Thank God They Fired

Late in the night before Easter morning, a merchant captain who sacrificed his life to protect his crew stood on a lifeboat amidst three killers demanding ransom for their hostage. Just 25 yards away, three Navy SEAL sharpshooters held their positions, waiting for a chance to take one shot each at one terrorist each.

If any of the shooters were to miss, the remaining terrorists might very likely execute Captain Richard Phillips.

Imagine making that shot.  After waiting for days, the SEALs had to adjust for environmental factors, have a clear shot line, and control their sights over the bobbing waves.  Oh yeah, and it was nighttime.

Only 2,000 of the 300,000 plus Navy forces are trained as SEALs, stealth rescuers on sea, air, and land.  The SEALs in the Gulf of Aden parachuted into the ocean to join the destroyer serving as operations base.

Suddenly the chance came.  The terrorists could be seen through openings in the lifeboat.  They were agitated and getting desperate.  Now at least one held an AK-47, nearly touching their hostage.  The heads and shoulders of all three bad guys became visible.  The snipers took their shots, and gun blasts rang out.  All three heads dropped.  The bad guys were dead or dying.

How cool is that?