# SEAL that Shot Bin Laden complaining about no pension. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003 "2013-02-11T18:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/1 "2013-02-11T18:52:15Z")
I don’t know what this guy’s problem is. It’s understood by everybody in the military that it takes 20 years to get your retirement. My dad served a little over 20 years. My uncle left after 16 years and tried civvy life for a couple years. He returned to the military and finished out his 20. You put your time in and you get your retirement. Just like any other job. This guy could still get his ass back in the military and finish up his 20. He’s only 3 years short. I’m sure they could work out something that doesn’t involve combat. He could be a training instructor or do admin work. My dad lost 70% of his hearing working on the flight line. When he got back from Nam the doctors took him off the flight line and he was made First Sergeant of the squadron. It was all administrative work and in an office. He wore hearing aids the rest of his life. Plus the article mentions the reward for Bin Laden. Dude, combat troops aren’t eligible for rewards like that. This guy has now endangered his own security by waving his hand and telling the world I shot Bin Laden. He better hope his name doesn’t get out or he’s in some serious danger. This is one strange story. Especially for anyone who’s had close family in the military. This reporter doesn’t have a clue how it works. I know > **[Report: SEAL who shot bin Laden without pension, health care](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/11/bin-laden-seal-shooter-esquire/1909513/)** > > "The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden ... Is Screwed," according to 'Esquire' and the Center for Investigative Reporting. > [@](#): > > Bronstein also catalogs what the Shooter lacks: pension (he left service 36 months short of the necessary 20 years), health care (though he battles arthritis, eye damage, tendonitis, and blown disks), protection for his family (from a retaliatory attack), disability benefits (he’s waiting), a healthy marriage (he and his wife have split, under the pressure of a job that took him away as many as 300 days a year), and communication from the Department of Veterans Affairs (computer-generated form letters aside). ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/2 "2013-02-11T19:01:27Z")
Found the original Esquire Article. _The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden… Is Screwed_ :rolleyes: What an interesting title. This guy went on a combat mission just like thousands and thousands of other soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Putting a bullet in Bin Laden doesn’t make him special or any better than the other combat soldiers that fought and died for their country. I’d like to think this SEAL doesn’t feel entitled or special. I suspect the author is putting words in his mouth. > **[The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden... Is Screwed](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a26351/man-who-shot-osama-bin-laden-0313/)** > > For the first time, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden tells his story speaking not just about the raid and the three shots that changed history, but about the personal aftermath for himself and his family. And the startling failure of the Un ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/3 "2013-02-11T19:16:43Z")
Why did he leave the service? ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/4 "2013-02-11T19:23:13Z")
It would seem, from the list of physical ailments he suffers, that the would be a shoo-in for a medical discharge…with a pension. Why did he leave? My guess is that he saw a big payday and didn’t think he needed to stick around. It strikes me as a horrible idea, if you’re a SEAL, to get married and start a family. What sense does that make? “Hey, I’m subject to deployment at any time, and I’ll be gone for years! Let’s get married and have kids!” ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/5 "2013-02-11T19:25:11Z")
Can you imagine the outrage if Esquire reported that DoD is now handing out million-dollar pensions to people that have served less than 20 years? No one that voluntarily gets out at 16 years does so without knowing full well what they’re giving up. You can complain about it all you want after the fact, but that doesn’t make it in any way a legitimate complaint. If he was NPQ’d due to medical conditions he acquired while serving, that’s a different issue. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/6 "2013-02-11T19:27:15Z")
I’m not sure if his current medical issues would keep him from getting back in and finishing his 20. My uncle didn’t have any problems getting back in after a couple years of civvy life. AFAIK he didn’t have any physical problems other than being in his mid thirties. He finished his 20 in the military and then got a state job in Louisiana. Worked that job and earned a state pension too. Most guys join up pretty young. 18, 19, 20. So they’re retired by 40. Then start a civilian career for another 20 or so years. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/7 "2013-02-11T19:49:10Z")
The article is so biased it’s pathetic. It does not touch on two key points: It’s the member’s decision to get out before 20 (assuming, again, that he voluntarily left), and that the member decided to forego a second career along the lines of what he could capitalize on from the service. We have a saying the Navy: Choose your rate, choose your fate. It’s meant to apply to a career in the Navy, but it also applies to life on the outside. Being a sniper puts you into a very small niche both in and out of the service. No reason to blame the DoD for trouble finding a job after you voluntarily join that small niche and doing little or nothing to expand your resume while on active duty. I love the SEALS and feel bad that this guy apparently made some poor decisions. But even if it were in my power, I wouldn’t hand him a 20-year pension. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/8 "2013-02-11T22:16:34Z")
I, for one, am more shocked by the link on that same page declaring that [Maker’s Mark is going to start watering down its bourbon.](http://www.newser.com/story/162577/amid-global-demand-makers-mark-gets-watered-down.html) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/9 "2013-02-11T22:31:39Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I, for one, am more shocked by the link on that same page declaring that [Maker’s Mark is going to start watering down its bourbon.](http://www.newser.com/story/162577/amid-global-demand-makers-mark-gets-watered-down.html) Never could develop a liking for MM, or Baker’s, or Woodford. Knob Creek is still honest-to-yeehaw 100 proof. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/10 "2013-02-11T22:37:01Z")
Those animals, Maker’s Mark is lovely as it is. Anyway your man says there’s movies and books he won’t benefit from. Surely the definitive, ghost-written “American Hero: I Shot Bin Laden” would be top of the NYT Bestsellers lists for months. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/11 "2013-02-11T23:05:29Z")
Way back when I was in the Navy, we all knew that you didn’t get a retirement unless you did 20 years. It’s not a secret or anything. Since no mention was made of him being kicked out, I’m going to assume he left voluntarily. Too bad, so sad, but he’s not a special snowflake. Same rules apply to him that applied to me when I got out at 11 years. I suspect he’s pissed because he hasn’t got a best-seller out of the deal, or some such thing. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/12 "2013-02-11T23:13:48Z")
I’m wondering if he’s feeling salty about the press that Chris Kyle, American’s deadliest and deadest sniper, is receiving. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/13 "2013-02-11T23:44:27Z")
No sympathy from me. Shooting Bin Laden as part of an operation that you were trained to do, training you willingly signed up for (as arduous as it is) doesn’t exempt you from the 20 year rule. I am willing to admit that there may be some mitigating circumstances we aren’t privy to. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/14 "2013-02-11T23:48:40Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Plus the article mentions the reward for Bin Laden. Dude, combat troops aren’t eligible for rewards like that. Why not? ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/15 "2013-02-11T23:53:41Z")
For anyone who didn’t read the article, his enlistment was up and he chose not to reenlist. If you choose not to reenlist and you’ve got less than 20 years, no pension. I didn’t know a single person in the military that doesn’t know about doing their 20 years. I don’t know this guy personally, but it’s possible he’s having psychological or stress related problems and that could be why he left. Or maybe he thought he’d be able to sell his story or something of that nature and get a fat paycheck and that hasn’t worked out for him; I just genuinely don’t know and I won’t speculate based on second hand information from an Esquire writer. As for healthcare, he probably qualifies for VA benefits. Assuming: 1. He was active duty, and was honorably discharged or released and / or he was a reservist called up to active duty who served his full call up period. We know he was active duty and we assume he left the service honorably since he simply chose not to reenlist and was not discharged due to disciplinary problems. 2. He was in a theater of combat operations in the last 5 years (obviously true). Now, there are income thresholds, which is why I’ve never qualified for VA health benefits at any point in my retirement. But assuming this Esquire article’s claims about his hardships are true, he’d easily fall under the annual income limits. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/16 "2013-02-11T23:56:23Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > Why not? They get the reward that comes with a job well done. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/17 "2013-02-12T00:45:17Z")
There’s just not enough money to compensate guys that fight in combat. They get combat pay and thats really all that can be done. Obama just gave Clinton Romesha his medal of honor in a ceremony today. If I could give anybody a big $250,000 bonus it would be him. What he did saving his fellow soldiers will eventually become a movie. What he did is even more incredible than what Hollywood writers dream up. But where does it end? If you give one brave solider a big payout then what about the thousands of other guys that fought just as bravely? What about the support troops that are risking their lives? My dad’s airfield was shelled in Viet Nam. There were times the base perimeter was breached and the VC were inside the wire. He was in direct danger and so were all those other men. Are you going to hand out $100,000 bonus to each of them? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/18 "2013-02-12T03:14:07Z")
“Hitler gets one of these right across the windpipe, Roosevelt changes Thanksgiving to Joe Toye Day, pays me ten grand a year for the rest of my fucking life.” -Joe Toye, _Band of Brothers_ ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/19 "2013-02-12T04:22:44Z")
If he wanted a payoff, he should have joined Al Queda and blown himself up. I hear there’s a nice cash bonus for the family. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003/20 "2013-02-12T05:50:41Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > Now, there are income thresholds, which is why I’ve never qualified for VA health benefits at any point in my retirement. But assuming this Esquire article’s claims about his hardships are true, he’d easily fall under the annual income limits. What? Really? I’ve never heard about an income limit. You wouldn’t happen to have a link, would you? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seal-that-shot-bin-laden-complaining-about-no-pension/650003.md?page=2)