FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. — They are the shadowy warriors of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden: two dozen members of the Navy SEALs who stormed the fortified compound in Pakistan where bin Laden was hiding. Their identities will probably never be known; their faces will most likely never appear in photographs at the White House, on magazine covers, or on television talk shows.
But, President Obama flew to the Army air base to thank them, behind closed doors, for what he called “a job well done,’’ describing it as one of the greatest military and intelligence operations in American history.
“This has been an historic week for the life of our nation,’’ Pres. Obama said later to a raucous rally of 2,300 soldiers, many of them just returned from Afghanistan. “The terrorist leader who struck our nation on 9/11 will never threaten America again.’’
During the meeting with the SEAL team, which Vice President Joe Biden also attended, Pres. Obama awarded it and other units involved in the operation a Presidential Unit Citation, the White House said. The president also received a PowerPoint presentation on the raid, with maps, photos, and a scale model of the compound, from members of the assault force. Even the trained dog used in the raid attended.
On Thursday, Pres. Obama visited ground zero in New York and met with relatives of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, drawing a personal link between the killing of bin Laden and the deaths his disciples inflicted on nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center.
Speaking under a giant American flag to the troops of the 101st Airborne Division, Pres. Obama drew another connection, between the soldiers there and the commandos he called “America’s quiet professionals.’’
“Like all of us, they could have chosen a life of ease,’’ the president said. “But like you, they volunteered.’’
Describing the SEAL commandos as “battle hardened’’ and tirelessly trained, Pres. Obama said: “When I gave the order, they were ready. And in recent days, the world has learned just how ready they were.’’
Pictured: President Barack Obama on Friday privately thanked some of the special military operators who killed Osama bin Laden and told an enthusiastic crowd of more than 2,000 soldiers that America ultimately will defeat al Qaida.
