SEALs. That was basically good time. [51] Gallagher's case was scheduled for a hearing by the Navy SEAL review board on December 2, 2019. One of them said: "I have got a cool story for you when I get back. [17] For the most serious charge of murder of a prisoner, according to the defense, Gallagher stabbed a corpse and embellished a story out of misplaced bravado; the prisoner had already died of his wounds. [18][19] This was the first time a President directly intervened in an imprisonment conditions matter since President Richard Nixon intervened in favor of Lieutenant William Calley, one of the perpetrators of the My Lai Massacre, by ordering him released from a military brig to house arrest in 1971. Not all the SEALs statements are consistent about what they witnessed or even when the alleged incidents occurred. Rangers. Well, I guess that's not lighter. I mean, he had NEVER TAKEN A PICTURE WITH HIS KID. Gallagher also was present when the prisoner received a trachea tube, two chest tubes and a Sternal Intraosseous Infusion, which bores through bone to reach veins when other IVs wont work, records indicate. [39][36] President Trump congratulated Gallagher on his acquittal over Twitter. Green Berets. [6] The defense also called eyewitnesses, with Marine Staff Sgt. Chief Eddie Gallagher (right, in cap) takes control of a prisoner (far left), an ISIS fighter who had been wounded. [14], According to the original Navy prosecutor Chris Czaplak, "Chief Gallagher decided to act like the monster the terrorists accuse us of being. [9][1] This resulted in him being confined in the brig for a time with heavy restrictions on his ability to communicate, although this confinement was later lessened. He also told NCIS that Gallagher had shot at but missed another young girl in a previous incident. [54] Special Operator First Class Corey Scott, a platoon medic, had informed investigators, "You could tell he was perfectly O.K. The SO1 found it strange that (Gallagher) was present because (Gallagher) should have been closer to the fighting outside the compound with the forward element, NCIS wrote. The medic, Special Operator First Class Corey Scott who testified under an immunity agreement, testified that he himself had killed the wounded prisoner by covering his breathing tube and asphyxiating him. This is the reason that other countries call us to solve their problems. [2], On July 2, 2019, Gallagher was convicted of posing for a photograph with the corpse of an ISIS fighter, but was acquitted of all other charges after Special Operator Corey Scott, a member of Gallaghers team granted immunity as a witness against Gallagher, testified that he had killed the prisoner. This is a false narrative peddled by Gallagher and his supporters. He described Gallaghers knife as the same weapon the chief always carried in a leather sheath. Gallagher's accusers painted him as a bloodthirsty warrior who was out of control in Iraq in 2017. Associates said Spencer would resign if such an order is issued, believing it undercuts his authority and that of Rear Adm. Collin Green, commander of the SEALs. Subscribe to Heres the Deal, our politics Although they had the NCIS hotline number for days, legal files indicate that not one of the SEAL witnesses called it. Most are very private about where they serve and how they are serving. Two other SEALs who also deployed with Gallagher but did not testify in his trial told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday speaking out against the retired Chiefs identifying currently serving SEAL Team members. Green ordered Gallagher's case to be investigated by the Trident Review Board, in order to determine whether Gallagher should be stripped of his SEAL Trident insignia, the official symbol of certification within the Naval Special Warfare SEAL community. But officials insisted he received threats because he helped investigators and asked that his identity be protected for now, too. The LPO told the agent that an SO1 who remained to assist Gallagher with the medical care was freaking out a little bit over what Eddie just did but there was nothing anyone could do because the subject was dead.. [3], Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on May 29, 1979, Gallagher graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School. [15] The family of Abdullah, the boy Gallagher allegedly stabbed to death, was contacted by media several years after the event and claimed that they were unaware of the circumstances surrounding their son's death and that they had not been contacted by prosecutors. And when our EOD technician was shot on a rooftop, it was Medic Corey Scott who immediately treated him and formulated a plan to get him off the roof as Lt. Tom MacNeil called in a medical evacuation in defiance of Lt. Jake Portier, our platoon leader, who ordered him not to do so because we were in a restricted area. I doubt Eddie Gallagher is thumbing away on his computer and coming up with these graphics and effects himself. It played into their overall narrative that this was a sloppy investigation, they didn't ask the right questions to the right people at the right time. He emerges in the reams of testimony as the most prominent SEAL pushing superiors to block his former platoon chiefs advancement and Silver Star and terminate him from his training assignment. The problem is, once they get what they wanted, the process doesnt stop. They wanted him fired from a schoolhouse billet that taught junior SEALs battlefield operations. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. ISIS had taken over large swaths of Iraq and Syria. My word is my bond. These words are from the SEAL Ethos and are ingrained into every single SEAL trainee. But the one thing that they did have were these photographs that Gallagher sent out to people in the United States and other members of the platoon with him posing with a knife up to the dead detainee. This case was handled very badly from the beginning. Last summer, Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher was acquitted of shooting civilians and killing a captive ISIS fighter. He was the first non-Marine to graduate from the United States Marine Corps Scout Sniper School that he attended. The SEAL compound boasted a main headquarters building that overlooked the low ground below them and peered over an opposite hillside. New York Times reporter Dave Philipps joins Deadline White House panel to discuss the Navy SEALs' testimony against Eddie Gallagher. After two weeks of testimony, Chief Edward Gallagher was found not guilty of murdering a suspected ISIS prisoner in Iraq. We had been through a lot, and seven of the 22 members of Alpha Platoon decided that it was more important to be able to look our kids in the eye and teach them between right and wrong than to be popular in misguided social circles. He told NCIS that he watched Gallagher and the other SO1 for a few minutes but then returned to his duties as the LPO. [1] Gallagher also was reportedly known for indiscriminately spraying neighborhoods with rockets and machine gun fire with no known enemy force in the region. [12] According to two SEAL witnesses, Gallagher said "he's mine" over the radio, then walked up to Abdullah and allegedly proceeded to stab him with his hunting knife without explanation. Sometimes Lt. Portier would make excuses for Gallagher, and sometimes he assured us that he had taken action against him. Gallagher, 40, was acquitted of murder and nearly all related charges in a court martial trial last year. The toothpaste is outta the tube and there is no putting it back in now. Portier, he said, gathered all of the team members together and took a photograph of the team.". It was as simple as the banner that hung on my seventh-grade teachers desk: The right choice isnt always popular, and the popular choice isnt always right. My only regret is not doing more. Was always a jerk. During Alpha Platoons deployment, the SO1 had served as the lead petty officer, or LPO, and his initial statement to NCIS took the agent back to Badush a village in the suburbs of Mosul in early May of 2017, when the platoon was conducting an Advise, Assist and Accompany, or AAA, mission with Iraqi coalition forces members. [16] The defense argued that Gallagher's text messages merely reflected dark comedy in a stressful situation, and that his more outrageous boasts, such as killing twenty people a day, were clearly impossible. But Gallagher faces a long line of SEALs prepared to provide damning testimony under oath against him. Another sniper who also has indicated he might not testify later told prosecutors that he saw an old man go down, but he didnt see Gallagher shoot him, according to emails to prosecutors provided to Navy Times. Gallagher was convicted on charges related to posing with the corpse and reduced in rating. Process should move quickly! Gallagher snapped, Thats tactics and were not here to talk about tactics, the SO1 said. Got him with my hunting knife.". 2023 Barstool Sports. WebEddie Gallagher (Navy SEAL) Edward R. Gallagher (born May 29, 1979) [1] is a retired United States Navy SEAL who was accused of war crimes. I've certainly never heard of anything like this happening. [32], Prosecutors were taken by surprise by Scott's testimony, since the medic had never given this version of events to them or Navy investigators. He recalled no injuries to his neck and that the prisoner was unarmed, conscious and not combative.". Because of ICFM gains, Islamic State fighters had been pushed back from their main positions and were retreating into the city. Dillon called the arrest a "significant blow to Daesh," using the Arabic acronym for the extremist group. That said, facts are facts. He told NCIS that he remembered listening to the ceremony and believing it was the most disgraceful thing he had ever seen," but it just got worse. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War. That's going to have implications on Gallagher's retirement. Gallagher, 40, was acquitted of murder and nearly all related charges in a court martial trial last year. ", "Navy SEAL Demoted For Taking Photo With Corpse Of ISIS Fighter", "After Contentious Trial, Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher Found Not Guilty of the Murder of an ISIS Fighter", "Trump restores rank to Fort Wayne native, Navy SEAL Gallagher", "Decorated Navy SEAL Is Accused of War Crimes in Iraq", "A Jekyll and Hyde portrait emerges of the SEAL accused of murdering an Islamic State prisoner", "Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw fighting for fellow Navy SEAL being held on war crimes charges", "Navy SEALs Were Warned Against Reporting Their Chief for War Crimes", "Uncovering a Military Culture Split Between Loyalty and Justice", "Second Navy SEAL charged in war crimes probe", "Iraqi Family Identifies Their Son As ISIS Teen At Center Of Navy War Crimes Trial", "Trump's Intervention in SEALs Case Tests Pentagon's Tolerance", "Judge Denies Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher's Request to Dismiss War Crimes Charges", "Navy SEAL War Crimes Trial in Turmoil Over Claims Prosecutors Spied on Defense", "Marine testifies Navy SEAL did not stab Iraq captive", "Prosecutors, NCIS investigator accused of 'misconduct' in war crimes case", "In honor of his past service to our Country, Navy Seal #EddieGallagher will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court. When Gallagher was asked by host Pete Hegseth to offer his opinion, Gallagher opined: "this is all about ego and retaliation and this has nothing to do with good order and discipline. The SO1 sniper said that the northern tower was occupied by Gallagher and two second class petty officers from SEAL Team 7. Gallaghers case became a cause clbre in conservative circles, with President Trump championing his innocence. But, on this last charge, the least serious of the seven charges, the jury decided to give him the maximum sentence, which is this four months in jail, and they reduced him in rank from a chief petty officer to a petty officer 1st class. [4] He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1999. They want to do what SEALs do, things like raids where they can rehearse the operation to perfection. "Not a single one of us could have imagined that we would have to report a friend and mentor. Gallagher was charged with murdering 17-year-old Khaled Jamal Abdullah in 2018, along with other charges. We raise each other up and create a culture of constant improvement and accountability. But I guess the evidence citing if Gallagher has a text that says, "I can't wait to tell you the story about this, I got him with my knife," how did Gallagher's team push that off? This offer contradicted Spencer's public position and was kept secret from Esper. To Gallaghers legal team, theres a problem with these alleged motives. Gallagher was charged with murdering 17-year-old Khaled Jamal Abdullah in 2018, along with other charges. [31] Scott called it a "mercy killing" and argued that the victim would have been tortured by Iraqi personnel due to his connection to the Islamic State. Task and Purpose has written about it. Both defense attorneys and prosecutors agree that Gallaghers relationship with his former platoon was growing increasingly acrimonious. His son was 6. He was slated to be awarded a Silver Star during that fateful deployment in Mosul when the [6] On October 18, Lieutenant Jacob Portier of Gallagher's platoon was also charged with failing to properly notify his superiors within the chain of command, to include the destruction of evidence. [40] Four weeks later, President Trump announced over Twitter he had directed the Secretary of the Navy to revoke Navy Achievement Medals given to members of the prosecution team that oversaw Gallagher's case. It was only later, the SO1 said, that he learned his platoon chief took the shot, but it remains unclear why he came to believe it was Gallagher. Whats unusual about the interview is that it appears at times almost as if the LPO believes hes attending an intelligence debriefing, not necessarily the sort of interrogation conducted by federal detectives building a criminal case against his former platoon chief. After President Trump brought the issue up at a meeting with Chief of Naval Operations John M. Richardson, Admiral Richardson took up the request personally. Nearly 50 minutes into his videotaped interview with NCIS, the SO1 sniper conceded that the SEALs had received intel reports that women were supplying weapons, water and food to Islamic State fighters, but he insisted he saw nothing like that through his scope. They also portrayed the SEALs in Gallagher's platoon Gallagher is 40 years old now. He wants to help NCIS agents get Eddie, said Parlatore. A retired Navy SEAL acquitted of nearly all charges in a high-profile war crimes case brought on by testimony from his platoon mates released a video identifying some of those same men, calling them cowards and hinting that more information is coming. Gallagher then text messaged a friend in California a picture of himself holding the dead captive's (ISIS) head by the hair with the explanation "Good story behind this, got him with my hunting knife.[9][13], Prosecutors alleged that Gallagher's sniper work during his 2017 deployment became "reckless" and "bloodthirsty". He told us there was a process to report these crimes and he had already notified our troop commander, Lt. Cmdr. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. (third from right) speaks at a rally on Capitol Hill supporting Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher, facing war crimes charges for actions in Afghanistan. WebAnswer (1 of 13): I will admit out right that I havnt liked Eddie since he was my buddy Daves LPO. (Leo Shane III/Staff). [44], The clemency decision ended up moot: in November 2019, President Trump announced that Gallagher's demotion would be reversed. "[citation needed], Gallagher was one of three military personnel accused or convicted of war crimes on whose behalf Trump had intervened to pardon or promote. Later, another SO1 who was trained in battlefield medicine told NCIS that he remembered watching the other SEAL corpsman treating the detainee, who appeared to have suffered a leg injury and struggled to breathe, possibly from blast lung, a condition that often affects those who survive explosions. They say its obstruction of justice or intimidating witnesses, but its really just telling the truth and telling the truth isnt obstructing justice, he said. They yanked an injured boy the SEAL estimated he was 16 years old, but others thought him younger off the hood, near where Gallagher was standing. Green noted that SEALs with criminal convictions almost always lose their Trident Pin. At one unspecified date, Gallagher announced, We need to cleanse Muslims like the Old Testament," according to the SO1s interview with NCIS. All Rights Reserved. Directors Doug Shultz and Jeff Zimbalist secured the participation of Gallagher; his wife, Andrea; and the members of SEAL Team 7 who accused Gallagher of war crimes. The decorated Navy SEAL had been accused stabbing the wounded teenage captive back in 2017. Steve Walsh, thank you very much for being here. Two high-ranking Iraqi members of the Ministry of the Interiors forces, Maj. Gen. Abbas al-Jubouri and Col. Omar Issa Khadim, told NCIS that the detainee was barely alive when they brought him to the SEALs compound and passed away from gunshot wounds, not a stabbing. By Julie Watson, Brian Melley, Associated Press. When I first saw the video that Gallagher put on his Instagram page, I was legit shocked. Gallagher was accused of several war crimes by some of his platoon subordinates, including that he shot civilians and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter in the neck, killing him, while in Iraq in 2017. Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Eddie Gallagher in Iraq in 2017. Truth is our best defense and we think that once everyone hears what really happened, Eddie will be exonerated.. [45] A week earlier, Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer had sent Trump a note asking him not to intervene again. We had given him the benefit of the doubt for a long time, but all that did was enable him. (Army). One of the SEALs is particularly prized by prosecutors because he allegedly was an eyewitness to the murder, but hes prepared to go to the brig rather than testify in Gallaghers trial, according to an email provided to Navy Times. He made the tactical decisions and we carried them out. The request was initially rejected by Rear Admiral Bette Bolivar. He was slated to be awarded a Silver Star during that fateful deployment in Mosul when the The LPO told NCIS that Gallagher later approached him and said hed killed four women today," alleged war crimes the SO1 said he repeated to Portier and another lieutenant. The accusations came from SEALs in Gallagher's own platoon, who said he was also known for taking shots at civilians from his sniper's nest, killing at least two. Gallagher and his commanding officer, Lieutenant Jake Portier, then posed for photographs of them standing over the body with some other nearby SEALs. So, in the end, that was what he was convicted of. Theres the fog of war, of course, but several statements display fundamental disagreements about what occurred on the battlefield and was rehashed during meetings with each other and their superiors back in California. Get the latest in military news, entertainment and gear in your inbox daily. Edward R. Gallagher (born May 29, 1979)[1] is a retired United States Navy SEAL who was accused of war crimes. Chief Eddie Gallagher (right, in cap) takes control of a prisoner (far left), an ISIS fighter who had been wounded. But thats not what they were being asked to do in Iraq and they were blaming their frustrations on Eddie., Special Operations Chief Edward "Eddie" Gallagher, a highly decorated Navy SEAL, is fighting murder charges tied to the death of an Islamic State operative in Iraq. I hoped the men who were acquitted or pardoned would use their platforms to bring awareness about issues facing veterans and active-duty members. He turned to the jury of all members of the military, Marines and a couple and one SEAL, as a matter of fact, and said, who among us had not had their commander threatened to kill them at one point or another? Other Alpha Platoon members told investigators that Gallagher bragged about killing girls, but prosecutors conceded it wasnt clear whether those statements if they were made at all reference either or both of these incidents.. Was always a jerk. Our senior leaders created the ethos to address moral failures that were happening at home and overseas during the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And they certainly dont murder unarmed prisoners or terrorize civilian populations. WebAnswer (1 of 13): I will admit out right that I havnt liked Eddie since he was my buddy Daves LPO. In a Jan. 11 motion filed by Gallaghers defense team, attorneys indicated that the Marine who has declined to assist NCIS saw the detainee but detected no stabbings around the neck or chest and said the prisoner had stopped breathing before dying. What seems clear is that the SO1 already had grown to fear his chief. Here, his mission was to serve in an advisory role, versus taking part in direct action. [38] The jury gave Gallagher, who had already served the maximum prison time for this charge, a demotion from Chief Petty Officer (E-7) to Petty Officer First Class (E-6); this was lighter than other potential punishments, such as an Other Than Honorable (OTH) discharge, which were not handed down. I didn't want to spread the names and wanted to see what they thought before even hitting publish but it's out there. Gallagher repeatedly sent us to positions where SEALs and our Iraqi partner forces were wounded or killed by small arms and rockets. To attempt to out (their) status raises questions about the decision to do so.. The SEAL didnt think Gallagher was working on a severely wounded detainee, but the platoon chief was soon assisted by another SO1. And he told Warpinski he wasnt alone in the southern tower Lt. Portier, a staff sergeant from Marine Forces Special Operations Command and an SO1 from DEVGRU were with him. This one involved whats called a switchblade drone that was operated by the platoon on Aug. 1 that killed civilians in Tal Afar, according to legal filings. Gallagher had eight overseas deployments, including service in both the Iraq War and the War in Afghanistan. For a couple of lighter stories, check out Zero Blog 30's new episode that just came out this morning, one of which highlighted some Army Rangers who performed multiple blood transfusions in the middle of a firefight. He remembered attending Bible study at the home of the chief and his wife, Andrea, who led the class. Gallagher repeatedly sent us to positions where SEALs and our Iraqi partner forces were wounded or killed by small arms and rockets. Gallagher allegedly told two lieutenants and another chief that he had dirt on all of them and would bring them all down if they reported his war crimes, prosecutors wrote. Throughout the trial, Gallagher acted as though it was not he who had been accused of wrongdoing but the investigators, prosecutors and witnesses. Gallagher was accused of multiple offenses during his final deployment to Iraq and during the Battle for Mosul. [7], During his service, he was decorated for valor several times, including two Bronze Stars. He told Warpinski he saw four girls walking along it, toward the river, away from ISIS territory. Both are expected to testify that it was clear the man was a noncombatant and they made the decision not to shoot, according to a filing provided to defense attorneys. The seriously wounded Islamic State fighter, believed to be between 15 and 17 years of age, military prosecutors believe was murdered by a Navy SEAL. [31][37] The same jury that tried Gallagher sentenced him on July 3, 2019, for posing with the corpse. The only thing he was convicted of was posing in a photo with the dead captive's body. So there was a feeling today that maybe Gallagher would serve no jail time at all, at least wouldn't get a sentence of any jail time. By early 2019, however, the prosecution had settled on a narrative about what began going wrong in Iraq two years earlier, according to legal filings and internal correspondence provided to Navy Times. (screen shot of YouTube video used as evidence in criminal hearing), The lead petty officer told NCIS that he went and found the officer in charge of the platoon, Lt. Jacob X. Because of the immunity agreement Scott could not be prosecuted for testifying that he killed the prisoner. Iraqi security forces distribute food to refugees from Badush outside of a patrol base near Al Tarab, Iraq during the offensive to liberate West Mosul from ISIS, on March 10, 2017. People in intelligence communities are hesitant to take pictures at all because they fear that there might be a link back to their families one day. Gallagher was accused of several war crimes by some of his platoon subordinates, including that he shot civilians and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter in the neck, killing him, while in Iraq in 2017. Apparently, he sent a photograph of the captive's body. It will mark a sea change in the sea services clandestine and close-knit cadre of SEALs, a secretive and elite military force that rarely testifies against each other, especially in war crimes probes attracting an international audience. We were Navy SEALs fighting ISIS in a battle that has been called the most intense urban conflict since World War II. Due to the charged nature of the case, this request went high up the chain of command. From this clip, it doesnt appear that will be the case. The SO1 told Warpinski that by mid-August of 2018 Portier had become angry at Gallagher for allegedly mischaracterizing incidents that occurred during the deployment, including how Islamic State fighters ended up shooting both an interpreter assigned to the SEALs and an explosive ordnance technician. Gallagher was originally accused by fellow SEAL members, members of his own platoon, which, in and of itself, is sort of odd, given the historically tight-knit nature of the SEAL organization. Directors Doug Shultz and Jeff Zimbalist secured the participation of Gallagher; his wife, Andrea; and the members of SEAL Team 7 who accused Gallagher of war crimes. Members of Navy SEAL Team 7 Alpha Platoon in Mosul, Iraq (Photo courtesy of the Joshua Vriens). Gallagher repeatedly sent us to positions where SEALs and our Iraqi partner forces were wounded or killed by small arms and rockets. [27] Hunter told reporters that he intended to ask for a presidential pardon if Gallagher was convicted. [54], At the end of November 2019, Gallagher retired from the Navy with full honors, pension, and medical benefits. They were very celebratory. (AP Photo, File). That included Gallagher telling another platoon chief that the rest of the platoon were afraid to go out on patrol during the deployment and they were all cowards, according to the NCIS report about the SO1 snipers interview. The video uses footage from those NCIS interviews and highlights the faces of SEALs in the interviews and in a unit deployment photo, giving the name, rank and current position of six SEALs and the NCIS lead investigator. According to a former Navy prosecutor, the top admiral in the Navy directly handling such a matter is extremely rare, but not unmerited due to the high profile of the case. [5][6] He was trained as a medic, a sniper, and an explosives expert. Gallagher was the subject of a number of reports from fellow SEAL team members, stating that his actions were not in keeping with the rules of war, but these reports were dismissed by the SEAL command structure. My character and honor are steadfast. One other Marine raider who was there also said that he saw no stab wounds on the dead body. And then his attorneys seem pretty eager to appeal this decision. You have been following this trial all along. They could have taken my Trident at any time they wanted, now they are trying to take it after the President restored my rank and after we just filed IG exposing all the corruption that has been going on during my case. | He came to national attention in the United States after he was charged in September 2018 with ten offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. He told NCIS it had a blade a few inches long, although photographs of the weapon make it look stubbier.
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