9 years, 7 months and 20 days after the twin towers fell in NYC, the man responsible has met a violent, bloody end. How fitting! The war on terror is certainly not over, but the biggest battle to date has been won. Osama Bin Laden was elusive. But America never forgets. He may have survived many more years than he should have, but there was not a second, he wasn't looking over his shoulder. Whether cowering in a cave on the Pakistani border, or holed-up in a compound 60 miles north of Islamabad, his existence was that of a rat being pursued by a mighty eagle.
Bin Laden was this generation's Hitler. Think about that. Kids in college right now probably have a hard time remembering a time we WEREN'T looking for Bin Laden. Probably why most of the spontaneous celebrations around the country were primarily young adults. The flags were waving, and chants of USA, USA were again echoing from sea to shining sea. Bin Laden was the mastermind behind al-Qaida. Perhaps the most painful part of this entire bloody era, he was originally supplied by the US to battle the Russians after they invaded Afghanistan. He soon turned his sights on America, and the rest is a very ugly chapter in this country's history.
Thousands of Americans lost their lives in the attacks on 9-11. Thousands more have died during the subsequent war on terror. Now, the head of the al-Qaida snake has finally been removed. It was swift. It was bloody. And it was heroic. Exactly how it should have been. It's not the end, but certainly a shot in the arm after a decade of wondering.
God Bless America!
