US Navy Seal on trial for War Crimes

Johno please? · 3 Jul 2019 at 12:59

Minusorange said:
Not guilty on all counts apart from taking a photo with a dead terrorist

What a waste of time/money it's all been

Yep, thought that would be the outcome, he basically upset a few people and it seems like they colluded to get him sent down. As for stabbing members of ISIS? Sounds great, I think every member of ISIS should be stabbed many, many times.

muon said:
Seems a nice get out. Surely this testimony shouldn't absolve him?

Did they look at the other accusations?

Unfortunately there is a large list of crimes that are likely only the tip of the iceberg.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahmudiyah_rape_and_killings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haditha_massacre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandahar_massacre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamdania_incident
etc.
.

Yea im sure they did, none of those incidents have anything to do with this story :confused:

muon · 3 Jul 2019 at 13:31

Johno please? said:
Yep, thought that would be the outcome, he basically upset a few people and it seems like they colluded to get him sent down. As for stabbing members of ISIS? Sounds great, I think every member of ISIS should be stabbed many, many times.

Yea im sure they did, none of those incidents have anything to do with this story

There were accusations he killed civilians. The nature of war means there isn't the will or ability to collect of evidence. Given this guy doesn't follow any rules, I would say I believe the accusers.

This guy is a right piece if work. Even the testimomy that saved him basically said he didn't give the killing blow, instead someone who was given immunity beforehand took the blame.

These things are way too political. Even when there is clear evidence it's near impossible to prosecute.

edit:

I can see how my previous post incorrectly links the two. I'll edit it. The second part was supposed to be a more general comment.

jsmoke · 3 Jul 2019 at 13:35

Johno please? said:
Yep, thought that would be the outcome, he basically upset a few people and it seems like they colluded to get him sent down. As for stabbing members of ISIS? Sounds great, I think every member of ISIS should be stabbed many, many times.

Yea im sure they did, none of those incidents have anything to do with this story

They made Isis in the first place with their illegal wars. They need an enemy. Personally I'm upset this **** didn't get sent down for a long time. Pure license to kill.

ianh · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:15

The accusations from his colleagues regarding his 10+ "kills" a day have been dismissed as they have been put down to Gallaghers "bravado" rather than any factual claim he was making, so in other words this was mainly over his boasting/lying alongside one actual proven event.

neckbeardthethird · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:32

Pretty predictable outcome, especially as they never had any serious hope of convicting him for the stuff he allegedly did to civilians. So what happens to the SEALS who accused him ? Presumably their careers are over now, still can't get my head around a group of SEALS lying under oath & risking ruining their own careers just because they didn't like his gruff leadership style (as the defence claimed)... how much of a sociopath do you have to be to do that ? It's not like it was just one of them either.

Minusorange · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:47

neckbeardthethird said:
Pretty predictable outcome, especially as they never had any serious hope of convicting him for the stuff he allegedly did to civilians. So what happens to the SEALS who accused him ? Presumably their careers are over now, still can't get my head around a group of SEALS lying under oath & risking ruining their own careers just because they didn't like his gruff leadership style (as the defence claimed)... how much of a sociopath do you have to be to do that ? It's not like it was just one of them either.

Or it could be the other way around and they were telling the truth and he was the sociopath but we'll never know the truth because it's a case of he said/they said

Johno please? · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:49

jsmoke said:
They made Isis in the first place with their illegal wars. They need an enemy. Personally I'm upset this **** didn't get sent down for a long time. Pure license to kill.

*sigh* The ideology and groups like ISIS existed long before any "illegal wars".

Johno please? · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:50

muon said:
There were accusations he killed civilians. The nature of war means there isn't the will or ability to collect of evidence. Given this guy doesn't follow any rules, I would say I believe the accusers.

This guy is a right piece if work. Even the testimomy that saved him basically said he didn't give the killing blow, instead someone who was given immunity beforehand took the blame.

These things are way too political. Even when there is clear evidence it's near impossible to prosecute.

edit:

I can see how my previous post incorrectly links the two. I'll edit it. The second part was supposed to be a more general comment.

Judging by the links jsmoke posted thats evidently not true, seeing as some soliders/marines are in jail for killing civilians.

neckbeardthethird · 3 Jul 2019 at 14:55

Minusorange said:
Or it could be the other way around and they were telling the truth and he was the sociopath but we'll never know the truth because it's a case of he said/they said

Indeed, for me that's the more logical and likely explanation.

deuse · 3 Jul 2019 at 15:36

A very good out come.

dowie · 2 Aug 2019 at 23:53

Trump is now going after the Navy prosecutors:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/31/politics/trump-rescinds-navy-prosecutors-medals/index.html

President Donald Trump on Wednesday ordered top Navy officials to rescind medals awarded to the prosecutors who unsuccessfully tried Navy SEAL team leader Eddie Gallagher for murder.

Trump, who has previously sided with Gallagher, slammed the prosecutors for "giving immunity in a totally incompetent fashion" in the course of the case and for having "difficulty with respect to information that may have been obtained from opposing lawyers." The President said the Navy lawyers had been "ridiculously given a Navy Achievement Medal."
"I have directed the Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer & Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson to immediately withdraw and rescind the awards," Trump tweeted.
The Secretary of the Navy is pulling the medals awarded to the Navy prosecution team, a Navy official told CNN. The official said it is within Spencer's authority to rescind the awards.

ianh · 3 Aug 2019 at 07:23

Whilst the truism of "the US gives out medals just for having breakfast" is comically funny to me, the medal they received is awarded for "Meritorious service or achievement in either combat or noncombat situations based on sustained performance or specific achievement of a superlative nature but which does not warrant a Commendation Medal or higher." and that, regardless of the outcome of the trial, the higher ranks decided that the "specific achievement of a superlative nature" of the low level members of the JAG team warranted the medal after reading the citations given to each officer who received the medal.

However, after the lead prosecutor broke the law (and was punished) and the whole JAG team, including the 4 who received medals, were "sanctioned" by the Judge for violating the constitutional rights of Gallagher by illegally spying on him and his team, it makes the awarding of the medals very strange, especially since that isn't even the worst part as there were accusations of prosecutorial and police misconduct through-out the case including -

"manipulating witness statements to NCIS agents, using immunity grants and a bogus “target letter” in a crude attempt to keep pro-Gallagher witnesses from testifying, illegally leaking documents to the media to taint the military jury pool and then trying to cover it all up when they got caught."

So while I initially thought it is a very poor choice by Trump to intervene in the awarding of such a "low level" medal after reading into it a bit more I can understand why, seeing what the prosecution team got up to, he is angry that they have been "rewarded" for their behaviour during the trial.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your...urt-but-4-navy-prosecutors-still-netted-nams/

jsmoke · 27 Dec 2019 at 19:15

He's been pardoned. Sounds like he's a serial killer though, killing teenagers who pose no threat, sniping young girls and her father for kicks. Can't prove this however, it doesn't sound made up.

Trump has big problem with any authority, I put it down to his time at military school, sounds like he got a hard time.

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/27/eddie-gallagher-trump-navy-seal-iraq

Werewolf · 27 Dec 2019 at 19:34

Given the reaction of his team who certainly seem to have decided it was better to be down a sniper, and his actions I hope the local police and feds keep a close eye on him as it sounds like he was enjoying murdering kids, unarmed people, and prisoners.

The fact he's pardoned isn't going to help him much in the future as most companies will look at what he did and decide they don't want to touch him with a barge pole.
Trump's actions have basically shown a complete disrespect for the military (once again), and go against every principle the US armed forces have been trying to show in regards to professionalism and respect for their orders and the rule of law (not really much different to Trump's attitude to the law in every other respect).

Uther · 27 Dec 2019 at 19:44

jsmoke said:
He's been pardoned. Sounds like he's a serial killer though, killing teenagers who pose no threat, sniping young girls and her father for kicks. Can't prove this however, it doesn't sound made up.

Trump has big problem with any authority, I put it down to his time at military school, sounds like he got a hard time.

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/27/eddie-gallagher-trump-navy-seal-iraq

I'm not sure it's so much a Trump thing as an American military can do no wrong thing. Trump wasn't in charge when the Vincennes shot down an Iranian airliner, some of the crew got medals too.
Bush is on record as saying:
''I will never apologize for the United States – I don't care what the facts are... I'm not an apologize-for-America kind of guy."

jsmoke · 27 Dec 2019 at 19:47

Uther said:
I'm not sure it's so much a Trump thing as an American military can do no wrong thing. Trump wasn't in charge when the Vincennes shot down an Iranian airliner, some of the crew got medals too.
Bush is on record as saying:
''I will never apologize for the United States – I don't care what the facts are... I'm not an apologize-for-America kind of guy."

But ironically in this case the military did punish the guy yet trump reversed it so back to front again.

Uther · 27 Dec 2019 at 19:50

jsmoke said:
But ironically in this case the military did punish the guy yet trump reversed it so back to front again.

I suspect Trump would have the same outlook as Bush on the matter. Personally, I do think the SEAL is a murdering scumbag, who has basically got away with it.

muon · 28 Dec 2019 at 02:25

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50931195

So when is the rest of the platoon being prosecuted for apparently making up lies in court.

But Gallagher's was acquitted of the most serious charges after a trial in which a key witness suddenly reversed his testimony.

One day we'll find out.

Freddie1980 · 28 Dec 2019 at 08:39

jsmoke said:
He's been pardoned. Sounds like he's a serial killer though, killing teenagers who pose no threat, sniping young girls and her father for kicks. Can't prove this however, it doesn't sound made up.

Trump has big problem with any authority, I put it down to his time at military school, sounds like he got a hard time.

https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/dec/27/eddie-gallagher-trump-navy-seal-iraq

He was found guilty of posing in a photo graph of dead prisoner and was acquitted of the murder charges so I don't know where you get this ' he sounds like a serial killer' nonsense from.

VincentHanna · 28 Dec 2019 at 08:44

Freddie1980 said:
He was found guilty of posing in a photo graph of dead prisoner and was acquitted of the murder charges so I don't know where you get this ' he sounds like a serial killer' nonsense from.

Reading comprehension fail?

From the news stories, quoting the leaked video testimony of his squad?

Such as:

Special Operator First Class Corey Scott said: "You could tell he was perfectly OK with killing anybody that was moving."