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| -Lurid Crime Tales- |
| Navy SEAL trial exposes divide in normally secretive force |
| 2019-07-01 |
| SAN DIEGO (AP) ‐ It was called the "The Sewing Circle," an unlikely name for a secret subsect of Navy SEALs. Its purpose was even more improbable: A chat forum to discuss alleged war crimes they said their chief, a decorated sniper and medic, committed on a recent tour of duty in Iraq. The WhatsApp group would eventually lead to formal allegations that Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher fatally stabbed a wounded Islamic State captive in his care and shot civilians in Iraq in 2017. Gallagher, 40, has pleaded not guilty to the charges. A jury of mostly combat Marines will ultimately decide the fate of the 19-year-veteran and Bronze Star recipient charged with murder, attempted murder and conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline for posing with the corpse for photographs. No matter the outcome, the court-martial at Naval Base San Diego has provided a rare view into the insular Navy SEAL community and likely will have a long-term impact on one of the military’s most secretive and revered forces. It has pitted veterans against each other both inside the courtroom and out in a fierce debate over brotherhood, morality and loyalty. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #5 ...pretty much, Loss, damage, destruction, or wrongful disposition of military property. UCMJ Art. 108 |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2019-07-01 11:41 |
| #4 SEALs added that they “tampered with his sniper rifle to make it less accurate Seriously? Oughtn’t they be up on charges for that? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2019-07-01 10:44 |
| #3 Doers and Drones. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2019-07-01 09:05 |
| #2 The dead IS guy deserves no attention, and for shooting civs Gallagher needed more help and counseling than anything. Maybe some time off, a shrink... Looks like some self-righteous bravo foxtrotting to me. Or a set-up ? They thought he's going to get them into trouble someday, and when given the chance they ganged up on whatsapp to get their stories synced... anything is possible. From Time Mag: a sniper, Gallagher is alleged to have shot at two Iraqi citizens, an old man and a young girl, “with a dangerous weapon likely to produce death or grievous harm He shot at people, but didn't intend to hit them. SEALs added that they “tampered with his sniper rifle to make it less accurate Now, those are serious offenses for military law. While these accusations have been levied by a few, there are more than four times as many in Eddie’s platoon who were there at these incidents that say it never happened. |
| Posted by: Dron66046 2019-07-01 01:49 |
| #1 The military court will decide this one. Being photographed with dead enemy combatants, not good. Not good at all. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2019-07-01 01:14 |