SEALing the Deal

There are many reasons why the members of the SEAL Team that killed Bin Laden are better than me.  In fact, there are so many reasons I would rather not dwell too long lest it lead to crying in the fetal position over my shame that I share a gender with men like that.  One of the biggest reasons they are far better men is that no one will ever know they did it.  One day, a member of that SEAL Team will be waiting in line at Dunkin' Donuts and someone will cut them in line and they will not react the way I would: by yelling, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THE FUCK I AM?"

This is obviously a small part of the sacrifices they make daily, but I find myself thinking about those soldiers in this time.  What must have been going through their heads when they found out that their target was the most wanted man in the world.  Did they even believe it?  Was there some eye-rolling and 'we've heard that before'?  There was almost certainly some gallows humor in the time leading up to the raid and some lighthearted argument over who would make the kill.

I imagine it would resemble a locker room before the Super Bowl.  A group of men all focused on the same goal, all filled to the brim with nervous energy, all finding a way to make that energy work for them.  Those SEALs then came out of the locker room and won an incredibly lopsided victory.  The other team never even touched the ball.  If not for a malfunctioning helicopter that the team destroyed themselves, it was flawless.  That was the equivalent of a bad long snap that the punter had to kick out of the back of the end zone.  The other team got two points, but they certainly didn't earn them.  And they still lost by sixty.

What must last night have felt like for them?  It must have been like ten Super Bowls, eight Stanley Cups, and a few Larry O'Brien and World Series trophies thrown in.  But that's where it ends.  There will be no parade.  These men will not risk making themselves and their families the biggest targets in the world, no matter how much they deserve to be showered in more ticker tape than any champion in history.  They will savor their victory as quickly and quietly as they executed their mission.  And then, a debriefing and the next mission.  There is no off season for these athletes.  There was just last night.  And I hope it was fucking beautiful.
Subscribe to Functioning Rageaholic by Email