betrayed the trust of his brother's in arms. He will be an out-cast to his former brother's in arms....I hope what money he makes will make him feel better about the betrayal he has committed. I hope loosing his honor was worth it.
dustys right that it is disgraceful and that it applies to how Obama has conducted himself on the matter also
YA both Obama and the SEAL both have NO HONOR
Exactly right. Although it is far worse that Obama is using the raid for HIS PERSONAL GAIN AND GLORY. Not sure what the SEALs true intent was...
This proves that Obama only cares about himself and will do anything to further his image/ego and get reelected.
Obama taking all the credit? Has anyone ever listened to the speeches he has given about this? He gives very clear credit to the team who carried out the mission and the people who gathered the intelligence. This line about him "taking all the credit" is simple propaganda and everyone here can check and learn this for themselves. It is embarrassing with information so readily at our figure tips that some people out there can still so easily fall for ploys like this.
Pure speculation on your part. The ability to become a SEAL and perform the tasks is absolutely unrelated to whether a book is published or an interview is granted. They have absolutely nothing to do with each other.
As far as "intelligence" is concerned – remember, you would have only one person's information (the author). It's not like the entire organization divulged something, that is corroborated by administration officials.
It's just one guy, and with no other way of verifying any of it, who knows how factual it really is.
Yep and Richard "Dick" MArcinko father and founder of S.E.A.L. Team Six was put in prison for writing a book just like this. This guy is pulling a manning and no one is calling for his head like they are Manning's. Granted Marcinko went somewhee did something he didn't think was legal brought it to his superiors and they refused to make it right. This guy just talked to make a name for himself. This is not the behavior of a real S.E.A.L. this is the behavior of a traitor and a disgrace to the uniform. If you don't agree. I don't care because it is what it is.
This proves that Obama only cares about himself and will do anything to further his image/ego and get reelected.
The Seal can only write about what he did. He was not in the room when the intelligence was being vetted and certainly not in the room when the decision to go was made. I see no conflict here as long as he does not disclose classified information. However, anything he writes about the inner workings of this administration or any previous administration is pure speculation on his part.
He did disclose classified information about the inner working of the special forces. And he signed a contract agreeing not to disclose that information even as a civilian. It doesn't matter if the information he gives directly involved him or not- he signed the contract before being a part of it. If he wasn't willing to abide by that agreement, the time to say "no" was before he participated in classified activities. He volunteered for the SEALS knowing full well what the expectations of him were regarding information security.
Part of that agreement included his sharing any written materials with the DoD before seeking publication. He knew that, and he blatantly violated that agreement.
Mixed feelings on this. SEALS by tradition have always been the covert ops of the military... and I like tradition. On the other hand – it is about time for our troops/soldiers/airmen (all branches) to start coming out and telling what is REALLY going on over there. We have pathetic generals, pathetic politicians... all spending more time witch-hunting their own boys for violating stupid ROEs, doing young frat like things, doing accidental things, etc than in fighting a war. They spend more time traveling THIS country giving lectures on politeness, no swearing in front of girls on the front line, etc than they do strategizing how to win a war... oh wait – according to Obama winning is not the objective. It is time for the men to speak – and then maybe some of these commanders may recognize that they have lost the essence of what put those stars on their shoulders to begin with. We don't have a single general in the military right now – only barbie dolls bent over kissing politician A's – and it is killing and maiming our boys.
You wont see this on CNN because they suck the sweat from gay 0bama's little ballbearings....
.
Secret Service: We‘re ’Aware‘ of DNC Delegate’s Threat to ‘Kill’ Romney
drudge
Have to concur with the retired Senior Seal. They go into the program knowing what they are asked to do is not to be discussed due to the safety of the team and national security. Suspect there are thousands of untold stories that need to remain untold so that each and every one of us enjoys the freedom that most Americans today take for granted. Unfortunately there are those within that special community who have the, me, myself and I ego (mmie) who want to be "that hero guy", and will in time get someone on the team injured or killed. These type need to be removed for the good of the team. It would appear this guy has the mmie syndrome and believe there are a number of members who are thankful he is no longer part of the team.
Actually, based on my personal experience, I suspect that today's military might be less Republican-leaning than it was even five years ago. For instance, I have a family friend that's a retired corpsman, and even though he has heaped praise upon the positive changes the VA has made over the last three years, it would be a cold day in hell before he would ever give the Obama administration any credit for those changes. On the other hand, I've had a few conversations with younger vets (guys in their early 20s), and these guys actually seem to like Obama (although they’re mostly indifferent to politics in general).
If the SEALs don't support their commander in chief, and if they feel free to oppose him as SEALs, then that makes it hard for me to support the SEALs. There is no point supporting a military that does not support civic society.
SO if we have a President who thinks that our national security is a joke and they don't support that you don't support the Seals? More liberal logic...Genius.
The P clearly needs to lead by example; as all commanders must do. Hard to criticize and hold the SEALs accountable for talking when he is not.. appears they are just following his poor example.
I wish O'Barma was my CIC. The man may have been a civilian,but he is a quick study,and not afraid of a drone stike anywhere.He han't made any military mistakes yet.
I can't say that about the previous admin.
Everyone–look at the possibilites–Osama was killed–was captured and world told he was killed–been dead for long time maybe years,–still out there in Saudi hands and never heard from again. Look how long some Nazi's have been around–Mingela for example. Only the Shadow knows.
All of the material contained within this book is derived from unclassified publications and sources; nothing
written here is intended to confirm or deny, officially or unofficially, any events described or the activities of any
individual, government, or agency. In an effort to protect the nature of specific operations, I sometimes generalize
dates, times, and order of events. None of these “work-arounds” affect the accuracy of my recollections or my
description of how events unfolded. The operations discussed in this book have been written about in numerous other
civilian and government publications and are available in open sources to the general public. These confirming opensource citations are printed in the Confirming Sources list at the end of this book.
The events depicted in No Easy Day are based on my own memory. Conversations have been reconstructed from
my recollections. War is chaotic, but I have done my best to ensure the stories in this book are accurate. If there are
inaccuracies in it, the responsibility is mine. This book presents my views and does not represent the views of the
United States Navy, the U.S. Department of Defense, or anyone else.
In spite of the deliberate measures I have undertaken to protect the national security of the United States and the
operational security of the men and women who continue to fight around the world, I believe No Easy Day to be an
accurate portrayal of the events it describes and an honest portrayal of life in the SEAL teams and the brotherhoodhat exists among us. While written in the first person, my experiences are universal, and I’m no better or worse than
any man I’ve served with. It was a long, hard decision to write this book, and some in the community will look down
on me for doing so.
However, it is time to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in U.S. military history.
Lost in the media coverage of the Bin Laden raid is why and how the mission was successful. This book will finally
give credit to those who earned it. The mission was a team effort, from the intelligence analysts who found Osama
bin Laden to the helicopter pilots who flew us to Abbottabad to the men who assaulted the compound. No one man
or woman was more important than another.
No Easy Day is the story of “the guys,” the human toll we pay, and the sacrifices we make to do this dirty job.
This book is about a brotherhood that existed long before I joined and will be around long after I am gone.
My hope is one day a young man in junior high school will read it and become a SEAL, or at least live a life
bigger than him. If that happens, the book is a success.
Mark Owen
June 22, 2012,
Virginia Beach, Virginia
This is what is written in his opening page. The Air Force too, classifies things that you and I can read in the papers, or have seen on the internet. So what secrets are exposed here.
What secrets? So you're telling me he didn't include never before seen images of quad lens NVGs? (he did) and he didn't talk about tactics? (he did). That's at least TWO HUGE things that have no business being published.
We lost one of our most modern drones recently. Is anybody more worried about that? The sky is still up there.
I have read some of your book and it is an integral part of America's history on the war on Terrorism. Very few people could do what you and the rest of the elite S.E.A.L. Team Six could accomplish on the mission you all undertook. I congratulate you for coming forward to set the record straight. In a forum such as this, many people express their opinions, both negative and positive. I just want to take this opportunity to say thank you for serving your country and putting it all on the line. You are an inspiration and hero to me. God Bless You, all the other brave men and woman who serve our country. God Bless America!
What conscience? This is a crisis of SQUID values. If Marines had taken out Bin Laden this would not be an issue, period. LOOZERS!
JJ, take it easy on the squids. The op was what an hour at the most?
What about the grunt thats 24/7 in combat? Who is in the most danger?
So apparently most of these Obama-hating trolls posting here are ignorant about the nature of Classified information and how it is handled. For one thing, not one of those SEALS knew all the intelligence that went into the decisions, they only knew what they were ordered to do. When working with Classified information, having a clearance is not enough – you also must have a Need to Know. They only recevied as much information as was necessary for them to do the job, not all the background or decision-making stuff. Moreover, the White House has been comparatively silent on a lot of this because just because someone else has leaked information that doesn't mean it is no longer Classified. However, the very fact that something is Classified is in itself Classified. So if you were to present me with Classified data you found somehow and were to ask me whether it is Classified, even if I knew it was, I would have to simply respond with "no comment" or "I couldn't say" or something like that (or get my backside fired and possibly landed in jail). The guy who wrote that book likewise belongs in jail. For one thing, because of all the above, much of what he has had to say has been pure fabrication or, at best, speculation. To present it as if he actually knew is an outright lie but anything he may have leaked that IS Classified then he has wilfully breached a national security requirement he was entrusted to uphold and ought to be prosecuted accordingly. As for what-all is in that book – you'll be hearing a lot of 'no comments' from various sources that know the truth.
And from those that don't know the truth
Your indignation is so hypocritically transprent as a Obama kool-aid drinker. Go read what Peter Burgen wrote in Time magazine ...full details of the decision making process you mentioned as sacred blatently leaked by the Obama admin. Tsk Tsk to your hypocracy!
I read the Peter Burgen article in Time Magazine, and these "full details" and "leak by Obama Administration" you speak of don't even come up in it.
Peter P. – You missed the point or you cannot see the context. He didn't but the book as a way not to suport the premise of SEALs sharing details. BTW – I'm Former Special Operations. De Oppresso Liber. This SEAL should know better than to write this book. Our mottto has always been, "Quiet Professionals".
Well Owen has ruined it for all of you. Now you're all just a bunch of political opportunists, same as any other military brass. Perhaps you should thank him as only a brother can.
Question is how does anyone know what the truth is. Did Obama Admin tell the truth or what they want people to believe–not hard to get wingnuts to wingnut and help sell some story. How do those members of Congress know anythiing but what they may or may not have been told–would you tell them anything or would tell them all something different and see who the leak is?
Multiple stories multiple people. Think on more than one level.
The process of getting in to SOPSC is very rugged not much of secret–same as for Brits, Russian, other, run/swim forever-function as group, function when fatigue is overwhelming.
Several contest around the country and in Europe that use just such things for people to challenge themselves and each other.
looks like spelling was never part of ANY training.
I want to thank Seal Team 6 for perpetuating the hatred of the US due to it's meddling in foreign affairs. Next time, why don't you do some covert ops and kill the real threat to the US, Congress.
I love hearing stories of enemies falling by the hands of true warriors. I very much doubt there is true worry going on about what should and shouldn't be spread. Or who's being a cry baby and who is telling a good story to teach our children that if there are tyrants than there are people out there who will take them down! This is what being American is about. Destroying these evil people who want nothing more than to rape our women and enslave or kill our men and children.
Well, Bob, that certainly makes a better story than the one about how the GOP wants to kill our womena dn rape our men, especially the young boys. THAT is what most concerns me.
Two administrations have spent hundreds of billions of dollars to destroy Al Qaeda and kill Bin Laden. Bush for all his bluster and "Mission Accomplished" couldn't do it, but Obama relentlessly went about tracking OBL down and killing him. Without the order from the president it would not have happened. He deserves credit for his actions just as Seal Team 6 deserves credit along with all those who supported the mission, people you will never hear about without which none of this would have been possible. Thank you for your time and attention. STFU
Actually three administrations
Dude. Shut up. YOu're so full of it.
I want all the young loudmouths to look at that pictue of the leaders in the war room during the raid. Do you think you know even 5% of what each person in that room knew? You running your mouth and you writing the books are traitors. As Broadcast said, there's a thing called disinformation. The State Department spends years misdirecting our enemies to the benefit of those you swore to protect.
Please resign immediately. You dishonor the uniform.
And your name rank and serial number...?...
Barbara Starr, a seasoned Pentagon reporter, calls her source a "chief Navy SEAL". That is definitely not a rank or rate anyone in the Navy would be familiar with.
If the Seal who wrote the book needed money why didn't he ask. Americans would have gladly sent it to him by the truck load.
Just another double standard when the president can write lots of books after leaving office. Don't forget Disney coughed up millions to buy the rights to seal team 6 purely for the opportunity to make movies and publish books to make the almighty dollar. Meanwhile Disney still has theme park employees continuing to make less than $8 hr after three years, Thats the secret recipe keeping companies profitable low slave wages . Im just saying maybe this navy seal should have paid the piper like Disney did.
Welcome to Romney's world!
Doesn't matter who is President, does not matter what the mission is. IT IS YOUR JOB! YOUR OPINION WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU WHEN YOU NEED ONE BY THE PEOPLE YOU WORK FOR OR WORKED FOR. If you cannot keep your mouth shut then your opinion needs to be in a military prison with solitary confinement, period. This is fact, law, the rest is drummed up opinions which are not allowed to exist by the nature of the work. There is no proper variation, period.
Hard Azz, but right on!
Exactly, it's crazy this is becoming a partisan issue
No. The real criminals are in the White House and Congress. Seal Team 6 does nothing to keep this country safe, but it sure does a good job of spreading hate and discontent worldwide.
What is this No Easy Day crap about? It couldn't have been more easy than what they did...they basically walked into the home, taking on NO enemy fire and then some jarhead couldn't stop himself from killing Bin Laden instead of keeping him alive.
IDIOTS.
Why don't you put your bog boy panties on and go to BUDS or STFU
It was a kill misssion (we did not want to capture him). Also, there was a lot to overcome. Commando was just a movie, but we had a bird go down, we had enemy fire, and..nevermind. Just know you are wrong and you need to do some research.
OneEasyDay, I suppose your life has been one long easy day. What have YOU done for this country besides being an arm-chair troll? D0pe.
After being born into the 1% I just watch my trust fund grow...oh, and I did ROTC in college too but passed on serving the cronies who love war.
So it seems the Seals, for whom I have always had great respect, have allowed degraded discipline to rule them. They are no longer in control of their emotions, their minds, their reactions. This is dangerous. Their commander is the Commander-in-Chief, and they are sworn to support and obey him. It seems interesting to me that no-one complained when Bush I stood in front of that Mission Accomplished banner. No one complained because Bush was eeen as somehow more friendly to the military–even though he sent thousands to die in a war that was not needed, and failed to support returning vets to the degree Obama has. But because Obama is perceived as "liberal" military types don't like him. Sad.
Just to clarify that's not why most military people don't like him. Reference Jim Webb (a Democrat) who is respected. It's because he's a fraud. Constantly abstaining voting as a Senator, never held a regular job or even practiced law! To politely put it ...he's just a talker, never rolled up his sleeves and been a doer. And cause I'm sure you're wondering Romeny won't be respected by most military either because of that.
Typical liberal thinking It's just fine for civilians in the pentagon, as well as the commander in chief to "leak" classified info to their Hollywood chums, but heaven forbid the actual warriors reference their involvement. For a president who ran on an anti-war platform, he's really digging the power. Semper Fi to all the fine young warriors in our ARMED services.
How in the world is this a partisan issue. Too many people w/limited miliatry exposure posting too much nonsense.
For 21 years – Army and Navy, officer and enlisted – I went where the military sent me and did what the military told me to do. I followed the law and the regulations. Still do, 20 years after retiring. None of my business who "leaked" what. My only concern about leaks was to make sure I did my part to minimize their impact and carry on. Anything else is rationalization.
OBAMA- had to put his foot down and not release photos of the dead animal OBL. The GOP pushed, and pushed to try and discredit my commander-in-chief, until he finally said, "enough, believe it or do not but we got him and I will not release photos". Contrary to K. Roves leaking Plumes name (blowing a CIA agents cover), and contrary to Fox...news leaking the SEAls name, Obama does in deed and thought care about our Nation and not just celebrity and campaign funds like the GOP ego does. These are inarguable facts; why lie to yourself? Also, our command put out a Navy SEAl movie recently; do you get it? They put out a movie with real SEALS, showing the real training, and men in our so called, "secret" branch of military, and they now say do not talk about it. Which is it? Stop lying to yourself, and others.
Valerie was not an operative that waqsa under any kind of cover at all, and OBama's Whitehouse outed classified information about or cyberwar in IRan- that is FAR more egregious.
The SEALs are not a secret brach of the military. It's part of Special Operations in the Navy. Having been on 5 tours at the SEALs training facility in San Diego...I have yet to see anything that SEALs won't show you on a tour in a movie like Act of Valor. Having worked with a number of SEALs over the years, these are the kind of guys that you find out by chance, at that time, they were actually SEALs. Being extraordinary individuals, these guys come off as very ordinary people!
Something tells me that I do not need or want your respect. Just like the old saying goes- it is very true that you Do not want to believe anywhere close to everything you read, in fact, you should usually go with the opposite, and look for what points are absent from any article or video.
Thats to you TKO. Not Jon
Their commander-in-chief is a disgrace who has betrayed every oath he took coming in to office and he puts these men and their family's lives in danger with his name dropping and "I wanna be cool" intel leaks.
"Their commander-in-chief is a disgrace who has betrayed every oath he took coming in to office and he puts these men and their family's lives in danger with his name dropping and "I wanna be cool" intel leaks."
How so? Please provide details beyond the usual vomit from Republican talking points.
I so agree with you. I live in San Diego – big Navy town – and this behavior by the Seals really saddens me. I would think in the future our President – the Commander in Chief – should chose some other military unit to conduct these types of operations. At least until the Seals can clean house or figure out what they stand for now.
Looks like we are pretty eager to get this Navy Seal for what is suspected as leaking secrets. My question. When are we going to go after the Administration and other weak-kneed public officials that stoop low enough to use military confidentiality for political gain. How about we go after them with the same vigor..........
Bush is out of office now, so go get him. Get his daddy for running all that CIA coke up here in the 70's while you are at it.
This is why women should be SEALs. We are better at keeping secrets secret.
LOL! Whew! That's a good one. Women are the worst gossipers. But we could get some perspective on how the gilly suits clash with your new pumps.
SEALs are second rate heros. The first rate heros are the Night Stalker crew!!!
The SEALs didn't have to work as hard and concentrate nearly as long as the aircrew that got them there and risked their lives as well (5-6 hours versus 40 minutes). So any publicity hungry SEAL or SEAL fanboy should recognize that the SEALs only get silver medal for heroism anyways!
I dare you to say that to a Seal face to face. I guarantee you won't do it again after that.
As a Marine aviator I'd wouldn't have any problem saying that to a SEALs face. What they did was not as difficult as the task the Army aircrew had. Period. Enough about the SEALs already.
Hahahaha! Good for you two tango. That was funny.
Good point, though.
This guy is a traitor. Anyone who leaks classified information is a traitor.
Agreed
It's a lot like Fight Club (which is where they got the idea anyway). You don't talk about the Seals, period.
And you wonder what the KKK are upto now?!
Washing their linens :-)?
Military is full of those who favor GOP... no wonder.
You are right. Not many left leaning soldiers. That about says it all
Trust is trust. Serving our country is a honor, but one that often requires keeping your mouth shut. I've been in that position and after 30 years there stuff I have never told anyone. Idiots like this guy should face some kind of disciplinary procedure. They endanger the lives of other Americans as well as those of our collaborators in other countries just to make some cash. If they are lying, the government often can't respond with facts without making disclosures that also may endanger others.
Politicians are always going to talk about these kind of success stories. If they don't, the right-wing news media will tell the stories in their own twisted ways. Yes, Obama deserves some of the credit for taking out bin Laden. His predecessor said he didn't care if he was caught or not. In fact, he was even too lazy to read a report on his desk describing how bin Laden was ready to attack the US.
PS. Barack Obama is the President of the United States. He's black. Get over it.
I agree 100% with your 1st paragraph but What part of "the pentagon admitted it leaked classified information" escaped you.? So leaking the name of the Dr. informant in Pakistan who fingered Bin Laden was justified in order to avoid a right wing what??
Luke Brown you referred to Bush as being to lazy reading a report that Bin Laden was ready to attack America. I think you're a bit confused. It was Clinton who had a CIA report on Bin Ladin and what he was capable of doing and when he was planning those activities. But don't worry we can look past that part of you lying.
It was Bush and Connie also. I have not heard about Clinton but thanks for the update
Test.
MB don't care what charges The Pentagon file against him, what he cares is the fact that he becomes a PNG within the SEAL teams, Im pretty sure he'll be "escorted" out of tango next time he visits Coronado or VB.....He is not the first and certainly and unfortunately won't be the last.....
MONEY...MONEY...MONEY what else....greed, traitors...crocodiles...they are a bunch of REPUBLIBAN SEALS
I am buying many copies of this book. Every time a general retires and immediately becomes a member of our credit union board I am going to send them a copy.
Looks like the Seals are just another group believing their own BS. They're as bad as politicians. The best thing any president could tell McRaven the next time we need special forces is that we're not using his guys on this one, or until further notice for that matter.
The ideas that younger seals are to blame due to lack of judgement that has been fogged by internet is weak. I am no full pledged supporter of the Patriot Act but im sume there are a few laws broken here. Throw the book on top of him and this problem will disappear. It seems through his own admission he does suport more conservative action so lets give it to him. Roll the black SUV right over his book.
A Seal can lie when the President asks to do that ...
I think the public silence should be maintained, these people are asked to do what no one else wants to. They don't need to talk about it nor seek publicity in any way, it is already known.
Responsibility for secrecy goes for Everyone involved. From the whitehouse to the field. You can't blame the seal for being a traitor without blaming the whitehouse leaks.
The sin of one does not justify the sin of the other. "Well he did it first!" didn't work on the kindergarten playground, and it won't work to justify the disclosure of classified information either.
Bissonette's states his reason for writing the book was because of all the lies coming from the White House and he wanted to "set the record straight". What an idiot. Of course the WH lied.....it's called a cover. If they are LIES then they are NOT leaks. Misinformation is the nature of the business. It's not like the Pakis were going to keep quiet about the raid.
Mr. Bissonette should know better. It's not his position to "set the record straight." It is utter arrogance on his part to think that. He, of all people, should know that he is not privy to all the facts in the matter. He can't know - he has no need to know - how what he discloses might affect other things he is not aware of.
I agree. The leadership from the White House leaks is now showing down the rank and file guys.
Partisan traitor
Thanks for the responses. A lot of comments here place the blame on the Seal. My point is that it seems one sided. EVERYONE who leaked secrets is a criminal. Criminality shouldn't be reserved for just one side of the political aisle.
First off I am Canadian, I was in the Navy (and that's all I need to say). All operators the SFQC/SFOC classification should know that we are all proud of what they do. An operator should know themselves anything they do for their country is appreciated. I often thought about why is there not parades and all that crap every time some mission/task is completed, but a pat on the back from my team members was enough.
All civilians should celebrate these men and women that guard our fences and go down range to protect our countries and HVA's.
I agree... seems that there's a social contract between civilians and military. They do their stuff, and we appreciate them for it. However, with a lot of the country no longer respecting the military, its traditions, nor the war they're fighting, the social contract doesn't mean as much to them. In my mind, there's no obligation to uphold your part of an agreement when the other people don't uphold theirs.
General says, "We owe our chain of command much better than this."
Hypocrite. How many generals retire to lucrative positions as lobbyists, politicians, or military industrial complex executives?
One or two Petty Officers try to do the same, and its a national crisis.
And how many Seals retire to lucrative positions in private security and intelligence/investigation work?
I don't think that private security positions compares with influence peddling.
The sin of one does not justify the sin of the other. "Well he did it first!" didn't work on the kindergarten playground, and it won't work to justify the disclosure of classified information either.
Richard Marcinko was giving away SEAL secrets twenty years ago; this is nothing new, just that it is attached to the bin Laden raid. Fame is a double-edged sword; the Pentagon goes out of its way to use real SEALs in "Act of Valor" and giving briefings to Hollywood directors/producers and then gets mad that this guy wrote a book? Can't have it both ways...
There are people who thinks Obama should not get credit for killing Osama because he just gave the order. If this is the case then Hilter should not be condened because he just gave the orders to exterminate 6 million jews, Dwight Eisenhower should not get a credit for winning the European theater WWII because he just was never in the front and just gave orders, So as Churchill, Douglas McArthur and should I go on.
i like how the dude's name that wrote the book is all over the article. If anything should happen, the CIA/Pentagon now have complete deny-ability.
Fox News outed him but fellow SEALS who were aware of the book had already threatened to do so if it were published.
I wonder what else they might do? A new Enemy #1? A new compound to raid?
For all those who feel the President deserves no credit for the Bin Laden hit, just remember that had it failed he would have gotten all the blame so yes, he does deserve credit. And, if the President isn't "credited" for getting Bin Laden because he only ordered it then we should have never gone after Bin Laden because he didn't carry out the 9/11 attack, he just ordered it.
And – I know I'm not qualified since I've never served but I always thought the SEALS/Special Ops people were supposed to quietly work to save the country, not be out courting accolades and fame. The books, movies & especially the "swift boat" set kind of disgust me. I totally respect those who respect the country, the President & their military branch – following the code.
Excellent post Sharon!
Enough about Obama and credit!!! If everyone wants to pile all the BAD baggage from before his term...then he gets the GOOD baggage as well. Can't have it both ways!
As for the SEAL....he is wrong. He broke the code. I have best friends and neighbors here is the VB area who are SEALS and they NEVER, ever, talk work around us "normal" people. As Jack said in "A Few Good Men"..they prefer we just say thank you, and be on our way". I won't shed a tear for the guy when he is in Leavenworth.
Geat post James.
Great post. My brothers and my father served in the military. They were all disgusted with this concept of gaining recognition for your service. They are not Obama supporters, but they respect him because he is the President of the US. Our patriotism is disappearing because too many think everything is just about them. United we stand, united we fall.
One more vote for you Sharon.
Very well expressed, Sharon.
Do not get hung p on reality the Republican's heads would explode.
These guys aren't as smart as I thought. You can bet Al Queda is taking notes about who these guys are, and who their families are. I've lost some respect for them. In the end it appears that "glory" is the most important thing to the new guys. Sad.
Maybe is an orphan with no family?
Then take them off the Military Channel ( Seal BUDS week Raid against Osama etc) Its cheap political press and sets the wrong precedent. Take them out of the press, stop regaling their every move and making movie stars out of them. Say bad things in the press for politicians riding on their coattails to get a cheap sound bite.
Gen Y is an electronically connected crowd of tattlers and hides behind the electronic wall. Dump the blabber mouths; I'm sure there are many waiting in the wings, as good and really part of an elite black op.
This seal is a traitor! He did this for the money, the fame, the illusion that he's being patriotic. The lowest of the low! How embarrassed his family must be of him! He should be shunned for being a danger to his comrades in arms! I pray his concious (if he has one) stares him in the face each morning when he faces the mirror until he can no longer look at himself without being ashamed!
What a stupid statement "He did it for the money". What the hell do you think drives Americans in this day and age, love of country? Do you really think that the majority of American troops are in there because they love their country? Wake up! Unfortunately it is the desire to have money to be able to live a bit more comfortably. I am willing to bet that not one of these admirals would be willing to sacrifice a day of pay to help their country in time of need. Be sure that they want all that they can get. What I believe this book will do is cause SEALS to change their game plans, so that they are always at the edge. Remember that drone that was "shot" down over Iran? Do you feel less secure because of it?
MissyW is correct.
There is no "I" in team. That's the problem I have with this book.
It's cynical opportunism at its worst.
The problems I have with this book is one man is getting paid for what a TEAM did, 2nd Osama Bin Laden got what he deserved, I dont care that he didn't fight back he was a pu*** and hid behind women, our seals have been and will be this countries judge, jury and executioners when they need to be and have the proper orders, so what the man that took thousands of lives on 09/11/2001 didnt fight back and was shot onsite, I am happy he was. Mark Owen needs to step up and donate ALL the procreeds to one of 2 groups of people, either the victims of 9/11 or the families of his fellow seals that have fallen in the line of duty.
Absolutely. It is obscene to make $$'s of honor. This fellow never was a true SEAL, and on top of that to get the book out in this election cycle, he and whoever initiated this book should be ashamed of themselves.
From what I've heard ... the author of the book is not keeping any $$ proceeds. They go to families of fallen warriors.
Then the big question is: Why was the book written in the first place? To discredit whom?
Horse hockey!
A CHARITY for US Navy SEALs says it will refuse any proceeds from a book by an ex-commando who took part in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, after the Pentagon threatened legal action against the author.
The former Navy SEAL who wrote No Easy Day, Matt Bissonnette, has promised to donate a majority of his profits to charities, but one of the non-profit groups he touted – the Navy SEAL Foundation – has ruled out accepting his donations.
"The Navy SEAL Foundation is committed to providing immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and their families.
"With this principled mission in mind, the Foundation will not be accepting any donations that are generated from the book or any related activities," the group said in a statement on its website.
Mr. Bissonnettee would do his country a great service if he would remember everything that he went through to earn that Trident. Loose Lips Sink Ships, sir.
Cook, USN (ret) USS Bradley
I would love to read the book, but I believe it shouldn't be published and if so the seal should be persecuted to the full extent. When you are a seal and have a security clearance and such which is needed, you have no right giving that information out to the public. What he is doing is stupid, irresponsible and can get more of our soldiers killed. If the book comes out, I hope he pays the price for his actions. This is a real no brainer on his side.
" I believe it shouldn't be published and if so the seal should be persecuted to the full extent."
When I used to work in the "Military/Industrial Complex" they used to threaten us will all sorts of prosecutions and penalties if we disclosed classified information. But I've never seen any of that brought to bear in any of these public cases.
prosecuted
The funny part is American think Osama bin Laden was behind September 11, but in reality he was not. That’s way your favorite president George Bush went to Iraq and Afghanistan, because he didn’t know who did it. This is might sound crazy, but after 30 years from now truth will come out.
You must get your information by reading the "funnies" in the newspaper, but in reality you are probably not reading that much.
FA–You sure could be right about that. The most likely–Arafat. Always the airplane guy who hijacked and blew up planes for years. After his death no more attacks. Osama could have been involvled and would recieve credit for it but I will always believe it was Arafat. They concluded Osama so quickly–kida Lee Oswaldisth
Its amazing the two faced people that will condem this guy while in the same breath praise Obama for the exact same thing. If the white house had put the facts out there without all the propaganda, the book might have never been written. I also found little said about the movie that white house employees slipped info. to as well. Its odd how its just a side note when trying to feed this guy to the lions for giving an accurate record rather than that of the white house. Its just yet another reason I can't see putting Obama in for a second term. So you want to hold this guy accountable, while ignoring the leaks that have put military personnel in danger. Only the weak minded will fall for this still. But from the polls, it looks like they are working to become a majority. Talk about double standard, sheesh
Praise Obama for what? Doing the same thing? You mean to say Obama writing a book about the raid?
Curious. I didn't see your name here criticizing GWB for deliberating leaking an active CIA operative's name.
You have a good point we should attach CNN cameras to all military personnell and individuals holding any public office. I say we begin with drill instructors we could even create an acrynom life MFL and get cheerleaders and referees and sell hot dogs. What a novel idea lets tell the whole world everything were doing all the time and reduce the deficit at the same time. I suppose your a liberal conservative hmmm so you want all truth all the time regardless of safety to our troops because the president is Obama. Do you live in Union County GA? Is your mother also your sister?
The crisis of conscience is: how can I stay quiet when that lying sack of sh_t takes credit for all I do?
Oh please. The boss always gets the credit! In military and non-military organizations, it's the chain of command and it's the way of the world Oh, but this boss doesn't deserve the credit for the work that is completed under his command. And why, oh why, does this one not while others do?
oh come on. how many of us have had superiors/bosses take credit for our work? but most times they also take the blame for our failures.
I personally think it's easy. If you dont like not being able to talk about what you do, dont get a job that requires you to not talk about it. We have the power not to take the job. No one forces them to become seals.
So, are military personnel under contract to a private corporation, the U.S. Federal Government Corporation controlled by the Federal Reserve Corporation private bankers, rather than servants of the American people protecting them from all enemies foreign and domestic? Seems the Navy SEALS might be asking that question among themselves.
wait, this book has been in the making...everyone knew it was coming out, everyone reviewed it, including government lawyers....sounds like every one is jealous they didn't do it first......
Face it. Obama does not inspire the troops. In fact, Obama is despised by the troops as an arrogant fool. Obama is not a leader. We found that out the hard way. It is time to oust the fool from the White House. The troops are not going to follow his orders!
If the SEAL team had not followed his orders, then Osama would still be alive.
And get real, how many people do you know in the civilian world who base whether they do what their boss tells them to do on whether or not they respect that boss? And it's even more the case in the military, you follow your orders without question.
Speak for yourself klansman. I'm a soldier that follows orders of the commander. We can have our opinions but they are NOT a rational for disobeying orders. Did I like Patton f–K no, he was a racist. Did I like the majority of Officers in the 101st at that time no most, (I emphasize most) were racist and stupid. Some said out loud they would never give a n--r a medal!
Now these people will always be in our military. But even they follow orders and i'll bet they are in the SEals. The majority are there to get special training and to get weapons traning to fight the race war. It's really about being a hero to their peers back stateside. Looked on as a leader, trainer, and prophet. Being faithful to your group is important. You must be able to trust the soldier beside you. Trust him to follow training, do his part, and FOLLOW ORDERS. That is what a soldiers do. most of all don't bring your politics to the field. Bring your skills, conditioning, and courage that the American people has spent so many $$$ on training you, giving you the best equipment that they can, and all the things for you to be successful that this country has. Stop Judging, You're too young and inexperienced in life to know real truth. War is one reality, being part of the human race with the same qualities you are learning is the next level. One day you will be proud to have been "just a soldier"
Oh here we go again. The old Swift Boat Tactic!!! Nice way to go GOP!!!
Mr. Pybus,
Trust is a two way street...
I just finished the book. There is NOTHING in there that the administration, media, Discovery Channel, Military Channel, NatGeo Channel (they had a CGI mockup of the raid made into a show), and any other media formats have not already revealed. Before you start throwing charges of treason at this guy, you really ought to go read it first. Everything that's in there was already revealed within 24 hours of the raid, and then even more over the next few days. If he's guilty of treason, then ALL of Washington DC, including the President, is just as guilty. The government shouldn't even have revealed it was Seal Team Six (known as DEVGRU) as STS was not supposed to even exist. Many aspects of all our Special Forces' training routines can be found just about any day or night on the Military Channel, NatGeo, or Discovery - hell, there's a show called "making the cut" that details the lives of military members trying to get into different branches of the elite forces. You can watch SEAL BUD/S training, EOD (sapper) training, Ranger training, whatever, during any given week. The only info that was truly new to me was reading that Bin Laden didn't even have his guns loaded, and didn't even try to mount a defense even with all the time he had to, while ONE of the two Al-Kuwaiti brothers did and fired on the SEALS. This didn't surprise me though, because the guys at the top of these terrorist organizations don't practice what they preach to the youth as far as blowing oneself up to kill the infidel.
That, and on the last few pages of the book, he states he is donating the majority of sales to various charities that serve the families of fallen SEAL team members, and, lists at least 3 of them with info on how to contact them and make donations yourself. He asks at the end that ALL Americans make some kind of sacrifice, no matter how small it is compared to what Special Ops guys do, to help out wounded veterans as well as families of the fallen.
He is still making money of a SEAL operation, and that is still fishy, and still begs the question why did he write the book in the first place?
FUTURE MISSIONS FOR THE SEALS::::::
TERRORIST GROUPS IN INDIA
• RASHTRIYA SWAYAM SEWAK SHANG (R.S.S.)
• VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD
• HINDU MUNNANI
• ARYA SAMAJ
• SHIV SENA
• BHARATIYA JANATA PARISHAD
• SANT SAMITI
• HINDU MAHASABHA
• BAAJRANG DAL
LEADERS: L.K. Advani/ Ashok Singhal/ Bala Saheb Devaras/ Bal Thackeray/ A.B. Vajpayee/ Savarkar/ Baikunnth Lal Sharma “Prem”/ Balraj Madhok/ The Shankaracharya of Puri, Niranjan Dev Theerth/ Rama Gopalan/ Variyar – Vishwan Hindu Parishad/ Dharmalinga Nadar/ Cho Ramaswamy
enemies of Islam. nothing more.
Go get 'em, Donnie boy!!!
The idea that this book is 'flying off the shelves' is typical. No one should have paid this dishonorable man a dime, instead you have made him a millionaire, 15-minute celebrity. Shame.
the man was on the team that killed bin laden. considering we spent uncountable billions of dollars to get him, i'd say the man has some value and should be paid well for services rendered. it appears that even though the military does not, this man feels the same way and has chosen an alternate method of payment.
Good for him – he's gettin' his.
Screw the rest of the teamm; and the rest of the organization.
The history and the valor of thoe who have passed before, has just been urinated on.
Good for ya' – screw the rest. As long as you get yours, you're a profound capitalist!!
You put in a lot of work to just become a puke.
GOD bless our Navy SEALs – they have fought to defend the personal freedoms and self-determination that Obama is trying to take away...!
Nancy, are you thast stupid?
Nope – she too is just a Puke!
Dumbness is at home in the republican party.
If you choose a career that requires you to take an oath, to have integrity and honor, then you are not only expected to comply and be honorable, you are being given the honor of being selected. You want to be a 'traitor' to your honor, you aren't an honorable man, then chose another profession. It's not a secret they keep from you...you want to be a SEAL or Ranger, then you behave like a Man with a capital M, not a little, little man.
Sorry but what in fact is happening is the Seals are getting a real different reputation in the other teams from this. Out and about you, as an individual, must carry your own baggage and their bags as a group are getting heavy. Why would I want to work with them if I might be named in a book or pictured in a movie later?
Before all is said and done people are going to pay for all of this slack jaw yapping and it is going to be a sorry day indeed. Many folks from years ago are dead today because they became known, so just keep running your mouth.
This isn't that difficult. Nail the traitor to the wall, make an example of him and his lawyer. Then change the contract between seals and the administration to expressly forbid this type of behavior in the future. Easy. You talk, you die. Thank god this disgrace never got catptured by an enemy, they wouldn't even have to torture him for info. Just give him a few dollars and an interview on Aljazeera and he'd sell his buddies down the Tigris.
My husband was in the U.S. Air Force worked "intelligence" related duty. During our over 20 years of marriage, I never heard him talked about his work. I respected the rule as well. I will never buy the book and have no interested in reading it.
this is all hogwash. the SEALs are not our most elite fighting force. the SEALs get used when we know the world will see what was done and require explanation. We'll say it was the SEALs and that it's all classified, which is rubbish.
only the most senior military and government officials are privileged to know who our most elite fighting force is. the press gets terms like "CIA", "special ops", "black ops", "Navy SEALs", etc. which they glorify and generally disrespect the serious nature of. we know that's how it works. that's why no one knows anything about the forces we have who put all of those to shame. we don't even waste them on silly little "wars" like Iraq and Afghanistan. they are too valuable.
We're supposed to be the "quiet professionals". You don't talk, you don't brag, you don't need to. You do your job, get home alive, take care of your brothers and head out again. "Setting the record straight" is an egocentric reason and doesn't belong in SOF.
Thank you SOF! Intel ops are never about "setting the record straight". It's always been about lies also known as covers.
As a SEAL, their not trained to think about the moral ramifications of what they do. If they are conciencious objectors, they should not be a SEAL or in any military division. If they want to leak information that jeapordizes the lives of future soldiers, or worse, jeapordizes the lives of American civilians... well then, that is simply flat out treason.
Unfortunately they care coming out because of treasonous acts by the commander in chief.
Even Republicans don't believe Obama has committed treason. If they did, do you think they would fail to impeach him?
Oh my god Bob! You did it! I see the light. I will now change my vote in November because of your highly intelligent comment. Good thing you were born.
The highly treasonous Commander has been out of office for over 3 years. You know the one that went awol earlier in his career and then was tired of "swatting at flies" so went to Crawford TX to clear brush for most of the time before 9/11. He let OBL & company escape Tora Bora without a shot fired. Invaded Iraq and forgot about OBL completely.
I find it VERY revealing that 99% of the comments to this story use FAKE names... well my NAME IS VIOLET WEED and as far as I am concerned, the SEAL did what was right, he didn't violate any 'security issues' he simply STATED FACTS. I'm reading his book right now. As for the 'commander in chief' the last one was BUSH and the current one is a traitorous hate of america and despiser of his white side. He is NO commander and we are VOTING HIM OUT IN NOVEMBER. He has singlehandedly set back the equalty issues (if there are any) of African-Americans and has systematically done EVERYTHING his foreign-based 'handlers' want him to do to effectively DESTROY THE USA. HE IS IN FACT A TRAITOR.
You need to lay off the meth for a bit. Sunlight and fresh air may do wonders for your paranoia.
Sabrina, you stupid C-!! Funny, the only two names you revealed were yours and former president Bush. You failed to tell us who this evil person is. I suspect you're referencing Willard Romney. Makes no difference, you sound like a monkey who's hearing voices. Your rant had nothing in the least to do with the article. Maybe you should read the stories before losing your mind and saying whatever first pops into it.
The real traitor was Bush. He should be in the Hague together with Cheney and Rumsfeld, they are the war criminals.
Yeah! Because those guys were evil!! Slowly back away from your bong and get some chips.
Some disclosure is good because many kids view the military in a certain cartoonish way, if you show the dark side, kids can weigh all options and decide if it is for them or not.
Delta, Delta, Delta...Need not say more. Those so few and truly elite individuals that you don't hear of or know of. The more covert the better. I'm a civi. no need for me to know any overt or covert...for eyes only type of detail/information. Whether Army or Navy, their commitment to our country is not in question. However what is their commitment to the branch they serve under and those inherent believes and ethics...
The entire military needs to be careful about being perceived as attached to one polical party. They run the risk of alienating a large segment of the population.
What happened to "Loose lips sink ships" ?
Don't be a whining moron and be a man. Keep the secrecy and confidentiality as your main goal not only for our safety, but for your family as well. New generations lack backbone and they don't realize they are exposing themselves and jeopardizing everyone around them.
Who got Osama Bin Laden? America is the answer. This guy is a traitor to his fellow SEALS. Do Navy SEALS come out of their mother's wombs K-Bar in hand with all the knowledge and skill required to carry out their covert operations? NO!!!! who trained these men to be Navy SEALS? America. Who provided them with the weapons and instruments needed to carry out their covert missions? America. Did the Navy SEALS gather, scrutinize, and vet all of the information that lead to OBL's whereabouts? NO! that was done by the highest levels of America's intelligence networks. Did the Navy SEALS make the decision to carry out this covert mission? NO! that came from the Oval Office. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the Navy SEALS, Green Beret, and all of America"s Special Forces are the best of the best. They should be proud of what they have accomplished. But this author forgot about humility, and he forgot that without the might and will of America behind him that he would n't have the story to tell. I commend the SEAL Team 6, and I appreciate their bravery and skill, but most of all their commitment to uphold the beliefs that this country was founded on. If only the republican party would honor those beliefs. Special Forces rock, and without them there would be alot more very bad men running around terrorizing the world. Go Seals go!
I am sick of this "You Didn't Build That" garbage. These guys (the SEALS) go though training that no other individuals on earth go through. This training is so tough that 99.99% of Americans are either unable or unwilling to go through it. The seals deserve 99.99% of the credit. I will give Obama .01% for having the spine to send others to a foreign land and risk their lives while he sat in a chair and drank coffee in the White House.
Just like Bush, amirite?
So, you admit that the Seals go through the toughest training on earth, but you don't want to give any credit to America as a nation for having provided the training to the aSeals that carried ouyt the mission. I agree that the Seals deserve the lion's share of the credit. Obama gave the order and participated in the lead up discussions weighing all of the facts and options. Lets give the White House maybe 5%. And you have to take into account all the intelligence gathering that went into the operation before the mission. without the intelligence that was gathered there would have been no mission. And let's faceit, this is America. We are a democracy unrivalled (for now). your tax dollars and my tax dollars, and everyones tax dollars funded all the training and intellegence and weapons needed to carry out this mission. With that said The Seals pulled it off big time, but America made it possible.
First, there is a discovery channel TV show on the process of becoming a SEAL. Then, Act of Valor is going to be made and the pentagon allows active duty SEALs to take part. Then after the Bin Laden raid, background interviews are granted to a film maker who wants to make a movie about it. According to this CNN story there are SEALs working on 2 other movies. Why the hell is anyone surprised that this SEAL is writing a book???!!! I am not saying a condone it but can you really be surprised??? I find the admiral's letter laughable. Who was in charge when all these other deals were made? My God the picture on this story has a picture of 8 SEALs at a red carpet movie premier!!!!
Pathetic that this seal wrote the book and also dis'd the Commander in Chief- just sad and a prime example of eroding ethics in our world.
Exactly. Military intelligence is an oxymoron? It's the information age and some people are actually thinking for themselves. Go figure. It ain't 1950 anymore.
As a psychiatric nurse at the VA, I can attest that many vets are reluctant to disclose events, even in session with a therapist, when they know that it is classified information. Many will say, "I'm not supposed to talk about that, my unit is still in the field." Yet effective treatment for PTSD includes helping vets to talk about their actions, as well as their feelings about their actions, so developing a relationship based on absolute trust between the vet and mental health providers is crucial.
I find it ironic that so many vets struggle with this issue of trust while trying to recover from PTSD, and yet a SEAL, uniformly admired in all branches of the service, can so easily publish a book that betrays that trust.
As a mental health professional for the VA, I have heard stories that most civilians cannot even fathom, but my professional ethics dictate that I not discuss them with others once I'm off duty, and I value those ethics. It is my way of honoring our veterans. I can't begin to guess what this SEAL's motives are, but I'm guessing he will regret the day he had this published, because eventually the conflict between his values and his actions will catch up with him.
...and not only that, but imagine if it was during the Bush years and suppose a SEAL released the book...he would have been waterboarded (at best) for putting in danger our ...troops, sabotaging our 'efforts' for greater democracy around the world, and, not the least, labeled as an unpatriotic socialist pig...
I'm afraid you might be part of the problem. Course, you are as locked in to the nonsense as the rest, but think about it.
Thank you for your service to our veterans and please thank them for their service to our country.
Thank you for working with Vets. My only exception is your assertion that SEALs are uniformly admired through out the services. They seem to really admire themselves the most:)
If you can't keep your mouth shut then get the heck out !!
People put their trust in you and that trust is that you will do what you need to do and keep it to yourself.
If you can't follow this basic principle, then again – GET OUT !!!
That is about the youngest Captain I have ever seen. His next promotion is to Rear Admiral. A fast burner for sure.
The only time someone should not be prosecuted for treason for revealing state secrets or spying is if they work for our Likud Masters in Israel.
Don't you know?
http://weeklyintercept.blogspot.COM/2012/08/doj-secretly-halts-fbi-investigation.html
http://www.politico.COM/news/stories/0509/21984.html
Sources? Blogs and political newspapers. Do you really pay credence to opinions and self-serving factions in a nation sensitive issue?
What about Obama and his big mouth "look what we did" fools in the White House. They disclosed lots of information they shoulldn't have. They are the ones allowing a movie to be made. Where's all the uproar over what they did, and so far, have gotten away with because the liberal media doesn't want to bring it up.
@WhatAboutObama&Team – what exactly did Obama say?
Nobody was going to let the killing of bin Laden slip quiety into the night! I don't care who is President. This was a necessary end to that part of the story...for everything we did in response to 9/11 his death was a necessary end! Plus, we could not let bin Laden become a ghost, folk hero of the ignorant.
My sons are so excited that there might be a follow on book about Pirates ! Arggghhhhh!
what a disapointment.are these men what is the best in american millitary?they look more like firefighters.
Get your eyes tested; there is more than one type of uniform.
Sayan.