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DATELINE 4 MARCH 2010

US NAVY SEALS TO BE TRIED FOR ABUSE TO INSURGENT PRISONER

    Unbelievable. That is the first thought that comes to the mind of Americans reading their newspapers and watching TV when they hear of this. How can the Navy Department--the very command that sends these armed forces personnel into harms way and says "Protect yourself at all times"  look at this incident and come back with consideration to prosecute? It is a sad day in America when we let one agency--in this case the Navy Department  decide that terrorists deserve more protection than our soldiers.

It really makes you wonder what is happening here in respect to line of authority and chain of command. Who decided that these three SEALS acted in a hostile manner against the prisoner? Who decided that? It sounds like something that would come from an ACLU lawyer looking for billing time on the government to us. Since when do we give these men rules of engagement that are reviewed, briefed and evaluated before they are enacted as procedure and then let someone change that procedure by an oral command or a phone call? Is this the way the Navy now lets JAG run the operation? From what we have learned, this resulted not so much from the actual cuffing of the GOMER that killed and brutally desecrated the Blackwater guard's body as it was the omission of the incident from the after action report.

This is the kind of action that is becoming a Navy recruiters nightmare. why join the service if you are not going to have the support of your command? Since when is it necessary for the American Public to get involved as a protest to these types of actions by individuals more vocal than aware of the actual situation? In explanation of that last statement; Has the person that brought these charges against these SEALS ever in their lifetime had a round fired over their head? Had their shipmates bodies strung up on a bridge and their intestines ripped out while the crowd cheers? This is what these three SEALS witness day in and day out. Did the officer in JAG or elsewhere in this command ever consider the mindset of a person being exposed to this trauma? In consideration of these facts I can not see where the incident of the prisoner getting a fat lip was relevant enough to place in the after action report.

 We will be following this story and the people that make the decision to DISMISS this disgraceful action. Lets hope that they come to their senses and understand that AMERICANS will not permit our fighting men and women to go into battle unsupported in any way. They should have the finest equipment, the best training and knowledge available when they engage the enemy and also when they come home.

William A. Gast

USN (ret) DAV

Editor, Wesupportthevets.com

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