Special Operations Chief Edward ‘Blade’ Gallagher, 39, a highly decorated platoon chief, has been accused by several members of his platoon of committing atrocities in Iraq. These include: indiscriminately bombarding civilian neighborhoods with rocket and machine-gun fire, opening fire on civilians without provocation and summarily executing a captured, teenage Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) fighter who was undergoing medical treatment by US medics, by stabbing him repeatedly with a custom-made knife and hatchet.
He was arrested in September on more than a dozen charges including premeditated murder and attempted murder, all of which he denies. He faces life in prison and was detained in the Navy brig following his arrest amid fears he was attempting to intimidate witnesses and undermine the investigation.
Seven members of Gallagher’s platoon called a meeting in March 2018 at Naval Base Coronado outside of San Diego to request a formal investigation but they were rebuffed and told that speaking out could cost them their careers. Prior to the hearing they had repeatedly warned top brass of the behavior and were ignored.
“Stop talking about it,” they were reportedly told by one of the investigators.
This Navy SEAL, Edward ‘Blade’ Gallagher, is a murderer who is facing life in prison. He bragged about murdering people as we read in the Navy Times:
On May 28, Special Warfare Operator Chief Edward “Eddie” Gallagher will be guided into a courtroom inside Naval Base San Diego, where he will face a panel of his peers sifting evidence in a war crimes case.
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.
And a fellow sniper intends to tell the panel that Gallagher claimed, “he averaged three kills a day over 80 days,” according to legal filings obtained by Navy Times.
It is good that the military prosecutes murderers. There is justice and the US military, unlike other militaries around the world, will punish evil actions like this.
Evils like this reminds me of the story of the murder of Lee Mirecki. He was a 19 year old Navy recruit who was drowned to death in a pool by instructors at a training class at Pensacola’s Rescue Swimmer School. The recruit panicked during an intense swimming exercise. When he said that he wanted to leave, instructors forced into the water and drowned him. According to UPI, four instructors “were given non-judicial punishment. They are petty officers Richard Blevins, David Smith, Frankie Deaton and John Zelenock.” According to witnesses, as we read in the Chicago Tribune:
they heard a screaming, panicked Mirecki forced by several instructors back into the pool, where he then reluctantly engaged in lifesaving procedures with PO 2C Michael Combe, one of those charged.
When Mirecki was returned to the pool, PO 2C Benny Giles, an instructor who is not charged in the case, said he encouraged him to continue.
”I remember him saying, `I can`t do it, I can`t do it.` I told him, `You can`t quit now. That`s not the way things are done. You just got paid. Get out there and do your job. . . . You can do it. . . . You`ve done it before. You know the procedure.` ”
According to Giles, Mirecki then agreed and asked for a swim fin that he had earlier removed.
Mirecki, however, began moving toward the shallow end of the pool. Combe, a 9-year career sailor, dived into the pool, Giles said. Several witnesses said that Combe and PO 2C John Zelenock, who also is charged, then pursued Mirecki, seeking to wrest him from a safety line and take him back to the deep end.
This action apparently bothered Giles. ”Once (Mirecki) returned to the pool, I didn`t feel it was necessary to climb on him again,” he testified.
Combe was described by several witnesses as having Mirecki in a head hold. The two disappeared below the surface, and when they emerged, Mirecki had gained control over Combe and had him in a cross-chest carry hold. But he was swimming with him toward the edge of the pool, which was not exercise procedure.
Witnesses said Combe then pulled Mirecki down below the surface. Shortly before he did so, PO 1C Raymond Jablonowski, who was acting as safety officer and is not charged in the case, testified that he had given Combe a ”cut” signal to halt the exercise because he said Mirecki appeared to be weakening. When the two emerged, Combe had an unconscious Mirecki in tow and was carrying him to the pool`s edge.
Mirecki was pronounced dead on the way to the hospital. Cmdr. Richard Osborne, a doctor at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute, testified Saturday that the recruit had died of ”ventricular fibrillation,” faulty heart rhythms, which he said were brought on by panic. Defendants in the case maintain that Mirecki died of a heart attack, and not of drowning.
As this man was being dunked repeated in the water (drowned), the other recruits were ordered to turn around and recite the National Anthem. Mirecki’s sister has said that every time she hears “Star Spangled Banner,” she cannot help but feel unease. Who could blame her? As we read from the New York Times:
Capt. James Royce, Mr. Combe’s military counsel, urged that he be given no punishment, saying he had suffered enough because of the publicity, threats and cost of the court-martial. Mr. Combe said he owed his civilian attorney $12,700.
Mr. Combe was found to have repeatedly dunked the recruit, Lee Mirecki, 19 years old, of Appleton, Wis., into a swimming pool at the Pensacola Naval Air Station last March 2 while other students were ordered to face away and sing the national anthem.
In a telephone interview from Appleton, Mr. Mirecki’s sister, Lynn Johansen, said, ”Each time I hear ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ played for a gold medal winner at the Olympics, my joy is overshadowed by my thoughts that my brother, Lee, heard the same song as he fought for his life.”
While the military is necessary, abuses like this blemish the image of the military and reveal a serious problem of abuse. There is also a huge problem of homosexual rape within the military, as a years old report shows:
The Rand Corp., which conducted the most recent Pentagon sexual assault survey in 2014, found that about 12,000 men reported being assaulted. Sexual assault in the military is defined as unwanted sexual contact, including rape and other assaults or the attempt to commit those acts.
Of the 12,000 male victims, 3,850 reported “penetrative” attacks — meaning they were raped.
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