Former SEAL Eddie Gallagher attacks his accusers in online video

| January 29, 2020


Retired Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher sniping at Islamic State fighters in Iraq during his time with the SEALs. (Photo provided)

ChipNASA sent me a link last night about some dirty deeds being done in the SEAL Community. The link was from Task and Purpose, so I took the article with a grain or six of salt, and mentioned back to Chip I was extremely reluctant to get into SEAL’s business, and would need further confirmation.

The article showed what was purported to be an interview and a brief video presented by retired Chief Eddie Gallagher. I was appalled. The video clearly identified specific SEAL’s images and names, and were supposedly some of the ones who allegedly set up Chief Gallagher on the bogus charges we all have no need to go into again.

Seems T&P was right.

Todd South

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.

Former Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward Gallagher posted the 3-minute video on both his Facebook and Instagram channels Monday.

Gallagher, 40, was acquitted of murder and nearly all related charges in a court martial trial last year. 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.

His fellow SEALs told Naval Criminal Investigative Services following the deployment that Gallagher had shot a young girl while on sniper duty, fired at civilians on other occasions and stabbed a wounded ISIS fighter then posed with the corpse for a photograph.

Gallagher was convicted on charges related to posing with the corpse and reduced in rating. But President Donald Trump reinstated his rating late last year.

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.

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 then says that he will share more details about the deployment and ends his video with the hashtag #THETRUTHISCOMING.

In an interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper, one of Gallagher’s attorneys, Tim Parlatore, did not specify what his client’s future project will be or when it will release but did disclose that it will include more footage from the NCIS interviews and the 2017 deployment.

“What’s coming is the truth,” Parlatore told the newspaper.

Two other SEALs who also deployed with Gallagher but did not testify in his trial told the San Diego Union-Tribune on Monday speaking out against the retired Chief’s identifying currently serving SEAL Team members.

I understand payback is a bitch, but this is extreme and will resonate with second and third order consequences.
Read the entire article here: Military Times
Thanks Chip. I think…

Category: Guest Link, Iraq, Navy

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Mason

Nothing like airing your dirty laundry to get the whole program shuttered.

Daisy Cutter

Some people that supported him are now saying it stops with this.

Hondo

That’s completely understandable. Most of that community takes OPSEC quite seriously.

After this, it’s looking more and more like those saying the guy had serious issues and was out of control may have been correct.

The Other Whitey

I certainly don’t blame him for being pissed, but maybe he should’ve thought this through a bit better.

penguinman000

#THETRUTHISCOMING=another SEAL writing another book to turn a quick $$.

Whatever happened to the quiet professional ethos?

Sometimes you get shit on. It all came out in the wash. He was acquitted, retired with his rank intact, JAG got a black eye, and his accusers now have to deal with the community after he was acquitted. Pretty much the best outcome he could’ve hoped for.

What is the point of writing another book, essentially doxing others in the SEAL community, and rolling around in the misery/stink of this case?

It’s not productive and isn’t going to change anything. All it’s going to do is make sure the stain of the accusation remains.

Andy

“Whatever happened to the quiet professional ethos?”

That’s the Green Berets. Probably head and shoulders above SEALS lately.

xyzzy

A green beret is a hat, not a person.

Perhaps you meant ‘United States Army Special Forces’?

IDC SARC

lololololol

Seriously?

Penguinman000

How do you know you’re talking to a SEAL?

His publicist will tell you.

NHSparky

Fastest way to stop a SEAL in his tracks?

Put up a mirror.

David

I read where one of the SEALs who was alleged to have killed an Army Green Beret just made Chief despite being under investigation. Also saw allegations that current SpecOps types have huge entitlement issues and that senior officers think changes are needed. Seems the whole community is having problems.

penguinman000

When his package was before the board the charges likely weren’t included. Those would only show up for board review once he was found guilty.

I’d have to check dates but I suspect his package for selection went in before his courts martial.

Wilted Willy

Kind of reminds me of an old saying from my Pa about pummeling a deceased equine?

Just leave it alone and let sleeping dogs lie??

ChipNASA

Yeah, my comment to Ed on this was it’s kinda like inbred siblings from the back 40 in the mountains whuppin’ on each other. I mean it happens. It ain’t pretty and it doesn’t accomplish much but in this case, they ain’t really gonna wipe the snot offa their noses afterwards and walk back to the cabin arm in arm.

This one is going to leave stink on everything and in my very humble opinion, was unnecessary. that being said, I’ve never been in that kinda “we’re about to fuck you and your life and everything associated with it and there ain’t shit you can do about it..” situation, so I kinda can understand wanting to burn this motherfucker to the ground.

And it’s said….(post image if you can/want, I think it’s apropos)

comment image

SEAL Two

This is what happens when you take a very small, discreet Special Operations organization and massively expand it with little thought of the repercussions. To fill the billets, more and more trainees must be pushed through BUD/S (regardless of quality – now it becomes quantity that counts). So within six years we went from having two SEAL Teams to eight, the entire purpose of which was to create SEAL captain and admiral billets for those “officers” who simply couldn’t give it up when their time ran out.

Poetrooper

Think about it–for the first time ever, with the GWOT and the vast expansion of special operations forces, the Navy, through all the hype about the SEALs, was actually able to garner more public glory than its stepchild, the Marine Corps, long the recognized masters of the glory-hounding mission. Suddenly, as we know well here at TAH, every tool wanted to be a SEAL.

That being the case, I think it was more than just a few SEAL officers seeking to expand their promotional opportunities, although that is certainly suspect–it was the entire Navy brass, seeing it as their way to maintain greater relevance in what was shaping up to be a largely low-intensity, special operations campaign worldwide for the foreseeable future.

The private contractors, offering huge rewards for all that expensive government-paid training also have a role in this, in my opinion, by attracting many candidates to the various spec-op programs who had that prospect of earning high income while having fun as their primary motivation, not selfless service to one’s country.

So there’s plenty of blame to go around. The honest truth is that anyone with an ounce of sense could have seen this coming–but the further truth is that, human nature being what it is, it was entirely inevitable.

pookysgirl (WC wife)

The GWOT was almost entirely land-based, except for the tiny strip of Iraq coastline and what we could hit with our ships. So of course the Navy would put forth the SEALs to stay relevant (and keep the money flowing). “Look at us! We can do land warfare too!”

Drag Racing Maniac

“Look at us! We can do land warfare too!”

SEAL… SEa, Air, Land… just sayin’

IDC SARC

SEALs really don’t need to “prove” what they can do. Inter-service rivalries aside, their history speaks for itself.

Working in Joint areas of SOF, I can tell ya they all have their idiosyncrasies, but overall they are made up of the finest warriors this country can produce.

NHSparky

This alone?

Frankly, yes, a 2500-member community is going to have more bad apples than a 500-member community.

I just don’t see the upside to this. Everyone who matters(ed) knows who the players are, and airing grievances in public when you’ve effectively walked away Scot-free (aside from pretrial confinement) serves no useful purpose.

Did NCIS royally fuck up? Absolutely, but again, everyone already knew this, and his going up against them at this point only makes him look bad, not NCIS.

Time to walk away.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Some people don’t take kindly to having their entire lives shit on and then the pricks that tried it get to walk away unscathed.

Some people like to burn those fuckers so they know how it feels to no longer be able to do what you thought you were gonna be doing for a long time yet…

Those who accused him knew they were destroying his career, I can understand the desire to destroy theirs in return which is what he will do by outing all of these people.

What is the right course of action when your enemies are discovered amongst your brothers? That those you depended on and supported betrayed you to your ruination? Is the right course walking quietly away and leaving those who tried to destroy you unharmed? Or is the right course to bring the fight to your enemies, those who betrayed you and tried to destroy you?

I suspect we all have our own thoughts on this, wrecking the lives and careers of those who tried to destroy your life and career makes perfect sense to me. It might not have been my first choice of action, but I can understand how anger drives one towards thoughts of revenge. There is something very satisfying watching someone who tried to fuck you over discovering they have instead become the one getting fucked.

Poetrooper

I suspect Gallagher’s Commander-in-Chief knows exactly how the chief feels…

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Touche…

Hondo

Above you’re making the unstated assumption that Gallagher was completely innocent, VOV. As I noted above, this latest incident reinforces the previous claims by several who said he had serious issues and was out of control.

It’s also counterproductive if he wants future work in this area. Those contractors who employ former Special Operators usually understand the value of OPSEC, too.

I understand an innocent man wanting revenge on those who wronged him. But I’m not sure that’s precisely what’s going on here.

USMCMSgt (Ret)

I was thinking along the same lines.

Suppose this “other” information he plans to release includes the home addresses or other sensitive information on his former team members?

That could get real ugly, real quick.

Friend

Sorry, but only a chickenshit would release sensitive information for ANY TEAM MEMBER, no acceptions…

HMCS(FMF) ret

I’m with you, AW1Ed… he should have retired and quietly faded away. He’s leaving “Chief” values and heading towards “E-7” territory.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

It might not have been my first choice of action

To be clear this was in my response…I did not state I agree with this action, or that it would have been my choice of action.

I simply stated I could understand the desire to strike back at those who struck at you.

I don’t know the whole truth and I doubt any of us will ever know the whole truth.

At this point everyone associated with this case seems suspect.

Is this a dick move? Maybe, maybe not.

Why should he walk away quietly if he truly was innocent and some people painted him as an indiscriminate murderer? Why would we want to keep men who lied about something this serious as special operators?

If they are the liars and Gallagher was not, then I don’t want those others remaining as SEALs…and if the Navy refuses to see the harm that keeping men who would lie about such things in uniform then good on Gallagher for outing them and forcing them to be taken offline.

The inverse of course is equally true, if in fact Gallagher was the liar (not proven in court) then he should be prosecuted for this latest transgression in whatever fashion the law allows.

Again, I would probably head off into the sunset and enjoy my retirement and forthcoming book tour…and Fox Contributor position. But I was also not the subject of a murder trial where other people were trying to frame me for a murder I didn’t commit.

HMCS(FMF) ret

Thanks for presenting your viewpoint, VOV. We seem to share the same view on this issue. I just remember this from my CPO pining when I was given my copy of the CPO Creed,

“IN YOUR FUTURE AS A CHIEF PETTY OFFICER, YOU WILL BE FORCED TO ENDURE ADVERSITY FAR BEYOND WHAT HAS THUS FAR BEEN IMPOSED UPON YOU. YOU MUST FACE EACH CHALLENGE AND ADVERSITY WITH THE SAME DIGNITY AND GOOD GRACE YOU HAVE ALREADY DEMONSTRATED.”

I still find those words good one’s to follow in my post-Navy career.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

HMCS(FMF) ret your quote is indeed some great advice…we are not much for being humble and gracious these days.

A lesson we all could learn to emulate far more often than we do.

STGCS Ret

HMCS (FMF) Thank you that says it all.

MI Ranger

VOV much agree. It is in how he revealed the identities (and addresses) of his accusers that tells the tale. Did he only show the faces of the ones deserving of being sent back to the fleet, and not others? Then he is helping the Navy clean its house, by simply ensuring those individuals willing to lie for personal gain can remain in service…just not as an operator.
I recall a case where a fellow Ranger and I got separated while out on the town. He made it back to the barracks I did not (by first formation). When asked he lied and said he was not with me. He got in more trouble than I did for missing formation.

Cameron Kingsley

Your thoughts pretty much mirror mine VOV.

OWB

In the past few years we have been trained that it is OK to lie about anybody you don’t like, or who has somehow offended you. Or maybe just breaths. Also, that somebody saying something about some else’s cousin/brother/masseuse being offended is sufficient justification for a figurative nuclear bomb scale retaliation. And that opinions carry more weight than actual facts of something occurring. Doesn’t make a bit of sense to many of us, but that seems to be the standard today. (That well may change by tomorrow. Part of the problems with having no stands is that you can whatever you want today as the new standard in effect until you want something else.) Projected motives seem also to be more important than actions, and nobody but the accuser seems to have the exclusive right to name the motive.

So, who knows what happened in this case. Could be almost anything. Just because somebody says that so and so said/did such and such means little to nothing these days. Delusions seem to rule now. The truth is out there somewhere. Maybe.

SFC D

We’re never going to know the truth. Big Navy scuttled that when they wanted retribution instead of justice in this case. There ain’t no good guy in this fight and there ain’t no happy ending. Just a ton of shit being thrown with no resolution.

Hondo

There ain’t no good guy in this fight and there ain’t no happy ending. Just a ton of shit being thrown with no resolution.

Bingo.

Dennis - not chevy

Eddie should have remembered the old saying, “A man seldom regrets saying too little”. Some things should just be left alone.

Slow Joe

This is brilliant.

Comm Center Rat

He won his case. Now Gallagher should be gracious and go hawk his t-shirts, write a book, and option the movie rights.

Graybeard

I’d have to say that this confirms, to me, the claim that Eddie Gallagher is a self-centered jerk.

As a parent of a serviceman I take OPSEC very, very seriously.

Gallagher has confirmed himself as lower than the slime in the bottom of a slit trench.

Mick

Very bad move; he should have let it go and walked away.

He will find that this will not be helpful to him in any way in the future.

Poetrooper

He’ll be about as popular at SEAL reunions as a Minnesota governor…

Graybeard

I think the Minnesota governor will be more welcome than he is.

IDC SARC

He’s forgetting the new meat imperative, “Act casual, say nothing”

Even an old frog should always keep that in mind and apply it when appropriate.

Slow Joe

Some people have big egos.

They can’t help it until the push back makes them stop.

Natural Selection will run its course, and people like Chief Gallagher are committing Darwinian mistakes by trying to satisfy their egos with payback on their enemies after actually winning the fight that really mattered.

So sad.

5th/77th FA

My little corner of the world blew slap up in Feb of ’06. This was due to false accusations from a self centered lying bitch that was, what I thought was, my wife, lover, and best friend. While incarcerated for 3 nights and 4 days under these false accusation I contemplated the hows, whys, and what fors that got me there. Upon release I faced up to 10 years in prison, the loss of my job, loss of everything having to do with a felony conviction. The money stolen from the joint accounts was in the 6 figures. Pissed? You damn Skippy. Wanted revenge? Hell to the yeah. Thought about ways to get that? Yeah, I did. Acted on it? Nope. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. The best revenge is living well.

In just a very short time, the charges were dropped, coupla years later remade the lost $, own 2 full houses, and half of 2 more. A boatload of people who love me for who I am, 4 paid for vehicles, and fond memories of an arsenal lost during the tragic flood during the tornado while crossing the lake thru the quicksand. And her? Gained 100+ pounds, estranged from her entire family, no real friends, and is working a menial entry level job in an attempt to earn enough quarter hours for SS. She will die a bitter, lonely old woman. Game, set, match!

Gallagher would have done well to follow that same plan. Further action on his part will not bode well… For anyone.

Fjardeson

Karma can be a real bitch!

BruteLarson407

Something along that line happened to me in ’84,’ and I even had a Police Chief, and 2 Deputy Sheriffs in my corner(I’m not L.E.). I was facing less time, about 3-4 yr. I was in the County Lock-up for 30d waiting. It worked out OK, but I seethed for a decade or more. Life got a bit better when I let it go. I’d never really thought about that Commandment specifically reading, “false witness” until then. There need to be stiffer sanctions for making false charges, but prosecutors just look at them as job security. That said, I wish I could unread this article.

J.M.

I think few people regard the mil justice system, NCIS/CID/OSI and Jag with as much disgust as I do. The whole system is corrupt and rewards unethical behavior. Read Caaflog sometime. It’s shocking how many appeals find prosecutorial misconduct, yet no discipline or accountability ever happens with the lawyers.

But, IMO, false accusations of wrong doing usually have a few things in common. Such as something happened and command is looking for a scapegoat. Or there is some gain to be had by making an accusation, such as a PCS away from a shit assignment/location if you say you were raped, or to deflect away from your misconduct, ie “It’s not my fault I was late to duty for the 10th time, I was raped”.

For an entire team to step forward and accuse one person of misconduct indicates to me that Occam’s razor applies and it’s much more likely that one man was out of control than a entire Seal team, except him, was full of cowards and nonperformers.

I’d also like to point out that part of the justification for putting Stabby Eddie in pretrial confinement was that he threatened to Dox his accusers, putting them at risk.

JAG and NCIS were all sorts of fucked up and earned their black eye. Doesn’t mean that Gallagher was innocent and his doxxing his former teammates is despicable and speaks towards his character and honor, or lack of.

penguinman000

I swear I’m one of the few that had a fair shake with the military justice system. Got accused of being UA (I wasn’t and had iron clad proof in the form of a chit signed by the chain of command).

Command wanted to take me to mast so I ended up requesting Courts Martial. Base JAG got my paperwork, took one look at the evidence, and said “No.”

I didn’t even get so much as a slap on the wrist and finished out another decade + until retirement.

Sometimes the system works. And I agree with you about the simplest explanation.

Twist

I got reported as AWOL once and didn’t find out until I got a no pay due. While I was on PCS leave enroute to Korea my orders got deleted so I reported back to my unit that I had just left. Korea didn’t get the word and reported me as a no show. It took the 101st G-1 to get it sorted out. They called Korea while I was sitting there and said something to the effect of “no he isn’t AWOL. How do I know that? Well he is sitting right next to me in BDUs”.

SFC D

Nearly got myself in a jam like that in 1989. I had an approved extention to my tour in Korea, then came down on orders for Huachuca. Sat there in limbo for about 30 days with my bags packed while big Army sorted who had priority over SPC D.

MI Ranger

Only problem with that assumption is that only some of his platoon were like that. The other half backed him…mostly the seniors. This seems to be more a case of not understanding the new mentality and refusing to learn (both sides).
Kinda’ reminds me of a certain Clint Eastwood character from a movie loosely based on the invasion of Grenada.

J.M.

The only person who backed him before the trial was the OIC. Both of his LPOs, SSGs in Army-speak, spoke against him. As I recall, one of those E6’s had been promoted to E7 and moved to Team 6 at the time of the court martial, making him the same rank as Gallagher, and arguably assigned to a more prestigious unit. If a 82nd Airborne SFC gets accused of wrong doing by his SSG, who is promoted and assigned to a Ranger bat, would you blindly accept the story that the Ranger was a coward and nonperformer without evidence?

This wasn’t a Gunny Highway vs the troops situation. This was a E7 being reported by E5s and E6s. If you had a Ranger Platoon Sergeant getting reported to higher by his squad and section leaders, I think most of us would give them the benefit of the doubt.

OldManchu

What’s wrong with taking a picture with a corpse? Obama was praising corpsmen at the national prayer breakfast.

Sapper3307

RBG photos’ every day?

JTB

Nothing if you keep it to yourself and don’t send it out and lying about killing the terrorist with a knife…Which seems to be how this all got started..And I could be wrong about that…

Veritas Omnia Vincit

Nothing, we took thousands of them with dead japs and nazis….

11B-Mailclerk

Old saying: Before setting out upon the road of Vengeance upon your Enemy,

dig -two- graves.

11B-Mailclerk

And -this- is what happens to the culture of our Armed Forces when we tolerate a multi-decade war without any fucking shred of Victory in the goals and planning.

Want a war? What is our fucking Victory? What does it take to get there as soon fucking possible, and when the Enemy is crushed and we are Victorious, we get the fuck out?

Not willing to go there, all the way hard-core? Then FUCK NO!

Sheesh.

Martinjmpr

I don’t think you can blame this on the war, this is directly related to the maturity, or lack thereof, of far too many in the Navy SPECWAR community.

If this was a general thing across the armed forces, You’d expect to see the same shenanigans in the Ranger regiment – which like the SEALS is made up in large part of young, first-term soldiers specifically selected after a grueling test.

No, this is about the institutional culture of the SEALS and to a lesser extent to the Navy as a whole.

11B-Mailclerk

The war doesn’t matter? Remember another such no-victory war called Vietnam?

Yes, this stuff matters. If Victory is not the goal, and there is not enthusiasm to get there, and clear top-down “we are gonna do this”,

then what is the point? It is just a racket and why be a chump ethical when the game itself is ” lose” and “y’all are expendable to no point”.

Of course this matters. It is corrosive to ethics because going to war with no goal of Victory is apocalypticly unethical.

Unethical leadership breeds saints how? No. It breeds more crap.

Victory, or GTFO.

Victory is my preference: old school, crush the enemy, this is -over- Victory.

So yes, this goal-less mess of two different administration matters. Hopefully the current occupant understands that, and isn’t captured by the corruption.

OWB

Yep. Either fight to win or stay home. It’s really just that simple.

Holdfast

A core value of US Democracy is the ability to face your accusers in a PUBLIC trial. Your face is in Public, your accusers are in public, the facts are in public. You don’t lose that protection when you join the military.

They set out to destroy this man and his family. The Navy dragged his kids outside in their underwear. The Navy spied on his communications with his lawyer.

The Navy forfeited any expectation of loyalty when they trashed this guy, trashed his reputation, destroyed his life- and threw him in jail while making it quite clear they wanted him to rot behind bars for eternity.

They made sure his name was dragged thru the mud across the entire planet. And the enablers of this feel like they can just waltz off into the night with zero consequences? The very least they deserve is to have their happy faces see the light of day.

The accusers faces are now in public- which is exactly where they need to be and is exactly in line with our US Democratic tradition. Secret witnesses, secret procedures, classifying things to avoid embarrassment in the name of national security, are wrong.

Veritas Omnia Vincit

This was my point as well….we’ve all seen what our secret FISA system has done for our republic, almost brought down a president based on lies and fabrications from the FBI an agency supposedly filled with those of high integrity and morals…

I don’t know that I’d have gone the way Gallagher did here, but I agree that if he were truly innocent and those cocksuckers lied their asses off I will be happy if they are no longer able to wear the uniform of this nation and besmirch the honor of the military.

My Two Cents

Exactly. Then the accusers should not have lied!

Besides, their NAMES were already made public in an article published in Navy Times June 15th, 2019.

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2019/06/16/with-a-new-team-of-prosecutors-the-navy-takes-a-final-shot-at-seal-eddie-gallagher/

Green Thumb

Keep in mind his peers hammered him. Right or wrong.

But a “Higher Power” intervened.

Just walk away…

JTB

Gallagher should have been above taking a picture and bragging about killing the terrorist with a knife..Which he did not do..But he had to get his peers attention for what ever reason…I understand why he wants to get back at his detractors but again he should be above it…If in fact they had no reason to go up the chain with accusations other than they didn’t like him…

Cameron Kingsley

From what I can see here, I don’t see how any of this can (or will) end well for everyone involved, and I mean everyone. I truly don’t know what to think or who to side with. It seems there’s a lot of blame that can be cast on both sides. I just don’t know.

Docduracoat

As a civilian I only know what I read in the media about this case
It seems to me that the military lawyers are on the side of the enemy!

xyzzy

I gotta tell you, I’m very surprised at this. I thought that military men are keen on keeping their drama behind closed doors – the whole ‘one team, one fight’ thing.

Ah, well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Dragoon 45

Why should Gallagher have any loyalty towards the Navy or towards his former teammates after what was done to him? Maybe Gallagher’s actions are not the best thought out, but I have yet to see anything about those who brought these false charges against him or the lawyers who conducted this witch hunt being disciplined. So while I may not agree with Gallagher’s actions, I can readily see why he did them.

Green Thumb

Dude got a new lease on life.

Walk away.

Discretion is the better part of valor…