Fort Bliss Security Increases Due To Bin Laden Death; General Says Progress Made In War On Terror

The biggest impact in Borderland, when it comes to the death of Osama bin Laden, is being felt at Fort Bliss.

Soldiers are cautiously celebrating the biggest victory yet in the war on terror, as well as dealing with a heightened level of post security.

It wasn’t easy to get on Fort Bliss today and it probably won’t be for some time. The threat level at post gates has been elevated from Alpha to what is being called FP COM BRAVO. The FP stands for Full Protection.

While soldiers deal with changes at the gates, their military mission — despite bin Laden’s death — will likely continue unchanged.

“Today is a great day to be an american!” said Major General Dana Pittard, Commanding General of Fort Bliss. “It’s an encouraging sign of the progress that’s being made in the war on terror.”

After watching Americans celebrate the death of bin laden Sunday night and into Monday morning, General Pittard had a hard time holding back a smile.

“To see that happening today in our country, Americans forgetting their differences and coming together yet once again in celebration, is kind of cool,” Gen. Pittard said.

Since 9-11, more than 200,000 troops have deployed from Fort Bliss to Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere to fight the war on terror.

“They’re jumping around,” said Master Sergeant Aaron Johnson from Kansas. “Everybody wishes they were the ones that were actually out there.”

Johnson said he and his fellow soldiers expect the war on terror to continue as usual.

“I’m pretty sure everybody hopes that there will be less deployments,” Johnson said, “but being realistic, being in the Army, you’re gonna go out, you’re gonna deploy.”

Other soldiers agreed.

“I know the job must be completed and we’re going to be at it for a while,” said 2nd Lt. Benjamin Haseltine from Alabama, who has yet to deploy. “I think it might change things some. I’m not sure how it’ll play out, but I really think the deployments will continue for the next few years at least.”

Haseltine’s wife, Laura, also from Alabama, said Army wives were breathing a sigh of relief.

“For wives I know that their husbands just came home or their husbands are still over there,” she said, “It’s just a big like kind of sigh of relief that hey, we’re making progress and we’re winning.”