Posted on 11/08/2014 10:12:25 AM PST by kindred
The Navy SEAL who shot dead al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is now reportedly living in poverty after leaving the military four years short of being eligible to receive his pension, he claims.
Robert ONeill, 38, from Montana, went public with his identity after meeting family members of 9/11 terror attack victims, he told the Washington Post. And now the heroic commando is saying he was left high and dry by the government he dedicated his life to serving.
The families told me it helped bring them some closure, said ONeill, of killing the al-Qaeda founder.
ONeill will also be the subject of a two-part interview airing next week on Fox News, the network announced.
His identity was revealed in advance of the scheduled interviews by a Navy SEAL-run website as a form of protest over him planning to go public. It was also independently confirmed to the Post by two other Navy SEALs.
The former SEAL also told the Post he was concerned his identity would be made public by one of several members of government privy to the information.
ONeill previously told reporters of his role in the assault, but only on condition his identity not be revealed. He was a member of the elite SEAL Team 6, often called on to perform the most dangerous of missions.
There was bin Laden, standing there, the commando previously told Esquire. He had his hands on a womans shoulders pushing her ahead.
In that second, I shot him, two times in the forehead, he recalled in the 2013 to the magazine. Bap! Bap! The second time, as he is going down. He crumbled to the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again.
The terror mastermind died instantly after the first shot split his skull, ONeill told the magazine.
ONeills career has inspired three movies: Captain Phillips, about the rescue of a ship captain from Somali pirates; Lone Survivor, which dramatized the hunt for Taliban leader Ahmad Shah; and Zero Dark Thirty, about the bin Laden mission.
ONeill now tours the country as a motivational speaker but claims he is barely making ends meet.
A man who earned more than 50 medals serving over 400 combat missions during his 16 years as a Navy SEAL does not even have health insurance, his father told the Daily Mail.
He also has no military pension.
They gutted most of what we remember from the ‘old days’
After 8 years in, my kid cant even shop the PX.
I know. But after 16yrs of combat. . .that beats the odds. . .
First, he was not in Military service. He was in Naval service as a SEAL.
Second, it is not a pension. It is retired pay.
Third, retired pay is an earned benefit normally gained only upon serving at least 20 years of active duty.
Fourth, retired pay is not the same as civilian retirement. Those receiving such served a specified amount of years on active duty and then were transferred to the retired list. They remain in service subject to recall which is why they receive retired pay.
Fifth, this former SEAL apparently did not serve the required amount of time on active duty to be transferred to the retired list and receive the benefits of retired pay, medical, etc.
That's the deal. You don't meet it. You don't qualify. Nothing else matters.
Do you mean you are in and your kid is not allowed to shop the PX on his own (that would mean he is below the min age to get his pown mil dep ID card).
I think most of us understand that. The question is, why did he leave early? What little we've seen doesn't answer that question. Was he forced out, or he just had enough, or maybe he thought he would get work as a consultant?
Its just odd.
Unless he was run out of the military by the same forces that gave the murderer Hassan a promotion and more pay and benefits for murdering United States military men on base for his jihad love of Satan. He still receives pay and benefits and retirement benefits to come under the obamantion regime.
No. My kid just got out after an 8 year enlistment. Fully honorable. Spent the last 2 with Chuck on the Doomsday plane.
She cannot go shop on base because they do not issue cards anymore to regular dischargees.
Bkmrk.
And he's only 38 years old.......
Why doesn’t he get a job? Every motivational speaker that I ever knew got paid for it, it is what they did for a living.
I’m going to say it....Now imagine if he was black.
And Muslim.
He probably makes too much, the cutoff is less than $20,000/yr I think.
Can you tell me where someone could get the impression just serving would grant post-servicve access without being retired? Was that ever the case? Not to my knowledge.
As far as I have seen and known over the past 30-yrs, that privilege was reserved for active-duty and retirees only.
Access to the PX/BX isn't like the VA.
Not saying you are wrong, just I never heard or saw those that served and left without retirement being granted access to the PX/BX. . .or any base services, either. . .other than records stuff.
->>That’s the deal. You don’t meet it. You don’t qualify. Nothing else matters.
Makes me angry and sad. I would put him in my charity listings. I hope someone helps to set up a volunteer fund for him. It’s not right to turn our backs on our vets. This current regime and parts of the country are not veteran sensitive so, they are not being taken care.
“She cannot go shop on base because they do not issue cards anymore to regular dischargeges”
They never allowed discharged people access to the PX when I was in (71-96)
Actually, not really.
I was making well over 20,000 a year and had to seek medical care and the nearest hospital was a VA hospital. . .went in, showed my retired ID, was seen and admitted (subsequently they darned near killed me but that is another story).
Unfortunately, we’re paying more in welfare to some able-bodied people that do absolutely nothing than we do to those serving in our military.
That’s not how it would work if I were calling all the shots.
She is issued no card to go on base at all. She goes in like any other civilian has to.
Amen to that, boycott.
Veterans are the best of the Best!
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