Osama bin Laden, Navy SEAL books fast-tracked

Video: Practice makes perfect mission, former SEALs say

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   >> to get osama bin laden . george, good morning to you.

   >> reporter: good morning, matt. you can see behind me the s.e.a.l. training compound. the people inside here politely declined our requests for interviews today, but as the s.e.a.l.s are fond of saying, "we are the quiet professionals." their missions are shrouded in secrecy. their names and faces unknown to the public. but the reputation of the u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s as the best of america's elite warriors has never been higher. the operation that resulted in the death of osama bin laden is only the latest, most noteworthy chapter in the story of a legendary fighting force . itle all starts here with the high intensity training course designed to push candidates to their limit. in scenarios that test mental toughness, physical fitness and extreme courage. whether on land, in the air or under water,le sel s.e.a.l.s demonstrate ability to stay focused under fire.

   >> whether it's a scenario change-up delivered as a platoon exercises, those things make you more capable and likely to survive the unforeseen over seas seas.

   >> reporter: in this exercise s.e.a.l.s are taught to react quickly in a dark environment. as the hoods are pulled off their heads they have seconds to assess the situation and respond accordingly. s.e.a.l. teams carried out missions in afghanistan since shortly after 9/11. in 2009 pulled off the spectacular rescue of american merchant captain richard phillips who was taken hostage by somali pirates . back in coronado at a bar owned by a former s.e.a.l., a special feeling of bride and gratitude at the news of bin laden 's death.

   >> you can count on the navy s.e.a.l.s and special forces to do the hard jobs. it's thankless. you can't exactly name who they were. but pretty sure they are proud of what they did.

   >> reporter: the s.e.a.l.s don't expect parades or medals. in fact, not even their families know details of what they dole while deployed over seas.

   >> there are times they say, well, i can't talk about that. we don't know half the stuff. but what they can share, they do when they get home.

   >> reporter: rear admiral ed winters, in charge of the s.e.a.l.s, sent out this e-mail. today, we should all be proud. that handful of courageous men of strong will and character have changed the course of history. the fight is not over. because the s.e.a.l.s operate in secret, the identities of t people in the bin laden operation may never be known, may never be recognized publically for heroism. wherever the fight leads now rest assured that the s.e.a.l.s and other members of the special forces community will be there on the front lines. matt?

   >> george lewis , thank you very much. we have the author of "the heart and the fist," the making of a navy s.e.a.l. michael sheehan started in the army special forces . good morning.

   >> good morning.

   >> the level of anxiety once they find out who the target is, the navy s.e.a.l. team 6 get into the choppers. what was the level of anxiety likely aboard the choppers?

   >> the word is when they heard osama bin laden was the target there was a huge cheer that went up. the guys were excited for the mission. they had been practicing for months going through every possible contingency. adrenaline was high. excited, but these are professionals ready for the operation.

   >> you talk about every possible con ten g contingency. i was glad they had the backup, two choppers coming in. how do they go through all the things that can go wrong.

   >> these s.e.a.l.s are the elite of the elite. some of the best commandos in the world. they practice time an again. they run different scenarios where things go wrong and they practice adjusting. they can never know for certain what will happen on the target but they know the objective was to kill bin laden , grab intelligence and get out.

   >> 40 minutes on the ground. that's how long it took to get in and out. you're operating in a sovereign nation . could be hostile. you are expecting to meet resistance inside the compound. how important is speed?

   >> speed is critical. three key principles for them in planning the operation. number one is speed. two is surprise and three, violence of action.

   >> overwhelmingly force.

   >> make sure the enemy doesn't know you're coming, hit fast and hard.

   >> this is shock and awe.

   >> yes.

   >> when i first heard about the operation, helicopters are noisy.

   >> yes.

   >> you have to assume osama bin laden is expecting to be attacked and that there are ways out of the compound like tunnels. is it safe to assume there were other people on the ground, our people on the ground that were helping to secure the compound even as the s.e.a.l.s were flying in?

   >> helicopters are not only noisy but dangerous. they fall out of the sky. there are crashes. president carter saw it in tehran in 1980 . we crashed a helicopter and an aircraft. mogadishu, a blackhawk goes down in 1993 . disaster ensues. i imagine there were people on the ground for somebody trying to escape, having to exfiltrate people out, a crash. i would think probably operatives on the ground.

   >> perhaps still on the ground. for those slower to get out than the s.e.a.l.s who were in and out in 40 minutes.

   >> exactly.

   >> trust. clearly we didn't trust the pakistanis. we didn't share one piece of information about thinking he was there. does it speak for itself?

   >> it does. there are answers that need to be made in the days ahead. they are a flawed partner for us.

   >> two questions. mike, i get this mental image of the unsung heroes here. that there were people for years at computers, filing names into a program, locations, dates, cold cup of coffee and a steal donut. like the cops who go after cold cases .

   >> the cia, everyone likes beating up on them when things go bad. this went well. the unsung heroes are people in pakistan trying to find a person in the basement of an office trying to piece together the dots. they are normally forgotten. i hope we remember to recognize them. they were as crucial as the brave fighters that went through the door.

   >> we may never know the names of the members of s.e.a.l. team 6 that carried this out. but within the organization, within the navy s.e.a.l.s, how will they be regarded in the years to come? where does it fall in the history of accomplishments of the navy s.e.a.l.s?

   >> they will be honored and revered. for a lot of men who undertook the mission, it was not just a courageous action on a particular day. many of these men had been fighting this battle for nine and a half years. they made sacrifices, their families made sacrifices. they lost comrades. others came off wounded and disabled. for them it wasn't just about hitting a target. it was about justice.

   >> the guy that fired the shot that killed bin laden ?

   >> a hero in my mind and i think for all americans.

   >> thank you both. i appreciate

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