Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher admits posing with dead prisoner was ‘wrong’

Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher who was acquitted of murdering an ISIS prisoner in Iraq admits posing for a photo with the body was ‘wrong’

  • Eddie Gallagher was charged in 2018 with war crimes, including murder, in the stabbing death of an ISIS militant captive in his care during a deployment to Iraq
  • The Navy SEAL posed for a now-infamous photo with the Iraqi prisoner’s corpse
  • Following a trial that attracted President Trump’s attention, Gallagher ended up being acquitted of all charges except for posing with the body
  • In an interview with 60 Minutes that will air on Sunday, Gallagher spoke out about that photo and how he was wrong to pose with the captive’s body 
  • Gallagher has always maintained that the charges brought against him were made up by six members of his platoon who wanted to force him out 

Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher who was acquitted of murdering an ISIS prisoner has admitted that he believes posing for a photo with the dead body was wrong. 

Gallagher was charged in 2018 with war crimes, including murder, in the stabbing death of an ISIS militant captive in his care during a deployment to Iraq. 

The Special Operations Chief and his fellow SEAL members posed for a now-infamous photo with the corpse of the Iraqi prisoner. He was pictured smiling in the middle of his platoon members as he held a knife to the dead captive’s throat.  

Following a high-profile trial that attracted the attention of President Trump, Gallagher ended up being acquitted of all charges except for one: Posing in photos with the dead captive. 

In an interview with 60 Minutes that will air on Sunday, Gallagher spoke out about that photo and how he was wrong to pose with the captive’s body. 

Retired Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher who was acquitted of murdering an ISIS prisoner has admitted in a 60 Minutes interview that he believes posing for a photo with the dead body was wrong

‘It’s wrong. I’ll say it’s wrong now. And I’ve definitely learned… my lesson… It’s distasteful,’ Gallagher said. 

He had sent the photo to a friend in a text at the time that said: ‘Got him with my hunting knife’. 

Gallagher denied that meant he had stabbed the ISIS captive. 

‘It was like a joke text, dark humor,’ he said. ‘I was trying to make it look tough… Yeah, I know how bad it looks when it gets out into the public, which it never was supposed to.’

He said that taking photos with the enemy has been done before on previous deployments, saying he believes he is the first one to go to court over it.  

 ‘I’m pretty sure I’m the first person ever to go to a general court-martial for it, for taking a picture. It’s been done on previous deployments,’ he said. 

When asked if he felt sorry for the captive, Gallagher said: ‘No, that’s war. He was trying to kill us.’ 

The Special Operations Chief and his fellow SEAL members posed for a now-infamous photo with the corpse of the Iraqi prisoner. He was pictured smiling in the middle of his platoon members as he held a knife to the dead captive's throat

The Special Operations Chief and his fellow SEAL members posed for a now-infamous photo with the corpse of the Iraqi prisoner. He was pictured smiling in the middle of his platoon members as he held a knife to the dead captive’s throat 

Gallagher has always maintained that the charges brought against him were made up by six members of his platoon who wanted to force him out

Gallagher has always maintained that the charges brought against him were made up by six members of his platoon who wanted to force him out

Gallagher has always maintained that the charges brought against him were made up by six members of his platoon who wanted to force him out.

When he addressed the jury at his trial, Gallagher told them he accepted ‘full responsibility’ for appearing in the photos.

‘I put a black eye on the two communities I love the most, the U.S. Marine Corps and the Navy, specifically the SEAL community,’ he said.

He went on to acknowledge making ‘mistakes’ throughout his career – ‘tactical, ethical, moral,’ adding, ‘I’m not perfect but I’ve always bounced back from my mistakes. I’m ready to bounce back from this, and to serve my community.’ 

The offense of posing with the corpse carried a maximum sentence of four months imprisonment. He was released on time served during his pre-trial detention.  

After his trial, Gallagher was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer.

Trump restored Gallagher’s rank and has repeatedly tweeted support for him, saying his case had been ‘handled very badly from the beginning’.

The President then ordered the Navy to allow Gallagher to retire as a SEAL with his full rank intact. 

After his trial, Gallagher (pictured with wife Andrea) was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer. Trump restored Gallagher's rank and has repeatedly tweeted support for him

After his trial, Gallagher (pictured with wife Andrea) was demoted from chief petty officer to a 1st class petty officer. Trump restored Gallagher’s rank and has repeatedly tweeted support for him 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk