Posted on 02/12/2013 8:40:31 AM PST by ExxonPatrolUs
So: did the Navy SEAL who allegedly killed Osama bin Laden get – in the provocative word on the cover of the March issue of Esquire magazine –“screwed” by the U.S. government?
Monday’s story released by Esquire into the unnamed –and now former – SEAL who claims to have killed bin Laden has been kicking up a lot of dust over his claim that the government has tossed him overboard, just as the U.S. military did with bin Laden’s body.
Bin Laden’s body went into the Indian Ocean, from the deck of the carrier USS Carl Vinson. “The Shooter,” as author Phil Bronstein refers to the man who claims to have killed bin Laden, is still alive, but also met an unhappy ending, at least as far as his 16 years of naval service is concerned:
…the Shooter will discover soon enough that when he leaves after sixteen years in the Navy, his body filled with scar tissue, arthritis, tendonitis, eye damage, and blown disks, here is what he gets from his employer and a grateful nation:
Nothing. No pension, no health care, and no protection for himself or his family.
(Excerpt) Read more at nation.time.com ...
The man seems to have lost his code. He has not lost everything he claims. I blame the President and his ilk for their loose lips.
One can argue that “ extra benefits” could be owed someone like this brace SEAL
but the gov’t is not screwing him under the present rules
Retirement is 20 years, period
He could stay the additonal 3 years to get retirment bennies, as they currently are set up.
he chooses not to
I understand that
but the gov’t at this time does not have any way to reward extra him for what he did
Who DOESN’T the US Government screw these days?
“his body filled with scar tissue, arthritis, tendonitis, eye damage, and blown disks”
He should be eligible for disability payments...but claims to be getting nothing.
That’s one of the reasons I am skeptical of this story.
You called it. It is as simple as that.
He knew what he signed up for, and he knew the rules. There is no accommodation for burn out.
Veterans benefits including pensions should be prorated.
I realize the 20 years is a carrot to keep experienced enlisted troops however after 12 years of war and relentless deployments it’s a little much to ask.
World War II only lasted 6 years...
keep in mind that he just left the service during the time of the interview
and likely hasn’t even filed for any veterans benefits yet let alone been turned down
he will automatically be eligible for VA medical benefits and likely will not have to pay anything for them or his meds .
IF after he does file for disability and somehow gets turned down then you can be skeptical
That’s one of the reasons I am skeptical of this story.
I'm with you. Everybody gets an exit physical, and if he truly has service connected disabilities they would have been documented. If they exist, he should be filing a claim with the VA.
Posting his name and pic is like placing a bullseye on his back.
Bingo. We owe this man our admiration and respect. The govt may owe him disability coverage. The Navy doesn’t owe him retirement benefits because he left the Navy without retiring. It’s a sad circumstance but he was a sailor first. His command CO, XO, counselors, and shipmates should have given him better guidance.
In reality, 20 years is reasonable for a pension given the task they are to do and certainly more so that what the criminals in congress voted for themselves (that is one big crime).
He either freely elected to get out in 16 years or was too disabled and that would be the critical element in the story.
However, if his injuries were documented, there should be no issue with receiving medical assistance. I don’t imagine one reaches his status as a Navy Seal without some long term or permanent damage to one’s body.
Word to the right guy by the right person and he's all set up ~ I'd suggest George Bush do it.
BTW, you can't pay off the troops when you're President and they're still on duty, but when you're not President and they're out of required military duty you sure can!
He is a better source that says the story is bogus.
I've seen USPS hire on broken down NFL and NBA players, even professional golfers ~ all on behalf of their friends in the US Senate, the House, the White House ~ I, myself, hired on about 100,000 departing Infantrymen and Marines back in 1969 ~ Veteran's Preference can be made to work!
“keep in mind that he just left the service during the time of the interview and likely hasn’t even filed for any veterans benefits yet let alone been turned down”
How or why should I keep that in mind, when the thrust of the article is a claim that he is getting no benefits. Look, when you leave the military, you get a physical - and the doctor fills out a form for disability. Right there he will tell you what his recommendation is (10% disabled, etc). And, as you go through a two week ‘out-processing’, you become quite knowledgeable about the implications of that percentage, as far as disability payments go. He would have a very good idea of what his benefits will be.
This guy also would have been given a very precise list of his benefits, when he switched his id card out, during outprocessing...and at 16 years that should include 5 years VA care at the very least.
The outprocessing also includes job search assistance - a few classes on how to fill out a resume, how to network, how to search...and there is a database of potential employers for ex-military.
Shouldn’t this reporter have asked a few questions about this...instead of blindly accepting the claim of no benefits. Well, I Googled this crackerjack reporter....here’s a few highlights from Wikipedia:
“When an alligator escaped into a city lake in 1996, Bronstein arrived in scuba gear to assist with the capture, but police turned him away.”
“Bronstein married actress Sharon Stone…”
“In 2001, Bronstein was attacked by a Komodo dragon at the Los Angeles Zoo”
He seems to like attention...he might be getting “Teo’d” right now.
IMO this is fiction.... Real shooters don’t give such details..
My opinion.....
Stay safe Sandy !
This story seems exaggerated. Something isn’t right.
THey make this guy sound like an industrial accident victim. The guy was a healthy SEAL at the peak of his physical condition only 1 year ago. If he had all the problems TIME says he did, I doubt he would be on a mission to get UBL.
Also, I don’t know any SEALS, but I know a few Army Rangers, and they aren’t the type to whine about how beaten-down they are. They are the most positive, can-do people I know.
Anyway, something doesn’t seem quite right about this story.
Yea, I think I’ve seen this movie before, need to watch this remake to the end to see.
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