Phil Bronstein, in the latest issue of Esquire, has the incredible story of the man (“The Shooter”) who killed Osama bin Laden. I read the whole thing in one sitting — couldn’t look away — but this quotation by the subject was the part most relevant to this blog:

“I’m not religious, but I always felt I was put on the earth to do something specific. After that mission, I knew what it was.”

What does that say about him? Two things come to mind immediately:

It suggests that he was willing to risk his life for the sake of his country, knowing there was no afterlife awaiting him. It’s brave to do the former. It’s downright heroic to do the former while acknowledging the latter.

It also suggests a level of self-confidence in his own abilities (as well as those of his team members). When he was in bin Laden’s compound, God wasn’t there to protect him. Only his colleagues were. And The Shooter knew that.



