On 60 Minutes this weekend, we heard from a veteran who goes by the name of Mark Owen, a man who entered the compound of Osaka bin Laden, shot him and then took pictures of the al-Qaeda leader's body. The events are outlined in his top selling book "No Easy Day," which has created a national controversy.
CBS47's Tony Botti sat down with a former Navy Seal to watch the 60 Minutes interview to get his take.
In the interview, the man who uses the fictitious name, Mark Owen, spoke about why he chose to write the book about the mission that killed Osama bin Laden 16 months ago. "This operation was one of the most significant operations in US history and it's something I believe deserves to be told right," said Owen.
A makeup artist disguised Owen's appearance and audio equipment altered his voice, all for safety reasons. "The enemy has a long memory," said Owen.
Owen outlined team's approach to raiding bin Laden's compound and the challenges they faced along the way.
Former Navy Seal, Dr. Joe Martin said, "I really personally think he gave out way too much information."
Martin says he believes servicemen and women should abide by a code of silence. "Somebody else on the other side of the fence that wants to cause harm to us may see that information, write it down and say, 'that's a pretty good tip'," said Martin.
Martin's bigger issue with Owen's interview is its timing. "I just think this came out a little too soon. I think it was a little self-serving," said Martin.
Own says he's not calling attention to himself, but actually paying tribute to all Americans who fought to find the world's most wanted man.
Martin believes his stories do not serve the greater good. "My personal opinion is that the information we got from the government should be good enough for the public people," said Martin.
Owen did not get his manuscript approved by the white house prior to publishing the book, so he could face legal action if the government determines it discloses information that puts our national security at risk.
