Daily Lessons from Life 12 February 2013 - Navy SEAL who killed Bin Laden breaks his silence

Quite a few headlines viying for attentions: Pope Benedict's resignation due to inability to carry out his duties properly, North Korea's 'successful' Nuke test that the big military powers around the world were anticipating, and the European Horsemeat scandal.

I thought these can wait and pick on the misery of one 'American Hero' to comment on.

"Navy SEAL who killed Bin Laden breaks his silence - AFP 12 February 2013

WASHINGTON - The Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden broke his silence Monday, recounting in an interview the night he shot the Al-Qaeda leader three times and the financial anxiety he now faces as an unemployed civilian.

"In that second, I shot him, two times in the forehead. Bap! Bap! The second time as he's going down. He crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again, Bap! same place," he says.

"He was dead. Not moving. His tongue was out."

The Esquire article, which refers to the unnamed commando as "the Shooter," focuses on the Navy SEAL's plight as an anonymous hero without a pension, health insurance or extra security for his family, with the title: "The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden...is Screwed."

The lengthy magazine profile comes after another Navy SEAL who took part in the raid, Matt Bissonnette, published a book last year, "No Easy Day," which drew the ire of Pentagon officials who allege he broke a pledge not to disclose classified information.

After the raid, back at a base in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, the "Shooter" brings over a female CIA officer - now made famous by the Hollywood film "Zero Dark Thirty" - to see Bin Laden's corpse.

A friend of the commando, another Navy SEAL, says he too is worried about his income once he retires and that ironically, his family would be better off financially if he had been killed in combat.

"I agree that civilian life is scary. And I've got a family to take care of. Most of us have nothing to offer the public. We can track down and kill the enemy really well, but that's it," he says."

Killing the number 1 terrorist in the world is no mean feast for sure. Yet, the usual American chest beating and the 'Hollywood' effects that followed are so predictable.

Lessons for me are:

1. one Navy Seal published a book and probably got some money for it. The ONE Navy Seal who shot and killed the No. 1 terrorist left the service, for whatever reason, and worried for his family's security and financial future? Is this how capitalist system work? If so, is it something we should be chasing? Surely some form of help can be in place without THE Navy Seal having to turn to some magazine to voice his worries? UNLESS, there are more than meet the eyes for THE Navy Seal's resignation from the services;

2. it is clear that he is a professional. Unemotional and matter of fact description of the death of the No. 1 terrorist: "He was dead. Not moving. His tongue was out.".

While I will NEVER be qualified to be in the Special Force of Singapore let alone the vaunted US Navy Seal, I can imagine the type of physical and mental fortitude these specialists have to posses and extreme stressed training they have to go through. If one can still maintain some sense of 'normal' life, would he or she be still successful and effective at his or her job? A scary thought. The Hollywood hype cannot disguise the dismay fate these Specialists face when they are out of the service;

3. the most troubling statement in this news piece is:

["I agree that civilian life is scary. And I've got a family to take care of. Most of us have nothing to offer the public. We can track down and kill the enemy really well, but that's it," he says.]

What then can the 'employer' do for these people? Will they go on to be 'mercenaries' like we see, yes, in other Hollywood movies? Or that 'Norwayian movie', I think, where an ex-trained specialist, instinctively killed his girlfriend with a fruit knief in his hand as she startled him when he doused off in the couch after cutting some fruits for her? Tragic consequence.

Another intellectual ventilation piece for the day ...