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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- Representative James Smith of Richland County called bin Laden’s death welcome news and an important event for the world.

Smith is a Captain in the South Carolina Army National Guard. He was deployed for a year in 2007 to Afghanistan. There he pursued bin Laden and got to know members of Al Qaeda on a personal basis.

“There is no negotiating with them,” he explained.

Smith recalls a visit to Ground Zero in New York shortly after 9-11.

“I spent some time in thought and prayer about what was going to take place and knew there was going to be tremendous sacrifice on behalf of so many in our nation to do what needed to be done which is bring Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda, and the Taliban to justice.”

Now, the sacrifices of service members and their families are at the forefront of his mind.

“I thought a great deal about so many of the families in our state and nation that have sacrificed so much in separation from their families but it is who we are and what we do…it is standing for the values we believe in…that a mass murderer of innocence is not going to go unchecked,” Smith said.

The fight to protect this country’s freedom continues.

“There is nothing that guarantees our freedoms from one generation to the next…all it is is the will of our service members to give all they have to make sure those freedoms are delivered to the next generation they are going that today and everyday we should all be proud of them this is a day I will always remember where I was when I learned finally justice was delivered to Osama bin Laden"

Smith believes more work is left to be done and says his heart and mind remain with those still fighting overseas.