Posted on 04/13/2009 9:35:14 AM PDT by AngelesCrestHighway
In the end, it was a single moment that brought the hostage crisis to its dramatic finish. Capt. Richard Phillips, right, stands with U.S. Navy Cmdr. Frank Castellano after Phillips' rescue Sunday. Three gunshots. All three fatal. Fired in the dark by three specially trained U.S. Navy SEALs as the pirates' boat rocked in the water off Somalia. "Phenomenal shots -- 75 feet away," said Navy Vice Adm. Bill Gortney, who oversees the region. A senior defense official told CNN that each was a shot to the head. Gortney, in an interview Monday with CNN's "American Morning," described critical steps that led to the rescue of U.S. Capt. Richard Phillips, who was taken by pirates after they boarded his merchant ship, the Maersk Alabama, east of Somalia on Wednesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
My feel good story for at least the week. :)
Nice shooting! Thank you for your service to this country.
I wonder how the Obamaloon feels to be in the presence of his superiors.
Let the pirates vow of revenge all they want. If they come out to attack the US or its citizens again...they will get more of the same.
The US sent an abject and very direct message to pirates yesterday, as did the French the day before.
The US negotiating team did a GREAT job in controlling the sistuation and getting the priates to give in to allowing the life boat to be taken in tow which brought it in close to the USS Bainbridge (30 meters behind it) in a slow tow which gave the Navy SEAL snipers the best chance for taking their shots. They also lured one of the pirates off the boat to help “mediate” negotiations, thereby making one less pirate to take down and giving us one to garner more info from.
Then, the Captain of the USS Bainbridge so construed his orders to use deadly force in a take down if Phillips life was inn imminent danger, to correctly judge that his life was always in imminent danger from the pirates who had a gun trained on him.
This allowed him to give the go order as soon as a opportunity presented itself where all three pirates were visible to the snipers. As soon as they were, he gave the order.
And then...of course...the US Navy SEALS performed amazingly and took those three shots simultaneously and on-target in rolling waters to bring the pirates down and save captain Phillips.
Excellent work all around and the precise message we needed to deliver to these terrorists of the sea. Most importantly, Captain Phillips is alive, and now safely headed home and he and his family know...and by extension, all merchant marines know, that the US Navy (and military) will be there for them.
Honestly, it’s what I expect from our military. They are the best in the world, and there are those of us out here in flyover country that recognize that fact.
I really doubt that.
I would have thought they would have had multiple shooters targeting the pirates, instead of relying on three perfect, first time shots.
but, but zero has a puppy...
Those guys are studs...and God bless them.
75 feet, that hardly seems fair when these guys can kill someone at over 1500 yards.
Has he cleared the puppy with the IRS yet?
Yeah, but . . . didn’t Nobama jump up with his rifle and shoot the pirate(s)?? And isn’t Nobama threatening to blow the snot out of any hangout that the pirate creeps are hiding in? Huh? I guess not.
Try doing it at night in a pitching, rolling vessel in 8-foot seas. ;-)
I heard they're having trouble finding the dog's birth certificate.,
Meanwhile, the UN considers chastising the US for not considering the human rights of the pirates .... /sarcasm, though it was in their stupid resolution
Two were shot when they stuck heads out the door, one was seen through a window. We need the name of the shooter who did the window. He deserves a steak dinner.
75 feet, that hardly seems fair when these guys can kill someone at over 1500 yards.
even at only 25 yards in rolling seas it’s tough
“The military had orders from President Obama authorizing lethal force if there was imminent danger.”.....
Now watch Obozo say the danger was not imminent enough to justify killing the 3 Somalia fishermen....
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.