A triumph of guts and gadgets

Opinion: May 4, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Biloxi (Miss.) Sun Herald: The death of Osama bin Laden is a landmark day in the annals of the American Armed Forces and the nation’s intelligence agencies. It brings a degree of justice to the victims of 9/11 and rewards the tenacity of those who have pursued bin Laden since 2001.

The leader of al-Qaida was gunned down on Sunday during a daring raid by American commandos into hostile territory for any location that would provide bin Laden a safe haven is unfriendly turf for Americans.

National security considerations may shield the details of this operation from those who have waited so long for this manhunt to end.

But what is known is that American intelligence gathering and analysis pinpointed bin Laden’s whereabouts and American military personnel nailed him.

While our inventory of spy gadgets undoubtedly played a part in successful assault on bin Laden’s hideaway, in the end it was the unflinching determination and fortitude of American men at arms who sealed bin Laden’s fate.

This is truly a “Mission Accomplished.”