Thumper
11-11-2014, 10:55 AM
I apologize in advance, because I have a feeling this will morph into a "Thump post".
I haven't paid much attention to it, but there's a movie (or TV special?) coming out soon. I've seen the ads, but for some reason, I simply don't "hear" them .. so my details will most likely need some tweaking. I think it's called something along the lines of, "I Killed Bin Laden" or maybe "The Man Who Killed Bin Laden" .. I think. I'm just wondering what you think about this? First off, I think the idiot is hanging a big target on his back, all for fame and glory. My guess would be that some radical Islamic nutbag out there would be itching to take this dude out and become a martyr. But, that has nothing to do with my question really and I always thought O.J. would face that same fate. As far as I'm concerned, this SEAL is on his own and deserves the consequences, whatever they may be. I wish him no ill will, but he made his own bed and now has to sleep in it IMHO. The worst part though, is I've heard he "outed" some of his teammates ... by name.
What my question is about, is all about integrity. Am I just a dinosaur? Have standards and expectations changed somewhere along the line?
I was in the Intel field in the military. It was during wartime. The guys in my unit and myself were told by command that we each had a $20,000 "bounty" on our heads promised by the bad guys to whomever took one of us out and could prove it. That doesn't sound like much, but to some poor "villager", $20,000 U.S. in 1970 money was a nice little shot in the arm (no pun intended). To be honest, I have no clue if that was b/s hype to keep us on our toes, or if it was fact. Who knows? I can't imagine what sort of "bounty" this guy could end up with.
When I got out, I was debriefed by my Commander ... some of what I did/knew would be declassified in 10-years and I was instructed I could talk about NONE of it until the time of that declassification. BUT ... there were some things that would remain classified forever and could never, ever, under any circumstances be disclosed. I've pretty much lived up to that, EXCEPT when with a select few ... those I served with. I just returned from a small reunion with some of my old Intel buds and we spent hours upon hours recalling and discussing the missions we worked (together). Outside of that small group, some of these things have never been discussed. It's a code ... something we've lived by for the past 45 years!
I have two friends who were on the very first SEAL Teams ... SEAL Team 1 (west coast) & SEAL Team 2 (east coast). As most of you know, one of them is a VERY close friend ... we worked some of the same missions and have a lot in common. I probably have more respect for this guy than anyone I've ever known in my life ... honestly. There's a member of SEAL Team 1 who has lived in Thailand for the past 30-40 years and we never fail to visit him when we're there. We also have an ex-CIA buddy who lives in the same town and we normally all get together for a few beers. I have another close friend who is at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok (has lived in Thailand since leaving 'Nam in 1972) whom I visit anytime I'm in town. He actually trained me on the Vietnamese mission when I first arrived in country and we've been friends ever since. No matter what, we always agree with and follow that "code of silence" .. unless we are the ONLY ones in the group. Sometimes it's good to discuss things that you cannot discuss with anyone else.
Now, my ex-SEAL and favorite traveling companion has some unbelievable stories and I have been totally fascinated by all of them. It took years of knowing him before I could ever get him to talk about any of his missions previous to the ones we both worked in S.E. Asia. One day I made the "mistake" of telling him he should write a book as it would be an instant "million seller". (I seriously think it would) He exploded! I may be a tad off with his exact quote, but I don't think so ... he turned red in the face and screamed, "Like every other one of these F'ing so called SEAL's these days??" Needless to say ... it's against the SEAL Ethos. I won't paste the whole thing here, but it's a code that SEAL's swear to abide by. Here's a VERY small portion of the Ethos: (you can Google SEAL Code or SEAL Ethos if interested)
"I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions."
When did the world change? When did a "code of honor" become unimportant? There are a bazillion books out there written by ex-Navy SEALs, so it's not the newest thing in the world. Now, this Bin Laden thing is coming out. Intel gathering methods and Spec-Ops procedures should NOT be publicized under ANY circumstances IMHO. I remember a time when the New York Post published a story as told by an ex-member of our unit, it compromised our whole cover and we had to scramble out of our area immediately after it was made public! Disclosing operational procedures and intelligence gathering methods not only puts our servicemen's lives in jeopardy but compromises our country's National security.
I guess I just don't get it. Is it simply a different day and age? Do "codes" even mean anything anymore?
I haven't paid much attention to it, but there's a movie (or TV special?) coming out soon. I've seen the ads, but for some reason, I simply don't "hear" them .. so my details will most likely need some tweaking. I think it's called something along the lines of, "I Killed Bin Laden" or maybe "The Man Who Killed Bin Laden" .. I think. I'm just wondering what you think about this? First off, I think the idiot is hanging a big target on his back, all for fame and glory. My guess would be that some radical Islamic nutbag out there would be itching to take this dude out and become a martyr. But, that has nothing to do with my question really and I always thought O.J. would face that same fate. As far as I'm concerned, this SEAL is on his own and deserves the consequences, whatever they may be. I wish him no ill will, but he made his own bed and now has to sleep in it IMHO. The worst part though, is I've heard he "outed" some of his teammates ... by name.
What my question is about, is all about integrity. Am I just a dinosaur? Have standards and expectations changed somewhere along the line?
I was in the Intel field in the military. It was during wartime. The guys in my unit and myself were told by command that we each had a $20,000 "bounty" on our heads promised by the bad guys to whomever took one of us out and could prove it. That doesn't sound like much, but to some poor "villager", $20,000 U.S. in 1970 money was a nice little shot in the arm (no pun intended). To be honest, I have no clue if that was b/s hype to keep us on our toes, or if it was fact. Who knows? I can't imagine what sort of "bounty" this guy could end up with.
When I got out, I was debriefed by my Commander ... some of what I did/knew would be declassified in 10-years and I was instructed I could talk about NONE of it until the time of that declassification. BUT ... there were some things that would remain classified forever and could never, ever, under any circumstances be disclosed. I've pretty much lived up to that, EXCEPT when with a select few ... those I served with. I just returned from a small reunion with some of my old Intel buds and we spent hours upon hours recalling and discussing the missions we worked (together). Outside of that small group, some of these things have never been discussed. It's a code ... something we've lived by for the past 45 years!
I have two friends who were on the very first SEAL Teams ... SEAL Team 1 (west coast) & SEAL Team 2 (east coast). As most of you know, one of them is a VERY close friend ... we worked some of the same missions and have a lot in common. I probably have more respect for this guy than anyone I've ever known in my life ... honestly. There's a member of SEAL Team 1 who has lived in Thailand for the past 30-40 years and we never fail to visit him when we're there. We also have an ex-CIA buddy who lives in the same town and we normally all get together for a few beers. I have another close friend who is at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok (has lived in Thailand since leaving 'Nam in 1972) whom I visit anytime I'm in town. He actually trained me on the Vietnamese mission when I first arrived in country and we've been friends ever since. No matter what, we always agree with and follow that "code of silence" .. unless we are the ONLY ones in the group. Sometimes it's good to discuss things that you cannot discuss with anyone else.
Now, my ex-SEAL and favorite traveling companion has some unbelievable stories and I have been totally fascinated by all of them. It took years of knowing him before I could ever get him to talk about any of his missions previous to the ones we both worked in S.E. Asia. One day I made the "mistake" of telling him he should write a book as it would be an instant "million seller". (I seriously think it would) He exploded! I may be a tad off with his exact quote, but I don't think so ... he turned red in the face and screamed, "Like every other one of these F'ing so called SEAL's these days??" Needless to say ... it's against the SEAL Ethos. I won't paste the whole thing here, but it's a code that SEAL's swear to abide by. Here's a VERY small portion of the Ethos: (you can Google SEAL Code or SEAL Ethos if interested)
"I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions."
When did the world change? When did a "code of honor" become unimportant? There are a bazillion books out there written by ex-Navy SEALs, so it's not the newest thing in the world. Now, this Bin Laden thing is coming out. Intel gathering methods and Spec-Ops procedures should NOT be publicized under ANY circumstances IMHO. I remember a time when the New York Post published a story as told by an ex-member of our unit, it compromised our whole cover and we had to scramble out of our area immediately after it was made public! Disclosing operational procedures and intelligence gathering methods not only puts our servicemen's lives in jeopardy but compromises our country's National security.
I guess I just don't get it. Is it simply a different day and age? Do "codes" even mean anything anymore?