Former SEAL worried about new book

cnn/At least one former U.S. Navy SEAL is worried that a book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden could jeopardize future special operations missions.
John McGuire left the service as a first class petty officer after 10 years in the Navy, much of it as a SEAL.

Recommended: Pentagon warns Navy SEAL about bin Laden book

"We have something in the military called OPSEC, which is operational security, and people can piece tiny pieces of information together to get a picture they don't need to have," McGuire told CNN on Thursday. "We know too much as it is."
"When people give away secrets and talk about these exploits like this, connections can be drawn together to put them and our security in harm's way," McGuire said.
The new book by former SEAL Matt Bissonnette, published under the pseudonym Mark Owen, is titled "No Easy Day."
It goes step by step through the SEAL team's training and practicing for the May 2011 raid, the assault itself and the aftermath. It tells a heart-pounding story, but nowhere near as violent or explosive as a typical Hollywood movie.
He has not read the book yet, but McGuire said the details of the bin Laden episode may not seem new but that is not the issue.
"It's one thing to assume to know what we do, it's another thing to confirm it first hand," he said.
Bissonnette, a chief petty officer when he left the Navy, writes that he will give the majority of proceeds from the book to military support groups.
"I would see that as a noble thing," McGuire said, "but if it harms other guys...."
The book is one of several accounts about the operation to have surfaced.
Obama administration officials said on Thursday that the Pentagon is expected to inform Bissonnette that he has violated secrecy agreem

 

Billboard Controversy Comes To North Texas

(CBSDFW.COM) - A billboard that sparked a protest in Indiana because of its reference to the Navy Seals, and removing the President from office, has appeared along I-35 in North Texas.
The ad in Gainesville depicts two men in camouflage holding weapons. The text next to the picture, in a military style font, says “The Seals removed one threat to America,” a reference to the killing of Osama bin Laden. It continues, “Remove the other in November.”
The bottom of the sign says it’s a political ad, paid for by TJ Schad, and has a Gainesville address.
At his home Monday, Tom Schad said he’s not acting for any political party, committee or candidate. He simply saw a similar picture in an email, with an accompanying note that said it should be on every billboard across the country.
“It just started out as something fun to do,” he said. “Let’s see if I could do it. I didn’t have a clue how to do it.”
Schad said he knew the owner of TerryCo., the company who leased him the billboard space through the November election. He had an artist at an advertising agency design the ad and it was up within a week.
“I think we were just trying to make a statement,” he said. “We felt we needed to change direction in the country, and that’s what we did.”
A similar ad in Elkhart, Indiana prompted a small protest last week. The ad specifically referenced voters removing the president.
Some demonstrators said though that comparing military action to take out a terrorist, with removing a president from office, was too far. Schad said he didn’t see how people could take the ad that way.
“Other than the fact it’s got some seals in there with a gun,” he said. “But I think it’s pretty obvious what they did and what the statement is.”
TerryCo said it only received a few curious phone calls about the board, and Schad said he hasn’t received a single complaint.
Rather people keep forwarding him a picture that he took of the board, that has made its way onto internet blogs. The retired Air Force mechanic said his only previous entry into the political world was a spot on the town airport and appraisal boards. He said he wasn’t looking for publicity, but realized over the last couple weeks he was starting to get it.
“If you’re going to I guess you may as well jump in with both feet,” he said.
View the billboard