By Arielle Hawkins
The identities of the Navy SEALs who raided Osama bin Laden's compound remain a mystery, but one man who helped get them there is getting his due – publicly and financially.Eric R. Benn, with the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, has won a Presidential Distinguished Rank Award for his satellite imagery of the terrorist's compound in Pakistan.
Benn "oversaw and validated trade craft and methodologies applied in the final pursuit of and successful raid on the Osama bin Laden compound in Abbottabad," according to an announcement about the financial reward from the Senior Executives Association, a non-profit group which runs the award ceremony.
His satellite imagery interpretation was used to create a built-to-scale model of the al Qaeda leader's hide out. This model was then used in White House senior strategy briefings, helping the Navy SEALs to map out their May 2011 attack, according to the the president of the association.
"Mr. Benn's singular accomplishment is probably the most stunning and the one that will produce shock and awe for most Americans" said Carol Bonosaro, President of the SEA.
Benn was nominated for the award by the NGA, Bonosaro told Security Clearance.
Benn, and the other 53 award recipients, each earned a lump sum bonus equaling 35 percent of their normal annual salaries. They received their honors at an event last month at the State Department.
The Presidential Rank Awards, established by Congress in 1978, are given out annually. The number of awardees is capped by Congress but in 2011 the Obama administration further reduced the number of awardees citing economy.
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