NYpost journalist Susannah Cahalan has some super secret 3rd party insider info.
Read the story at the NYpost – HERE
Mike M. alerted me to this story, and at first I didn’t see what the big deal was until he pointed out a number of inconsistencies:
Green lasers – Didn’t they originally have nightvision? That would have lit it up making it useless.
Flashlights – Same idea as green lasers unless there was some IR filter on them I suppose.
US Navy m855 5.56 Predator ammunition – Mike says the m855 is the “penetrator” not predator.
SEALs missing their targets – The new account of the story makes them seem somewhat incompetent. Also, is it standard practice to keep your rifle on SEMI when on a kill mission? I just assumed you want to put maximum lead in the bastard as quickly as possible.
This looks like two possible things to me. 1) Susannah Cahalan is trying to make a name for her self by being the first to get this “REAL” story out there. 2) Former SEAL Team Six commander Chuck Pfarrer is trying to push his new book. Wouldn’t all that information on the raid still be classified? I highly doubt the U.S. government would be on board to divulge top secret information in order for a former employee to spice up his new book.
Hat tip: Mike M.
What are your thoughts are on this?
Comments
18 responses to “The REAL story of SEAL Team 6′s Kill Bin Laden Mission”
No one keeps their rifle on anything but safe.
RE: Also, is it standard practice to keep your rifle on SEMI when on a kill mission? I just assumed you want to put maximum lead in the bastard as quickly as possible.
Semi-auto all of the way when you want controlled accurate fire in a very tight and dynamic environment! Remember… You cannot miss fast enough to make up for inaccurate shooting!
TCD
“kill mission” is a misnomer.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military/2011/1108/Osama-bin-Laden-The-truth-behind-the-SEAL-raid-Five-bombshells/1.-The-strike-was-not-a-kill-mission
It’s not very well written. But the Marines I’ve talked to recently all agree that semi auto is the way most rifles are fired if you have a target. The rock and roll position is hardly ever used. Ever wondered how IR aiming lasers appear in NV gear? It’s green. Sounds cooler if the bad keeps charging in despite the lasers though, doesn’t it. Just a guy selling a book.
I agree 100% about the semi vs. auto argument. You’re only going to use auto for suppressive fire. Regarding the laser, I read an article that included some quotes from Dick Marcinko and he suggested (and it makes sense to me) that they were most likely NOT wearing NVG’s during the assault. They’re great when you’re maneuvering around the woods, but entering and clearing a room is awkward. I’m sure the would be much more effective doing it it with their natural eyesight.
While I haven’t read any stories, I can probably agree, just on grounds of practicality, that flashlights and green lasers were likely the way to go. Walking into a compound, you might not know whether lights are on or not before you walk into a room. The last thing you want to happen is kick open a door and get blinded by a TV across the room, or an uncovered lightbulb, etc.
Generation 3 NVGs can automatically dampen themselves to make sure your not blinded by bright flashes of light.
I heard they bayoneted him with a Mosin-Nagant. So this story is obviously incorrect.
SOP for military fire teams is semi only unless SHTF or you’re the SAW.
Glossary of terms:
1. SOP: Standard Operating Procedure
2. SHTF: Shit Hits The Fan
3. SAW: Squad Automatic Weapon
With a Geissele trigger, who needs full auto on a M4?
The SEALS have the capability to fire their guns on burst or full auto. However, they are trained to fire on semi.
They certaintly rolled in using NVGs. Contrary to public beleif, indoor light will be very bright, but not blinding. NVGs mount to their MICH helmets via a rhino horn attachmnet, so they swing up and out of the way easily. I doubt they used green lasers: They probabally are issued AN/PEQ-16s, which have an IR light, IR laser, visable red laser and visable white light all integrated into one unit that mounts on their weapons rail. No reason for green lasers at night: IR lasers are much, much brighter, and invisable to the naked eye.
Flashlights, yes. They probabally have either Surefire scout lights or, more likley, m900 fore-ends. The non LED models are very easy to equip with an IR filter, and Surefire makes LED IR heads, as well. But white light is a must.
They may or may not have used M855 ball. The SEALs I met were using 77 grain Mod 262 Mk0 hollow points. They are more accurate and more effective, according to word of mouth.
And as for missing? Yeah, they probabally did. If you’ve ever been in a combat situation, you know how fast things move and how hard it can be to shoot, even up close and personal. Training helps, but no one, NO ONE, is 100% accurate on the range, even, much less combat circumstances. Thats why they issue 30 round magazines and not 5 rounders.
Yeah, what the hell would the founder of Seal Team 6 know about how they would likely operate – I’ll trust your judgment. If you’ve ever tried to enter and clear a room with NOD’s on you’ll realize that it’s not the best way to do it. You’ve got an extremely narrow field of view, so your peripheral vision is non-existent. And at the point they entered the compound, everyone knew they were there; stealth would not have been a concern. They might as well go in with visible light flashlights blinding everyone in their path and visible lasers. If they had snuck into the building and their presence was unknown, it would make sense to go in with night vision, as it was though, the whole compound would have already been alerted to their presence.
It won’t blind the user, but it will blind the sensor on the NOD’s and you’ll be unable to distinguish anything; I’ve had them shut off because bright light has tripped the safety circuit to shut them off to avoid damage.
As easy as they are to swing out of the way, it’s not something you want to have to mess around with it when you’re trying to clear a building, especially if they are unnecessary for that particular mission.
I don’t think so. Maybe they were using Mk 262 Mod 0 rounds.
You sound like a wiki entry, as for actual combat, have you been there seen the elephant? It seems a tall order to be telling people how the shit flies. I apologise if you have and your name isn’t Walter.
How are defining 100% accuracy here? Every round hitting mass? Every round hitting a specific area (Bulls eye style)?.
When I did my courses in Switzerland (Civilian) the focus was always on combat effectiveness, not super fast super accurate, make this guy look like Swiss cheese style shooting.
This was aimed at the OP for clarity.
i thought he was beaten to death with an entrenching tool?
Mk262 is not hollow point, its OTM
M855 (penetrator) is what I would call ‘normal’ ammo. it’s a steel core. M193 is most of what you find civilian, and even most military ranges. Some civilian ranges, and most indoor ranges don’t allow M855 because it tends to bounce around. You can tell it by the green tip.
M855A1 is a lot of what you see today, it is the same weight as m855, but rather than a steel core, it has a heat treated hardened steel tip, and solid copper head. The tip goes through even light armored items, and some otherwise solid walls.
M995 and M995B are Carbide core bullets (black tip), and also go through armored items, and are completely illegal for civilians (at least new production is, some old ammo is still around). M995B has a carbide rod in the center surrounded by solid copper.
There are variations on M855 for use in areas like Europe that require lead free ammo. I don’t think there is the same for M995, but you are not going to see a lot of M995 even in the military.
I can tell you from over 20 year’s of Army and Law enforcement training. I have been on and in charge of special operations from 10th Special forces to S.W.A.T. These unit’s get the best toy’s and ammo out there. So they use what is best for the situation at hand. They are very proficient with all weapons system’s and the ammo that goes with it. But no one person is 100% all the time with anything. Let alone during high stress situation’s. Also if Uncle Sam don’t won’t you to know what exactly happened trust me you won’t. Just be thankful these guy’s are on our side.