He is out there somewhere among the snow-capped peaks in southern Afghanistan or, perhaps, northern Pakistan. Amid the smugglers' trails, the myriad caves and the steep and narrow mountain passes, Osama bin Laden still lurks -- out of the reach of armed forces hungry to bring him to justice.

	An eastern alliance soldier points toward the Afghanistan mountains where U.S. special forces and alliance soldiers are searching for Osama bin Laden.

Jeremy Teela and Lawton Redman, it would seem, have the exceptional and specific tools to expedite the operation the Central Intelligence Agency used to call an "executive action." Teela and Redman, you see, are swift skiers and, quite literally, straight shooters who happen to work for the United States Army.

Teela grew up in Anchorage, Alaska, dreaming of being a Navy Seal, part of an elite, special unit that carries out top secret missions. Redman, a native of Florence, Vt., long has been fascinated by the mystique of the military.

Today, they are part of the U.S. biathlon team that will compete in February at the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. It is unlikely that Teela and Redman, members of the U.S. Army's world-class athlete program, will be summoned to don camouflage and pursue bin Laden, but nonetheless they stand ready to go.

"If my national guard unit got activated, I'd put my stuff in storage, fly to Vermont and pick up my gear," Teela said. "The two things I've always wanted to do to serve my country was participate in the Olympics and a war."

Said Redman: "I don't think any of us would have a problem with it. That's our main purpose as soldiers."

In the wake of the events of Sept. 11, America's pride in its uniforms -- from police, fire and emergency personnel to the military -- has swelled to unprecedented post-World War II levels. As a result, there will be more attention on the national biathlon team than ever before when it opens Olympic competition Feb. 11 in Soldier Hollow, Utah.

Four of the eight national team members -- Teela, Redman, Andrea Nahrgang and Kristina Viljanen-Sabasteanski -- are part of the Army's world-class program that subsidizes their training at Fort Carson in Colorado.

"Everyone sees the military connection," said Nahrgang, a supply specialist. "We were never attacked during the Gulf War, but after these attacks, when so many civilians lost their lives, I think people appreciate us more.

"If I got called back to my National Guard unit in Minnesota, I'd be handing out rifles and clothing. You wouldn't ask any questions, you'd just go."

An odd juxtaposition
The biathlon, as you might expect, traces its roots to the military. The first competition is believed to have been staged between Swedish and Norwegian border patrol units in 1767 -- before the American Revolution. The first modern world championship was held in Saalfelden, Austria in 1958. Two years later, the biathlon was featured in its first Olympics, in Squaw Valley, Calif.

	The skill and athletic ability needed to compete in the biathlon can be used for more than just fun and games. Several U.S. Olympians could be called upon to track down Osama bin Laden.

Biathlon races are 10-, 12.5- and 20-kilometer tests of endurance and marksmanship that require athletes to complete cross-country skiing laps around a course, stopping several times to shoot a standard, bolt-action .22 caliber rifle at five targets some 50 meters away from both standing and prone positions. It is harder than it sounds. Skiing at a furious pace, then stopping to squeeze off precise, measured shots isn't easy; it isn't unlike running a quarter mile at full speed, then instantly attempting to balance your check book. It is an odd juxtaposition.

Kids in America don't exactly grow up imagining themselves gliding along on snowy trails, pumping out a few rounds. But all of these elite Army athletes somehow fell into the sport and have grown to love it.