9/11 Survivor: Bin Laden's Death a “Great Day for America”

For ten years, Dewey Loselle had the terrible memories of the 9/11/01 with no closure. Last night, the wound was healed a little bit with the news of Osama bin Laden’s death.

Normally, Loselle stays up late and watches the news, but yesterday he went to bed early before the announcement was made. He was soon awakened by his son calling his Westport home from Colorado.

“He knew that no matter what, I wanted to know this,” Loselle said.

Loselle barely managed to survive 9/11/01. On that day, he was at a . The first plane struck about 20 floors above him.  He remembers the chaos of his descent downstairs, full of smoke and panic. As he was climbing down the stairs, firefighters were going up to look for stragglers. He chatted with them briefly, not knowing they would soon die.

He also remembers the Port Authority employees who stayed behind in order to guide people in the building. When he exited the building, people were falling to their death around him. His family thought he was dead until they heard from him.  

The death of bin Laden, he said, is a “great day for America.”

“It’s amazingly stunning great news. It helps a little bit to finally get this guy,” Loselle said. “It’s a little bit of closure.”

Bin Laden, the leader of terrorist group al Qaeda, was killed in a Pakistan in attack led by a team of Navy SEALs. Growing up, Loselle knew many SEALs, an elite group of soldiers. His father was a naval officer.

The feeling that justice hadn’t been served to the mastermind was a constant reminder of the attacks.

“It’s been this big thing hanging out there for ten years. It’s an unresolved sore,” said Loselle. “Everybody had a burning desire to get this guy and exact some justice, and I think Obama had it right. Justice was served.”

During his announcement of the death, President Barack Obama said, “On nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done.”

The death and destruction of that day in September was unforgettable, but Loselle believes that knowing the person responsible paid the ultimate price helps soothe those memories.

“I think it helps heal the wound a little bit. It probably gives people a little bit of resolve and lifts people’s spirits,” he said. “[Bin Laden’s escape was] a feeling that’s constantly there. Now, this is a little bit of relief.”