At 11:25
a.m. on Monday, a dozen Riverview Gardens High School seniors
stepped into their Navy ROTC class.
The
classroom television greeted them with a news report about Osama
bin Laden’s death at the hands of U.S. forces in
Pakistan.
The
chalkboard read: “Essential question: What does the death of bin
Laden mean to you?”
Twelve
hours before, news broke that a covert U.S. special forces
helicopter operation had stormed a mansion just 35 miles outside of
Islamabad, Pakistan where bin Laden was living. He was killed in
the crossfire, according to President Obama, who addressed the
nation and world Sunday night.
Bin Laden
has been a primary target of the U.S. since the Clinton
administration for his role in financing and helping to organize
many attacks on the U.S., including the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks.
“How many
people know about bin Laden’s death?” asked ROTC instructor Aaron
Gibson.
About half
the class raised their hands. For the others, it was their first
time hearing about a historic event they most likely will remember
for the rest of their lives. All of the students except one were
African-American.
Gibson
said a lot of military families are relieved that bin Laden was
eliminated, particularly those who have lost loved ones in
terrorist attacks or in the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.
“What do
you think, Stiles?” Gibson asked, gesturing to a student about
five-feet tall, who was clutching a light gray sweater against the
unusually cold day in May.
“I am very
happy,” said Kiara Stiles, 17, cadet seaman recruit.
“This is a
wonderful time for the United States. With this hard time with
people being killed and the chaos that bin Laden has caused, I am
going to celebrate his ending moment – because of what he did, not
because of the person he was. He could have been a wonderful
person, but did evil, wrong things.”
In
December, Stiles decided to join the Air Force with the hope of
becoming an airplane engineer. The deaths of thousands of military
personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan have not deterred her from
pursuing a military career, she said.
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“If I were
to go into Pakistan for war, I would be scared,” Stiles said. “It
comes with being in the military. It’s scary, but it’s your
job.”
The fact
that bin Laden had been harbored in a safe house in Pakistan
attracted some suspicion from the Obama administration, but there
has been no discussion of war against Pakistan, which has been
officially a well-funded ally of the U.S. in its war against
terrorists.
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Several students said they
watched President Obama’s speech the night before. In his speech,
Obama said, “Tonight, I can report to
the American people and to the world that the United States has
conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of
al Qaeda, and a terrorist who’s responsible for the murder of
thousands of innocent men, women, and children.”
Military officials said in September 2010, the Central Intelligence
Agency began working with Obama on assessments that led agents to
believe bin Laden was living in the compound in Pakistan. By
mid-February, through a series of intensive meetings at the White
House and with the president, CIA agents determined there was a
sound intelligence basis for pursuing this in an aggressive way,
officials said.
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President Obama
gave the final order to pursue the operation on the morning of
Friday, April 29. He and a team of senior advisors monitored the
situation over the weekend and viewed the operation live on video
from the White House Situation Room.
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Several of the
students said President Obama’s role in the operation was
heroic.
“I think
people are thankful,” said Jevonte Washington, cadet petty officer
3rd class. “He made the call.”
“I feel
like he did the right thing because this man [bin Laden] terrorized
for years,” said Craig Brown, cadet petty officer 3rd
class. “We lost hundreds of thousands of lives in the
war.”
Brown will
enter the military soon. He said he is scared to die and was
relieved that bin Laden was caught before he joined the armed
forces. Still, he said, when they join the military they must be
prepared for retaliation.
“It’s a
sign of relief,” said Sharaz Harrison, cadet lieutenant and
administration officer. “If you are in the military, you don’t have
to worry about bin Laden. But who’s next to come?”
