Mixed emotions bottled-up for a decade

DAN BARRY

Finally, the sworn enemy of this American generation had been cornered and killed by our determined special forces over there, ending a decade-long hunt for the villain who had altered our way of life. Here, it seemed, was our moment to plant a celebratory kiss on a nurse or soldier in Times Square, to chant "USA, USA, USA" until dawn - to see the faint outline of a better tomorrow.

Illustration photo taken on May 3, 2011 in Brussels shows several Belgian newspapers’ front pages, reporting on the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden. AFP

But the pent-up emotions released by the news of a successfully deadly firefight in Pakistan, some 6,900 miles from Manhattan, proved as complicated as these times. They ranged from jingoistic bursts of boast to halting expressions of dread; from joyous shouts for the strike of a winning goal to somber reflections about that dish best served cold, vengeance.

"Bittersweet," is how Todd Polk, an Army major who has completed two tours in Afghanistan, described the news of Osama bin Laden's demise. Speaking by telephone from the Army's National Training Center, in Southern California, he said he was glad that the last thing Bin Laden saw "was an American face."

A great day, no doubt. But, he added, the grind of war continues.

"It's a morale boost," Major Polk said, before beginning another day training soldiers for combat. "But it's not V-E Day."

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