Bin Laden's Death 'A Good Thing,' But Not the End of the Story

The news of al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's death feelings of closure in the Chatham community, where 13 residents died on Sept. 11, 2001 and another killed by enemy fire while on military duty in Iraq in 2004.

Borough Mayor Nelson Vaughan said of the news, "I just hope it brings closure to the families of those lost at the World Trade Center and everywhere in the war on terror.

"We can be glad that a mass murderer is gone from the face of the earth."

Joe Marts, a former mayor and council member of Chatham Borough and a volunteer fire fighter, said he "couldn't be more pleased" at the news and with the effectiveness of the operation. "It does show that our country has the determination and the will to do what is right," Marts said.

Vaughan expressed his thanks to the military and administration for the operation, and said of bin Laden's reputed burial at sea, "I think it is a good solution." Such a burial, he said, would keep his tomb from becoming a shrine to other terrorists.

Some residents expressed more cautious wariness to the news. Birgit Mitsch said, "I think it's very good that they caught him, but it raises a lot of questions, like how he was able to hide in plain sight for so long."

Township resident Alan Routh said, "I think the real interesting story is yet to come." Routh said he wanted the details of how intelligence agencies tracked bin Laden to his location in a compound outside of Abbottabad, Pakistan, and how the U.S. special forces carried out the attack that ended the terrorist's life.

 Jean McFadden said she had a hard time "rejoicing at someone's death," even though she said bin Laden's death was "a very good thing."

"I don't think it's over, though," McFadden said, citing news items which stated that bin Laden's recent role in al Qaeda had been primarily to provide money rather than plan terrorist attacks.

Donna Cali-Charles sits on the 9-11 Memorial Advisory Committee in Chatham Borough. At the she was hailed with the gift of the original flag that flew over the memorial. Without her, Douglas Allan said at the ceremony, the memorial would not have been built.

"My first reaction [after learning of bin Laden's death] was to stop and say a prayer for all those who were killed in the World Trade Center and all our soldiers who have given life and limb," Cali-Charles said. "May our heavy hearts be a little lighter today with the death of Osama bin Laden."

Marts said that he believes the country "will see some fallout" as a result of bin Laden's death. "People across America need to be extremely vigilant and on the lookout, and alert authorities of anything out of the ordinary," he said.

Bin Laden's death, Marts said, "is not going to bring people back, but it does show that the country has the determination and the will to do what is right."

Council member Len Resto said he too was "pleased" at the news. "Even though it took 10 years to find him, it is a sweet moment for our country that reinvigorates us all," he said.

"This morning, I saw a runner along main street with an American Flag draped as a cape around him.  I must admit, I felt the same way, very pround of our armed forces to pull off what they did," said Resto.

The borough will add a stone to Memorial Park commemorating those lost in the war on terror on Memorial Day. Vaughan said bin Laden's death will "give more significance to the dedication."

President Obama authorized an operation to kill bin Laden last week after his location was confirmed. Bin Laden died in a firefight Sunday at a compound outside Islamabad. The U.S. took possession of his body and reportedly buried him at sea.

Bin Laden was leader of al Qaeda, the terrorist network behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which killed approximately 3,000 people, many of them from the area.

Township Mayor Nicole Hagner, Chatham Borough Fire Chief Peter Glogolich and Chatham Township Fire Chief Jim Pignataro did not immediately respond to requests for interviews. The families of some of those residents who died on Sept. 11 also did not respond to requests for interviews.