Quite a moment. Trump honors Carryn Owens, widow of slain Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens. t.co/XLccbx9eRq
Carryn Owens, the widow of Navy SEAL William “Ryan” Owens, was moved into tears at Donald Trump’s speech to a Joint Session of Congress as Trump praised her husband as a hero. Watch above.
People noted that the most sustained applause of the evening came for Carryn, who was moved to look upward as if toward her husband during the emotional moment. Trump said, in part, “Ryan died as he lived. A warrior and a hero, battling against terrorism and securing our nation.” Trump called it a “highly successful” raid that generated “large amounts of vital intelligence…Ryan’s legacy is etched into eternity.”
Here’s a shorter look at the moment:
Widow of Ryan Owens, Navy SEAL slain in Yemen raid, acknowledged by Pres. Trump at #JointAddress t.co/abn2wubjTr
Some said Carryn Owens had poignantly symbolized Gold Star families.
The Navy SEAL, who died in a gun battle with terrorists in Yemen, was an honored member of an elite special forces team who was praised as a selfless warrior even before the Trump speech. However, the raid, which went wrong in several ways (Owens died, there were civilian casualties, including of children, and a helicopter crashed), has been hotly criticized in some corners, including by Owens’ own father.
American Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens was the first American combat death under the new Donald Trump administration.
Trump went to meet the body of the slain SEAL as Owens arrived at Dover Air Force Base. Owens was a member of the famed SEAL Team 6, and he died January 28 in a gun battle with Al-Qaeda militants in the Arabian peninsula in Yemen.
.@POTUS has gone to Dover AFB for arrival of remains of Chief Special Warfare Operator William “Ryan” Owens, killed during raid on Al Qaeda
Owens’ father, Bill Owens, has recently become outspoken in criticism of Donald Trump, with whom he refused to meet. He wants an investigation into his son’s death, questioned the mission and disliked Trump’s criticism of the Gold Star family of Capt. Humayun Khan during the Democratic National Convention, according to CNN. You can read more about the father’s criticism here.
However, Owens’ wife, Carryn, attended Trump’s address to Congress on February 28 as his guest. Her parents were also in attendance. The wife sat near Ivanka and Melania Trump.
.@POTUS recognizes Carryn Owens, widow of U.S. Navy Special Operator, Senior Chief William “Ryan” Owens. #Jointsession #JointAddress
News reports say an American child also may have died in the raid, which killed at least 14 Al-Qaeda militants, who engaged the SEAL team in a ferocious firefight. The American military now says there were likely civilian casualties as well, including possibly children.
You can read more about William “Ryan” Owens and the mission he died in here:
