Rosemount Reflects on Bin Laden’s Death

It’s been nearly a decade since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that claimed thousands of lives. But as news spread through Rosemount on Monday morning that Osama bin Laden, the architect of that horrific day, had been killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan, memories came flooding back.

“You hate to say that someone’s dead and I'm glad” about it, mused Paul Haglund, Ice Arena operations coordinator for the Rosemount Parks and Recreation Department. “He obviously carried out horrific acts – not just to the U.S., but to other countries – and he didn’t seem to worry too much about that. He didn’t value life like we do. We got number one, and now it raises fears about potential retaliations.

"So I have mixed emotions; I can’t get too fired up because al-Qaeda is still around.
But overall, I’m glad. The U.S. and the democratic world needed this to happen.

“I thought he was going to die from kidney failure in there,” Haglund quipped, noting that bin Laden was thought to have been hiding for a decade in caves. “It tells you we have good intelligence to carry out such a mission.

"That’s great. I mean, this whole (terrorism) business has to stop. It’s crazy. Is it our job to police the world? But someone has to do it–and then we seem as if we’re the bad guy. It’s scary stuff.”

Haglund then checked the Force Protection Condition (the threat level analysis, or rating scale, of how high the National Guard units are to be on alert, in response to terrorist threats to military facilities) posted at the entrance to the Rosemount Community Center/National Guard Training Center building. He noted that the level is currently "Alpha," the lowest alert level.

And he recalled how, 10 years earlier, the Sept. 11 attacks brought it up to “Delta” level–and how soldiers were posted at numerous locations, including the entrance of the Rosemount building.

The repurcussions from 9/11 continue to this day at the Rosemount National Guard Training Center; at an event just two weeks ago, several citizen soldiers were feted as they prepared for deployment to Afghanistan.

Major John Donovan, public affairs officer for the Minnesota National Guard Joint Force headquarters, said he was not permitted to make a public statement about the death of bin Laden, other than to note that the Minnesota National Guard was not directly involved in the military operation that led to the terrorist leader's death.

Donovan did, however, provide a statement from the Minnesota National Guard Public office noting that 16 Minnesota National Guard Citizen-Soldiers have died in combat since 9/11, and that currently, about 350 Minnesota National Guardsmen are serving overseas.

Among the civilian population of Rosemount, the news triggered a variety of responses—and memories.

“I was surprised,” said Leah Dwinnell, a barista at Starbucks. “You kind of forget about" bin Laden after such a long time. Dwinnell has a cousin in Afghanistan—but "you never heard about the war being against bin Laden.”

Emily Moldenhauer, one of Dwinnell’s co-workers, was disturbed that so many people seemed wild with joy over the death of a human being—even though that particular human being might go down as one of the worst in history.

"I agree he was a monster (but) it makes me sad that people are celebrating. Jesus died for all of us, I believe."

Moldenhauer also wondered whether the assassination of bin Laden won't trigger a new round of attacks: "I think we more messed with a hornet’s nest – I don’t think we ended the problem.”

At the Kwik Trip gas station across the street, there were similar sentiments.

“I think it was kind of strange the way people celebrated,” said Colin McGregor, a cashier at Kwik Trip. “I feel relieved that they got him, but it was kind of sad that people were celebrating in front of the White House. That worries me a little bit – it didn’t look like America. It was more like a scene [you would see] in the Middle East. …I don’t think it [his death] will change anything.”

"We need to move on with our lives,” agreed T.J. O’Connor, a customer at House of Coates restaurant and saloon. “It’s closure for us. As great as it should be, we shouldn’t be getting drunk partying ... It’s not classy."

For young people, Bin Laden has been a lifelong spectre of evil.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God–finally!’ said Ben Tollefson, a ninth grader at . "I woke up this morning and my mom told me ... you think it’s a dream you’re having.”

Agreed Carol Mezaros, Rosemount High School bookkeeper: “It was a long time coming.”

Fellow ninth-grader Mia Hoyland quickly chimed in: "It's sweet revenge for us."