This past Veteran’s Day, President Obama reassured vets that his administration was doing everything it could to help them find jobs and readjust to civilian life. “We know the most urgent task most of you face is finding a new way to serve,” he said. “That’s why we’ve made it a priority to help you find jobs worthy of your incredible skills and talents.”
But despite the administration’s best intentions less than half a year later, many veterans are still out of work. One of those veterans is none other than the SEAL Team Six member who killed Osama bin Laden. In an extensive interview with Phil Bronstein of the Center for Investigative Reporting, “the Shooter” details how after leaving the Navy he finds himself with limited resources, wondering how he will feed his wife and kids and pay for their medical care.
Shortly after the Esquire story was published, Stars and Stripes the military publication, issued a rebuttal, claiming that the Navy SEAL referenced in the Esquire story was actually eligible for more benefits, like five years of health care coverage.
Still, how can a national hero be left with so few options to reintegrate into civilian life? Howard Wasdin, former Navy SEAL sniper and author of “SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper” explains that the issues facing elite Navy SEALs aren’t all that different from those facing ordinary veterans.