Most of the world was abuzz when the Esquire story on "The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden... Is Screwed" was published online. It is the story about the US Navy SEAL who is called "The Shooter" in the story who shot the world's most wanted man and left the service, and was left to fend for himself --- no pension, no healthcare, no protection. It indeed is appalling to learn about a man who did the world a big service not to get some benefits befitting his services made for his country.

I cannot make a very objective opinion on the treatment of U.S. government to just let this man try civilian life with no handholding at all, and he has no benefits to support his family, since he left the service early on to see his child grow. Even his healthcare, he has to buy in private insurance. But some do point out that he is not entitled to full benefits since he didn't fulfill 20 years of service as required. Thus, he should also be treated no different from others since it is part of the agreement when he entered service. He is still accorded five years of healthcare from Veterans Affairs which he was not aware of.

Whether the government is at fault or not, it is up to individual opinions. If you want to help the man get back on his feet as a civilian, then no one's stopping you. But he does indeed need assistance, especially a job that which he doesn't need to use his "killing skills" and be able to support himself and his family.

Apart from this main issue of government neglect of The Shooter, it is interesting to note that he did not do this interview with Esquire for money such as other former SEALs who wrote books and perhaps revealed classified information. Other details about the mission also come out, and it's something worthwhile to read, even if these are not too specific. But any information pertaining about the hunt for Osama Bin Laden will always be something that everybody wants to read, and The Shooters' story is one not to be missed.

It also brings to light the problems of servicemen and women going back to civilian life. The veterans have the high unemployment rates and for a nation that is supposed to be grateful for their service, a lot should be done to get them integrated into civilian life. What the 2 wars should have taught the Defense Department and the whole US government, is how to bring back to normal lives after leaving. In actuality, the government is sorely lacking in this area.

I highly recommend that you read the Esquire story, but still further confirm some of the issues via other reputable sources that can easily be found online. Below are two videos from the Center for Investigative Reporting about the story of The Shooter.