A Navy SEAL who was forced to retire after he was convicted of posing with the corpse of a captive teen has now taken to social media to publicly ridicule and endanger active SEALs who helped expose his dangerously bad judgment. Former Chief Petty Officer Eddie Gallagher was on deployment to Iraq in 2017 when he was accused of multiple war crimes including killing civilians and threatening to kill SEAL members who reported him, according to The New York Times. He was acquitted of most of the crimes, apparently inspiring Gallagher to write off the single conviction as a victory because after all, it was only one.
Even after he was allowed to retire as a means of escaping punishment for the conviction, Gallagher refused to do so quietly. He instead called out multiple members of his old troop by name and featured photos of them in a three-minute video initially spotted by The San Diego Union-Tribune. "Even though I went to trial, exposed all the lies that were said about me by certain cowards in my platoon and found not guilty, there are those to this day who refuse to accept that fact," Gallagher said in the video. "I wanted to put this all behind me and move on with my life. Unfortunately, the fight to clear my name is not over."
The post, which includes naval interview clips featuring Gallagher's former teammates, attracted more than 315 comments on Facebook alone, some praising Gallagher and others condemning him. "To be honest you don’t have to say anything else I believe you and have since day one. I appreciate men and women like you I wish there were more! I got your back Eddie," Jake Richison said on Facebook.
Others called out more pressing privacy and security concerns with Gallagher’s post, which was also shared on Instagram. "Exposing these still active soldiers and their positions is an act of cowardice," Donna McGee Feely said. “Because they spoke out and you were accused and then acquitted does not make you innocent.”
Autumn Barnes called Gallagher "a horrible example of Navy Leadership" on Facebook who is jeopardizing "the safety of those still serving" to make himself "look awesome." "I hope your big baby tantrum made you feel better," Barnes said. "I hope the families of those still serving that you just threw under a bus don't end up getting hurt because of your antics.”
David Shaw, a former petty officer, defended those who testified against Gallagher in a phone interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune. “Each and every one of the guys who came forward were performers of the highest caliber and people of the highest reputations within the platoon,” Shaw told the newspaper. "(One) was selected to serve at the most premier institution at Naval Special Warfare and that tells you everything you need to know about his performance and speaks volumes about his character.” Shaw also said Gallagher’s decision to put the soldiers at risk is questionable. “Attempting to call attention to (those SEALs’) status in the way it’s been done does not serve the mission or the interests of the Navy,” Shaw said. “To attempt to out (their) status raises questions about the decision to do so.”
Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence said a statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune Monday that identifying active-duty SEALs is out of accordance with the Navy’s protocol. “As a matter of policy we do not identify our special operators,” she said in the statement. “We don’t identify them by name, or by any other manner, due to the nature of their work, for the protection of their teammates and their families, and to protect on-going and future missions.”
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