Collect this Robert O’Neill hand-signed and inscribed Gadsden flag!
Robert O’Neill, the Navy SEAL credited with killing Osama bin Laden during the 2011 Operation Neptune Spear, has personally signed the flag, and inscribed it with the words “NEVER QUIT!” — an irreplaceable piece of Naval and U.S. history!
The Gadsden flag, designed during the American Revolution in 1775 by politician Christopher Gadsden (1724–1805) is an historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a timber rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Beneath the rattlesnake are the words: "DONT TREAD ON ME”, all in uppercase letters. It was used by the Continental Marines as an early motto flag, along with the Moultrie flag. Its design proclaims an assertive warning of vigilance and willingness to act in defense against coercion. The coiled rattlesnake faces towards the hoist, sitting upon a patch of green grass; its thirteen rattles represent the thirteen colonies. This modern iteration of the Gadsden flag remains stylistically true to the original rattlesnake and typography, adding elements of the modern Stars & Stripes flag.
O’Neill’s signature and inscription are applied in bold black marker, positioned adjacent to the coiled rattlesnake, top right. This historic flag is crafted of substantial woven fabric in bright yellow, red, white and blue, with black lettering and snake. Two metal grommets on the flag’s white-bound edge allow for easy display. The flag measures 18” height x 30-1/2” length.
On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden, the founder and first leader of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda, was killed in Pakistan by United States Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group (also known as DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six). The operation, code-named Operation Neptune Spear, was carried out in a CIA-led operation with Joint Special Operations Command, commonly known as JSOC, coordinating the Special Mission Units involved in the raid.
In an anonymous February 2013 interview, Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill told Esquire that he had killed Osama bin Laden during Operation Neptune Spear. Of his decision to lay claim to killing bin Laden, O'Neill told CBS News that “I think it's a difficult secret to keep… Everyone was proud. I think it was apparent that we had done it.”
On October 14, 2020, then-US President Donald Trump re-tweeted an unfounded conspiracy theory that suggested Osama bin Laden was still alive and a body double was shot. O'Neill responded with a series of tweets, including, “It was not a body double. Thank you Mr. President.” That same month, CNN published an interview with retired Admiral William H. McRaven; the former flag officer who oversaw Neptune Spear responded to the claims, mentioning that “Rob O'Neill, the SEAL that, in fact, shot bin Laden”.
The signing of the Gadsden flag by former Navy SEAL Robert O’Neill was witnessed by a representative from PSA/DNA Authentication Services, and comes with an “In-the-Presence” Certificate of Authenticity from PSA. In addition, as part of the authentication process, the item has been permanently marked with a proprietary invisible ink that contains a patented strand of synthetic DNA, and bears an “In the Presence” authenticating label, corresponding to the accompanying COA.