Obama Sent a Navy SEAL THIS Note After a Rescue 😳
A Navy SEAL recounts coordinating with the Obama administration during a pirate hostage rescue operation, describing the decision-making process and sharing a congratulatory note President Obama sent him afterward recognizing the successful mission.
Summary
The speaker, a Navy SEAL, describes a critical coordination meeting with the Department of Justice regarding a hostage situation involving pirates. He explains that he presented two possible outcomes to the DOJ: either live pirates who would need to be prosecuted, or dead pirates requiring proper burial to avoid a tactical victory that could become a strategic loss. The speaker emphasized the need for advance planning and prepared answers before moving into execution mode. President Obama, who was present at the White House with approximately four other officials involved in the operation, subsequently wrote the SEAL a handwritten note card thanking him for his work on what appears to be the 'Smalley situation,' noting that he 'made a family very happy on Easter' and was signed by Barack Obama. The SEAL reflects on the experience as one of the coolest of his life, describing it as 'like out of the movies,' and expresses pride in representing not just the SEALs but the entire military during the mission.
Key Insights
- The speaker instructed the Department of Justice to prepare contingency plans for two distinct outcomes before execution—either prosecuting live pirates or managing the burial of dead pirates to prevent strategic complications.
- The speaker emphasizes that advance planning and having predetermined answers to potential complications was essential before the team could enter execution mode for the operation.
- President Obama personally attended a White House meeting with approximately four officials to oversee the pirate hostage rescue coordination.
- Obama wrote a handwritten note recognizing the SEAL's success in the 'Smalley situation' and specifically acknowledged that the mission made a family happy on Easter.
- The SEAL describes the experience as transformative, comparing it to a movie, and states his primary motivation was representing the SEALs and the broader military rather than seeking personal recognition.
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] I said to Department of Justice, we're going to have one of two outcomes here. We're going to have live pirates or dead pirates. If we have live pirates, where are we prosecuting them? If we have dead pirates, how are we going to bury them so that we don't have a tactical victory but a strategic loss? I need you to have an answer so that we can just go into execution mode whenever the time is right. President Obama walked in to hear that little blip. There were probably four of us from the White House that were involved in this. But when it was all said and done, President Obama wrote me this really [music] nice…
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