"Some wounds take a long time to heal"---- New Port Richey Resident, Others Give Thoughts on Bin Laden's Death

Join current and former New Port Richey and Pasco County residents in expressing your thoughts about the death of Osama bin Laden. If you live in New Port Richey, Trinity, Holiday or Elfers and have military family serving overseas or were otherwise affected by the attacks of Sept. 11, we want to hear from you. Please email Alex.Tiegen@patch.com or call 727-515-0640.

Grace Colley lives in New Port Richey. Her friend lost his wife in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2011, she writes.

It is a happy day for America to hear this news. One of my dearest friends lived in New York on Sept. 11, and, as he worked on Madison Avenue, his wife was going to work at the World Trade Center. On the 103rd Floor. He watched in horror as the planes hit and saw the buildings crumble to the ground. He was a successful architect, his wife a successful marketing director. He was widowed that day, and her remains were never found. He never received any compensation as his wife was considered "missing," and she is still missing to this day.  

He returned to his native Argentina a few weeks later, heartbroken and not wanting to stay in New York because of his pain. I spoke with him about bin Laden being killed and of course, like all of us, he is glad that it happened, but he does not understand why America didn't go after the countries responsible for this. He is still in pain, he is still bitter and hasn't remarried, and he has never returned to New York. I don't think that he ever will.

Afghanistan and Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, and even bin Laden was found hiding out in a large city in Pakistan. Should we even be in those countries? I am not a politician, but we could make much better use of our resources.

Our fine men and women are serving overseas in places which never attacked us, and I pray every day that they are safe and get home soon. We need them here.  Bin Laden may be dead but some wounds take a long time to heal. I have to give credit to President Obama. It looks like he finally found his cojones, and he did what Bush had promised, "not leaving any stone unturned" and "mission accomplished." Today it's a good day to be an American, to recover some of that old pride that has started to fade. 

God Bless America!

Joelene Middaugh Lowe lived in New Port Richey for 12 years. She now lives in Ohio, and her son, Thomas George Lowe serves in Kandahar, Afghanistan. He is an Army Reservist who was called back into action and celebrated his 21st birthday in Kandahar. Here are Joelene's thoughts.

I was getting ready to go to bed and became mesmerized by the TV . It was almost like I couldn't believe it. I think somewhere deep down I never thought we would get him. Or at least not be told so we couldn't take credit for it.

I'm home alone because my son is deployed to Afganistan, my daughter is away at college and my husband recently lost his job and took a job as a truck driver.

Our son, Thomas George Lowe, is with the 643rd from Columbus. He is what is called the Mayoral Cell. They are taking care of things in Kandahar that your local town government would do. Water department, other utilitites, but also Thomas works with the list of soldiers coming and going from the base and where they will be staying, etc.

Right at this moment, 12:27am, May 2, I have no idea what this will mean to us personally. To be honest, unless his bunk mates woke him, Thomas may be sleeping. He works the 3rd shift. His office has to be open and accessible 24 hours a day. We are anticipating Thomas' return in about 5 or 6 weeks, and I doubt with the job he has it will be directly immediately effected. Kandahar is a huge NATO base, and, even with a drawdown, his office would be very necessary.

I have known in my mind that Thomas is "safe." He's not shooting a gun every day as his job. But he is still in a war zone: Afghanistan, where many people have very different ways of thinking and interpreting things. Now that the main leader is gone, I don't think the followers will just stop. But my hope and prayer is they will be slowed down.

Later, Thomas George Lowe, who lived in New Port Richey for nine months after he was born,  updated his Facebook status.

He's dead. So what. I'm gonna wake up tomorrow and still be in Afghanistan with his terrorists still trying to kill me and my fellow soldiers. Stop thinking this is a victory. Its just a PR stunt.

Cindy Engle has owned a home in Wood Trail Village since 2000. She currently resides in Cape Coral and has a grandson in Afghanistan.

Our grandson Cameron Henson and our grandchildren's "Godfather" Mike Wentzel both are U.S. sailors serving in Sangin, Afghanistan, as Corpsmen to the Marine Division 1/5 .

Cameron is in the Weapons Company, and Mike is in the Headquarters Company.  When I saw the news this morning about the death of "That Man," a tear rolled down my face. My first thought was of my daughter. Then I sent a text to my son-in-law and then called my son.

 Our (deceased) daughter served in the U.S. Navy. My son-in-law is an active 21-year sailor (Senior Chief, stationed in Tennessee). My grandson is now in Afghanistan, and I have spent many hours and days worried and praying.

Maybe now we are one day closer to all our troops coming home. The loss of loved ones is more pain than anyone needs to ever experience.  I now will pray that we do not see any retribution to this attack and death, and if we do that no lives will be lost. My thoughts about the war have always been proud. We were there until I watched the YouTube videos about the place where my grandson is located in Sangin. Then I became very selfish and wanted my grandson back home...

It is so bad there.  But today, once again, I am so proud to know that my family has served and is still serving is something. It is so important to try to make this a better world for everyone. THANK YOU U.S. MILITARY!!!

 Two weeks ago I came home from a vacation visiting my son-in-law and my other grandchildren, and while I was there, I spoke to Cameron on the phone. It was eye-opening as he briefly spoke of what was going on.

So I decided to come home and start a fundraiser in Cape Coral to send boxes to the two units where Cameron and Mike are. I work for EXIT Realty, and they are helping me sponsor this fundraiser, and the Moose Riders (Part of the Moose Lodge) are doing a run in May. Walgreens has contributed to filling the boxes. My goal starting in May is to send each man and woman in both units (about 60 people) a box of goodies once a month for six months. It is a big mission, but I can not imagine those men and women being there, and many of them with nothing coming from home.  This fundraiser is being done in "Memory of our daughter Stacy Rae William Henson".