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Shirt Worn By Navy SEAL Who Killed Osama Bin Laden Will Be Displayed At 9/11 Museum
By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 4, 2014
Modified Sep 4, 2014
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By
Jen Chung
Published Sep 4, 2014
Modified Sep 4, 2014
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Just in time for the 13th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the 9/11 Memorial Museum is getting a special object: The shirt of the Navy Seal who killed Osama bin Laden.
According to the Post, "The SEAL who took down bin Laden wore the shirt as he fired the three fatal shots that killed the al Qaeda terror leader during a daring nighttime raid on May 2, 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan."
His identity has never been revealed because of concerns for his safety—and his name will not be included in the display of the shirt, which is brown with a black American flag on the sleeve.
The now retired Navy special-ops warrior is so concerned about being exposed that he cancelled a meeting with the families of 9/11 victims out of concern for preserving his anonymity. In fact, the shirt will only be ID’d as a shirt belonging to a member of the SEAL team that took out bin Laden, though sources said it was worn by the actual shooter.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney was reportedly responsible for bringing the shirt to the museum; she tells the Daily News, "It’s a shirt that symbolizes the effort of the entire SEALTeam Six. It’s a symbol of the success of that high-profile mission dubbed ‘Operation Neptune Spear’ that ended the global manhunt that started even before 9/11."
The 9/11 Memorial Museum had no comment at this time. The shirt will reportedly displayed with other items from the raid; Maloney also said, "I believe it was an incredible night. Many of the Seal Team Six members thought they would not be coming back, they risked their lives. The fact that they got in and out was an incredible feat and it makes me proud to this day."
The shooter was the subject of an extensive Esquire feature last year, which was a fascinating read but some (including other SEALs) questioned the SEAL's credibility. He told Esquire that when he saw bin Laden, "I was amazed how tall he was, taller than all of us, and it didn't seem like he would be, because all those guys were always smaller than you think... I shot him, two times in the forehead. Bap! Bap! The second time as he's going down. He crumpled onto the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again, Bap! same place."
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9/11 Memorial Museum
9/11 museum
kill shirt
navy seal
Navy Seal shirt
Osama bin Laden
seal team 6
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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