Posted on 02/26/2017 11:02:55 AM PST by nickcarraway
When they brought William Ryan Owens home, the Navy SEAL was carried from a C-17 military plane in a flag-draped casket, onto the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base, as President Donald Trump, his daughter, Ivanka, and Owens family paid their respects.
It was a private transfer, as the family had requested. No media and no bystanders, except for some military dignitaries.
Owens father, Bill, had learned only a short time before the ceremony that Trump was coming. Owens was sitting with his wife, Marie, and other family members in the solemn, living room-like space where the loved ones of the fallen assemble before they are taken to the flight line.
Im sorry, I dont want to see him, Owens recalled telling the chaplain who informed him that Trump was on his way from Washington. I told them I dont want to meet the President.
It had been little more than 24 hours since six officers in dress uniform knocked on the door to Owens home in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. It was not yet daylight when he answered the door, already knowing in the pit of his stomach what they had come to tell him.
Now, Owens cringed at the thought of having to shake the hand of the president who approved the raid in Yemen that claimed his sons life an operation that he and others are now calling into question.
I told them I didnt want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldnt let me talk to him, Owens said Friday, speaking out for the first time in an interview with the Miami Herald.
Owens, also a military veteran, was troubled by Trumps harsh treatment of a Gold Star family during his presidential campaign. Now Owens was a Gold Star parent, and he said he had deep reservations about the way the decision was made to launch what would be his sons last mission.
Ryan and as many as 29 civilians were killed Jan. 28 in the anti-terrorism mission in Yemen. What was intended as a lightning raid to grab cellphones, laptops and other information about terrorists turned into a nearly hour-long firefight in which everything went wrong, according to U.S. military officials who spoke to the New York Times.
Bill Owens said he was assured that his son, who was shot, was killed early in the fight. It was the first military counter-terrorist operation approved by the new president, who signed the go-ahead Jan. 26 six days into his term.
Why at this time did there have to be this stupid mission when it wasnt even barely a week into his administration? Why? For two years prior, there were no boots on the ground in Yemen everything was missiles and drones because there was not a target worth one American life. Now, all of a sudden we had to make this grand display?
In a statement from the White House Saturday, spokesman Michael C. Short called Ryan Owens an American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of his country.
The White House did not address his fathers criticisms, but pointed out that the Department of Defense routinely conducts a review of missions that result in loss of life.
Bill Owens and his wife sat in another room as the President paid his respects to other family members. He declined to say what family members were at the ceremony.
Trump administration officials have called the mission a success, saying they had seized important intelligence information. They have also criticized detractors of the raid, saying those who question its success dishonor Ryan Owens memory.
His father, however, believes just the opposite.
Dont hide behind my sons death to prevent an investigation, said the elder Owens, pointing to Trumps sharp words directed at the missions critics, including Sen. John McCain.
I want an investigation. The government owes my son an investigation, he said.
A family photo of William Ryan Owens, who was killed in Yemen on Jan. 28, 2017. Owens was the first known U.S. combat casualty under President Trump. Courtesy of the Owens family Among the elite
Next week, Ryan Owens would have turned 37. At the time of his death, he had already spent half his life in the Navy, much of that with the elite SEAL Team 6 chasing terrorist leaders across deserts and mountains around the world. The team, formally known as DEVGRU,had taken part in some of the most high-profile operations in military history, including the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
At the time of the 2001 9/11 attacks, Owens was in SEAL training, arguably the most physically grueling and mentally grinding regimens in the military. The team, tasked with tracking terrorists and mythologized in books and movies, had once been dubbed a global manhunting machine by the Times.
Despite the lore surrounding the SEALS exploits, almost everything about them is kept secret, even their names. Bill Owens knows very little about the actions that his son participated in, but takes pride in the dozens of awards he earned during his 12 deployments. Among them: the Silver Star, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
William Owens home in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea holds the medals his son earned, some of them posthumously. He was determined to be the best, the father says.Emily MichotMiami Herald Staff Ryan served under three U.S. presidents, and met former President Barack Obama, his father said. At his home on Friday, Bill Owens pulled out piles of photographs: Ryan as a toddler, clad in a brown military jumpsuit on his fathers lap; Ryan with his two older brothers playing army as kids; Ryans wedding picture; Ryan with his children and Ryan clad in military gear with a handful of his SEAL teammates. Theres one of Ryan sitting on the floor in the White House playing with Obamas dogs.
Ryan joined the Navy after high school, following in his brothers footsteps. His brother, John, 42, was also a SEAL, and his oldest brother, Michael, 44, a Hollywood police officer, was also in the Navy for a time.
They in turn were inspired by their father: Bill Owens served four years in the Navy, then joined the Army Reserves in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Ryan was born in downstate Peoria. While in the Reserves, Bill worked for Caterpillar tractor company, until he was laid off during the recession in the 1980s. Shortly thereafter, he saw a notice in a military magazine for new recruits for the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, and he successfully applied.
Owens and his then-wife, Ryans mother Patricia, moved with Ryan to South Florida. His elder sons remained with Owens first wife in Illinois.
Despite the distance between them, the half-brothers were very close, Owens said. They played sports and spent many summers and holidays together. Ryan and his brothers became interested in the military at a very young age. And Ryan dreamed of becoming a SEAL.
He was always happy, Bill Owens said of Ryan. Every picture you see he has a smile on his face. He just had a real positive attitude.
He was also driven. Ryan was so determined to be the best his father said, that when he failed the dive phase of SEAL training, he went out and hired a private instructor to get more training on his off time, and was initially certified as a civilian.
He went out on his own and became more proficient. Thats the kind of dedication and determination that he had, his father said.
Bill Owens marriage to Ryans mother ended soon after they moved to South Florida, and Patricia, who also became a Fort Lauderdale police officer, eventually moved with Ryan and her new husband back to Peoria. She died in 2013.
Ryan spent summers and holidays with his father and brothers in Fort Lauderdale and played catcher during the school year for the Illinois Valley Central High School baseball team, the Grey Ghosts.
Ryan dreamed of serving in the military from a very early age, his father says. In this family photo, he is playing soldier with his older brothers. Courtesy of the Owens family A SEALs heartache
Standing 6-4, and weighing about 225 pounds, Ryan loved the physical part of the job and serving his country, even though it took him away from his family much of the year.
I always kept hoping that we would eventually make up for lost time, but thats not going to happen, his father said.
Ryans military career wasnt always filled with the adrenaline of hostage rescue missions and midnight raids. In between, there were endless hours of training and planning.
There was also the heartache of losing his military brothers. Ryan was tasked in 2011 with escorting the bodies of 17 of his fellow SEALS home following a CH-47 helicopter crash in Afghanistan, his father said.
He came back from Afghanistan and had to go to their funerals. Its unnerving to go through something like that. It was one of the worst days in SEAL history as far as casualties go. He didnt talk about it, his father said. A lot of them, they dont talk about it, even with their parents.
Doomed mission
Owens and his SEAL commandos set out in the dark of night. Planning for the Yemen raid began last year during the Obama administration, but the execution was tabled because it was decided it would be better to launch the operation on a moonless night, which wouldnt occur until after President Trump took office Jan. 20.
According to a timeline provided by the White House, then-National Security Advisor Michael Flynn briefed the president about the operation Jan. 25 over a dinner that included Vice President Mike Pence, Chief Strategist Steve Bannon, Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner and top security aides. It was not held in the Situation Room, as had been a practice under previous administrations.
President Trump signed the memo authorizing the action the next day, Jan. 26.
The younger Owens served under three presidents and met one of them: Barack Obama. This photo is from a visit to the White House. Courtesy of the Owens family This was a very, very well thought-out and executed effort, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Feb. 2 as questions first arose about the mission. He stressed that it had been thoroughly vetted and planned on Obamas watch.
Colin Kahl, a national security adviser to former Vice President Joe Biden, however, tweeted his contention that Spicer was mistaken.
Obama made no decisions on this before leaving office, believing it represented escalation of U.S. involvement in Yemen, he wrote on Twitter.
At the time of the firefight, Trump was not in the Situation Room, where he would have been directly involved in monitoring developments. Spicer said he kept in touch with his national security staffers, who were directly plugged in. White House officials also pointed out that, in general, counter-terrorism operations are routine and presidents are not in the Situation Room for every mission.
U.S. forces, targeting a suspected al-Qaida compound, immediately faced armed militants, a sign that their cover had been blown. The Washington Post reported that militants, some of them women, fired from the rooftops. Three other commandos were injured when an MV-22 Osprey, sent in to evacuate the troops, crash-landed. It was later destroyed by a U.S. airstrike to prevent it from falling into militant hands.
Some reports have said as many as 23 civilians, including an 8-year-old girl, were killed.
Afterward, McCain characterized the mission as a failure, and Trump responded with a series of tweets defending the Yemen action, and criticizing McCain. The rancor further escalated when Spicer later stated that McCain or anyone who undermines the success of that raid owes an apology and a disservice to life of Chief Owens.
There is no SEAL mission that is without risk, said Don Mann, a 21-year veteran Navy SEAL, now retired. Mann, the author of Inside SEAL Team Six: My Life and Missions with Americas Elite Warriors, said that if the assault team knew ahead of time that it had been compromised, the SEAL commanders on the ground had the ability to abort the raid at any time.
Some reports said that they did know, and went forward anyway.
The SEALS, unlike other forces, make their decision on the ground and that decision in this case cost a life, which is very very tragic, but thats war, Mann said.
These people are good human beings. It weighs heavily on them. Seeing one person die, especially a teammate or friend, is beyond comprehension.
He said its natural that Owens loved ones would have questions about what happened, but they shouldnt be swayed by the politics surrounding the tragedy.
Nobody knows the truth of what happened except the person on the ground. When politicians get it, they warp it far from the truth, he said.
Powerful hands
There were so many SEALS at Ryans service at Arlington National Cemetery that his fathers arm got tired from shaking so many muscled hands. At the end, before his coffin was lowered, each of the SEALS removed their badges from their uniforms and pounded them one by one into the casket. When it over, the casket was covered in gold eagle tridents.
Bill Owens doesnt want to talk about Ryans wife or his three young children. There are other things that he believes should remain private. He spoke out, he says, at the risk of offending some of his family and friends.
William Owens said he had deep reservations about the way the decision was made to launch what would be his sons last mission.Emily MichotMiami Herald Staff Id like some answers about all the things that happened in the timeline that led up to it. I know what the timeline is, and it bothers me a lot, said Owens, who acknowledges he didnt vote for Donald Trump.
One aspect of the chain of events that nags at him is the fact that the president signed the order suspending the entry of immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Yemen, on Jan. 27 the day before the mission.
Owens wonders whether that affected friendly forces in Yemen who were assisting with the raid.
It just doesnt make any sense to do something to antagonize an ally when youre going to conduct a mission in that country, he said. Did we alienate some of the people working with them, translators or support people. Maybe they decided to release information to jeopardize the mission.
These are only some of the many questions that Owens believes should be thoroughly examined, including the possibility that the decision to move forward with the mission was motivated by politics.
I think these are valid questions. I dont want anybody to think I have an agenda, because I dont. I just want the truth.
Ditto! Blaming Trump? Huh?
Would his son be proud of the way the dad is acting? Sorry, sorrow is not an excuse. Your son was a Navy Seal, act like it.
In MY opinion the dad is sullying the reputation of his own son.
We do Freepers feel it necessary to post pure leftist propaganda is beyond me.
Correct. I too think the 3 IT workers and the wife to one of them could have been part of a leak. There was also Louie who worked at the WH and was asked to leave the same day. Btw, one of them is still working for Debbie Wasserman Schwartz.
Cindy Heehan.
What we wont know is, what was so high-value that it led to this risky operation? Even Obama was planning to send in a team
If it was just a terrorist asset, Obama would have droned him and his family - as he did to hundreds or thousands during his 8 years
So - what were they looking to seize, and did it disrupt a planned terror attack and save lives?
And who compromised them?
Would like to know but.... classified is classified
and nobody can give a rats ass what he has to say...use your sons death for political purposes...real classy. Cindy Sheehan clone psycho.
Who is hiding behind his son’s death?
If every family that lost someone during W.W. II demanded an investigation on what happened and why someone died we would still be having hearings.
There are good missions and bad ones, and as Gregory Peck’s character General Frank Savage said in the movie “Twelve O’Clock High” to Col. Davenport, “There isn’t time to take apart every field order to see what makes it tick, if I were you I would just fly the missions”. That in a nutshell is what we have here.
The new Cindy Sheehan. When he mentioned The Gold Star Family at DNC convention, my RATdar went up. He lives in rat infested Broward County and he is nothing but another useful idiot.
the illegal immigration lawyer Nazir Khan who spoke at the DNC convention— that Gold Star family. Who DIDN”t mind politizing their own son’s death.
Sort of like this divorced dad’s “i don’t want to politicize my son’s death, but I have permitted this interview to do JUST THAT”.
Notice that reporter did not talk with the family members who DID speak with Trump.
As a policeman (not knowing if he was an officer or a mechanic in the motor pool)— this father had to have known what his son was doing voluntarily. There is and must be a background to this really embarrassing response to the death of a warrior, who may very well have been better inspired by his step-dad to “be the Best”.
“Who cares if he has an agenda. Any family who loses a son in battle can say any damn thing they please as far as Im concerned. “
Nope. Turning a sons death into a political stunt is never something to respect. Show some dignity.
Pretty much SOP a this point. A service member is killed under an Administration’s watch, and the family is used to make political hay out of it. Happens at least once in every term for what, the past 3 or 4 administrations.
So, ferreting out the facts/timeline about this agenda driven father. He worked for Caterpillar in Peoria, married to his first wife and had 3 earlier children whom he left with his first wife when he divorced her (she kept the kids, per court). He then, still in Peoria marries his second wife, Patricia (now deceased) and had his son Ryan, whom they then took to Ft. Lauderdale after he’s hired by the PD there (in some capacity, and his wife Patricia is hired as well). Patricia then divorces Mr. Owens, and returns to Peoria where he largely grew up and went to H.S. (and stayed friendly with his 1/2 brothers there, and didn’t stay much in contact with the biologic father, point in fact).
The father sits in another room with his “wife” (that being his 3rd wife no relation to the hero SEAL) and won’t see the President.
It would be interesting to know just how much influence the biologic father was on the son to go into the SEALs, vs. the reality of the relationship frequency of contact etc., since the biologic mom died in IL, and the step dad brought Ryan up, in Peoria. This article is disjointedly written and requires a fine toothed comb to ferret out the timelines. That is to say— the writer and the subject father BOTH have an agenda.
“The sad part of this is that a relatively small, albeit important, SOF mission required POTUS approval. We never could have won WWII with such micromanagement.”
Totally agree. It’s part of the cult of the presidency. Like LBJ specifying flight routes into and out of Hanoi. Part of that captain at the helm BS.
No thanks for your service in sedition of this country, jerkwad.
this sounds like the afghan mission that was also compromised....
dont trust any locals...
they leak
The Press Secretary at first downplayed the success of the mission.
The Democrats then saw a chance to attack Trump because Trump authorized the mission.
The Administration saw that the discussion on this operation had switched from a military discussion to a Republican/Democrat discussion.
The Press Secretary then said it was disrespectful to the dead SEAL to look at this mission.
It is disrespectful of the Democrats to try and make this a Republican/Democrat issue.....very disrespectful.
The Commander of the SEAL Team should volunteer to speak to the father.
President Trump’s decision on this mission was correct. I’m not so sure about the Commander of the mission.
Sounds to me like a replay of the Muslim father who got so much play during the campaign against Trump. Clinton really played up what a hero he was. The father, a member and supporter of CAIR if I remember correctly was made out to be a hero when in fact it was the son who was the hero.
That was Richard Armitage who was the subject of the three year investigation and received no punishment whatsoever.
Libby was the fall guy who was convicted of lying to a grand jury about a conversation held two years earlier that not even I could have remembered word for word.
But you're right, to this day, there is not one shred of evidence that Valerie Plame was a "covert" CIA agent....
But it didn't matter, it successfully kept the evil Bush and his administration in front page fake news........
As an addendum, that also included 8 years of the evil Halliburton and their ties to Dick Cheney. Strange, following election day in 2008, we not only stopped hearing about evil Halliburton but no further reference to McCain as "the Maverick"........
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