Robert O’Neill, the former Navy SEAL who claims to have shot dead Osama bin Laden, is scheduled to visit Georgia May 2 for a charity event aimed at helping U.S. Special Forces veterans. He recently spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution at length about the daring raid on bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout in 2011. Here’s some of what he said:
Q: What do you remember most about the raid on bin Laden’s compound? What sticks out in your memory?
A: Well, seeing him standing up — being one of the few people to ever see Osama bin Laden alive. It was under night vision, so I could still see the clothes he was wearing, the cap he had on his head and his short gray beard. … That stands out, as does first walking in and looking to my left to see the actual compound itself. And it looked exactly like I thought it would. And just thinking: “Wow, this is cool that we are here. This is actually happening.” It was kind of surreal. It was a realization that we are never going to come home, so you might as well take in a few things and remember them and enjoy them.
The complete interview will be published on Sunday on MyAJC.com.
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