A friendly fire death, a platoon’s 20 years of trauma

Bryan O’Neal has spent two decades grinding his way up the U.S. Army ranks, from lowly private to command sergeant major — the highest rank for a non-commissioned officer. He could write a textbook on modern warfare history — and his own unique place in it — but much of what he’s seen and done could be hard for anyone to hear. Significant numbers of the men and women under his command weren’t even born until after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that inspired him to enlist.

In the spring of 2004, perhaps the last thing President George W. Bush’s administration needed was another war-related PR problem. No one could find Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, which the administration had used to build a case for war. Less than a month before Tillman’s death, four contractors for the Blackwater private security firm in Iraq were ambushed and dragged through the streets, and their corpses were hung from a bridge. In April came shocking images of torture at the Abu Ghraib prison.

A friendly fire death, a platoon’s 20 years of trauma

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The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, according to a military investigation into the January deaths.

The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds

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Naval Special Warfare Remembers Two Fallen SEALs

Chambers enlisted in the Navy on May 17, 2012, and graduated from boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill., in July 2012. He served with West Coast-based SEAL units since graduating from SEAL qualification training in Coronado, Calif., in 2014. His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “C,” three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and other personal and unit awards.

Ingram enlisted in the Navy on Sept. 25, 2019, and graduated from boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill., in November 2019. Ingram served with West Coast-based SEAL units since graduating from SEAL qualification training in Coronado, Calif., in 2021. His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and various personal and unit awards.

US Military: Two US Navy SEALs Missing Off Coast of Somalia Are Dead

US Officials Claim Two Navy SEALs Missing Near Somalia ‘Fell Into Water’

The President Can Now Assassinate You, Officially

Under this new standard, a president can go on a four-to-eight year crime spree and then retire from public life, never to be held accountable.

The President Can Now Assassinate You, Officially

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Immunity for Me but Not for Thee

President Obama ordered a drone strike in Yemen to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen and Islamic Imam critical of American foreign policy in the Middle East. Before releasing the drones that killed al-Awlaki and two others, the White House sought and received a Memorandum from the Department of Justice providing legal justification for the attack.

Several questions come to mind.  Should the memo from DoJ authorizing the killing of an American citizen abroad without judicial due process immunize President Obama for violating the federal criminal statute that imposes criminal penalties for the extra territorial killing of an American citizen?

Could a subsequent President, a member of the opposing political party, direct a new Attorney General to investigate whether the killing of the U.S. citizen by drone attack in Yemen violated federal criminal law? If an indictment is returned against the now former President for that killing, should President Obama be allowed to claim immunity or be forced to stand trial?

USS Mason Sailor Who Went Overboard in Red Sea Declared Lost by Navy

USS Mason Sailor Who Went Overboard in Red Sea Declared Lost by Navy

Aviation Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Oriola Michael Aregbesola, who was aboard the USS Mason, went overboard on March 20, according to the Navy.

Aregbesola was assigned to the “Swamp Foxes” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 74, which was embarked on the Mason. The ship has been operating in the Red Sea alongside the Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group.

Without witnesses, it may be difficult for the Navy to definitively determine what led to Aregbesola falling into the water.

The reasons behind most sailor overboard incidents, which unfortunately occur with some regularity, remain unknown.

Aregbesola is not the first sailor to go overboard in the past several months, either.

In January, two Navy SEALs went overboard and were later declared lost while attempting to board a ship that was discovered to be carrying Iranian missile components.

Previously:

US Military: Two US Navy SEALs Missing Off Coast of Somalia Are Dead

Defense Department identifies U.S. soldiers killed in helicopter crash

Defense Department identifies U.S. soldiers killed in helicopter crash

Killed were:

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Stephen R. Dwyer, 38, of Clarksville, Tennessee.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane M. Barnes, 34, of Sacramento, California.

Staff Sgt. Tanner W. Grone, 26, of Gorham, New Hampshire.

Sgt. Andrew P. Southard, 27, of Apache Junction, Arizona.

Sgt. Cade M. Wolfe, 24, of Mankato, Minnesota.

Previously: