Woodbury’s Shellito: ‘Finally We Got Him’

Woodbury resident Larry Shellito was on the couch watching television Sunday when news broke about the death of Osama bin Laden.

The network went to full coverage about U.S. forces killing the man behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks and never went back to the original program, “which was fine with me,” he said.

“And I slept good,” Shellito said.

Shellito, retired major general with the Minnesota National Guard, is the commissioner of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs. He served in the Army National Guard for 37 years and earned several awards of merit during his service.

“I was not expecting it. It’s been 10 years,” he said when asked for his reaction to the death of al Qaida’s leader. “I said, 'Finally—finally we got him.' … It’s closing the chapter of a book.”

Shellito said bin Laden’s death sent a message to terrorists: “Regardless of the cost or the time—we’ll hunt you down and get you.”

Like others in the military, Shellito said he expects jihadists to attempt to strike back against the U.S. The U.S. intelligence community will monitor terrorist cells closely in the coming weeks and months, he said.

“When you kick an ants nest, a lot of ants start running,” Shellito said. “They’ll definitely want to do something spectacular."

At the same time, however, the death of bin Laden will pay dividends on several levels, Shellito said. Firstly, bin Laden was “like a flag” and “a superstar” for many terrorist groups and symbolized their fight against America, he said. And bin Laden's death may spark some infighting among terrorist leaders looking to replace him, Shellito said.

Shellito also said it was a good idea for bin Laden to be quickly buried at sea, as it negated the possibility of his grave becoming a shrine.

Minnesota doesn’t have any ostensible terror targets, Shellito said, but he did note that the Twin Towers were viewed as a symbol of commerce in the U.S., and the Mall of America in Bloomington has similar qualities. Still, he said authorities outside places like New York and Washington, D.C., must remain vigilant.

“The first time you say you don’t have that fear, you become a target,” Shellito said.

As for the reaction of troops to bin Laden’s death: “People wanted to have payback,” he said.

Shellito also praised the special forces group—reportedly the Navy SEALs—that took down America’s public enemy No. 1.

“They really walked into the mouth of the lion,” he said.