SEAL who killed bin Laden recalls 9/11 moment that changed his life: Welcome to my world

Rob ONeill, the Navy SEAL credited with Usama bin Laden, had just returned from a 40-day deployment to Kosovo when the world changed forever.

The former Navy SEAL told Fox News Digital in an interview ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11 that he was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany, on Sept. 11, 2001, preparing equipment and catching up on emails when every television channel switched to breaking news.

"At first, there was a hole in the North Tower," ONeill recalled. "No one even knew what the North Tower of the World Trade Center was that day."

ONeill and his fellow service members initially wondered whether a small plane had accidentally crashed into the building. But after the second plane struck the South Tower shortly after 9 a.m. Eastern time, they immediately understood the significance of what they were watching.

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"Im in an operations center with intel analysts and Navy SEALs, and we all collectively knew that our lives just changed," ONeill said.

The names of Usama bin Laden and al Qaeda were soon mentioned in the room.

"Were on a deployment to Germany, were probably going to Sudan. We dont know where," he said. "The name Usama bin Laden was said in that room, al Qaeda. And we just knew our lives were going to change."

ONeill eventually re-enlisted in the Navy in the aftermath of the attacks and went on to serve with SEAL Team Six, the elite special operations unit that ultimately carried out the raid that killed bin Laden in in 2011.

But in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, he did not know he would play a role in hunting down the mastermind of the attacks.

"I knew, for me, the Navy was never going to be a career," ONeill said. "I joined because I thought it was cool, re-enlisted because of the guys, re-enlisted because of 9/11, go to SEAL Team Six."

As the reality of the attacks set in, ONeill briefly left the secure operations area and called his brother in Montana, who worked in morning radio.

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"I said, Hey man, I dont know if youre up. Turn the TV on," ONeill recalled. "He said, Which channel? I said, Doesnt matter. And then he turned it on and all I said to him was, Welcome to my world."

Looking back on the 25 years that have passed since the tragedy that took the lives of 2,977 people, ONeill says he was moved by the way the country came together after the and while he hopes there is never another 9/11, he does wish Americans could recapture the spirit of unity that followed. He recalled the image of lawmakers from both parties standing together on the steps of the Capitol and singing "God Bless America."

"It was about America first, not foreign interests," ONeill said. "It was a time of unity."

Roughly a third of the U.S. population was not alive on 9/11 and ONeill told Fox News Digital what his message for them about the tragedy would be.

"No matter what, at night, dont go to bed angry with anyone in your family," he said. "Hug everyone thats there and tell them you love them."

"You remember on Monday, September 10, some people didnt do that, and they were jumping out of skyscrapers the next day," ONeill said.

He urged Americans to focus on their families, neighbors, communities and first responders.

"If you can take care of each other, and you master those basics, then the world around you is going to be fine," he said. "Sometimes its better just to put the phone down and go outs