OBL Is No More

My family and I were watching "A Walk to Remember" together last night, when my son Michael read on his iPhone that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. I wasn't sure whether to believe it or not, so we turned on the news and watched as the information and misinformation came in. Funny how the news sources never get the news right in their attempt to scoop each other. It usually takes 12 to 24 hours before everything is known.

OBL has been living in a compound in Obbottabad, Pakistan that was built 5 years ago. It is possible he has been there the whole time. He lived with a courier that the CIA had been following for quite some time. They often suspected that OBL might be there, but they didn't have proof. Some leads back in September led them to believe it was OBL, so they had surveillance on the place until it was confirmed in January that it was indeed OBL. They continued the surveillance and planning until the official word was given by Pres. Obama to take him out. They didn't want to capture him, just kill him.

A team of Navy Seals from a unit known as Team 6 (the best of the best) worked in conjunction with the CIA to perform the mission. They flew in with helicopters and the Seal team shot and killed OBL and 4 others. During the exercise, one of the helicopters failed, and they set explosives to destroy it, protecting the advanced technology in the helicopter. They retrieved the body of OBL and did DNA testing to verify his identity, which was confirmed. Then they buried the body at sea.

Thus ends an era. There has been a lot of rejoicing and dancing in the streets. But the next question is, what will be the next era? I believe that there will be some retaliation, so security should be increased everywhere. No time to celebrate, really. Now is the time to be even more vigilant.