The code name "Geronimo" has stirred quite a controversy lately since the killing of Osama Bin Laden. Many Native Americans feel that it was wrong to link one of the greatest Native American heroes to one of America's most dangerous terrorist. Why couldn't the U.S Navy have chosen a different name to avoid controversy? Has Geronimo simply become a figure of speech? Didn't the Navy care enough to think about the history behind its meaning? People have different perspectives of Geronimo but most Native Americans look up to him as a historical figure and someone who protected them. Geronimo fought for his land and his people - totally incomparable to Osama Bin Laden.
             It's certain that the use of the name Geronimo as a code for Osama bin Laden was based on misunderstood and misconceived historical perspectives of Geronimo and his armed struggle against the United States and Mexican governments. Apparently, the correlations come where Geronimo was known for being able to sneak out of situations and disappear into thin air and obviously Osama Bin Laden had been very hard to track down. If they were trying to avoid myth-making, it seems they chose the wrong code name. The Obama Administration quickly shot down any misconceptions using a name like that when they announced, "Geronimo was a general name for the operation, not for bin Laden himself". There's a reason why only a select few intelligent people were included in this very sensitive mission. Obviously, the official who coined the term for the operation lacked the intellectual qualifications.
             One may recall that Geronimo was the nickname that the Mexicans would use when they fought him almost two decades ago. It would appear that the code name of Geronimo was overlooked by the fact that it wasn't even his real name. According to Times Magazine, I don't think military officials use code names to be controversial, instead they choos...