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To the editor:
In 2009, after taking office, President Barack Obama directed the CIA to make the capture of Osama bin Laden a top priority. On May 2, 2011 bin Laden was killed.
As the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at the time, Admiral William McRaven worked closely with CIA Director Leon Panetta and other defense officials to design the tactical options for the strike. McRaven was given operational control of Operation Neptune Spear, overseeing the elite team of U.S. Navy SEALs who carried out the raid on the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, on May 2, 2011.
President Barack Obama authorized the raid, monitored its progress from the White House, and made the final command decisions as Commander-in-Chief.
President Obama, Admiral McRaven and CIA Director Panetta estimated that the chance of success was 50-50, but Obama was willing to take the risk to find and destroy the mastermind of the attack on the USA on Sept. 11, 2001. He formally approved SEAL Team Six (DEVGRU) to carry out the operation known as Operation Neptune Spear on May 1, 2011.
Others, including former President George W. Bush and Vice President Joe Biden were not as determined as Obama to get bin Laden.
In a press conference on March 13, 2002, President Bush downplayed the al-Qaeda leader’s relevance and said, “I don’t know where he is, nor... you know, I just don’t spend that much time on him... I’ll repeat what I said, I truly am not that concerned about him (bin Laden)."
In 2012, Biden acknowledged that he told Obama to hold off and take more time because the intelligence confirming bin Laden's presence in the Abbottabad compound was not 100 percent certain.
Thank you, President Obama, for not being too cautious.
Finally, after almost 10 years, most Americans, especially those of us who worked as emergency workers on 9/11/2001 (My son and I worked as police officers that day) felt some justice, got our revenge and could feel just a little bit better while still mourning the loss of almost 3,000 people, some of whom we knew and had worked with on the job.
I’m so thankful to all those who courageously took out Osama bin Laden, especially SEAL Team Six, for making the pain of 9/11/2001 just a little less agonizing.
Yours truly,
Michael J. Gorman
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