Dishonor in Our Government – The Hollywood Story

Just days after the successful raid that killed Osama Bin Laden, details, rumors, and stories began to be passed throughout the media. The media circus that took place began when various individuals, including Vice President Biden, disclosed the identity of the group of courageous men who were doing what they do best; ridding the world of true evil.

All those who identified the assets who conducted this assault should be ashamed. Whether for money, fame, career advancement, or re-election, all motivations are filled with complete dishonor.

The operators within the Special Operations community are a group of silent professionals. They do not seek recognition for their heroic actions, and would prefer to live and operate in secrecy.

SOF personnel have conducted missions, dangerous and heroic missions, that would completely astonish the average person. The details of these events have remained locked in a vault, protected by their secret classification, only to be disclosed after careful consideration that the relevance of details of the mission, due to the passing of time and the outdated nature of the techniques, tactics, and procedures, do not cause harm to our military. Only then should a summary of the events be made available.

It is shocking to me that there are people who feel that the American people, or the global community, should sit in the back seat of military operations, especially with groups within Special Operations. It is even more appalling to me that individuals, especially our own government, would disclose the identity, details, or the techniques, tactics, and procedures that our operators use every day conducting missions within the most dangerous areas of the world.

These operators do not ask for fortune and glory. Members within Special Operations do this work because of their intense desire to rid the world of those who would threaten America. They also do this work for their SOF brothers in arms fighting with them, their families, and for all Americans. They run to the sound of gunfire, and do not ask for anything in return.

Imagine the feeling of being one of these operators, and then hearing that the name of your unit is on the news.

This is the feeling of fighting for a government and country that would sell you out for political reasons. This is the same government that continues to change the rules of engagement for war, making it ever more difficult to ensure that these operators come home alive. This is the same government who prosecutes special operations personnel for the harsh treatment of terrorist prisoners. This is our government that seeks to be recognized for the actions, blood, sweat, and tears of our heroes by supporting a Hollywood movie.

Airing November 4th, just two days before the presidential election, the National Geographic Channel will show the Bin Laden Raid dramatization produced by The Weinstein Co. and Voltage Pictures. What really infuriates me about this entire situation is how, just moments after American warriors sent Bin Laden to Hell, our government celebrated by inviting members of Hollywood to get a first-hand account of the details of the raid, a tour of Government facilities, and were even given the name of the Commander of the unit. If that was not bad enough, our political leaders assured the Hollywood element that the Commander would support the effort with their insight into Special Operations and the raid.

I find this hard to believe.

As Americans, we all need to understand that these books, movies, television shows, etcetera, do not help the cause, and can dramatically impact future operations. We need to remember that we share a common enemy, and it is that enemy who works day and night collecting intelligence to target America, our people, and definitely Special Operations personnel.