The celebration over the raid that killed Osama bin Laden–detailed in a long New Yorker article that came out last week–has now turned to mourning. Thirty Special Operators, including apparently members of the Navy’s SEAL Team Six which took down bin Laden, died in a terrible crash of a Chinook helicopter south of Kabulon Saturday. The downing of the transport helicopter underscores the risks these operators run–and makes their commitment and heroism all the more evident.
I recall visiting one Special Operations headquarters not long ago and seeing a wall of honor with pictures of all those who had fallen in the line of duty. It was depressing to see how many pictures were on that wall–all of them top-flight professionals killed far far too young. But it was also inspiring to know that, despite all those losses, there are still so many volunteers willing to put on their body armor, climb aboard a Chinook or Black Hawk every night and fly off to do battle with the most dangerous terrorists on the planet.
