Navy SEAL commandos from Team 7’s Alpha Platoon said they
had seen their highly decorated platoon chief commit shocking acts in Iraq. And
they had spoken up, repeatedly. But their frustration grew as months passed and
they saw no sign of official action.
Tired of being brushed off, seven members of the platoon
called a private meeting with their troop commander in March 2018 at Naval Base
Coronado near San Diego. According to a confidential Navy criminal
investigation report obtained by The New York Times, they gave him the bloody
details and asked for a formal investigation.
But instead of launching an investigation that day, the
troop commander and his senior enlisted aide — both longtime comrades of the
accused platoon leader, Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher — warned the seven
platoon members that speaking out could cost them and others their careers,
according to the report.
The clear message, one of the seven told investigators, was
“Stop talking about it.”
The platoon members eventually forced the referral of their
concerns to authorities outside the SEALs, and Chief Gallagher now faces a
court-martial, with his trial set to begin May 28.
But the account of the March 2018 meeting and myriad other
details in the 439-page report paint a disturbing picture of a subculture
within the SEALs that prized aggression, even when it crossed the line, and
that protected wrongdoers.
According to the investigation report, the troop commander,
Lt. Cmdr. Robert Breisch, said in the meeting that while the SEALs were free to
report the killings, the Navy might not look kindly on rank-and-file team
members making allegations against a chief. Their careers could be sidetracked,
he said, and their elite status revoked; referring to the eagle-and-trident
badges worn by SEALs, he said the Navy “will pull your birds.”
To read more CLICK HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment