Brandon Reacts to News Osama bin Laden Is Dead (VIDEO Included)

Jimmy Destino was working at in Brandon when he walked through the kitchen doors and heard co-worker Christine Camarda scream out that Osama bin Laden had been killed.

He thought it was a joke, until he saw the news for himself on one of the large-screen television sets.

His reaction was one of reserved relief.

“We couldn’t find a 6-foot-6 diabetic on dialysis in the desert and now we did, and that’s a great thing,” Destino said. “He may be the head of Al Qaeda but he’s just a small piece. It’s not really going to change anything except now he’s a martyr. It was a great step for Americans to see, though, something that we’ve been over there for years to do, and we finally got him.”

As for Camarda, she first heard the news from two customers who had just returned to the bar after watching a wrestling match.

“They told me that Osama bin Laden had been shot and killed and they wanted to watch the news,” she said. “We immediately turned on the television sets to the news to watch the news for ourselves.”

Camarda said it “was nice to hear that somebody who had  caused so many problems and distress in our country, and somebody we had been looking for a long time, had been found.”

At Tadpoles in Brandon, night manager Roger Stilts heard the news from another shopkeeper  in the plaza, which prompted an immediate change of channels on three of the six large-screen television sets.

“When you see sports bars with the news on? It’s got to be big,” Stilts said.

“Eight people from the other business and six people in our restaurant stood up and lined up and took a shot to the death of Osama bin Laden."

As for Stilts, his reaction was swift and certain.

“My reaction was justice,” he said. “Justice was served to a man who had instigated lots of deaths and maybe some other terrorists will get the message and leave us alone. You can run, but sooner or later we will get you.”

John Huerta came to O’Brien’s after his shift at .

“I just came in and they asked me if I had heard the news and I said I read the scroll under the baseball game at Barnacles,” Huerta said.

The game was between the Mets and the Phillies and Huerta’s initial reaction was relief.

“I know that we’ve been after him for a long time, unsuccessfully. It’s nice to know we killed the man who was responsible for 9/11 and thousands of other deaths around the world.”

Huerta added that he saw the news as “a major step for the American people to see that this is done.”

“Good riddance,” was the reaction of Damon Reid, who was at the branch on Lumsden Road. “If it’s true, we now have one less excuse to be out there. It’s now time to bring our guys back.”

Reid’s brother recently joined the U.S. Army and Reid was glad to hear the news.  “We don’t need any more of our guys killed over there.”

Former U.S. Navy Seaman Ryan Lindstrom was chatting with friends when he heard the news.

Screens at O’Brien’s typically are turned to late-night sporting events, but with the news from Pakistan, CNN donated every screen in the house. “If he is dead that is good,” Lindstrom said. "We don’t need people like him in this world.”

David Lehigh’s brother is serving in the Middle East with the U.S. Army. Lehigh said he was glad to hear bin Laden is dead but doesn’t feel any safer with the news. “I feel less safe tonight,” he said. "His supporters will no doubt plan vengeance on the U.S.”

Jose Martinez was more optimistic.

“It’s awesome news,” he said, also at Bank of America. “The war should be over now and our troops need to come home. Maybe now we can focus on getting things fixed here with high gas prices and jobs.”

“Thank God,” was Robyn Braun’s reaction. “Now this war in Afghanistan needs to end. It’s starting to remind me of Vietnam. It’s time to bring our boys home.”

Stephen Atwell, who served in the U.S. Army for seven years, said he was “very surprised by the news." 

“I am glad we got him,” Atwell said. "George Bush had two terms to get him but this president got him.”

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