Father of slain SEAL refuses to meet Trump
The father of a US Navy SEAL killed in a raid in Yemen criticized President Donald Trump's decision to give the go-ahead and called for an investigation in an interview published Sunday.
Bill Owens, the father of slain SEAL William "Ryan" Owens, told the Miami Herald he refused to speak with Trump when his son's flag-draped casket was brought home to Dover Air Force Base aboard a C-17 transport plane.
"I told them I didn't want to make a scene about it, but my conscience wouldn't let me talk to him," Owens said, speaking out for the first time in the interview with the Herald.
Launched January 29, six days into Trump's presidency, the raid quickly ran into trouble.
The Navy SEALs received fire from all sides as they attacked the objective, an al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula camp.
Air cover was called in and a V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft crash-landed during the fight and had to be destroyed on the ground.
By the time it was over, the 36-year-old Owens was dead along with as many as 16 civilians -- eight women and eight children, a Yemeni provincial official said. Three other SEALs were wounded and three more US troops were injured in the V-22 crash.
Republican Senator John McCain called the operation a failure, but the White House hailed it as a success.
"Don't hide behind my son's death to prevent an investigation," William Owens told the Herald. "I want an investigation.... The government owes my son an investigation."
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