Robert O'Neill

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"Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward and freedom will be defended"-George W. Bush ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden"). The words said by former president were a call to arms against the terrorist organization known as Al Qaeda and their leader Osama bin Laden. Among the many who served in the war on terrorism in the Middle East was a member of Seal Team Six, Robert O'Neill. According to Aaron Couch, "Members of the Navy SEAL team whose daring mission ended the life of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden" (Couch). Robert O'Neill killed Osama bin Laden. Robert O'Neill was born in Butte, Montana and had a normal childhood. He worked multiple jobs until he walked into a Navy recruiting office. After he trained hard to become the seal he is famous for today ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden").  The operation took place over the border of pakistan (Vasilogambros). Black Hawks flew over the borders on May 1st to complete Operation Neptune Spear ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden"). Robert O'Neill is now a "recently retired SEAL (Hudson)." To be a hero one needs the courage to fight for one's beliefs without fearing the consequences. Hero's also must be selfless, or to put others needs above their own. A hero should also be willing to sacrifice their life for others to live. Robert O'Neill demonstrates his courage, selflessness, and willingness to sacrifice his life for others in his many missions including the one that killed bin Laden.

O'Neill showed his courage especially in operation Neptune Spear, because he knew he was marching into a likely death. In an interview with fox news O'Neill states, "The more we trained we realized it was a one way mission" ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden). O'Neill demonstrated his courage in the bin Laden raid, because it was his choice to be in the most dangerous team that went to the compound instead of perimeter watch according to fox ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden"). Knowing that the mission would mark almost certain death. O'Neill and his fellow seals bravely proceeded into the raid. In a different Fox News interview O'Neill says," It's worth it to kill him" ("How Robert O'Neill prepared for the bin Laden raid"). The seal and his team trained to kill bin Laden knowing they were probably going to die, although they persisted to train harder and harder to end bin Laden's reign of terror. O'Neill's courage is undeniable in this interview, because he wanted to be a part of this raid. According to the interview the seals would rather attack the compound head on instead of sending a drone. They were brave enough to risk their life so America could get closure for the 9/11 attacks ("How Robert O'Neill prepared for the bin Laden raid"). O'Neill's courage is a sign to others to stand up in what they believe without fear.

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O'Neill showed his selflessness by continually putting his life at risk so that others would not have to do the same thing. In a fox news interview O'Neill tells the interviewer, "For God and Country" ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden"). Robert O'Neill and his team didn't kill bin Laden for themselves. They wanted to protect their homes and serve God no matter the consequences. O'Neill was selfless because he was not blindly serving, but doing what was right for the people and country he loved. Leading authorities states that, "serving his remarkable career in the shadows and keeping America safe in the process" ("Robert O'Neill"). O'Neill served his country with selflessness, because he fought for America instead of glory and fame. No matter the consequences he was willing to do things not for his benefit but for others. He was willing to do whatever was needed of him for the sake of America. Whether that be lead a perimeter patrol as team leader, or march into the home of a mad man. O'Neill's selfless acts allow Americans to do their daily routine, while he fought for what was right. All the while most Americans are oblivious to his necessary service.

Robert O'Neill was more than willing to lay down his own life for the good of all Americans. Leading authorities states that, "He has deployed more than a dozen times, and he held combat leadership roles in more than 400 combat missions" ("Robert O'Neill"). O'Neill demonstrates his willingness to sacrifice his life by giving up his life in the U.S. With dozens of deployments he has little chance to go home. Not to mention that over 400 missions present a fair bit of danger. This heroic quality of O'Neill is by far the greatest. Every deployment and every mission he was willing to die for Americans he didn't know, he fought for strangers. It is an honorable trait that is lacking in the world today. The interviewer Peter Ducey states, "For more than a decade he served through multiple wars and through dangerous missions to numerous to count" ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden"). O'Neill served the United States by going on pearlis missions that could have taken his life, but he went on the anyway to protect america.He is a hero not for his kill count but his willingness to kill for America so others did not have to face the horrors of war. Rightfully so Fox News claims him to be "One of America's bravest warriors" ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden"). O'Neill served for Americans so they didn't have to, and every second of his service he was ready to lay down his life for the good not just his team or even america, but for the world.

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O'Neill's courage, selflessness, and willingness to sacrifice his life helped him to become the hero that america knows him to be.Robert O'Neill showed his heroic traits like courage in his over 400 missions ("Robert O'Neill"). He also demonstrated his selflessness and willingness to sacrifice his life in operation Neptune Spear when he "He fired the fateful shot that ended the worlds biggest manhunt in world history to an end" ("The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden.").O'Neill is an inspiration to all others, but one of the main reasons is his average early life. It shows people that even if they made mistakes in the past or they didn't have very much money it is still possible to grow up to be one of America's most decorated soldiers. According to Fox News he didn't start to swim until just a year before Navy Seal training. The amount of motivation it would take to power through BUDS training while just learning to swim is profoundly inspiring to all that hard work pays off. I do not doubt that O'Neill had heroic traits as a child, but his courage, selflessness, and willingness to sacrifice his life were forged through hardwork and dedication. O'Neill is not the only military hero they are all around us. All of them forged heroic qualities with hard work to serve America's citizens. Next time you walk by a person in military uniform remember to thank them for their service. They don't serve for glory or fame, but each and everyone deserves to be known as a hero.

Works Cited

Couch, Aaron. "SEAL Team Six: Is their safety being compromised?." Christian Science Monitor 13

May 2011: N.PAG. History Reference Center. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

"How Robert O'Neill prepared for the bin Laden raid." Interview by Peter Ducey. Fox News. Fox

News, 2014. Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

<http://video.foxnews.com/v/3887084124001/how-robert-oneill-prepared-for-the-binladen-raid/?#sp=show-clips>.

Hudson, John. "Fox News Outs Navy SEAL Team 6 Author." Nationaljournal.com 23 Aug. 2012.

General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.

"Robert O'Neill." Speaker. Leading Authorities, 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2015.

<http://www.leadingauthorities.com/speakers/robert-oneill.html>.

"The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden." Interview by Peter Ducey. Fox News. Fox News, 2014.

Web. 28 Nov. 2015.

<http://video.foxnews.com/v/3887012925001/the-man-who-killed-usama-bin-laden/>.

Vasilogambros, Matt. "SEAL Who Killed Bin Laden Tells His Story." Nationaljournal.com 11 Feb.

2013. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.