Thoughts on Bin Laden's Death, Photos, and a 5/2 World

Yesterday AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop and I sat down to formulate AMVETS' reaction to the death of Osama Bin Laden at the hands of U.S. Navy SEALs in the Pakistani suburb of Abbottabad.

Needless to say, there was such overwhelming emotion behind our discussion. I served a year in Iraq in support of the Global War on Terror, and Cmdr. Hotop is a veteran and a Blue Star Father whose son, Dean Hotop, also served in Iraq.

Thankfully, we were able to keep our thoughts fairly concise, as you can read here, but to me, this doesn't even scratch the surface on what this means for our nation.

Over the last day we've seen hundreds of analysts and pundits discuss how this most certainly is not the end of Al Qaeda or transnational terrorism as the network's weapon of choice. However, I feel this is a major symbolic victory for our nation that strikes at the heart of Al Qaeda's ideology.

September 11, 2001 has in many ways come to define my life and the lives of those closest to me--whether it was pulling emergency guard duty in the days after 9/11, deploying to Iraq for a year, working here in Washington, or losing friends and watching lives change forever. Though I never questioned whether or not our military was succeeding in the War on Terror, I had lingering doubts about whether we could translate our incremental success on the battlefield to success in the public eye, which seemed to be growing increasingly weary of the open-ended commitment. By hunting down Osama Bin Laden and putting a bullet through his skull, we've conveyed that ever-important message of success.

It was always a sore spot for me that we failed to catch Bin Laden. To me, he was going to be the one who got away, only emboldening our enemies. All the "key lieutenants" or "masterminds" that we've caught or killed over the years never seemed to resonate with the American public, and ongoing operations and successes in Afghanistan seemed to be continually buried in the headlines.

I was honestly concerned that we would soon learn that Bin Laden died back in 2007 of natural causes, surrounded by loved ones and criminal cronies. To know now that he died at the end of an American rifle, facing those he victimized, makes me feel as though justice has been served.

With that said, I feel it's time to release the photos. I'm confident that Bin Laden's corpse is already feeding the fishes at the bottom of the Arabian Sea, but one can already see conspiracy theories floating around the internet about whether it was really Bin Laden, or whether this was some kind of publicity stunt. I know this is garbage, but much like we saw with the death of Saddam Hussein, his sons, Mussaub Al-Zarkawi, and others, our enemies need to see proof to believe it's true.

To me, this proof cuts off the head of our enemy and strikes deeply at the morale of those who have sworn allegiance to Bin Laden. Over the last few months we've seen Al Qaeda significantly weakened ideologically by the nonviolent secular revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia and the ongoing secular uprisings across the Arab world. The death of Bin Laden proves once-and-for-all that the end game for Al Qaeda is not the empty promise of a path to overthrowing nebulous tyranny, but rather brutal, violent, and meaningless death.



I am extremely proud to be an American today. I feel as though my sacrifices and the sacrifices of those closest to me who served in the military have been validated. Our decade of hard work has yielded the results our nation needed.

When Americans started to gather at the White House and Ground Zero, it was easy to see that the crowds were largely young and mostly college students. What surprised me, though, was how many had American flags readily available; and I was particularly moved when the crowd belted out the Star Spangled Banner and other patriotic staples. These young Americans are much more patriotic than I ever gave them credit for and I think it's a testament to our nation's pride and unity--despite what we may have seen and read in the news in recent months.

Though I know this does not bring an abrupt end to our operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Horn of Africa, and elsewhere, I believe that this is the most significant victory for the United States since the demise of Adolf Hitler. This was justice. This brings closure to the families who lost their loved ones on 9/11 and the families who lost loved ones subsequently on the battlefield.

As President Barack Obama said in his address to the nation, this demonstrates that we, as Americans, can accomplish anything. To me, that means we can vanquish our enemies in preservation of the ideals that we cherish. Though we must still be vigilant, I'm personally looking forward to a post-Bin Laden world--a 5/2 World--where our nation no longer lives in fear and uncertainty, but once again prospers off of the ingenuity, pride and unwavering dedication of our citizens.

(Image: U.S. Marine Corps veterans Mike Demo, center, and Bill Cortese, right, drove 30 minutes to New York's Ground Zero, May 2, 2011, to mark the news of Osama bin Laden's death. Two of Cortese's cousins were killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Randall Clinton. Video: Official White House video of President Obama's address to the nation on the killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.)

Cmdr. Hotop Remembers 9/11

Tomorrow morning AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop will join the AMVETS Department of Illinois for their 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony, where Hotop will deliver his remarks on the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that thrust the United States into the Global War on Terror. Here is Hotop's prepared statement on 9/11:

"Nine years ago today, many of us in this great nation awoke to the horror of American Airlines flight 11 crashing into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Later, many of our worst fears were realized when three more planes were hijacked to be used as weapons against our peaceful nation. The attacks against the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the failed attempt in rural Pennsylvania began a new era in American history. This era is marked by a new kind of patriotism our nation has never known. Instead of the fear and hopelessness the terrorists of 9/11 hoped to plant, courage and valor have grown.

"Instead of hatred and instability, America has grown more compassionate and stronger. We have rebuilt and regained our strength. But through this renewal and growth, we must not let the images of the crashed planes, falling buildings and burning countryside fade from our memories.

"So, today we remember the morning of September 11, 2001, and the atrocities that were carried out on our soil.

"We must constantly remind ourselves of the bravery and heroism that was demonstrated by the flight attendants, pilots, and passengers aboard those hijacked aircraft. We remember great courage of the firefighters and police who came from across the nation to assist those in their time of need.

"Today, we should say a special prayer for those families who have lost a loved one and have spent the last five years learning to live day to day with this tragedy. We remember their pain, and today we will grieve with them. We will not let the memory of so many Americans be forgotten.

"And despite all of the dreadful memories we remember on this day, we should also stand proudly as Americans. We are proud to have remained firm in our beliefs and in our patriotism even in the face of terrorism.

"It is important for us to remember that today we are a nation at war. We must make a concerted effort to remember and honor those who carry out our noble mission: the brave service men and women who are fighting for our freedom across the globe, like Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, who we learned yesterday will be the first living service member in the Global War on Terror to be honored with the nation’s highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor.

"Much in the way Giunta and his fellow paratroopers thwarted a kidnapping attempt and suppressed a Taliban onslaught in the mountains of Afghanistan, we must all remain vigilant in our fight against those who would take away the freedoms for which so many veterans have fought. We must not back down, give up or run away. We must remain firm in our support of American troops at home and abroad and never forget their daily sacrifices. After all, it is these brave individuals who have preserved the freedoms that Osama Bin Laden and his thugs sought to destroy.

"We should say a special 'thank you' to these members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard and reserves who continue to defend our nation.

"America is truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.

"Please join me as we observe a moment of silence for those who lost their lives and those whose lives were forever changed on the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001."

(Image: A New York City firefighter calls for additional rescue workers in the smoldering rubble of the World Trade Center on Sept. 15, 2001. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Preston Keres, released.)