A reservist’s war that has lasted two decades will finally come to an end with the announcement that all U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan, says the author of this commentary.
Deputy Judge Advocate General Rear Adm. Darse E. Crandall Jr. presided over what was described as a private ceremony and there was no end of tour award.
And defense attorneys questioned whether Navy Region Southwest commander Rear Adm. Bette Bolivar appeared to be on a collision course with President Donald J. Trump.
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson also dismissed all charges against a SEAL officer charged with covering up war crimes and stopped the ongoing probe of another special operator who confessed to murdering a detainee in Iraq in 2017.
Despite the collapse of their case against him, eight days later four military attorneys netted Navy Achievement Medals for their roles in his prosecution, according to records released to Navy Times following a Freedom of Information Act request.
Defense attorneys called it a “mutiny” by entitled, junior SEALs trying to oust a demanding chief. Prosecutors contend that the sailor's own words, photos and junior SEALs convict him.