Way to go, Navy!
My Navy pride is swelling again. And why not? With zero room for error and the world watching, three Navy snipers took out the bad guys and prompted the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips of the U.S. flagged Maersk Alabama.
Five days of swashbuckling drama on the Indian Ocean’s high seas ended in a matter of seconds. Now that’s what I call gun control.
So what will this mean for pirates and their potential loot?
Piracy is too lucrative and their targets too many to simply go away. Plus, merchant ships too often just pay the ransom when their cargo and crew are captured.
Or they enter a standoff. Dozens of seafarers of various nationalities are
Richard Phillips, rescued captain of the Maersk Alabama, shakes hands with Lt. Cmdr David Fowler, commanding officer of the USS Bainbridge, the Navy destoryer from where three Navy SEAL snipers nixed three pirates holding Philliips h9stage in a nearby lifeboat.(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Navy)
still being held hostage by pirates in lawless Somalia as “negotiations” continue.
Piracy is far more perplexing - and the oceans too vast - for the United States to battle this problem alone. With this long-simmering issue now at a peak, it might be time to turn up the volume on some international chat.
For now, however, we can revel in our Navy and its three sharpshooters, who come from the elite SEAL team. Their specialized training and penchant for danger make them a breed unto themselves.
It ain’t easy doing sit-ups with telephone poles on SEAL Beach at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, where they train across the bay from San Diego. Or staying under water in full combat gear. As the saying goes: the only easy day was yesterday.
Killing those three pirates ina volatile standoff may spark retaliation toward American-flagged ships in the future – or it may have the opposite effect.
“Don’t mess with those Americans and their warships – they aim to kill.”
Regardless, our Navy rocked the world yesterday. Now, how cool is that?
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