The US-born son of two immigrants originally from Guanajuato, a city in central Mexico, was among the soldiers who stormed Osama bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan, according to a Spanish-language article reported by the Mexican news agency Notimex.
Rubén Mejía represented at least one Latino on the specialized team, and had already spent seven months in Afghanistan, Notimex reported. The agency cited an interview on 97.9 La Raza with Rubén’s father, Martín Mejía.
The soldier was a member of the Navy SEALs, part of the United States Special Operations Command, which carries out covert missions. While the SEALs have not confirmed involvement with the bin Laden mission, its current chief sent out an email congratulating his force afterward.
Mejía’s family had a scare when a dozen military officials came to their Los Angeles home, leading the family to believe that their son had been injured or killed in action, Martín Mejía said.
The Tucson Citizen with a translation from Notimex:
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 [the soldiers] saw us [the family] 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.
When asked about the $50 million reward for bin Laden’s capture, Martín Mejía said that it should be divided among the team of soldiers who carried out the risky operation.
Updates via Think Progress, May 6, 6:30am
Update
Some have questioned the authenticity of El Universal’s reporting. As of now, the outlet has not posted an update to its story. We have contacted Notimex/El Universal for comment.
Update
When contacted by Think Progress, a representative from the radio station that Martín Mejía reportedly called into—97.9 La Raza—confirmed that a person identifying himself as the father of a Navy SEAL who was involved in the attack against Osama Bin Laden appeared on the radio station. The representative stated that his radio station checked the veracity of Mr. Mejía’s story and “everything was okay.” They are no longer releasing a recording of the interview at this point.
Update
Isaac Cubillos at Militaryreporter.net sets forth a list of reasons why not to believe the Navy SEAL story published by El Universal and Notimex.
