On May 28, a panel of Gallaghers peers will start determining whats true about the allegations. Platoon members said they saw Chief Gallagher shoot civilians and fatally stab a wounded captive with a hunting knife. newsletter for analysis you wont find anywhereelse. 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. ", By Although they had the NCIS hotline number for days, legal files indicate that not one of the SEAL witnesses called it. That SO1 told NCIS he left as the other two SEALs continued working on the prisoner, although other interviews and the prosecutions own legal filings in the case portray a chaotic scene, with memories about the incident often jumbled by all the witnesses. All Rights Reserved. What seems clear is that the SO1 already had grown to fear his chief. SEAL Team 1, SEAL Team 3, SEAL Team 5. Chief Eddie Gallagher (right, in cap) takes control of a prisoner (far left), an ISIS fighter who had been wounded. [45] A week earlier, Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer had sent Trump a note asking him not to intervene again. Several of them said that they saw him stab this alleged captive ISIS prisoner. [45], Following his acquittal, Gallagher spoke publicly about the case, appearing on Fox News without authorization, and using social media to describe his superiors, including Rear Admiral Collin P. Green, the newly installed commander of the SEALS, as "a bunch of morons". Yet few people heard about the lives saved, people liberated, or hope restored in Mosul. And while press reports suggested Scott could conceivably be charged with perjury, the Navy dropped their investigation into his statements shortly after Gallagher's acquittal. Almost immediately after seeing the group, one of the girls in a grey dress grabbed her stomach and fell to the ground after she was shot, the SO1 said. [5] He allegedly fired his rifle far more frequently than other snipers;[5] according to testimony, the other snipers in the platoon did not consider him a good sniper, and he took "random shots" into buildings. 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. I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards", "Lawyer for Eddie Gallagher Says Acquitted Navy SEAL Owes Him Up to $1 Million", "Navy Reduces Punishment for SEAL in War Crimes Case", "Report: Trump makes SEAL Gallagher a chief again", "Navy secretary strongly considering resigning over Trump's meddling in SEAL case", "Trump ordered Gallagher be allowed to retire as Navy SEAL, defense secretary says", "Esper says Trump ordered him to stop SEAL review board", "Eddie Gallagher controversy: Esper fires Navy secretary, SEAL will keep Trident pin, Pentagon says", "Esper says Trump ordered him to allow Gallagher to keep his Trident pin and remain a SEAL", "Does Trump's Navy SEAL pardon undermine military justice? Jason Hull). Hes since been advanced to chief, the same grade as Gallagher. 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. Eddie Gallagher Retired SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher sues Navy ", "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. According to an April 20, 2018, NCIS interview with Lt. Cmdr. Advertising InquiriesTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyContent PolicyMessaging Terms, AppAdvertising InquiriesTerms of UsePrivacy PolicyContent PolicyCookie PolicyBest Sports Betting SiteMessaging TermsSubscription Terms. Apparently, he sent a photograph of the captive's body. That is best sailor, in all 6 teams on the West Coast: NSWU-1, NSWU-3, SDVT-1. Process should move quickly! The SO1 told Warpinski that at first, he thought Islamic State fighters were shooting civilians. At one unspecified date, Gallagher announced, We need to cleanse Muslims like the Old Testament," according to the SO1s interview with NCIS. He told NCIS it had a blade a few inches long, although photographs of the weapon make it look stubbier. The LPO indicated the platoons snipers then began shooting warning shots so that the civilians would run away and (Gallagher) would not kill them," according to the report. The decorated Navy Seal was also accused of being reckless with his sniper rifle, and some of his platoon mates alleged that he shot at unarmed civilians. 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. [44], The clemency decision ended up moot: in November 2019, President Trump announced that Gallagher's demotion would be reversed. Gallagher, 40, was acquitted of murder and nearly all related charges in a court martial trial last year. All appear on camera. 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. SEALs Divided: Documentary Hunts for the Absolutely. The charges were lodged and prosecution depended heavily on statements made against Gallagher by platoon mates who deployed with him to Iraq to fight ISIS in 2017. Eddie Gallagher All appear on camera. You have been through much together. Others closer to planning operations inside the platoon expressed deeper concerns about Gallaghers tactical competence and what bait really meant. He was slated to be awarded a Silver Star during that fateful deployment in Mosul when the According to the claim, Gallagher allegedly threatened to kill fellow SEALs if they reported his actions. ", Duncan Hunter supports Gallagher, Trump in Navy SEAL controversy, "Trump says he stood up to the 'deep state' by intervening in war crime cases", Anguish and Anger From the Navy SEALs Who Turned In Edward Gallagher, "From the Brig to Mar-a-Lago, Former Navy SEAL Capitalizes on Newfound Fame", "Eddie Gallagher, Navy SEAL acquitted of stabbing wounded ISIS prisoner to death, tells his story", "Eddie Gallagher Limited Series In Works By Will Staples, Working Title & The New York Times", "Navy SEAL cleared of war crimes and reinstated by Trump now says 'we killed that guy', "Eddie Gallagher's shocking claim that SEALs intended for detainee to die", "Eddie Gallagher says he and other Navy SEALs used a dying enemy fighter for medical practice with no intention of saving him", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eddie_Gallagher_(Navy_SEAL)&oldid=1152104595, This page was last edited on 28 April 2023, at 06:51. I hoped the men who were acquitted or pardoned would use their platforms to bring awareness about issues facing veterans and active-duty members. The San Diego Times-Union has written about it. "[53], After the verdicts, sentence and pardon, the New York Times revisited the case and accessed, using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), investigative reports and also videos of interviews in which six SEALs under the command of Gallagher had separately extensively detailed his ongoing prohibited combat zone behavior, sometimes crying as they recounted the abuse. This would result in an improvement to Gallagher's pension and retirement benefits. Following his Navy career, Gallagher began commercial ventures including an action figure, Gallagher's accusers painted him as a bloodthirsty warrior who was out of control in Iraq in 2017. But, the good comes with the bad. [3], Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on May 29, 1979, Gallagher graduated from Bishop Dwenger High School. In fact, we were expecting Gallagher to come out and talk to us after the sentencing, but, instead, he and his wife got in the car and they drove away. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service. In a statement Thursday, May 10, 2018, coalition spokesman Army Col. Ryan Dillon said that U.S.-backed Syrian forces have captured five senior Islamic State group leaders. 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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. Click here. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Tamara Lawrence said that, as a practice, the Navy does not identify active-duty SEALs. Others were angry that he had been recommended for a post-tour combat valor award the Silver Star an honor they thought he didnt deserve. Many people have asked why we didnt report these crimes as soon as they happened and instead waited months to report them. [58], In 2021, Gallagher said on the podcast The Line, although he did not stab the ISIS fighter, "[the ISIS fighter] was killed by us, and that nobody at that time, had a problem with it", and the group performed medical procedures on the prisoner which killed him (including inserting an emergency airway into the ISIS fighter's throat, "just for practice"). You've seen the picture featuring operators with black bars over their eyes and faces. Multiple witnesses are expected to testify that they were far less effective in combat because their focus shifted from fighting ISIS to protecting civilians and they lost faith in Gallagher as a platoon chief because he was firing indiscriminately at civilians," a file states. [49] The next day (Nov. 25) Esper said that Trump had ordered him to allow Gallagher to keep his Trident Pin, so that Gallagher remained a SEAL until his retirement at the end of November 2019. @foxandfriends @RepRalphNorman", "Will Trump Go Nixonian With Clemency for War Criminals? I just want to make clear that this small group of SEALs that decided to concoct this story in no way, shape or form represent the community that I have, you know, loved and gave my soul to. We even talked to Jocko Willink about taking pictures just last week. 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. To some, it apparently reflected the chiefs drive to have them patrol and conduct raids during the day, much as infantrymen did during the height of the fighting in Iraq. After two weeks of testimony, Chief Edward Gallagher was found not guilty of murdering a suspected ISIS prisoner in Iraq. Josh Vriens [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. That's how protective some of these folks are. NCIS reported that a second class petty officer also saw Gallagher stab the prisoner, but later internal messages shared between defense attorneys and Navy officials appear to indicate that he thought the chief sank his knife into the detainees torso and the boy already had died. 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. Robert Breisch the commander of SEAL Team 7 during the 2017 deployment members of Gallaghers platoon were interviewed by investigators about the drone strike, but its unclear why the SEALs didnt tell them about Gallaghers alleged war crimes then. 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 accusations against Eddie were numerous, with the most prominent being the alleged murder of an Iraqi prisoner of war. According to his first lawyer, Colby Vokey, Gallagher did not pay Vokey's specified rate, and he filed an arbitration claim against Gallagher. [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. Gallagher's accusers painted him as a bloodthirsty warrior who was out of control in Iraq in 2017. The toothpaste is outta the tube and there is no putting it back in now. His son was 6. [59][60][61], Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL (BUD/S), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, "What motivated fellow SEALs to dime out Eddie Gallagher? I doubt Eddie Gallagher is thumbing away on his computer and coming up with these graphics and effects himself. Eddie was definitely a pirate.. Instead, most only heard about Gallagher committing the same kinds of horrific acts as the people we were sent to fight. 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. All appear on camera. 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. It is not always pretty, but just like first responders, that is the nature of our work. Neither Breisch nor his attorney returned messages from Navy Times and Navy officials declined comment. He was interviewed in 2020 by former Navy SEAL and current K9 trainer Mike Ritland on YouTube. Real brothers dont needlessly put their men at risk. That was basically good time. The only thing he was convicted of was posing in a photo with the dead captive's body. It escalates and Warpinski is now on the case.". Investigators found no bodies, so no autopsies were performed. On the stand, his attorney said called them entitled young SEALs. / AFP PHOTO / MOHAMED EL-SHAHED (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP/Getty Images). Iraqi government forces drive on a road leading to Tal Afar on June 9, 2017, during ongoing battles to retake the city from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. 1996 - 2023 NewsHour Productions LLC. Our Iraqi interpreters told us horrific stories of the acts that ISIS committed. [30], On June 20, 2019, during Gallagher's trial, one of the platoon medics from Gallagher's team testifying as a prosecution witness said that although Gallagher did stab the ISIS fighter, he did not actually kill him. And then, all of a sudden, they hit a nerve, said Timothy Parlatore, Gallaghers lead civilian counsel. 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. [39][36] President Trump congratulated Gallagher on his acquittal over Twitter. Truth is our best defense and we think that once everyone hears what really happened, Eddie will be exonerated.. That is best sailor, in all 6 teams on the West Coast: NSWU-1, NSWU-3, SDVT-1. [54] "The guy is freaking evil," Special Operator First (SO1) Class Craig Miller said. Because of the immunity agreement Scott could not be prosecuted for testifying that he killed the prisoner. [59][60][61] Gallagher's attorney during the court-martial, Tim Parlatore, said this was not new information as the prisoner was going to die regardless owing to the injuries sustained and said that Gallagher misspoke as none of the procedures shortened the prisoner's life. 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. Gallagher, 40, was acquitted of murder and nearly all related charges in a court martial trial last year. There is a digital trove of evidence a mile long where Eddie violated dozens of articles of the UCMJ. The SO1 sniper told Warpinski that on the day Gallagher allegedly murdered the prisoner of war, he had returned to the compound and found him speaking to an SO2 at a computer the platoon used to store photos and videos. For that, he was demoted one rank. 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. No one wins in this story. Get back to business!" They don't want this sentence of confinement on his record, if they can possibly avoid it. [12], The prosecution's case relied largely on eyewitness testimony, which the defense sought to discredit as merely that of spiteful malcontents who disliked Gallagher's gruff leadership style. 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. Both defense attorneys and prosecutors agree that Gallaghers relationship with his former platoon was growing increasingly acrimonious. Once the SEALs reached the other side of the river, there didnt appear to be any options if they got pinned down by insurgent gunfire, the AOIC added. Army and Marine grunts braved small arms fire and improvised explosive devices to draw out insurgents and overwhelm them with superior firepower, which explained their high rate of casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Eddie Gallagher As it was supposedly being handled, we took matters into our own hands to attempt to stop our chief. [7], During his service, he was decorated for valor several times, including two Bronze Stars. Gilday eventually partially granted the request in October 2019: he reduced the punishment from a full demotion to a one-rank demotion to special operator first class, as the jury had recommended, rather than the default demotion to Seaman Recruit (E-1). Eddie Gallagher Whats coming is the truth, Parlatore told the newspaper. Theres nothing in that video thats not already public, he told the newspaper. [9] By 2015, Gallagher had acquired a reputation as someone who was more interested in "fighting terrorists", but less interested in complying with rules. The problem was one mans insecurities, greed, and addiction. 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. Two other SEAL petty officers told investigators Gallagher bragged about slaying 10-20 people a day or 150-200 people on deployment, court documents state. Navy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher celebrates after being acquitted of premeditated murder at Naval Base San Diego, July 2, 2019, in San Diego. A lot of remarkable things happened on that deployment. They have no body in this case, very little forensic evidence. Well, they addressed it in the sense of, they said that this was dark humor. Due to the charged nature of the case, this request went high up the chain of command. I mean, if you think about this, this is something that happened in Iraq in 2017. 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. Please check your inbox to confirm. Another SEAL told investigators that he saw Gallagher shoot the elderly man in the back and watched him drop to the ground and saw blood on his back, but its unclear if hell testify. Parlatore said that information in the video about the SEALs was already known. But, in the meantime, he had already served eight months in the brig. Throughout the trial, Gallagher acted as though it was not he who had been accused of wrongdoing but the investigators, prosecutors and witnesses. Chief Gallagher was awarded Sailor of the Year for Naval Special Warfare Group One. Want to write for Task & Purpose? The LPO said during his interview that he confronted Gallagher and told him the guys are not good with what happened today. Gallagher asked, who had a problem, and the LPO said that, he personally had a problem with it, according to the report. The LPO told the investigator that there were other war crimes fellow SEALs witnessed, but he didnt see them. The sniper whos now a civilian claimed he saw Gallagher shoot an elderly man in his 70s or 80s on Fathers Day, 18 June 2017, a shooting backed up by a first class petty officer now assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group often called DEVGRU or SEAL Team 6, according to NCIS records. Gallagher went to trial last summer on charges that he murdered an Islamic State prisoner of war and committed other war crimes in May 2017 outside Mosul, Iraq. [8] On March 30, President Donald J. Trump intervened and ordered Gallagher transferred to "less restrictive confinement" after complaints from his supporters, particularly commentators on Fox and Friends, about his detainment. ", A picture taken on March 14, 2017, in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul shows a drone carrying two grenades flying in a test flight by Iraqi forces which aim to use it against Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Support C&L Go Ad-Free Today and blamed his accusers for being the cowards. 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. Gallagher repeatedly sent us to positions where SEALs and our Iraqi partner forces were wounded or killed by small arms and rockets. Gallagher provides audio commentary over some of the video footage, saying that even though he was acquitted of the charges, there are those to this day who do not accept that fact.. He told Navy Times that Gallagher appeared to have drawn from a deeper understanding of tactics than his junior SEALs possessed and was channeling lessons learned in Iraq a decade earlier. That had a significant impact on the battlefield. From other NCIS and Iraqi records provided to Navy Times, it can be pinpointed to May 3, 2017 less than a month after Alpha Platoon began their tour and the ICFM were members of the Iraqi Emergency Response Division, the Ministry of the Interiors elite special forces unit. [47][48] Esper immediately fired Spencer for going outside the chain of command. [5] Some of these charges, such as flying a drone over a corpse, were dismissed during preliminary hearings. He insisted they all made the story up because THEY were afraid of After repeatedly changing his story and denying that he killed the teenage prisoner at all, he finally conceded a half-truth on Apple TVs The Line documentary: He admitted to killing the prisoner, just not in the manner that my teammates saw, or in the way that he told me and other SEALs. They also have other texts where he threatens to kill his platoon. [9], During his eighth deployment in 2017, Gallagher's aggressiveness seemed to be amplified during the Battle for Mosul. As usual, Fox News figures prominently. He handed ISIS propaganda manna from heaven. The guy is freaking evil, Miller told the investigators. Report: Trump makes SEAL Gallagher a chief again, Committee votes on major defense policy bill expected in May, Military families share workout with first lady Jill Biden, US conducts first evacuation of its citizens from Sudan war, Ukrainian drones strike Crimea oil depot, Russian official says, Army identifies 3 soldiers killed in Alaska helicopter crash, Understanding the role of artificial intelligence, Mark Kitz keynote speech at the C4ISRNET conference, The latest on software, data and artificial intelligence, Army grounds helicopter fleet for force-wide safety stand down. Eddie Gallagher I lifted his head, I looked into his eyes and I stabbed him again, according to the NCIS report. When he returned from packing his gear, however, the LPO told NCIS he found Portier conducting a hasty re-enlistment ceremony for Gallagher next to the body of the dead ISIS fighter, according to the report. (Photo by Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images). Gallaghers case became a cause clbre in conservative circles, with President Trump championing his innocence. Eddie Gallagher Gallagher