Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, American Trapped in Kabul Explains 'Bogus' Visa Email Sent to Thousands, Robert O'Neill speaks onstage during book signing and lecture at Richard Nixon Library on July 26, 2017 in Yorba Linda, California. One other SEAL has previously gone public - Matt Bissonnette. ONeill then heads into the room as the point man pushes two women out of the way. 'I support him in everything he is doing,' said the twice-divorced older man. This message will appear once per week who could lift a house with his bare hands, but he was this normal guy. His decorations includetwo Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars with Valor, a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor, three Presidential Unit citations, and two Navy/Marine Corps Commendations with Valor. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING VETERAN JOURNALISM - JOIN SOFREP+ , SNL creator Lorne Michaels to produce film about Navy SEAL UBL shooter Rob ONeill, PO Box 1077 MURFREESBORO, Tennessee 37133 United States, P.O. Several accounts have claimed that an unnamed "point man" fired the fatal bullets that put down the Al-Qaeda leader. "But we won't because we have a commander-in-chief that was put there through whatever happened at four in the morning on election night. He has reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan and several countries in the Middle East, focusing on terrorism, war and intelligence. Whatever he [O'Neill] says, he says. Martin Gould for MailOnline, SEAL source: 'The real shooter would never discuss it publicly there's a reasonable, Revealed: How Iraq's military is fighting back ISIS under the guidance of IRAN'S powerful general, EXCLUSIVE: Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden revealed. CNN's Pentagon reporter said that military officials concluded the account was inaccurate. The third floor had the most time to prepare a defense once the bottom floors were cleared, and seems like it would warrant more support. Support Veteran Journalism . Get stories that empower and uplift daily. The Intercept claims SEAL Team 6 members Robert O'Neill and Matt Bissonnette wanted to benefit financially from the raid that ended with the death of bin Laden and allegedly made up details to . The SEAL feared the woman was wearing a suicide vest. We do not abide willful or selfish disregard for our core values in return for public notoriety and financial gain, which only diminishes otherwise honorable service, courage and sacrifice., Then theres the fog of war that envelopes any combat mission of the type that took down bin Laden: at night, deep inside foreign territory, and with the high likelihood of unknown events such as the crash of one of the SEALs helicopters in Abbottabad. Copyright IBTimes 2023. The three shots killed bin Laden and O'Neill could see his 'brains' through the wound. The U.S. government has never confirmed which individual killed bin Laden.. Ill explain the meaning of these words later. 1.The Deed is All, Not The Glory: This is an ethos that hangs on signs in of many units within JSOC. chocolate raspberry pie best thing i ever ate. He says hes sorry he didnt submit the book for legal review, but says there are inconsistencies about who is allowed to talk and who isnt, since higher ups were apparently speaking freely. When he published the book No Easy Day on Sept. 4, 2012, he used the pen name Mark Owen and pledged much of the proceeds to charity, but he still became persona non grata with his command and many former comrades. The entire episode was over in 15 seconds. 'But again, the code of secrecy with these special operators would preclude that.'. You dont have a Christian Science Monitor A cinematic account of the bin Laden raid, the box office hit and Oscar winner Zero Dark Thirty, began shooting on location in February 2012. ", at least 30 generals and admirals that haven't resigned, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. Were run by a church, but were not only for church members and were not about converting people. Robert ONeill, the former SEAL identified in several news accounts as the shooter who fired the fatal shot to bin Ladens head at close range, now says it doesnt matter who did so during that US raid on bin Ladens compound hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in 2011. But the row is now set to become ugly and high-profile. Although he had previously been interviewed about the shooting of bin Laden, he remained entirely discreet about his role. We still love each other.'. R . But the killing of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden by SEAL Team Six who was the shooter is causing considerable public debate within the SEAL community. Mr Gilliam was similarly critical of Matt Bissonnette, another Seal on the raid who has taken credit for shooting bin Laden, as well as Joe Biden, the gaffe-prone vice president who first revealed . O'Neill and his fellow SEAL Matt Bissonnette, who wrote two books about his time in the special operations force, are both under investigation by the Naval . It's tough to hear a lot of different SEALs that I've never met, I've never worked with and I don't know. 'Personally I feel more threatened by a potential retaliatory terror attack on our community than I did eight years ago,' his wife said in 2013. A former U.S. Navy SEAL and special warfare operator, O'Neill is best known for his claims that he had made in November 2014, of having fired the head shots that killed Osama bin Laden during the raid on his Abbottabad compound on May 2, 2011. The former Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden in the face during the 2011 raid on his compound wants the photos of the Al Qaeda leader's dead body finally released to the public. So that said, write it down, participate in a documentary, film project or video game, or talk about it on TV. He also conceded that criticism from other SEALs, even if theyre strangers, can be painful. The accusations came as O'Neill's claim contradicted the description of the operation in a book by Matt Bissonnette, an ex-member of SEAL Team Six who took part in the raid against bin Laden. Rob ONeill, meanwhile, is the unnamed shooter who was credited in numerous magazine articles with firing the fatal shots, and according to two SEAL sources will be presented again as the shooter in a Fox News interview that airs later this month. I believe its important for historys sake to record personal stories and interpretations of significant events. I don't think we know who killed bin Laden. He joined NBC News in 2013 after three years as an investigative producer for ABC News. He fires at least one shot. The message, sent ahead of Bissonnettes appearance on 60 Minutes and ONeills interview on Fox, seemed intended to shame Bissonnette and ONeill. If theres any doubt, anything at all, get it cleared by the government; many former CIA personnel do this. Former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill was part of the raid and he says he was the one who fired the deadly shot. We change lives. A draft report of the internal investigation later showed that CIA Director Leon Panetta had revealed some classified details during an event at CIA headquarters. He thinks he might have.. In the Esquire version of the raid, ONeill is second in the stack. I dont want to touch that.. Ive fired my weapon in combat, called in airstrikes, put my own ass on the line in Iraq and Afghanistan, and done things post-military as a contractor working in Iraq which the general public will never know. O'Neill has said the basic reason he became a SEAL was a teenage romance gone wrong. Bissonnette released his controversial book No Easy Day in 2012 - under the pen-name Mark Owen - and immediately faced the ire of the Pentagon and fellow SEALs. His second piece of work is a reaction to the Oscar-nominated film Zero Dark Thirty, which consulted former CIA director Leon E Panetta. Hopefully, by reading the lines, and in between them, you can arrive at a better interpretation of the recent media drama surrounding Who shot UBL? and why Naval Special Warfare (NSW) leadership is rightfully upset. As for the rumors floating out there among my fellow SEALs Ill say this: Id be less concerned with rumors and more concerned with concrete facts as it relates to the NCIS criminal allegations against Bissonette. 'There is no way ONeill could really prove it was he who took the fatal shot on Osama bin Laden unless his comrades all attested to it. According to the story, he says O'Neill "finished [bin Laden] off as he was circling the drain." Matt Bissonnette doesn't appear at all in this telling. Only time will tell and the gold bell will surely toll for Bissonette sooner or later. IE 11 is not supported. One noted that he was speaking to them on 2 May 2013 - the second anniversary of the death of bin Laden, and not knowing his involvement in the most famous of all SEAL operations said: 'God Bless America.'. This is where I side with Bissonettes narrative, which supports that the point man took the deadly head shots that left UBL dead. And not one of those names did it for political gain or Hollywood., He said he still has plenty of friends in the SEAL community, and still gets messages of support. Robert O'Neill, 41, was a member of SEAL Team 6 which conducted the May 2, 2011 raid on the 9/11 terrorist mastermind's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. After SOFREP reported on ONeills coming out party (dont shoot the messenger) on Fox news, SOFREP opted out of the UBL Shooter drama. Two individuals widely understood to have taken part in the killing of bin Laden Robert O'Neill and Matt Bissonnette have spoken publicly about their respective roles in the. Does it matter? Were known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspapers founding in 1908. Fragments of rounds fired as he and fellow US Navy Seals raided. Bin Laden's wife was screaming and O'Neill realised that a child was present too - bin Laden's youngest son. Matt Bissonnette, a former member of Navy SEAL Team 6 who wrote an account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, agreed on Friday to forfeit $6.8 million in book royalties and speaking fees. ONeill began talking to writer Phil Bronstein as early as March 2012, while still a SEAL. All of this has been done for personal gain., He said both men were now persona non grata with SEAL Team Six command in Virginia Beach. SEAL leadership, and the Pentagon for that matter, cant have personnel entrusted with SECRET or TOP SECRET security clearances, who are read on to Special Access Programs (SAP), openly talking about things that shouldnt be talked about. "And Tiny told me the response: 'Here's how you get the Americans out. I don't want to touch that." [deleted] 5 yr. ago [removed] RedditRolledClimber 5 yr. ago The 38-year-old O'Neill was revealed this month ahead of a televised interview to air Tuesday as the man responsible for pumping three slugs in bin Laden's head during the raid on the. Bin Ladens guards and several other household members were shot and killed. Its also important to represent yourself in a professional manner, keep your integrity intact, and honor the commitments youve made to America, its citizens, and your teammates. And as much as we try to stay out of Special Ops drama, some topics become unavoidable, and sometimes Operators themselves from commands or units force our involvement. The question we routinely ask ourselves as contributing editors of SOFREP is, Would participating in this network news TV segment represent ourselves and the SOF community in a positive way? 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