• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » Delta Air Lines » Delta, Masks, And The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden
Delta Air Lines

Delta, Masks, And The Man Who Killed Osama Bin Laden

Matthew Klint Posted onAugust 20, 2020November 14, 2023 56 Comments

a man wearing a hat and smiling

Robert J. O’Neill’s claim to fame is that he killed Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan while a US Navy SEAL in 2011. He has turned that feat into a lucrative career as an author and public speaker.

But O’Neill received negative attention yesterday when he tweeted a picture of himself sitting on a Delta flight without a mask along with the caption, “I’m not a p*ssy”.

a man wearing a mask and a man sitting in a chair

After receiving pushback like the tweet below, he deleted the tweet about five hours later.

You’re not a “pussy” because the vagina is one of the most resilient parts of the human body that can withstand childbirth. You’re more of a selfish coward willing to jeopardize the lives of others, including the Marine veteran behind you proudly wearing a USMC hat and a mask.

— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) August 19, 2020

Then later blamed his wife…

I didn’t delete my tweet. My wife did.

— Robert J. O’Neill (@mchooyah) August 19, 2020

What Should Delta Do About Robert O’Neill?

One Mile at a Time hints that Delta should ban him for being a d*ck.

Maybe, but one selfie is hardly indicative of his behavior on the flight before or after the photo was taken.

I’m not going to defend him for taking his mask off or his puerile statement. But let’s not be judge, jury, and executioner simply based upon one photo.

(if we do want to judge him, maybe take a look at some of these other NSFW tweets…)

a screenshot of a social media post

Maybe he was eating or drinking when this photo was taken. Maybe he took his mask off, took the picture, and put it right back on. If that is the case, it makes him a hypocrite and somewhat cowardly (I won’t use his word), but remember Delta’s policy is not about one-time violations, but passengers who are not correctable. As Delta CEO Ed Bastian explained:

“We’ve been steadily and rather aggressively stepping up our enforcement of the mask policy. You cannot board a Delta plane unless you have a mask on. If you board the plane and insist on not wearing a mask, we insist that you do not fly Delta into the future. We already have 100 people put onto that list.”

Key word: insist, which implies not a single violation, but a continued refusal to wear the mask.

If he really refused to wear his mask, wouldn’t a flight attendant have documented it? After all, Delta has already banned over 100 passengers and has been very clear about enforcing its mandatory mask policy.

The fact that O’Neill deleted the tweet suggests some level of remorse to me. If he now understands that he’s welcome to his opinion but has to play by Delta’s rules should he choose to fly Delta, then we don’t have a problem anymore.

CONCLUSION

We have one tweet. Now let’s see if there is an incident report or the guy was just trying to pander to the crowd that sees masks as a sign of weakness, not solidarity. At this point, I’m not prepared to do anything more than roll my eyes at him.

That said, he does seem to make a habit of at least taking pictures onboard airplanes without masks…

Bozeman Bound… @thebigshorty1 pic.twitter.com/4B4PbLS091

— Robert J. O’Neill (@mchooyah) July 20, 2020

Your thoughts on Mr. O’Neill?

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Emirates Has No Fear…
Next Article United Flight Attendant Union Sells Out Its Junior Members

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Personal Air Vent

    Fact: You Have Full Control Over Your Air Vent, Just Like Your Seat Recline

    June 3, 2025
  • a group of planes with blue sky

    Delta Air Lines Eyes Delhi Comeback As IndiGo Deepens Partnership With SkyTeam Trio

    June 2, 2025
  • Delta orlando

    Delta’s Play In Orlando—New Focus City Strategy Emerging?

    June 1, 2025

56 Comments

  1. Paolo Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 9:56 am

    Repulsive creature. He’s vile beyond description and a disgrace to the military, the men and women who serve, and to the country.

    • 121Pilot Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 10:37 am

      That’s a bit over the top don’t you think?

      • Paolo Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 10:48 am

        No, fully deserved. He’s utterly loathsome. The very idea of profiteering from that mission…is an accurate reflection of the individual, and it’s the very antithesis of how someone in his situation should behave.
        The mask story is just a minor symptom of a deeper, darker sickness. There is NOTHING to celebrate about this guy ( in contrast to the majority of his peers maintaining a dignified and entirely appropriate silence). Truly, an ugly American…

        • Genghis Schwartz Reply
          August 20, 2020 at 12:35 pm

          Paolo is spot-on. A perfect description.

          Thank you for your service, Mr. O’Niell, but….you’re a complete dick.

    • Joe Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 1:08 pm

      The man is a navy SEAL – he’s tougher and braver than 99.9 % of us, and you call him loathsome because he doesn’t want to wear a mask? Lose the sanctimony.

      • Beavis Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 2:16 pm

        Being a seal doesn’t mean you get to skirt the laws.

      • Dick Bupkiss Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 9:46 pm

        Yeah, he’s a Navy SEAL. And a complete assrocket. And, I’m sure, many other things, too.

        And now he’s also banned from Delta, as he should be. Good job, Delta. Rules is rules.

    • emercycrite Reply
      August 21, 2020 at 3:25 am

      @Paolo: Tell us how you really feel lol

  2. Dan Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 10:09 am

    O’Neill IS a p*ssy!

  3. shaun Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 10:24 am

    I think his tweet probably gives half the population more reason to not wear a mask and be combative. I would ban him based on the fact he is an instigator and could lead to more people following his lead.

    The radical right look at this and thinks they can then do it. I think if I was Delta or any airline that has 100% mask policy I would ban anyone who makes it harder to enforce their policy. Him doing this definitely doesn’t help get people to wear masks.

  4. ed lewis Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 11:15 am

    vile americans. so fekking selfish.

    • Keith G Reply
      August 24, 2020 at 9:17 am

      Yes, because they are all like that, of course.

  5. John Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 11:16 am

    New Zealand looks better and better every day.

    • Andy K Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 3:26 pm

      Have you read the news on their COVID increases?

      • Pete Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 4:10 pm

        And looking on from the US, what’s your point, Andy K?

      • UA-NYC Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 7:01 pm

        You realize Covid cases to date past ~6 months in NZ are equal to a couple hours in Florida – right?

        Gotta love the right wing “both sides”-ism – to call it “intellectual dishonesty” is an insult to any intellect

      • emercycrite Reply
        August 21, 2020 at 3:26 am

        @Andy K: Do you read at all?

        • JR Brown Reply
          August 21, 2020 at 5:41 am

          Andy K regularly posts and is a complete fool on these forums

          • Andy K
            August 21, 2020 at 12:21 pm

            Takes one to know one.

        • Andy K Reply
          August 21, 2020 at 12:22 pm

          The point I was trying to make is that despite their efforts and success, COVID is still a big problem in NZ.

          https://abcnews.go.com/Health/zealands-renewed-covid-crisis-scientists-virus-hard/story?id=72420563

          Sounds like you’re the one who doesn’t read.

          • UA-NYC
            August 21, 2020 at 3:14 pm

            They reported an outbreak!!! of nine (9!!!) whole cases this week. You sound like a Trump mouthpiece calling it “a big problem”. SMH.

    • Kevin Reply
      August 21, 2020 at 3:47 am

      I agree, or even cave in Wyoming.

  6. T Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 11:29 am

    No doubt he served our country and contributed to the victory, but it was a TEAMWORK. He didn’t fly the helicopter and/or was alone in the mission. All team members were hero, not only him. The language he used in his text was… strong.

  7. Slug Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 12:32 pm

    The irony of the older gentleman to his left with a USMC hat wearing a mask speaks volumes. I saw this guy present once and he is enteraining but he really does think he’s “all that”.

    • Frank Reply
      August 23, 2020 at 9:14 pm

      That is what happens when you have a strong type A personality which is pretty much a requirement for SF in any branch of the military. Also being opinionated is everyone’s god given right, and so he just like the rest of us has every right to express his opinions. Also this mask thing is not a law, and wont ever be one. The mask thing is a policy, in some places, but will not become a law in america. So even though cities, and states are giving out fines, they cant legally collect on them. So in the end everyone is going to have there opinion on being for, and against masks, and left or right of the isle shouldn’t matter. We are all americans, and so we should all act like it, and just get along.

  8. Too Many Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 12:50 pm

    Based on the position or point of his posts (especially about the “China” mask), it’s fairly clear he doesn’t believe them. He even insisted that his wife made him take down the post in question; otherwise he’d keep it up.

    So clearly, he doesn’t believe a mask is doing him (or anyone) any good.

    And that is sad… Because during WWII, this country, and its citizens, were willing to make sacrifices that allowed us to be able to produce an amazing amount of goods, weapons or otherwise, by collectively rationing and having everyone participate. Not to mention the people going off to war and making true sacrifices. The very things that this “soldier” should understand about.

    What’s more disappointing is that we have a part of the population who actually will look at this guy’s post and feel empowered to not wear a mask… cuz if a “tough guy” says he won’t, certainly is good enough for a regular person. We have just become a society of selfish, coddled, whiners who don’t care about anyone but ourselves.

  9. Terry Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 12:59 pm

    Just one more example of the irresponsible behavior that is keeping our country from being able to contain this pandemic. And one of the reasons I don’t even feel like flying right now and finding myself sitting next to someone like this.

  10. Joe Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 1:11 pm

    Masks are pretty pointless. Nonetheless I wear one if required to avoid trouble, it’s not a big deal really. However, seeing the reactions of the mask karens – “Loathsome”, “Vile”, “Disgrace” – makes me want to NOT wear one. You people need to relax a bit.

  11. Steve Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 1:38 pm

    I think after 9 years of casually inserting “…and oh, by the way, I put a bullet in Osama bin Laden’s head” in conversation, his brain has officially turned to mush. In the same way we would expect any other Hollywood-type star to have their mind ruined by dint of their celebrity.

  12. Cy Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 2:00 pm

    I fail to understand why the anti-mask crowd can’t get it through their thick skull that when you enter private property–be it a Walmart or a Delta plane–you are subject to their rules. Your view on masks doesn’t matter. Don’t want to be subject to their rules, get off their property.

    It really isn’t that complicated.

    • Chris H Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 5:24 pm

      Let me explain why the anti-mask crowd acts the way they do:
      They’re selfish dicks. It’s not complicated.

  13. Andy K Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 3:30 pm

    On the use of the word “puerile” …

    Matthew, not even the New Yorker or another high-brow publication was use such obscure words. This isn’t high school and you don’t have to show off you SAT vocabulary (is that still a thing..??).

    Trust me (or read your own comment section) – your audience is full of a lot of normal hard-working people who do not need to be condescended with such word choice.

    Heck, I have a masters degree and I didn’t know what that word meant. Just my 2 cents.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 3:32 pm

      Oh okay Andy K.

      • Kevin Reply
        August 21, 2020 at 3:49 am

        I’m good with learning new words every now and then.

    • Pete Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 4:13 pm

      Hmm when I see a word I don’t understand, I look it up and learn it.

      • Andy K Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 11:42 pm

        I bet that happens to you a lot. Good thing your name is only four letters.

    • Christian Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 6:00 pm

      You can be like the guy who was our President for the first several years of this century who said “I use The Google” and exercise your erudition (book learnin’).

      • Andy K Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 11:42 pm

        Har har. You should look up the meaning of your name and start trying to live up to it.

    • MaKr Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 11:08 pm

      Can you get a refund for that master’s degree?

      • Andy K Reply
        August 20, 2020 at 11:43 pm

        It’s an MBA, not a useless Masters in English. [Redacted]

        • Matthew Klint Reply
          August 21, 2020 at 12:31 am

          I’d ask the gentleman to watch his language.

        • UA-NYC Reply
          August 21, 2020 at 11:05 am

          I have an MBA too but I know the meaning of “puerile”

          Maybe you can use the dictionary a bit more, along with sites like Worldometers that put Covid data into context

    • 747always Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 11:54 pm

      Having read the comments it’s only you who seems to have a problem with someone using words which seem fancy.

    • emercycrite Reply
      August 21, 2020 at 3:27 am

      @Andy K: You have a master’s degree? Oh right, you mean you have a printer and the internet.

      • Andy K Reply
        August 21, 2020 at 12:24 pm

        I have an MBA. Judging from your picture, you have an HIV.

        • Matthew Klint Reply
          August 21, 2020 at 1:22 pm

          Uncalled for Andy K. Please don’t attack other commenters in that way.

          • UA-NYC
            August 21, 2020 at 3:18 pm

            If you think about what this troll is implying beneath the surface Matthew, it’s basically hate speech.

  14. Christian Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 5:57 pm

    I think you’re confusing remorse and cowardice. Look at his comments. He’s not the remorseful type.

  15. James Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 8:40 pm

    Lol. Some athlete with testosterone won gold medal in the olympic and making a life becoming public speaker about it. Later become a woman.

    This guy shot osama bin laden in a military operation and gain fame and fortune by becoming public speaker of due to the said operation. Later confronting a general-scientificaly health instruction, retract it and blame his wife for it.

    How much beta a veteran can be? Did he really was in military covert ops? Or all of it just an elaborate hoax to justify the war?

    Anyway, please continue doing it. Thank you for providing jokes in this pandemic.

  16. MaKr Reply
    August 20, 2020 at 11:07 pm

    Can you get a refund for that master’s degree?

    • Andy K Reply
      August 20, 2020 at 11:44 pm

      So you’re smart enough to know the meaning of SAT words but you post comments twice? Can you get a refund on your high school diploma?

      • 747always Reply
        August 21, 2020 at 12:02 am

        You’re not smart enough to know the meaning of words like puerile. In the Words of your own Dear Leader “Sad”

  17. JefeFA Reply
    August 21, 2020 at 8:21 am

    Update: Delta banned him. Good for Delta!
    https://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2020-08-20/delta-bans-purported-bin-laden-killer-for-not-wearing-a-mask

  18. Burritomiles Reply
    August 21, 2020 at 1:52 pm

    Nothing says valor and courage like throwing your wife under the bus(or in this case the landing gear).

  19. mojo Reply
    August 22, 2020 at 3:29 pm

    The guy is a total douchebag

  20. Ning DelBarco Reply
    October 5, 2020 at 11:15 pm

    Egoistic braggart with loose lips. I doubt anything he says.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for June

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Cathay Pacific The Wing Business Class Lounge Review
    Review: Cathay Pacific The Wing Business Class Lounge Hong Kong (HKG) June 9, 2025
  • United Starlink Radio Interference
    Starlink Grounded: United Temporarily Disables Wi-Fi On Some Regional Jets June 9, 2025
  • Trump Army Parade
    Should I Attend Trump’s Army Birthday Parade In Washington, DC? June 9, 2025
  • 2FA Aeroplan
    2FA Now Mandatory With Air Canada Aeroplan June 9, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • Qatar Airways Economy Class Breakfast
    Economy Class Breakfast On Qatar Airways June 7, 2025
  • Aegean Airlines Feast
    A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines May 23, 2025
  • Israel Flight Cancellations
    Major Carriers Extend Flight Cancellations To Israel: Here’s The List June 6, 2025
  • Chase Sapphire Lounge LGA
    Crazy Chase Sapphire Reserve Changes Floated May 11, 2025

Archives

June 2025
M T W T F S S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
23242526272829
30  
« May    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.