Military Salute? Lt. Gen. Boykin Gives His Take on Ex-Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill
Lieutenant General Jerry Boykin: "It Made Me Proud to Be an American."
It was the morning after FOX News aired Part One of the highly anticipated two-part special, "The Man Who Killed Usama bin Laden." An unprecedented number of viewers across America, millions in fact, had tuned in to watch, including Lt. Gen. Boykin, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence under President George W. Bush and author of the book, The Coalition.
On FOX News' morning show, FOX & Friends, news anchor Clayton Morris conducts a televised interview with Lt. Boykin, asking him to share his reaction to the special, his opinion of O'Neill and whether information shared during the special was helpful or hurtful in any way.
Major points Lt. Boykin makes during his on-air interview with Clayton Morris…
With regard to the two-part special:
"One of the finest pieces of its kind if not the finest I've seen on any network. It was very well done. It made me proud to be an American."
With regard to Rob O'Neill's personal story:
"I think that he was very sincere. I think that what we saw was the real Bob O'Neill. This man is an articulate, bright young guy that was willing put it all on the line for something that he believed in, and that was the United States of America."
With regard to whether O'Neill overstepped bounds:
"Look, the story has been out. It was released by the administration. It didn't take them long before they identified SEAL Team Six and basically gave the details of the operation. I think we should be proud of this guy, and I don't see what the issue is in regard to information released; it's not classified."
With regard to value of O'Neill's story for Americans:
"I think it's important. It makes us proud as Americans. To see the types of people involved in this. It is something we need to consider…the risk and the sacrifice that these men were willing to pay in order to rid the world of Osama bin Laden."