• January 22, 2015
  • The Washington Post

Washington Post Covers O'Neill's Public Life and Your Grateful Nation

Robert J. O'Neill Covered by The Washington Post

O'Neill Keeps Focus On Charitable Work With Veterans.

While his high-octane military career may be over, life for Rob O'Neill hasn't exactly been quiet and peaceful. That's especially true last November when he became known to the world as the Navy SEAL who shot Osama bin Laden.

Look at life in the media spotlight…

Since then, there have been endless television interviews in which he's recounted virtually every heart-pounding moment of the 2011 raid on bin Laden's Pakistani compound — and how, by chance, he ended up being the man through the door that led him face to face with the 9/11 criminal mastermind. Media outlets couldn't get enough of the story. Audiences were riveted.

The Washington Post recently produced a video short that provides an interesting snapshot of O'Neill's newly found life in the public spotlight. The video includes snippets of O'Neill's high-profile interviews (on FOX News, etc.). It also shows a clip of President Obama's morning-after announcement to the world that Osama bin Laden had been brought to justice after nearly a decade. While brief, the video's footage from the World Trade Center attack is especially moving — and a reminder of how it all began.

Focus on "getting back to work" after the military…

The video includes narration from Rob O'Neill in which he provides some very personal facts about his life then and now. How we was honorably discharged from the military after 16 ½ years of service, without a pension to fall back on. He shares that the last six months of his career were spent worrying and wondering, "Now what?"

The video sheds more light than we've seen in past interviews on how Rob is using his experience transitioning from the military to help others through a charity called Your Grateful Nation.

"A lot of guys are more nervous to try to find a job than to go to combat. They're more comfortable in combat. Your Grateful Nation offers individualized transition support for Special Operators. We get them interviews. We get them resumes. We get them prepared. It works out well because companies...they're getting a 34-year-old very experienced person who's used to working under stress. They know how to work as a team. They show up on time. You can teach these guys to do anything."

During the video segment, Rob addresses the NCIS investigation as to whether classified information was released in the course of his interviews. "There was a complaint inside the Navy and NCIS is investigating whether or not the complaint has merit." O'Neill emphasizes, "I'm just trying to concentrate on getting Your Grateful Nation as big as we can get it."

Watch: