We need to talk about that moment Tuesday evening when President Trump honored Carryn Owens, the widow of a U.S. Navy SEAL who was killed recently in a raid in Yemen.
First, let’s make this clear from the start so we can avoid uncharitable readings of this article: There is no criticism here for U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens. He served his country honorably, and he has my respect. Secondly, my condolences go out to his family and his wife, whose grief Tuesday evening was heartbreaking.
“Ryan died as he lived: a warrior, and a hero – battling against terrorism and securing our nation,” Trump said Tuesday.
“I just spoke to Gen. Mattis, who reconfirmed that, and I quote, ‘Ryan was a part of a highly successful raid that generated large amounts of vital intelligence that will lead to many more victories in the future against our enemies.’ Ryan’s legacy is etched into eternity,” the president added.
Trump concluded, “For as the Bible teaches us, there is no greater act of love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Ryan laid down his life for his friends, for his country, and for our freedom — we will never forget him. To those allies who wonder what kind of friend America will be, look no further than the heroes who wear our uniform.”
It was a touching moment, and a sad one. Yet, as I suggested Tuesday evening on social media, there were likely political repercussions as well.
In my first tweet, I said, “Moment with SEAL’s widow was moving. Also, politically brilliant. Trump insulates himself from Yemen criticism. Good luck challenging raid.”
“After that 2-minute standing ovation, who wants to be the person to state publicly that the Yemen raid yielded no benefit. Have fun [with] that,” I added in a follow-up tweet.
What I meant to suggest was this: By introducing that emotionally charged moment with Carryn Owens, Trump has likely made it more difficult to criticize the allegedly disastrous Yemen raid, which has come under fire for being ill-conceived.
From claims that it yielded no new intelligence, to reports that several children, including Anwar al-Awlaki’s eight-year-old daughter (an American citizen), were killed in the crossfire, the president is facing serious questions for green lighting the mission despite reportedly not having enough intelligence.
But Trump told a national audience Tuesday that the raid was a success. He said Ryan’s sacrifice was not made in vain, and he did all this as the Owens wept openly while Congress gave her a two-minute standing ovation.
Her heartfelt public moment is now tied to the Yemen raid, which, again, is being characterized by some intelligence officials as a total catastrophe.
By publicly honoring Owens, and by quoting Gen. Mattis’ positive remarks, Trump may have blunted criticism of his handling of the raid, I suggested Tuesday. To criticize the president now risks tearing down a grieving woman whose presence reinforces the imperative to honor those who serve.
I wasn’t taking a dig at the U.S. Armed Forces, or at Owens. I certainly wasn’t praising the president.
However, judging by the angry reactions I received from journalists as well as red and blue armchair warriors, I got ahead of myself.
I tried to explain my meaning in subsequent tweets, thinking it wasn’t that controversial, but eventually deleted my original remarks altogether. Twitter is not the best place to try to explain one’s thinking, especially when people are good and angry. I probably could have worded it differently.
“Politically brilliant,” though it doesn’t imply any sort of moral good, can easily be mistaken for admiration, which was not my point. Further, my original remarks ignored that Ryan’s father, Bill, has called for an investigation into the raid that killed his son.
More than any regret over word choice, however, is that my comments seemed to suggest implicitly Carryn Owens was a prop or a patsy for a political stunt.
The 140-character space we’re allowed in this medium often leaves no room for nuance; the risk of that interpretation should probably have led to forbearance.
Political pundit Mary Katharine Ham, who lost her husband in 2015, has probably the best commentary on the issue, so I’ll let her close out the remainder of this article.
“For those lamenting Carryn Owens’ ‘exploitation,’ let me offer some thoughts. I’m not asking you to like Trump or credit him for that moment. But what you can & should do is credit her. Maybe a SEAL wife who’s been through, God willing, worst life will give her, can handle Trump,” Ham said on social media early Wednesdaymorning.
“Maybe a SEAL wife knows exactly what she’s doing & doesn’t need you to explain it to her. Maybe she needs things you don’t know much about. Maybe a widow raising 3 children knows how important it is to keep his name & memory alive, & that this moment is bigger than Trump or you,” she added.
“Maybe she knows one day she will show them this video & tell them the President of the United States & all the nation honored him.”
Ham continued, suggesting that perhaps Owens attended Tuesday’s address to give her children courage.
“Maybe she thinks it might teach her children the strength & courage of their dad (& mom!) to watch her stand up tall even when it hurts,” Ham wrote. “Maybe all that is more important than your angst about which president is involved & how. Just bc she’s crying doesn’t mean she’s a victim.”
She concluded, “Maybe, probably, very likely, she’s a badass. You and your kids are in my prayers, Carryn. Do what you gotta do. Proverbs 31:25.”
