Dawb Shane Owens

3 Teb

1. Kuv txhawb kev tso cai rau pej xeem sib txuas lus nrog Shane Owens thiab hwm kev tsis txaus siab tua cov neeg tsis paub hauv zej zog. Cia peb ua piv txwv tsis txhob tua cov pej xeem.

   Teb

2. Ua ntej koj rub lub splinter tawm ntawm koj tus tij laug, rub lub plank tawm ntawm koj tus kheej! Peb yuav tsum ua tsaug rau nws ua kom peb lub teb chaws nyab xeeb thiab dawb! Semper Fidelis!

   Teb

3. I know my response is a bit late, but I came across this article today and thought I would say thank you for the support and kind words. I dont have any regrets when it comes to fighting for our country and I would do it again if I absolutely had to without hesitation. I dont blame anyone or hold anyone else responsible for the orders I followed but me. the combat part was hard at times yes. But seeing what the enemy was doing to innocent civilians and us at times, not being able to save them in time was the hardest thing ive ever had to experience before in my entire life. But I did my job to the best of my abilities for as long as I possibly could before I eventually broke down inside and could no longer function properly. And the reason why I did this job was NOT because I had no other choice because everyone has a choice and its very very hard to become a UAV operator and only the best of the best make it thru the training. No kidding.. And its NOT because I was forced to it because I wasnt, I volunteered to crosstrain into that field because I wanted to help more with relief efforts and to do what I could to help save innocent lives, and when absolutely necessary engaging and combating the enemies that were trying to hurt them. and its NOT just following the orders that are given either. Thats just a small part of the equasion believe it or not. What made this stressfull career worthwhile, to me atleast.. was the feeling of pride and accomplishment I felt after each life I saved, the difference we made in so many peoples lives each day gave us all purpose. I cant really go to much into detail about certain things because I swore an oath not to, which I will always uphold for the sake of our countries safety and national security. I will however say this, people are always affraid of the unknown, and with that comes assumptions and false facts created by the imaginations of scared people. Now since ive already been identified as a drone operator publicly, I can speak on my own behalf as such because it wont change the fact that every terrorist in the world probably has it out for me now… now that my Identity has been revealed.. LOL. So without breaking the oaths I swore to uphold. I believe I can, and I feel like I really need to explain my own personal outlook on all this if I may, and explain what the driving force was for me to strive so hard, for the honor of becoming a sensor operator (which by the way, is the first enlisted/NCO military flight crew position the USAF has ever had before). And despite the fact that I contributed to at least 2,000 enemies KIA, I can proudly say that I personally with the help of everyone else involved in providing relief efforts over there saved the lives of tens of thousands, and thats just the ones we could physically see, not to mention the thousands we couldnt see. So the moral of my story I guess is that allthough the job may have taken a rather large toll on me and ultimately ended my career sooner than I was hoping for, much like the many others out there like me who have fought on the front lines in any war. The rewarding part at the end of the day is knowing we were able to contribute everything we possibly could for the greater good, saving innocent lives.

   On just one occassion, in an undisclosed location. I witnessed over 4000 men women and children fleeing for thier lives on foot with several enemy vehicles armed with AAA guns in route to attack these helpless people. Many of which carried there children for 100’s of miles believe it or not.. and we nutrilized the enemy before they reached them and thats what made what we were doing worth fighting for.

   But as you can see in the news article, in the end my marriage crumbled and I lost my wife, my biological mother that gave me
   up when I was a baby showed up when I was being hospitalized after trying to commit suicide (which thankfully didnt work, as ive since learned thats not the right solution for anything) and she robbed my home for over $350,000.00 in personal property leaving me and my two children that I raised for 14 yrs by myself from a previous relationship in dire straights, which made me lose my house, my car, pretty much everything.. and I had to start all over from scratch again. But the way I see it, I may have lost the life that I once knew before I started that job. And it may have changed me as a person in some ways. But in comparison to the amount of good I was able to do, and all the families that are still families somewhere out there today because of our efforts makes it worth it to me. Im proud to say that I served my country for 13 years on active duty, and did so as a single parent the entire time I was in, and if I could go back in time I honestly wouldnt change a thing.. God bless

   Vr
   Shane R. Owens
   Ret. TSgt USAF/15th recon Sq

   Teb