JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – On Wednesday night, a surprising guest was invited to speak at a fundraiser thrown by Sen. Dan Brown, and The Missouri Times had exclusive access.
Robert O’Neill , a former Senior Chief Petty Officer with the famous Navy SEAL Team 6 who has publicly claimed to have fired the shots that killed Osama Bin Laden, spoke to lawmakers, lobbyists, veterans groups, and invited guests.
U.S. officials have confirmed that O’Neill did indeed take part in the now-famous midnight raid on a small compound in Pakistan that killed Al-Qaeda’s leader and “the most wanted man in the world.”
At the Miller Performing Arts Center in Jefferson City, O’Neill spoke for nearly an hour in a dark room backed by a massive video screen, discussing the rigors of SEAL training, the dangers of his 400-plus combat missions, and the difficulty losing his fellow soldiers in combat.
“Never Quit,” was the theme of O’Neill’s speech, appearing in massive text at the start of his speech, and was drawn from advice given to him on a commanding officer during his time near the end of training.
“Keep your head down, keep moving forward, and never quit,” O’Neill said. “It’s advice for a SEAL, but it’s actually just pretty good advice in general.”
O’Neill has spent the months since his public announcement last November crafting himself as a motivational speaker, speaking at businesses, political events, universities, and more. O’Neill left military service less than a year after the fateful May, 2011 raid, citing, among other things, his growing exhaustion with combat.
He’s repeatedly stated that he had no intention to tell his story until he visited a group of families of 9/11 victims in New York City. There, O’Neill made the sudden decision to go public. Since then, he’s begun touring and speaking to various groups.
In Jefferson City, as a storm could be heard outside the walls, O’Neill weaved stories of his time with the SEALS — which began when he was a 19-year-old in Butte, Montana, and the local Marine recruiter wasn’t in his office that day — with folksy wisdom and rapid-fire delivery.
“You’re not having a bad life, you’re having a bad day,” was used early.
“Never pass up an opportunity to shut up,” came a little later.
“Never quit,” was peppered throughout.
O’Neill’s was greeted with thunderous applause by the crowd, who had to receive special wrist-bands through Sen. Brown’s office in order to attend, citing concerns for O’Neill’s safety. The retired SEAL’s stories of having to pack up and leave straight from his daughter’s pre-school class to fly to Somalia and assist in freeing Captain Richard Philips from a crew of pirates, drew gasps.
Brown’s office has worked for some time with O’Neill to bring him to Missouri, but weather, unpredictable schedules and specific concerns for O’Neill’s safety made matters more complex. O’Neill travels with only a single individual assigned to his personal security, but Jefferson City Police provided additional force and security.
O’Neill took the stage only after a series of introductory performances including a singing of “The Star Spangled Banner” by Senate Majority Communications Director, Lauren Hieger, “Proud To Be An American,” by Sikeston resident and former “America’s Got Talent” winner Neal E. Boyd, the auctioning off of a custom-made assault rifle, and brief remarks by Sen. Kurt Schaefer and Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder.
Schaefer, a candidate for Attorney General in 2016, spoke briefly about admiring O’Neill in “stark contrast” with “apologists” who “blame America” for everything. Kinder lauded O’Neill as a “highly decorated combat veteran,” before welcoming him to the stage.
O’Neill’s speech touched on management style, dealing with insecurities and fear, communication among peers and co-workers, and more, in a talk tailored to a more broad theme, which he continued to return to.
“Never quit.”
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
