Nickname(s) "Rob" Years of service 1995–2012 | Nationality American | |
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Allegiance United States of America Books The Operator, The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama Bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior Parents Diane Johnson, Tom O'Neill Battles and wars Second Liberian Civil War, Operation Shining Express, Iraq War, War in Afghanistan, Operation Red Wings Similar Matt Bissonnette, Osama bin Laden, Marcus Luttrell, Chris Kyle, Brian L Losey Profiles | ||
Robert J. "Rob" O'Neill (born April 10, 1976) is a former United States Navy sailor. A former U.S. Navy SEAL and special warfare operator, O'Neill is best known for his claims that he had made in November 2014, of having fired the head shots that killed Osama bin Laden during the raid on his Abbottabad compound on May 2, 2011.
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Early life and education
O'Neill was born and raised in Butte, Montana. In his youth, his father, Tom, took him hunting and taught him sharpshooting. In 1995, at age 19, a year after graduating from Butte Central Catholic High School, O'Neill joined the U.S. Navy hoping to become a sniper.
Career
O'Neill initially sought to become a sniper and enlist as a U.S. Marine where he had known some friends. On the day he arrived at the recruitment office, the Marine recruiter was not in. Instead, a Navy recruiter suggested that O'Neill enlist in the U.S. Navy, telling him that he could be a sniper in the U.S. Navy SEALs.
As a member of the U.S. Navy, O'Neill was reportedly involved in more than 400 missions, including the mission to save Captain Richard Phillips during the Maersk Alabama hijacking, and Operation Red Wings in which O'Neill helped save Marcus Luttrell. On 11 occasions during his career, O'Neill left home thinking he would not return alive.
In 2012, after 16 years of service, and 4 years shy of retirement, O'Neill left the U.S. Navy. He is now a public speaker employed by Leading Authorities, a speakers bureau. O'Neill was hired as a contributor for Fox News Channel in 2015 to lend "his military expertise across the cable channel’s daytime and primetime programs."
O'Neill rose up the chain of command to Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator. His 52 decorations include two Silver Stars, four Bronze Star Medals with Valor device, a Joint Service Commendation Medal with Valor device, three Presidential Unit citations, and two Navy and Marine Corps Commendations with Valor device.
Claims about participation in Operation Neptune Spear
The claims that O'Neill killed bin Laden came on October 5, 2014, in anticipation of a Fox News special called The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden, which was expected to reveal his identity and details of the mission Operation Neptune Spear. He had previously been interviewed anonymously in an Esquire Magazine article in February 2013.
O'Neill's statements resulted in criticism by fellow Navy SEALs. Rear Admiral Brian Losey and Force Master Chief Michael Magaraci issued a public statement,
A critical tenant [sic] of our ethos is "I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions."
In 2012, Matt Bissonette, using the pseudonym "Mark Owen", wrote a book called No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden documenting his participation in the raid. In his book, he does not identify the man who fired the fatal shots at Bin Laden, referring to him as simply the "Point Man". Bisonnette himself admits to firing his weapon at Bin Laden after the fatal shots were fired by the "Point Man" when Bin Laden was already "In his death throes". He has; however, refused to respond directly to O'Neill's claims, adding that he believed the team effort was more important than one person pulling the trigger. The United States Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into whether Bissonnette leaked classified material. O'Neill has also been criticized by other former Navy SEALs for disclosing his role.