Osama bin Laden is no Geronimo

CBS

"Geronimo E-KIA." Those words were heard in the Situation Room when Osama bin Laden was killed by bullets to the head and chest. Geronimo was the code name given by U.S. officials for bin Laden; E-KIA stands for "Enemy Killed In Action."

Apparently the code namers thought of bin Laden as a 21st century equivalent of the Chiricahua Apache leader, who waged battles against the Mexico and the United States, countries engaged in colonizing Indian lands. 

Like bin Laden, Geronimo proved to be an elusive target. More than 5,000 soldiers were deployed to capture him in around 1885.

Geronimo was fighting for his land, and committed what U.S officials at the time might have called acts of terrorism, conducting raids on white settlers in Apache territory. U.S. officials said they could convict Geronimo and his fighters of murder, and exiled the outlaw Apache to Florida as a prisoner of war, never to return to his homeland.

But bin Laden was in a completely different league. The al Qaeda leader was a mass murderer, out to destroy Western civilization, not primarily to protect his lands.

 In 1998, bin Laden declared, "We--with God's help--call on every Muslim who believes in God and wishes to be rewarded to comply with God's order to kill the Americans and plunder their money wherever and whenever they find it. We also call on Muslim ulema, leaders, youths, and soldiers to launch the raid on Satan's U.S. troops and the devil's supporters allying with them, and to displace those who are behind them so that they may learn a lesson."

Geronimo

/ wikipedia.org

However, unlike bin Laden, Geronimo lived to tell his tale, and in 1905 he appeared in President Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural parade. 

During his latter years, Geronimo converted to Christianity.

"Believing that in a wise way it is good to go to church, and that associating with Christians would improve my character, I have adopted the Christian religion... I am not ashamed to be a Christian... I have advised all of my people who are not Christians, to study that religion, because it seems to me the best religion in enabling one to live right," he wrote in his autobiography.

 

[RichardAlanWells]

Obama and him military strategists should have named this operation after the most prolific murderer in American history- Andrew Jackson. This man should not be allowed to be on our $20 bills. A much better choice than Geronimo. And, this inappropriate use of and American Indian hero's name is why we still argue over using American Indian symbols for school mascots.

[bobadi]

If you take away the religious nonsense that bolstered bin Laden's stricture, and listened to the reasons he listed for his murderous actions, there are some real similarities between these two who refused European conquests and occupations for their lands and resources.

How many similarities can you count in this historic account, including graphic terrorism?

Check this out:

"The legend states that Geronimo and his followers entered a cave, and the U.S. soldiers waited outside the cave entrance for him, but he never came out-- At the end of his military career, he led a small band --They evaded thousands of -- troops for over a year, making him the most famous Native -- of the time and earning him the title of the "worst -[native]- who ever lived"
-Geronimo was notorious for consistently urging raids and war upon -- Provinces and their various towns, and later against American locations --there was a report of a family massacred -- one girl was taken alive and hanged from a meat hook jammed under the base of her skull. His band was one of the last major forces of independent Native -- warriors who refused to acknowledge the United States occupation --."
He married -- He later had a wife --at the same time as another wife, --and later [another] wife --
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geronimo

[Mestangloman]

I saw the President say that when the team members said that Geronimo had been killed, it meant that, yes, Osama Bin Laden had been executed. This was on Sixty Minutes at 6:20 PM or so CST, 5-8-11. So, yes, Geronimo in the military context meant Bin Laden. Of course, it didn't mean the famed Apache warrior of the 19th century, or that the US Cavalry was interested in reigniting wars with Native Americans. However, I do think it was a bad choice of terms.

Obama is very much at ease in discussing race and ethnicity on many levels, something rare in an American pol, partially because he is of African and European background, and many in the USA are of non-European and European mixed background. However, race, whether one is talking White, Brown, Black, etc. is still an explosive issue with millions of Americans of many backgrounds.

Why didn't they call it Operation Grizzly Bear or Operation German Shepherd, etc.?

And that's before you get to whether he had surrendered or what have you. I've no tears for OBL, but I think the code name was a bit sloppy. Just saying.

[Clayman7]

Killing Osama was the mission's objective. Geronimo is code for the objective being accomplished. That's how we think (Veterans). If there was any association to Geronimo, it would be to how Geronimo died. He was thrown from his horse. But even that does not represent Bin Laden, but the action, and the death.

[Clayman7]

Our codes signify that a specific mission is Accomplished _ nothing more

[Clayman7]

"Osama bin Laden is no Geronimo." Of course not! Our codes signify that a specific mission is occomplished. It does not represent the target, and the President owes no one an apology. Desert storm, IE. does not represent Iraq, it's people, or a specific, real desert storm. Codes represent a specific military action, and are not personal. But if you want attention, you could argue that saying "Gazuntite" after a sneeze, offends Germany. It's ridiculous.

[acdcguy]

from here on out, just name every covert operation WHITEY, this way no one will be offended.....i wouldn't be!!!!

[Vaxum]

Geronimo was defending his land against Mexican Army and the US Amy and white settlers , Bin laden was a bitter man that the King of Saoudi -Arabia did not let him and his associates fought the war against Irak and call America instead so decide to kill innnocent people , what this horible man has to do with Geronimo.

[tooldforbull]

Why did you call a murderous pig the name of one of the most feared warrior in history, He was fighting for the lands and culture of his people and destroyed many that stood against him as apposed to murder of innocents. never taking the field like men they just crawl out of a pigs ass to blow up more innocent people even if it is there own. should have sewn him in a pig skin before you threw him in the sea.

[rwsmith29456]

I think the important thing is that they got the murdering SOB.