Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist

it's not an article but on person's speculative blog. it's an interesting opinion that is not supported by any facts of the case. I will withhold judgement until the facts emerge.

I want to know what makes Navy Seals infallible. Why are these folks (the above blogger) not covering the Army soldiers who are incarcerated in Ft Leavenworth for 40 years for "murder" - when they had no choice between shooting the enemy and having the enemy shoot them.
CNN covered this. Perhaps there is a double standard.
 
*drumroll*
Now for the other side of the story.....General Cleveland's response to Dan Burton.

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/01/navy_SEAL_abusecase_010510w/

http://www.militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/responsetoburton.pdf

“Regrettably, it appears that your perception of the incident is based on incomplete and factually inaccurate press coverage,” Cleveland wrote. “Despite what has been reported, these allegations are not founded solely on the word of the detainee, but rather, were initially raised by other U.S. service members.”
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Imagine that - "factually inaccurate press coverage".
 
We will never know the full story about this, even if/when the courts martial continue. There is likely too much of the info that is considered sensitive/classified to get a full story for either side.

Overall just a bad story for everyone, makes the operators look bad, makes the Command look bad, just bad press for everyone. To me I'm more interested in why they declined Captain's Mast...I doubt they made that decision without some input from a lawyer or two.
 
How can America afford to press charges upon their Elite corps for harming the enemy during wartime? What has the world come to! Whoever's idea that was should just take the place of every soldier he gets court martial'd... maybe he'll get a bit of light shed on the subject.
 
SVG said:
How can America afford to press charges upon their Elite corps for harming the enemy during wartime? What has the world come to! Whoever's idea that was should just take the place of every soldier he gets court martial'd... maybe he'll get a bit of light shed on the subject.
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SVG- Soldiers are under discipline- mobs are not. Because someone is a SEAL or any other MOS doesn't exclude them from complying with lawful orders - nor should it- and failure to do so is rightly the province of military law to settle. If you have been reading this thread you would see that there is clearly more to the story than what is seen at first glance- for example it sounds like it was other sailors in their unit that complained about the conduct and brought this up to the chain of command. A captains mast- which was what was originally offered to these guys is a nonjudicial punishment administered by the commander. The fact that these guys decided against accepting that and are opting for a court martial is their prerogative but there is obviously enough to bring them to trial in front of a military judge with a sentence reviewed by the commanding flag officer. They will get justice judged by people who will indeed have some idea of what the conditions are in the field.
 
In my book we should give these boys a heros welcome and thank them. I want them to do whatever they can to come home safe and sound. I think of Marc Luttell every day and the lives lost.
 
Update:
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/04/ap_navy_seal_court_martial_042210/

A U.S. military jury cleared a Navy SEAL on Thursday of failing to prevent the beating of an Iraqi prisoner suspected of masterminding a 2004 attack that killed four American security contractors.
The contractors’ burned bodies were dragged through the streets and two were hanged from a bridge over the Euphrates River in the former insurgent hotbed of Fallujah, in what became a major turning point in the Iraq war.
The trial of three SEALs has outraged many Americans who see it as coddling terrorists.
Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Julio Huertas, 28, of Blue Island, Ill., was found not guilty by a six-man jury of charges of dereliction of duty and attempting to influence the testimony of another service member.
The jury spent two hours deliberating the verdict.
Huertas is the first of three SEALs to face a court-martial for charges related to the abuse incident. All three SEALs could have received only a disciplinary reprimand, but they insisted on a military trial to clear their names and save their careers.
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It's crazy these guys are on trial at all. This guy BURNED Americans. And we think its so bad when he stubs his toe???!!! What is this? I can just imagine at this terrorist's trial...

Judge: This man is on trial for killing people. Oh, we cannot do anything to him, that would be intolerant, inhumane, and disgusting. Oh.. you say this member of the special forces hit you? :eek: How evil... I... I cant tell you how sorry I am! Let us put him on trial. He has violated your rights!

:thumbdown::mad::thumbdown:
 
It's crazy these guys are on trial at all
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Do yourself a favor and go back and review this case. Charges were brought because of accusations Navy sailors made against each other. It was a Navy SEAL Commander who sent this case up the Chain of Command.
If you want to be outraged then be outraged at him.
 
It's CYA. Last thing I heard, it was an Army officer in a joint command....of course, that could be completely false because I can't remember where I heard it, and I don't care enough to look.
 
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Just a mom: Regardless of who made the accusations, it's still terrible that these guys are on trial.
Most of the media has basically ignored what the terrorists have done, only focused on these "outrageous' actions of these heroes. Not saying that everything they didn't rough him up a bit (I've no idea if they did or didn't), but isn't that very minor compared to what was done by this Abed guy. So he had a bloody lip. I don't think that SEALs are taught to be gentle and careful while detaining deadly terrorists!
 
fly boy said:
Just a mom: Regardless of who made the accusations, it's still terrible that these guys are on trial.
Most of the media has basically ignored what the terrorists have done, only focused on these "outrageous' actions of these heroes. Not saying that everything they didn't rough him up a bit (I've no idea if they did or didn't), but isn't that very minor compared to what was done by this Abed guy. So he had a bloody lip. I don't think that SEALs are taught to be gentle and careful while detaining deadly terrorists!
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The point is that "roughing them up a bit" is illegal, and America is great because it's a country that doesn't cut corners around the laws just because they're being broken against scumbag terrorists.
 
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This trial was not about "roughing up" a terrorist. It was about dereliction of duty and obstruction of justice. It was about influencing the testimony of another sailor.

This is not over yet. There is another trial in Baghdad now against Keefe at which Huertas is expected to testify and a third in Norfolk in May against McCabe.
McCabe is the Navy SEAL who is charged with assault as well as obstruction of justice and dereliction of duty.
 
I'm not justifying the fact that they roughed him up (again, I've no idea if they did). The problem is, the focus of the media is the incivility of these SEALs, when it should be on this Abed guy. Not saying that if the SEALs did anything illegal, they shouldn't be punished. They should. However, it is a crying shame that all the focus is on how terrible our troops are, while we forget the heinous things done to fellow Americans.
 
If anything the media helped the SEAL's case. All the media coverage I saw, if it was slanted was slanted toward the SEAL's. The media coverage sparked the hue and outcry from the public. If the SEAL's had taken the NJP it would be over and probably no one would have taken notice.

No big surprise here:
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/04/ap_SEAL_abuse_042310w/
2nd SEAL was cleared today.
The third SEAL, who was charged with assault, goes on trial May 3 in Norfolk.
 
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