Robert O'Neill
Robert O'Neill (born April 10, 1976 in Butte , Montana ) is a retired American soldier. He was an operator of the Red Squadron of the US Navy Seals Team 6 (DEVGRU). In 2011, he shot and killed by its own account in the secret use Death of Osama bin Laden to al-Qaida -Anführer Osama bin Laden in Pakistan's Abbottabad .
Life
After graduating from Butte Central Catholic High School, O'Neill initially worked in various professions, including: a. at Mc Donald's, in the Pizzeria Vu Villa and in a moving company. He originally wanted to become a sniper in the Marine Corps, but was persuaded by his hometown Navy recruiting officer to begin training to become a SEAL.
Although he could only swim very poorly, he signed the contract with the US Navy and took part in Basic Underwater Demolition / SEAL training (BUD / S) at the Naval Special Warfare Training Center in Coronado, California (BUD / S class 208). After successfully completing the Seal Qualification Training (SQT), he was transferred to the Bravo Company to SEAL Team 2, where he chose the career of a sniper.
In 2001 he was stationed in the Naval Special Warfare Group 2 in Stuttgart. In August 2003 he took part in a reconnaissance mission in Liberia. He applied for the United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU or SEAL Team 6), a special unit of the US Navy for counter-terrorism and hostage rescue, passed the 9-month selection process and became an operator in the Red Squadron of DEVGRU in March 2004; from December 2009 to August 2013 he was team leader and rose to the rank of Senior Chief Petty Officer (SOCS). With this unit he was involved in the rescue of Marcus Luttrell, the only survivor of SEAL Team 10 in Operation Red Wings in 2005. In April 2009 he was in command of the Indian Ocean to rescue the captain of the American container ship Maersk Alabama from the hands of the pirates.
O'Neill was involved as a Navy SEAL in 12 combat missions in which he carried out over 400 missions. Among his 52 awards are two Silver Stars for special bravery in front of the enemy, four Bronze Stars with the so-called "Combat V" (the Combat Distinguishing Device, which shows that the wearer exposed himself to high danger during a combat mission), a Joint Service Commendation Medal (V), three Presidential Unit citations and two Navy / Marine Corps Commendations (V). This makes him one of the most highly decorated US Navy SEALs.
O'Neill said he was a member of the US command on May 2, 2011 that broke into Osama bin Laden's house that night. He shot him three times in his bedroom. The US leadership initially kept the shooter's name a secret for security reasons, so that only a few military officials and congressmen knew him. However, his name later leaked, according to a Washington Post report .
Another former DEVGRU member, Matt Bissonnette, had already published his own version of the operation as a book under the pseudonym Mark Owen in 2012, entitled No Easy Day , sparking a legal battle with the US Department of Defense. Among other things, because he had not obtained prior publication approval from the Ministry, he had to cede his multi-million dollar income from book sales. The representation of Bissonnette differs from the description of O'Neill in some points. In his opinion, a third Navy SEAL (known as Point Man ) fired the first shot at Osama bin Laden from the stairs and then pushed aside two women who were also upstairs in the house. O'Neill and Bissonnette then broke into the bedroom and fired more shots at Bin Laden, who was still lying on the floor. O'Neill's portrayal differs from the Bissonnettes in that he found Bin Laden standing in the bedroom, but does not rule out that he might have been injured by the Point Man's shot . Bin Laden had put his hands on his wife's shoulders and was pushing them in front of him. From a distance of about one meter, O'Neill then fired two shots that hit Bin Laden in the face. A third shot hit him as he fell. The unidentified third Navy SEAL, the Point Man , announced that it had no intention of ever going public.
O'Neill voluntarily retired in late 2012 after 16 years of service, which is below required service time, to receive a pension. In February 2013, the US magazine Esquire reported in the cover story Man Who Killed Bin Laden Is Screwed about O'Neill's financial hardship, but without mentioning his name. The father of the family feared a life without health insurance and pension after his military service: “If I leave, I won't have a piss pot for the rest of my life. Sad but true: it is better to fall in battle. "
After that, O'Neill was a popular motivational speaker and was under contract for the well-known Washington agency "Leading Authorities". In early November 2014, O'Neill announced interviews with the Washington Post and a two-part TV interview ( The Man Who Killed Usama bin Laden on November 11 and 12 on Murdoch channel Fox News ), which prompted the US Special Forces blog Sofrep released O'Neill's name on November 3, 2014, in protest of his breach of Navy Seals' law of secrecy. The US elite fighters sign a lifelong declaration of silence. The top management of the Seals threatened in a letter to their subordinates with legal consequences, should information classified as secret are made public.
The time of his self-revelation fell on Veterans Day, which was celebrated on November 11th this year. It is the day on which the USA traditionally celebrates with parades those who fought for the fatherland and gave their lives.
Web links
- Robert O'Neill in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The Man Who Killed Usama bin Laden. Retrieved December 9, 2014 .
- ↑ Bin Laden had his hands on a woman's shoulders , sueddeutsche.de from November 7, 2014. Accessed November 7, 2014
- ↑ Ex-SEAL Robert O'Neill reveals himself as a shooter who killed Osama bin Laden , washingtonpost.com, November 7, 2014. Accessed November 7, 2014
- ↑ "I saw Osama bin Laden taking his last breaths" , stern.de, November 7, 2014. Accessed November 7, 2014
- ↑ Dirk Hautkapp: Elite soldier: "I shot bin Laden in the forehead". In: derwesten.de. November 8, 2014, accessed December 9, 2014 .
- ^ Robert O'Neill - Team Leader, Naval Special Warfare Development Group , Leading Authorities. Retrieved November 9, 2014
- ↑ Naval Special Warfare Leadership Responds to 'The Shooter' & Mark Owen , sofrep.com, November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 9, 2014
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | O'Neill, Robert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American soldier |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1976 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Butte , Montana |