Pride and Patriotism After Bin Laden's Death

Don Cassidy said he learned that U.S. forces killed Osama bin Laden when he picked up the newspaper on Monday morning.

He recounted the exact moment bar-side at the Dunedin Memorial American Legion Post 275 later that afternoon. Cassidy, 54, a retired U.S. Marine and former American Legion Post commander, said seeing the headline about bin Laden’s demise brought a smile to his face.

Then he held the paper up to show his wife, also a former Marine.

“This is better than roses,” she replied.

The regulars gathered as usual that afternoon. They sat around the bar as they usually do for the camaraderie of a military brotherhood. The former U.S. service members were not shy about their thoughts on Osama bin Laden’s death.

Ralph Beck and his wife Elaine, Dunedin residents, shared praise for the military’s effort. Cigar smoke swirled around Ralph Beck, 71, while he told of the moment he learned the president would be making an announcement. He turned the sleep timer off and stayed up late Sunday to hear it on Fox News.

“I was glad to hear it, and I was really proud of the Seals,” he said.

Beck served as an Electricians Mate in the U.S. Navy from 1957 to 1962.

“Now we’re just waiting to see what happens next,” added his wife Elaine Beck, 70.

She said she worries for her son, a former U.S. service member who now works as a civilian contractor in Afghanistan. She said she received an email from him early Monday that said, “Watch your back.”

Cassidy, who served from 1974 to 1994, said after seeing the newspaper headline, he didn’t think much of bin Laden’s death.

“That’s the business we’re in,” he said. What Cassidy said he did find moving, though, was the immediate outburst of patriotism that swept the nation.

“That’s what brought a tear to my eye — well, it would have, but I was at work — seeing all those kids and those young adults out there cheering [for the U.S.A]. It was a bond. That needed to be done a long time ago.”