Very Quietly, Navy SEALs Slip Back Home

The Navy SEAL team that captured and killed Osama bin Laden arrived back in the US yesterday and it's safe to say that they'd never have to buy another beer in their lives—if people knew who they were. The team member's identities are being kept secret in order to protect them, frustrating millions who want to thank them, the AP reports. "I think this entire community, the entire country, is so proud of the crowd," the mayor of Virginia Beach, where the SEALs unit is based, tells the Virginian-Pilot. "But you've got to hold back."

Virginia Beach's mayor had earlier proposed a parade, as have several aldermen in Chicago. The Navy says that while it appreciates the offers, the elite force would rather avoid the attention—the SEALs involved will likely be awarded medals in a very private ceremony. But the Navy SEAL Foundation, which helps the families of SEALs, says donations have surged over the last week. "We don't go around beating our chest," says a spokesman. "You're the dad and the neighbor. Life goes on." (More US military stories.)