Special Ops: A Photo History

Congratulations
A few days after the successful raid on bin Laden's compound President Obama flew to Ft. Campbell to meet with U.S. Navy Vice Admiral William H. McRaven, who is credited with organizing the mission. As the commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, McRaven had been called upon by C.I.A. Director Leon Panetta in February 2011 to develop plans to capture or kill the terrorist leader. He provided three options: a helicopter assault using American commandos, a B-2 bomber strike on the compound or a joint raid with Pakistani forces. It was President Obama who, after much deliberation, chose option number one.

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