I am extremely skeptical of this Wonkroom piece re: son of Mexican immigrants

[wndycty]

I want to believe it, but other than possibly confirming that Rubén Mejía is a Navy Seal, I can't imagine the other details of the story, especially his presence at the raid can be confirmed.

Just the fact that a child of Mexican immigrants is a member of the Navy Seals is enough for me, but the claims in the piece will be tough to prove. This is a great story but other than confirming that Rubén Mejía is Seal I don't think anything else can be proven.

Navy SEALs Squadron That Killed Bin Laden Included Rubén Mejía, The Son Of Mexican Immigrants

Last night, President Obama announced that the world’s most wanted terrorist had been captured and killed by U.S. special forces. A CIA-led Navy SEALs squadron of just a few dozen men were tapped to perform the mission. One of the soldiers selected to participate in the “counterterrorism group so specialized that no one can apply to join it” is Rubén Mejía, the son of Mexican immigrants.

Mexico’s El Universal newspaper reports that Mejía’s parents came to the U.S. from Guanajuato, a city in central Mexico. Rubén Mejía was born in the U.S. and enlisted at the Moreno Valley, California military base six years ago. After spending 7 months in Afghanistan, Mejía joined the SEALs and was able to see Osama Bin Laden’s corpse as it was carried out of the building where he was killed yesterday.

Mejía’s father, a machine operator, recalled the moment that soldiers in uniform came to his home in Los Angeles holding a folded flag. “It was one of the biggest scares,” explained Martín Mejía. “When they saw us begin to cry they clarified that bringing the flag was an expression of recognition and honor because our son had carried out a great mission for our nation,” stated the SEAL’s father.

For a long time, Latinos were underrepresented in the armed forces. Yet, this started to change dramatically as the Army launched “a vast recruiting campaign targeting Latino youth, placing ads in Spanish-language media, including magazines, radio, and television.” In fact, several military experts have come out in support of the DREAM Act which would legalize undocumented youth who go to college or serve in the military precisely because it would significantly increase the pool of qualified recruits in the Latino population — which comprises the majority of undocumented immigrants and is more likely to enlist and serve in the military than any other group.
-snip-

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2011/05/02/osama-bin-laden-seals-mexican-immigrant/

[Vanje]

1. Really?

You don't believe that a native born son of Mexican immigrants could do this??
Really?!

Have you not noticed,for the last 10 years, in the sad and dreadful listings of US service-persons killed in duty, that at least 1/4 of them have names like Gonzales ,Garcia , Montez, Ruiz, Cardenas , Rodriguez , ?

You shitting me!?
You hav'nt noticed!?

[wndycty]

2. That is not waht I said. . .

. . .what I am saying is ANY SEAL would not acknowledge publicly being part of this operation.

Furthermore, the Seals don't even tell their families what they are doing.

This story needs to be verified, that is all, but claims are being made that no one, not even the Seal in question would acknowledge.

[kick-ass-bob]

6. Not the point. The whole thing sounds phony.

We will never know who these SEALs were.

[Ikonoklast]

3. Sounds...not real.

SpecOps doesn't talk.

Ever.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. many such peopel serve with honor.

and we have been told, you know, the unit number of this team and their past resumes. Think about it. In what way are you qualified to speak on Seal practices around this mission? Or in general? I expect them all on TV next week. Don't you?

[wndycty]

5. I'd love to see them, I don;t expect to see them. . .

. . .there was an interview with the wife of a SEAL, they didn't release her last name. Also, in most cases the SEALs do not share the details of their operations with their families.

I want it to be true. I do not doubt that Rubén Mejía is a SEAL, but most likely no one will confirm the other details.

[Ohfoshoh]

8. Ruben Mejia is NOT a Navy SEAL

It has been verified and confirmed that Ruben Mejia is NOT a Navy SEAL, nor ever was one. This source is from REAL SEALs who have access to the Navy SEAL database that lists EVERY REAL SEAL that ever graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition School and SEAL Qualification Training. Ruben Mejia is NOT listed, never attended training, and is not even listed in the Navy. He is a PHONY and the whole story is a LIE. The writers of that story are dumb@$$es for not checking their sources first.

NOT A SEAL - confirmed: http://www.socnet.com/showthread.php?p=1057983437

[sallyb114]

7. Navy SEAL Team Six does not officially exist

So here's the deal: we have a right to be skeptical about this story regarding the son of the Mexican immigrants who supposedly was a part of Navy SEAL Team Six that killed Osama bin Laden. Why? Because officially, Navy SEAL Team Six doesn't exist. They are so secretive that their families don't even know about them. The names of its members aren't released - EVER. The father of said Navy SEAL supposedly receiving a crisp, folded American flag in recognition of his son's being a part of the team that killed bin Laden? A falsehood if I ever heard one. The military ONLY gives folded American flags to the families of its fallen. They DON'T do it for targeted assassinations like this one.

There's enough good reason to be skeptical about this. I don't buy it for one minute, and if somehow the name of this soldier HAS managed to leak out and get published, his life and the life of his family are in grave danger. The Mejia family will have to go into hiding, possibly forever. Ruben Mejia will have to leave the military AT ONCE, join the Witness Protection Program, take on an assumed name and go underground FOREVER. Frankly, I doubt that anyone would wish this fate on anyone, let alone someone who aspires to a career in the military, if indeed this was the case for Mejia. He and his family are marked for death if this story has any shred of credibility, but.....I would have very good reason to take it with a positively monumental grain of salt.

I'm just sayin'.........

[Ohfoshoh]

9. Ruben Mejia is NOT a Navy SEAL

It has been verified and confirmed that Ruben Mejia is NOT a Navy SEAL, nor ever was one. This source is from REAL SEALs who have access to the Navy SEAL database that lists EVERY REAL SEAL that ever graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition School and SEAL Qualification Training. Ruben Mejia is NOT listed, never attended training, and is not even listed in the Navy. He is a PHONY and the whole story is a LIE. The writers of that story are dumb@$$es for not checking their sources first.

NOT A SEAL - confirmed: http://www.socnet.com/showthread.php?p=1057983437