Enfield Residents React to bin Laden's Death

Local residents reacted mostly with relief, but with some trepidation at the news that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had been killed Sunday night in a U.S. military raid on a compound in Pakistan.

Patrick Cotnoir, a 2010 Fermi High School graduate who attends Pace University in New York, joined thousands of people at Ground Zero immediately following the announcement of bin Laden's death. "It was an amazing feeling, just seeing everyone together singing and sort of feeling some sense of closure to 9/11 was really nice and inspiring to see," he said. "There was no protest, no anti-9/11 people, which you get a lot around there. It was just everyone coming together as one to celebrate the end of the fear and terror that this man brought. I met Rob Lowe Monday and he was there last night too. He looked at me in the eyes and said, "that was a night that you and I will never forget." I think that quote basically sums up last night for me."

"While it's certainly taken enough American lives and money to accomplish this mission, retaliation is now something this country needs to be prepared for," wrote Lin Chojnicki on Enfield Patch. "The war on terrorism is far from over just because this terrorist is dead."

"I think it's a wonderful thing they got bin Laden," said Ben Stelmat, whose grandson was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq in March 2008. "There's no question he had to be killed; he was just an instrument of death. We lost our grandson in the war in Iraq, and I think this war has gone nowhere. At this point, we're no farther ahead than we were when we went in there. We've got to get our boys home, because they're dying all the time, and it doesn't make any sense to me."

Enfield Coordinator of Athletics Barry Bernstein, whose nephew is on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Army Rangers, said, "I think this is a significant event, being he was a person who had the face on the . I think it's wonderful, and I send congratulations, thoughts and prayers to all the troops that serve, and all the emergency people and everyone who lost their lives. This in some way stands towards vindication of their tragedy - it doesn't take it away. It marks some closure."

"It was great news to wake up to this morning," Enfield Deputy Fire Chief Paul Januszewski said. "I had 15 messages and alerts on my Blackberry, all announcing bin Laden had been killed overnight through a Navy Seal raid, which was great news for me. Everybody here seems real happy about it - it's as if justice has finally been done for the 343 firefighters that were lost, as well as the police workers, the Port Authority workers, the losses at the Pentagon and in Shanksville and all the planes. It's like justice is finally done; we got our guy."

Fermi High School assistant principal Yvette Santiesteban simply said, "It's about time."