Leader of bin Laden attack was UT journalism grad

[sonias]

AAS 5/2/11
Leader of bin Laden attack was UT journalism grad

Long before he was overseeing efforts to nab or kill Osama bin Laden, Bill McRaven graduated with a degree in journalism at the University of Texas.

McRaven, now a vice-admiral, had been something of a bin Laden hunter for at least a half-dozen years before successfully directing the Sunday attack as the leader of the Joint Special Operations Command.

McRaven, who hails from San Antonio, began preparing for his own storied career as a Navy SEAL, the elite special operations forces, while an undergraduate at UT.

(snip)
He also had smarts. In 1995, he wrote “Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare Theory and Practice,” in which he developed his own definition of a special operation as one "conducted by forces specially trained, equipped, and supported for a specific target whose destruction, elimination, or rescue (in the case of hostages), is a political or military imperative."

Another great Texan - Bill McRaven!

We salute you Vice-Admiral McRaven! :patriot:

[sonias]

1. UT Alum Led Unit That Attacked Osama bin

KUT News 5/3/11
UT Alum Led Unit That Attacked Osama bin

The man who commanded the unit that shot and killed Osama bin Laden this week is a graduate of the University of Texas journalism program. The Daily Texan reports that Vice Adm. William H. McRaven graduated in 1977.

“I was fascinated that somebody with a journalism degree had gone to special forces and been a SEAL,” said retired Adm. Bobby Inman, a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. “He has demonstrated that he is truly a distinguished graduate of the University.”

McRaven was chosen in March to head up the U.S. Special Operations Command, a unit with about 57,000 military employees including active duty soldiers. Prior to that, McRaven was in charge of one of the most secretive agencies in the military, the Joint Special Operations Command.

:kick:

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2. Great K&R

Thanks to those in Harms Way. The best thing about this op is no loss of life or injury to us.

[sonias]

3. I like that about him

He seems to have a real sense of humanity about him. He is primarily a soldier but I get a sense that he's not just a killing machine. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when he presented his case for this special ops mission to the President and the cabinet members who were briefed on this mission.

He also showed a capacity for contrition. In April 2010, a couple of months after a Special Forces team killed an Afghan police chief, a prosecutor and three unarmed women, McRaven pled forgiveness to a local patriarch, bringing with him an offering of two sheep as part of a local custom to make amends.

I think he was raised right and he takes his duties very, very seriously.

:kick:

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4. LOL

bringing with him an offering of two sheep as part of a local custom to make amends.

[onestepforward]

5. Yes, big thanks to those who risk their lives.

Job well done, Vice-Admiral McRaven and your team!
:patriot:

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6. Today

SEAL who directed bin Laden effort started journey at UT

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/seal-who-directed-bin-laden-effort-started-journey-1452367.html




http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/121231968.html



http://www.theaustralian.com.au/world-beating-technology-followed-failure-in-tehran/story-fn8ljzlv-1226050039262



http://www.thetandd.com/news/article_bd37e15c-760b-11e0-87f7-001cc4c03286.html

[sonias]

7. They had a special forces dog on the mission too

A special forces dog accompanied the 24 members of SEAL Team Six as they rapelled down ropes from three Black Hawk helicopters and into bin Laden's lair, a walled compound on the outskirts of the town centre.

Dogs have become a pivotal part of special operations because of their ability to sniff out explosives and crawl into tunnels or rooms to hunt for enemies.

:thumbsup:

[sonias]

8. Sister Of Bin Laden Operation’s Mastermind Reflects On Her Brother

CBS DFW 5/4/11
Sister Of Bin Laden Operation’s Mastermind Reflects On Her Brother


AUSTIN (CBSDFW.COM/KRLD) – The sister of the Naval officer who led the mission on the Osama bin Laden compound may have been worried when her brother joined the SEALs years ago, but she “wasn’t surprised at all” that he was asked to lead the important mission.

“He has been committed to the armed services and our military all his life,” Nan McRaven said. “He’s doing absolutely what he loves to do and he’s serving his country.”

(snip)
His sister, a public affairs consultant and Austin resident, said she knew from the time her brother headed up UT’s ROTC program that he would go on to great things. She stressed that he’s been dedicated to the military for as long as she can remember.

(snip)
“He is just very, very proud of the team and he is honored to have served his country and the President.”

:applause::applause::applause:

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9. UT alumnus commanded unit that killed mastermind of 9/11

Published 3 May 2011 at 12:37 AM By Audrey White Vice Adm. William H. McRaven, a 1977 UT journalism alumnus, commands the unit that planned and executed the raid that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden on Sunday.

McRaven took over leadership of the more than 60,000 troops in the Joint Special Operations Command in 2008. McRaven is a highly decorated Navy SEAL who participated in the Naval ROTC program while at UT. Awards during his 35-year career include the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit and Defense Superior Service Medal. McRaven is the highest-ranking active duty UT Naval ROTC graduate, according to a University press release from November.

>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/news/2011/05/03/ut-alumnus-commanded-unit-killed-mastermind-911

[sonias]

10. Washington Post article on McRaven

Washington Post 5/4/11
Adm. William McRaven: The terrorist hunter on whose shoulders Osama bin Laden raid rested

(snip)
“He understands the strategic importance of precision,” said a senior Obama administration official who worked closely with McRaven to find bin Laden, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the operation. “He demands high standards. That’s why we’ve been so successful.”

As leader of the military’s highly secretive Joint Special Operations Command, McRaven has overseen a rapid escalation of manhunts for Taliban leaders in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda figures around the world. Although he’s a three-star admiral, the muscular 55-year-old still sometimes accompanies his teams on snatch-and-grab missions.

(snip)
Unlike some high-ranking military officers, McRaven is “definitely not a yeller-screamer,” said a former Special Operations official who has known him for years and spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the clandestine nature of their work. “He’s a guy that I think you can look at as a modern-day SEAL, a post-Vietnam-era SEAL — guys that are quiet, humble, smart.”

Under his leadership, the Joint Special Operations Command has expanded its reach beyond Afghanistan and Iraq. In September 2009, McRaven negotiated an agreement with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to conduct secret missions with Yemeni troops against al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, an affiliate of bin Laden’s network that some officials say has become the primary terrorist threat to the United States.

:thumbsup:

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Lara Logan looks at Navy SEALs' shadowy world

Vice Adm. William McRaven, head of the Joint Special Forces Command (U.S. Navy)
Stories
Navy SEALs in bin Laden raid to stay in shadows
Lara Logan looks at Navy SEALs' shadowy world
(CBS/AP) The secrecy surrounding the Navy SEALs who President Obama says killed Osama bin Laden during a secret military operation early Monday morning in Pakistan has shined a spotlight on the high-ranking officer whose narration of the mission was repeated in real time to the White House.


Navy Vice Adm. William McRaven, head of the Joint Special Forces Command, gave reports on the mission's status Sunday night to CIA Director Leon Panetta, who relayed them to Mr. Obama and his top advisers while they waited in the White House Situation Room.


Special Section: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden
Photo Essays
Inside the shadowy world of Navy SEALs


As CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported, McRaven was in charge of the mission. His identity has thus far been the lowest-ranking one associated with the mission and its success, something that isn't likely to change given the SEALs' reputation as "the quiet professionals."


Not too bad for a guy who majored in journalism.


McRaven studied the craft of the Fourth Estate at the University of Texas at Austin, the San Antonio Express-News reported Wednesday.


His military experience began in the university's ROTC program, the Express-News reported. Now he's in line to get his fourth star and head U.S. Special Operations Command, in charge of 61,000 special operations troops. He's even written a book looking at past operations like the one that brought American forces to bin Laden's compound.


"He wouldn't ask anybody to do anything that he wouldn't do or that he hasn't already done," retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael Longoria, who's known McRaven for about two decades, told the Express-News. "It's a great leadership model."


A San Antonio native, McRaven belonged to his high school's Chess Club, Ecology Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Express-News reported. He also ran for the track team and studied drama.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/04/politics/main20059817.shtml

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11. Lara Logan looks at Navy SEALs' shadowy world

Vice Adm. William McRaven, head of the Joint Special Forces Command (U.S. Navy)
Stories
Navy SEALs in bin Laden raid to stay in shadows
Lara Logan looks at Navy SEALs' shadowy world
(CBS/AP) The secrecy surrounding the Navy SEALs who President Obama says killed Osama bin Laden during a secret military operation early Monday morning in Pakistan has shined a spotlight on the high-ranking officer whose narration of the mission was repeated in real time to the White House.


Navy Vice Adm. William McRaven, head of the Joint Special Forces Command, gave reports on the mission's status Sunday night to CIA Director Leon Panetta, who relayed them to Mr. Obama and his top advisers while they waited in the White House Situation Room.


Special Section: The Killing of Osama Bin Laden
Photo Essays
Inside the shadowy world of Navy SEALs


As CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported, McRaven was in charge of the mission. His identity has thus far been the lowest-ranking one associated with the mission and its success, something that isn't likely to change given the SEALs' reputation as "the quiet professionals."


Not too bad for a guy who majored in journalism.


McRaven studied the craft of the Fourth Estate at the University of Texas at Austin, the San Antonio Express-News reported Wednesday.


His military experience began in the university's ROTC program, the Express-News reported. Now he's in line to get his fourth star and head U.S. Special Operations Command, in charge of 61,000 special operations troops. He's even written a book looking at past operations like the one that brought American forces to bin Laden's compound.


"He wouldn't ask anybody to do anything that he wouldn't do or that he hasn't already done," retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael Longoria, who's known McRaven for about two decades, told the Express-News. "It's a great leadership model."


A San Antonio native, McRaven belonged to his high school's Chess Club, Ecology Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Express-News reported. He also ran for the track team and studied drama.


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/04/politics/main20059817.shtml

[sonias]

12. Ecology Club member

Oh no he must be a damn environmentalist! Plus he studied drama. He's obviously a liberal. He can not be Republican! :)

A San Antonio native, McRaven belonged to his high school's Chess Club, Ecology Club and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the Express-News reported. He also ran for the track team and studied drama.

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13. Yes I caught that

He's obviously a liberal. He can not be Republican!
:evilgrin:
Glad to see a honest Democratic UT Texan name as the man incharge.:evilgrin:

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14. Man who planned bin Laden raid in line to lead Socom

He helped devise plans that led to the capture of Saddam Hussein and drew up the plans that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden.

So how does Vice Adm. William McRaven, the erudite scholar-athlete who majored in journalism and authored a must-read tome on special operations warfare, top those accomplishments?

“I don’t know that you do top that,” says Nan McRaven, older sister of the man now famous for the killing of bin Laden. “The only way you top that is just for al-Qaida to be totally eliminated.”

In the next few months, McRaven, the current commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, will be assigned a new role in the ongoing battle against al-Qaida and other terrorist groups.

Pending approval of the U.S. Senate, McRaven, nominated in April, will be coming to Tampa to take command of U.S. Special Operations Command, currently headed by another SEAL, Adm. Eric Olson.


http://www2.tbo.com/news/breaking-news/2011/may/11/man-who-planned-bin-laden-raid-line-lead-socom-ar-206426/

[sonias]

15. The bin Laden operation, “was not his first rodeo"

McRaven says. Great pic with POTUS in that article.


I don't know if you watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart but he had a funny skit last night about taking credit for shooting bin Laden

Who Killed Osama bin Laden
Eleven Bush administration officials come out of their hidey-holes to take credit for Osama bin Laden's death.
Daily Show clip

:rofl:

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16. That was funny but so true

Who Killed Osama bin Laden
Eleven Bush administration officials come out of their hidey-holes to take credit for Osama bin Laden's death.
Daily Show clip