The ethics of the Navy SEALs

[rangerrebew]

The ethics of the Navy SEALs
“If we do not fix ourselves, who will fix us?”

Paul Szoldra
Nov 17
 

In combat, it means not walking conspicuously on hilltops and ridges, which can attract enemy attention. The phrase usually implies avoiding unethical, illegal, or immoral acts that will get you on the “skyline” of higher-ups or the press. And the Navy SEAL community—an active-duty force of about 2,500 elite commandos—has often been on the skyline.

“War crimes, drug use, sexual assault on deployment, and homicide are just some of the charges against active-duty SEALs in recent years,” wrote Matthew Cole, journalist and author of Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six, in an article published in February at The Intercept:

“In a span of two years, two SEAL Team 6 operators killed a Green Beret while deployed to Mali; a group of SEALs turned in their platoon chief, Eddie Gallagher, accusing him of an array of war crimes, including the stabbing death of an unarmed, injured Islamic State fighter; rampant drug use was discovered in an East Coast SEAL unit; and an entire SEAL platoon was sent home from a deployment to Iraq after military leaders learned that they’d been drinking excessively and one of the operators was accused of sexual assault.”

https://www.theruck.news/p/the-ethics-of-the-navy-seals

[sneakypete]

I am not and have never been a sailor,but I grew up near Norfolk,Va,and went to school with and knew many children of the US Navy,as well as some of their fathers.

MY impression of the CAREER US Navy has always been that they are all a bunch of backstabbing bastards that will put their personal careers ahead of everything else,including the country.

The exceptions were the ones that lived off-base and did their best to keep their careers and their family and personal lives separate. They saw the Navy as a job that led to retirement,nothing more.

As for the SEALS,the only ones I ever met casually and had personal talks with were the ones going through the US Army jump school at Ft.Benning in 1965. These guys flat impressed the hell out of me with their intelligence and enthusiasm. Then again,NONE of them were actual SEALS at that time. They were still UDT/Frogmen going through SEAL training,and the US Army jump school was step number 1 in the transition.

They impressed me to the point I was genuinely worrying about making the wrong decision when I joined the Army instead of the Navy.

It needs to be said at THAT point in my career all I knew about the army was from the perspective of a private in the regular army. Right after I graduated from Jump School,I got sent to the Special Warfare Center at Ft.Bragg,and to a Special Forces duty assignment. THE best damn job in the entire freaking universe,and I spent most of my days working with the best damn soldiers in the entire freaking universe. If I could do it all over again,I would be wearing a uniform and a beret before dark.

A word of caution to any of you young men reading this. Do NOT go into SF and allow yourself to start thinking that the personal standards and the conduct of SF soldiers represents the personal standards and conduct of the rest of the world. It just ain't true. You can trust your life to anyone who wears a green beret as a part of their uniform,and you can't trust anyone else to pay back a 10 dollar loan.

Ugly,but the truth is often ugly.

[Elderberry]

During the 6 yrs my son was in the Navy, he tried several times to transfer to the SEALS. The last time he tried, it was approved up through the captain of his sub. Then it was shot down by the upper Nuclear Command. He was told the only way for him, a Nuke, to go SEAL, was to be honorably discharged. Then he would no longer be a Nuke and could re-enlist and go for SEALS. He told them, "Nope! Once I'm out, I'm staying out".

[Bigun]

I am not and have never been a sailor,but I grew up near Norfolk,Va,and went to school with and knew many children of the US Navy,as well as some of their fathers.

MY impression of the CAREER US Navy has always been that they are all a bunch of backstabbing bastards that will put their personal careers ahead of everything else,including the country.

The exceptions were the ones that lived off-base and did their best to keep their careers and their family and personal lives separate. They saw the Navy as a job that led to retirement,nothing more.

As for the SEALS,the only ones I ever met casually and had personal talks with were the ones going through the US Army jump school at Ft.Benning in 1965. These guys flat impressed the hell out of me with their intelligence and enthusiasm. Then again,NONE of them were actual SEALS at that time. They were still UDT/Frogmen going through SEAL training,and the US Army jump school was step number 1 in the transition.

They impressed me to the point I was genuinely worrying about making the wrong decision when I joined the Army instead of the Navy.

It needs to be said at THAT point in my career all I knew about the army was from the perspective of a private in the regular army. Right after I graduated from Jump School,I got sent to the Special Warfare Center at Ft.Bragg,and to a Special Forces duty assignment. THE best damn job in the entire freaking universe,and I spent most of my days working with the best damn soldiers in the entire freaking universe. If I could do it all over again,I would be wearing a uniform and a beret before dark.

A word of caution to any of you young men reading this. Do NOT go into SF and allow yourself to start thinking that the personal standards and the conduct of SF soldiers represents the personal standards and conduct of the rest of the world. It just ain't true. You can trust your life to anyone who wears a green beret as a part of their uniform,and you can't trust anyone else to pay back a 10 dollar loan.

Ugly,but the truth is often ugly.

The part I emphasized was once very true @sneakypete not so sure it is these days. Don't know for sure one way or the other and I hope I'm wrong but earning that beret back then was FAR different than it is today.

Navy SEALS used to be really closed mouth about everything. That's not so now either.

[sneakypete]

The part I emphasized was once very true @sneakypete not so sure it is these days. Don't know for sure one way or the other and I hope I'm wrong but earning that beret back then was FAR different than it is today.

Navy SEALS used to be really closed mouth about everything. That's not so now either.

@Bigun

You may be,and sadly,are probably right.

Seems like the culture of the country has changed from in the last couple of decades,and it is now more of a "It's all about me,me,ME,DAMMIT!" generation running things than it was before.

That attitude would have gotten you kicked out of Training Group long before graduation back in the 60's and 70's,but I just don't know about today. Right up to  the early 70's pretty much everybody,including the civilians who worked with SFTG were retired SF vets themselves,and there were two things that were guaranteed to get you the boot,being selfish and being dishonest. Then in the early 70's things changed,and all the training cadre shifted to the corporate world,and all the old SF troops that assisted with the training and selection were given the boot.

More correctly,we just weren't rehired for the new cycle. A corporation took over that had some sort of previous contracts and contacts with SF,but I have no idea who really controlled it. Rumor Control had it that ALL of the old-timers were refused new contracts,though. Don't know this to be either true or false for a fact.

I honestly have no idea what the conditions or standards are in SFTG anymore. Haven't been connected since probably around 1975.