Military Suicide: Son and Mom Used Same Gun 4 Years Apart

A mother struggles to move on from veteran's suicide
St. Cloud Times
Kirsti Marohn
November 16, 2014

Gavic was a decorated canine handler in the Air Force.
He killed himself in 2009.

Rory Gavic and Allan. (Photo: Connecticut Police Work Dog Association)

Debbie Larsen walks past the graves of her sister Linda Sawatzke and nephew Rory Gavic at the St. Francis Catholic Cemetery near Buffalo on Nov. 7.

His mother, Linda Sawatzke, killed herself almost exactly four years later with the same handgun.

(Photo: Dave Schwarz St. Cloud Times)

Rory Gavic was a young, decorated military member who served his country overseas twice, who had earned praise and the respect of his peers, who had volunteered as a Big Brother.

His suicide in 2009 devastated his family, especially his mother. His death was the beginning of hers.

Rory had joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve after graduating from Eagan High School in 2002. A few years later, he enlisted as active duty in the Air Force and rose to the rank of staff sergeant.

As a military canine handler, Rory served in Iraq in 2007 and Pakistan in 2009. He earned more than a dozen commendations, including Airman of the Year in 2008.

Rory earned a reputation as a skilled dog handler and a committed soldier who was well liked by his fellow troops. He loved animals, especially his military working dog, Allan. In photos, he's seen crouched down next to the burly tan and black German shepherd. Rory is lean and muscular, dark eyes gazing straight ahead.

But the deployments changed Rory. He struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Left behind were two brothers and a stepsister, his stepfather and his heartbroken mother. The program for the memorial service included a quote from Linda.

"Rory, I love you more with every beat of my heart. I miss you so much my son and you have only been gone for a short while. My life and my heart have a missing piece that will not fill until I see you again."
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Navy SEAL Veteran Robert O'Neill Not Apologizing

Ex-Navy SEAL makes no apologies for going public
The Associated Press
KEN DILANIAN
Nov 15th 2014

Robert O'Neill, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, speaks at the 'Best of Blount' Chamber of Commerce awards ceremony at the Clayton Center for the Arts in Maryville, Tennessee, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014. O'Neill, in an interview with the Washington Post, identified himself as the person who killed Osama bin Laden in a 2011 raid.
Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Navy SEAL Robert O'Neill, who says he fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden, played a role in some of the most consequential combat missions of the post-9/11 era, including three depicted in Hollywood movies. And now he's telling the world about them.

By doing so, O'Neill has almost certainly increased his earning power on the speaking circuit. He also may have put himself and his family at greater risk. And he has earned the enmity of some current and former SEALs by violating their code of silence.

But O'Neill, winner of two Silver and five Bronze Stars, makes no apologies for any of that. In a wide-ranging interview Friday with The Associated Press, he said he believes the American public has a right to more details about the operation that killed the al-Qaida leader and other important military adventures. And he insisted he is taking pains not to divulge classified information or compromise the tactics SEALs use to get the drop on their enemies.

"The last thing I want to do is endanger anybody," he said. "I think the good (of going public) outweighs the bad."

"We work in secret and we pride ourselves on that, so if somebody comes out and spills this much, it angers the rest of us," Jonathan Gilliam, a former SEAL, said in an interview.
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Navy SEAL "No Easy Day" author sues lawyer for bad advice

Ex-SEAL author sues city lawyer
Blames him for trouble with bin Laden book
The Journal Gazette
Rebecca S. Green
November 7, 2014

There was money to be made with the publication of a book, movie rights and continued speaking engagements for retired Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette.

But when his book, “No Easy Day,” an account of the killing of Osama bin Laden, drew the ire of his brother SEALs and the U.S. government, Bissonnette targeted a local attorney, accusing him and his former employer of negligence in helping him ensure the book contained no inappropriate disclosures of classified information.

On Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Bissonnette – under his pseudonym Mark Owen – sued Kevin Podlaski and the Fort Wayne law firm of Carson Boxberger LLP.

In his 20-page lawsuit, Bissonnette, a former member of the clandestine Navy SEAL Team 6, accused Podlaski of “committing (Bissonnette) to a conflict with the government that he could not win.”
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Naval Special Warfare Leadership Responds to Latest Outing

Naval Special Warfare Leadership Responds to ‘The Shooter’ and Mark Owen
SOFREP
November 3, 2014

The senior leadership of the Navy’s SEAL community—the commander and force master chief of Naval Special Warfare Command (NSWC)—have officially, and preemptively, responded to the upcoming Fox News appearance on November 11 and 12 of a former SEAL Team Six member, labeled in an Esquire Magazine article as ‘The Shooter,’ who appeared in the press claiming to have been the operator who shot Usama Bin Ladin in the 2011 raid that killed the Al-Qaeda leader.

In a letter signed by both the senior commander and enlisted man of Naval Special Warfare Command, the SEAL leadership emphasized that the majority of SEALs spend each day living up to the label “quiet professionals.” Unspoken is the implication that the former SEAL, who is in fact, former Red Squadron SEAL Robert O’Neill, is seeking notoriety for his own story.

The two SEAL leaders go on to point out that members of the Naval Special Warfare community not only serve alongside other U.S. military members, but also other U.S. government agencies and foreign allies. “Little individual credit” is ever given, according to the letter, due to the “nature of our profession.” The two also point out the years of hard work that go into operations like the one that targeted Bin Ladin, seemingly defying one or two individual shooters’ claims on the glory and fame that result from the success of such a mission.

The point they make is that it took so much more than the final trigger pull to kill Bin Ladin, so why should one SEAL assume the moniker, “The One Who Killed bin Ladin?”
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Navy SEAL: Inspired movies, killed Osama and now living in poverty?

Victoria Cross For Bravery in WWI 1st Muslim Soldier

Story of the first Muslim soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross
As two former heads of the Army call for greater recognition of Khudadad Khan, the first Muslim soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross, we outline who he was and the actions that led to his medal
Telegraph UK
By Edward Malnick
31 Oct 2014

Sepoy Khudadad Khan was awarded the Victoria Cross during World War One

Photo: GETTY

It was an extraordinary act of bravery. Finding himself among the few surviving members of a force sent to repel a German advance at Ypres, a soldier manned a single machine gun to prevent the enemy making the breakthrough it needed.

Continuing to fire until he was the last man remaining, his actions helped to ensure that two vital ports used to supply British troops with food and ammunition from England, remained in Allied hands.

Now, 100 years on from being awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery, a series of military leaders, MPs, peers and Muslim leaders are calling for wider recognition of Khudadad Khan's role in the First World War. The call forms part of a plea for greater appreciation of the contribution of the hundreds of thousands of Muslim soldiers who fought for Britain in the war.

On Friday, unveiling a commemorative stone which will be laid at the National Memorial Arboretum in Khan’s honour, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the communities minister, will hail his “exceptional loyalty, courage and determination in Britain’s fight for freedom”.

Khan, who was born in the village of Dab in the Punjab province of present day Pakistan, was a 26-year-old machine gunner in the 129th Duke of Counaught’s Own Baluchis when the regiment was sent to France to aid the exhausted troops of the British Expeditionary Force.
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Navy SEALs identity not as secret as we thought

SEALs in Bin Laden Raid Revealed
Associated Press
by Lolita C. Baldor
Jun 15, 2013

WASHINGTON - U.S. special operations forces who participated in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden were in uniform and wearing nametags during a CIA award ceremony attended by the writer of the film "Zero Dark Thirty," a Pentagon inspector general's report said Friday.

The report, however, omits a number of revelations disclosed in an early draft that was made public more than a week ago, including that then-CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed the name of the raid commander during his speech at the agency's June 2011 event.

It also no longer includes revelations that the Pentagon's top intelligence official, Michael Vickers, divulged the name of an individual involved in the bin Laden raid to the filmmakers.

The report was triggered by questions from a congressional lawmaker about whether U.S. officials leaked classified information to the filmmakers and whether they compromised military tactics and procedures. But, in contrast to the draft, the final report focuses exclusively on questions of Pentagon involvement in the matter, and refers other concerns to investigators at other federal agencies - likely a reference to the CIA - and additional reviews by the Pentagon inspector general.
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Osama Bin Laden Raid Member Has Traumatic Brain Injury

Osama Bin Laden Raid Member Has Traumatic Brain Injury
Huffington Post
Matt Siedge
Posted: 06/10/2013

FORT MEADE, Md. -- As the trial of Bradley Manning entered its fourth day on Monday, a filing from one potential prosecution witness revealed a startling fact: One of the members of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound has had memory loss stemming from traumatic brain injuries.

Government prosecutors may call the raid member, identified only as "John Doe," to prove that files released by Manning to WikiLeaks wound up in bin Laden's possession. The filing was made on April 29 and released to the public on June 4.

The raid member, presumably a Navy SEAL, says they have "occasional short-term memory deficiencies" that include forgetting "where I placed my car keys." Those memory issues started "two to three years ago," apparently before the bin Laden raid, according to the filing.

The cause: "repetitive (traumatic brain injury), but not major trauma. I had consistent small doses over time."
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CIA Director Leon Panetta didn't know who was listening?

What is going on in this country when the CIA Director gives a speech but didn't know who was listening?

Osama Bin Laden Raid Film: Draft Pentagon Report Finds Leon Panetta Violated Security Rules
Associated Press
By ROBERT BURNS
06/05/13

WASHINGTON — Several weeks after overseeing the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, then-CIA Director Leon Panetta revealed the name of the raid commander in a speech attended by the writer of the film "Zero Dark Thirty," according to a draft report by Pentagon investigators.

Under security rules, the commander's name was not to be made public, but the draft report did not say whether Panetta knew a member of the public was in his audience at CIA headquarters. A former CIA official familiar with the event said Wednesday that Panetta did not know of the writer's presence; if the disclosure was inadvertent it would not constitute a violation of the rules by Panetta.

The former official spoke on condition of anonymity because a security issue was involved.

The unpublished draft report was first disclosed by the Project on Government Oversight and confirmed by Rep. Peter King, who asked for the investigation nearly two years ago. The draft report did not accuse Panetta of wrongdoing.
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Navy ready to help bin Laden "shooter"

2-star: SEAL shooter knew he’d lose benefits
By Tony Lombardo
Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Feb 14, 2013

The “man who killed Osama bin Laden,” featured in the March issue of Esquire, knew full-well he was leaving the service short of a retirement and without benefits, the commander of Naval Special Warfare Command has said.

The so-called bin Laden “shooter” made world headlines this week after the story posted online and asserted that the former SEAL was “screwed” by losing his military health insurance benefits when he left service in September 2012.

But, in a newly issued statement, Rear Adm. Sean Pybus said the SEAL in the article knew what he was giving up in leaving service with 16 years, shy of the 20-year retirement mark.

“Concerning recent writing and reporting on ‘The Shooter’ and his alleged situation, this former SEAL made a deliberate and informed decision to leave the Navy several years short of retirement status,” Pybus said. “Months ahead of his separation, he was counseled on status and benefits, and provided with options to continue his career until retirement eligible. Claims to the contrary in these matters are false.”

Even so, Pybus adds, “Naval Special Warfare and the Navy are prepared to help this former service member address health or transition issues, as we would with other former members.”
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Navy SEAL "the shooter" fighting for veterans in Washington

SEAL who killed Bin Laden met with lawmakers to talk veteran care
By Matt Pearce
February 13, 2013

Out of the service, out of the shadows: The Navy SEAL who reportedly killed Osama bin Laden in the world's most famous secret raid has stepped a little closer toward the sunlight.

The unnamed shooter, profiled in a recent Esquire cover story that describes a post-military life without a pension or timely disability benefits, met with lawmakers Tuesday to discuss veteran's care.

The SEAL, who didn't qualify for a pension or health benefits for his family because he retired four years earlier than the Navy's 20-year threshold, met with Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

The SEAL's disability claim with the military is reportedly caught up in a backlog with about 900,000 veterans who have to wait, on average, more than nine months for a determination on their claims.

"The fellow who killed Osama bin Laden is one of many people who are having these problems. It helps spotlight these problems," Sanders told the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, declining to go into detail about the meeting with the shooter, who has been worried about retaliation from Al Qaeda.
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The new story of the death of Osama bin Laden

The new story of the death of Osama bin Laden
By Peter Bergen
CNN National Security Analyst
updated 4:18 PM EST, Tue February 12, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Esquire published interview with ex-Navy SEAL who says he shot bin Laden
Peter Bergen: His account differs from another SEAL who wrote bestseller "No Easy Day"
He says "the Shooter" gave an account that matches physical evidence on the scene
Shooter left military before he became eligible for pension

Editor's note: Peter Bergen is CNN's national security analyst, the author of "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for bin Laden -- From 9/11 to Abbottabad," and a director at the New America Foundation.

(CNN) -- On Monday Esquire magazine published a massive profile of the Navy SEAL who says he shot Osama bin Laden.

Weighing in at some 15,000 words, the story does not identify the killer of al Qaeda's leader by his real name and refers to him only as "the Shooter."

Clearly the Shooter wanted to maintain something of the code of silence that is pervasive among the covert warriors of SEAL Team 6, the unit that mounted the bin Laden operation.
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Navy SEAL who killed Osama unemployed and waiting for VA

Navy SEAL who killed Osama unemployed and waiting for VA

UPDATE From Esquire February 12, 2013 4:28 pm updated here


February 12, 2013, 8:30 AM

The Shooter Needs Health Insurance: A Response to Stars and Stripes
By The Editors

Editor's Note: The online version of The Shooter story did not reflect the final version of the story in the print magazine, which went to press 10 days ago. The print version included more details about the availability of benefits for veterans. Unfortunately, this omission on the online version, which has been corrected, has led to a misunderstanding, through no fault of her own, by reporter Megan McCloskey and others about some of the facts in our story regarding healthcare and our veterans. The online version of the piece omitted the following paragraph that appears in the print magazine: "There is also a program at MacDill Air Force Base designed to help Special Ops vets navigate various bureaucracies. And the VA does offer five years of benefits for specific service-related claims—but it’s not comprehensive and it offers nothing for the Shooter’s family." The story's argument, however, remains the same: That the man who shot and killed Osama bin Laden, as the following post explains, remains responsible for his own healthcare and that of his family.

UPDATE FROM STARS AND STRIPES

Esquire article wrongly claims SEAL who killed Bin Laden is denied healthcare
By MEGAN MCCLOSKEY
Published: February 11, 2013
Esquire magazine claims “The Man Who Killed Osama bin Laden ... Is Screwed.”

The story details the life of the Navy SEAL after the successful raid to take out the No. 1 terrorist, and it asserts that once the SEAL got out of the military he was left to fend for himself.

“...here is what he gets from his employer and a grateful nation:

Nothing. No pension, no health care, and no protection for himself or his family.”

Except the claim about health care is wrong. And no servicemember who does less than 20 years gets a pension, unless he has to medically retire.

Like every combat veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the former SEAL, who is identified in the story only as “the Shooter”, is automatically eligible for five years of free healthcare through the Department of Veterans Affairs.

But the story doesn’t mention that.

The writer, Phil Bronstein, who heads up the Center for Investigative Reporting, stands by the story. He said the assertion that the government gave the SEAL “nothing” in terms of health care is both fair and accurate, because the SEAL didn’t know the VA benefits existed.

Sorry but even this is wrong. This is from the article below.

The VA offers five years of virtually free health care for every veteran honorably discharged after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, even when he or she leaves the military early. But the Shooter told Bronstein that none of the counselors who came to SEAL Command told him that. That coverage also would not extend to his family.

So yes it did say that.

NOTE:Not sure how much the reporter did to verify this story but sooner or later we'll know for sure.

VA's disability backlog hurts Navy SEAL who killed bin Laden
Center for Investigative Reporting
Feb 11, 2013
Aaron Glantz
Reporter

The Navy SEAL who says he killed Osama bin Laden is unemployed and waiting for disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In an exclusive story for Esquire by Phil Bronstein of the Center for Investigative Reporting, the Shooter adds many details to what already is known about the death of the al-Qaida leader. His name is withheld to protect his identity.

The Shooter told Bronstein, CIR’s executive chairman, that he alone killed the terrorist leader, recounting minute details of those brief seconds. As the second Navy SEAL up a staircase, he saw bin Laden inside a room.

“For me it was a snapshot of a target ID, definitely him,” he said. “Even in our kill houses where we train, there are targets with his face on them. This was repetition and muscle memory. That’s him, boom, done.”

But perhaps the Shooter’s most explosive revelation is that nearly six months after leaving the military, he feels abandoned by the government. Physically aching and psychologically wrecked after hundreds of combat missions, he left the military a few years short of the retirement requirement with no pension.

“It was nearly impossible to believe when he first told me he got such a dearth of support from the U.S. government,” Bronstein said. “Where’s the thank you?”

Like 820,000 other veterans, his disability claim is stuck in a seemingly interminable backlog at the VA, where the average wait time currently exceeds nine months, based on the agency’s own data.

The speedier special track for Special Forces veterans appears to have eluded him, and so his neck, back and eye injuries remain uncompensated, removing a chance for a modicum of financial stability.
read more here

VA Claim Backlog Examples
2000 311,000
2007 755,000
2008 879,291
2009 915,000

The backlog has been exacerbated by the administration’s 2010 decision to accept 260,000 previously denied and new claims associated with Agent Orange exposure.

UPDATE Just got off the phone with a friend asking about this story. The plight of special forces veterans is astonishing. Their claims are very hard to verify because of security secrets the Pentagon keeps. While this is understandable, the veterans still need help with physical and mental health issues.

Here's a thought. Why can't the Pentagon come up with some kind of form to verify the fact these veterans were placed in dangerous situations that would cause PTSD or that the wounds they are claiming as service connected were in fact caused by their service without having to divulge classified information?

Why should they suffer for the secrets they kept when they need to be cared for by the country they served?

CIA veteran on what ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ gets wrong

A CIA veteran on what ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ gets wrong about the bin Laden manhunt
By Jose A. Rodriguez Jr.
Washington Post
Published: January 3

Jose A. Rodriguez Jr.is a 31-year veteran of the CIA. He is the author of “Hard Measures: How Aggressive CIA Actions After 9/11 Saved American Lives,” written with former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow, who also contributed to this essay.

It is an odd experience to enter a darkened room and, for more than 21 / 2 hours, watch someone tell a story that you experienced intimately in your own life. But that is what happened recently as I sat in a movie theater near Times Square and watched “Zero Dark Thirty,” the new Hollywood blockbuster about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

When I was head of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center from 2002 to 2004 and then director of the National Clandestine Service until late 2007, the campaign against al-Qaeda was my life and obsession.

I must say, I agree with both the film critics who love “Zero Dark Thirty” as entertainment and the administration officials and prominent senators who hate the movie for the message it sends — although my reasons are entirely opposite theirs.

Indeed, as I watched the story unfold on the screen, I found myself alternating between repulsion and delight.
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“Zero Dark Thirty” is indefensible on torture

“Zero Dark Thirty” is indefensible
As a director, I respect "Zero Dark Thirty's" artistry. But its underlying message is wrong -- and dangerously so
BY ALEX GIBNEY
ALTERNET

It’s difficult for one filmmaker to criticize another. That’s a job best left to critics. However, in the case of Zero Dark Thirty, about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, an issue that is central to the film — torture — is so important that I feel I must say something. Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow have been irresponsible and inaccurate in the way they have treated this issue in their film. I am not alone in that view.

Senators Carl Levin, Dianne Feinstein and John McCain wrote a letter to Michael Lynton, the Chairman of Sony Pictures, accusing the studio of misrepresenting the facts and “perpetuating the myth that torture is effective,” and asking for the studio to correct the false impression created by the film. The film conveys the unmistakable conclusion that torture led to the death of bin Laden. That’s wrong and dangerously so, precisely because the film is so well made.

Let me say, as many others have, that the film is a stylistic masterwork, an inspiration in terms of technique from the lighting, camera, acting and viscerally realistic production and costume design. Also, as a screen story, it is admirable for its refusal to funnel the hunt for bin Laden into a series of movie clichés — love interests, David versus Goliath struggles, etc. More than that, the film does an admirable job of showing how complex was the detective work that led to the death of bin Laden: a combination of tips from foreign intelligence, sleuthing through old files, monitoring signals from emails and cell phones (SIGINT) and mining human intelligence on the ground (HUMINT). It’s all the more infuriating therefore, because the film is so attentive to the accuracy of details — including the mechanism of brutal interrogations — that it is so sloppy when it comes to portraying the efficacy of torture. That may seem like a small thing, but it is not. Because when we go to war, our politicians will be guided by our popular will. And if we believe that torture “got” bin Laden, then we will be more prone to accept the view that a good “end” can justify brutal “means.”
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No Easy Day book makes days harder on other Navy SEALS

Experts: Former SEAL May be 'Endangering Our Own'
Sep 05, 2012
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
by Jeremy Boren

The former Navy SEAL behind a firsthand account of the daring raid that killed terror leader Osama bin Laden risks endangering his ex-comrades and violating a revered code of silent service, some in the intelligence and special warfare communities say.

"I do hope the author did not disclose any classified information because he did not get it prescreened" by the government, said Steve Howard, former chief of training for the Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. "The special operations community takes a dim view of members who go public with information that they have promised not to disclose."

The Defense Department warned author Matt Bissonnette and his publisher, Penguins Putnam, last week that his book "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden," violates nondisclosure agreements he signed while he was a SEAL.

Bissonnette did not allow Pentagon officials to inspect the book before publication to determine if it contains classified information about the May 2, 2011, raid by SEAL Team 6 in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

"Some of the things I've heard about the book, he could have some people looking for him, and I'm not talking about Americans. I'm talking about the other side," former SEAL Don Tocci told WBZ-TV, a CBS-affiliate TV station in Boston.

Jihadists on al Qaida websites have posted purported photos of the author, calling for his murder.

Bissonnette wrote under a pen name, Mark Owen. Fox News first revealed Mark Owen to be Bissonnette, and it was later confirmed to The Associated Press.
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FOX news identified Navy Seal in Bin Laden raid

Drone Is Suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

This came in this morning and right away I felt my blood pressure go up. I clicked the link and it was broken. No surprise there but it did leave me wondering what the hell they were thinking putting it up in the first place.

This Lethal Drone Is Suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder And Can No ...
Business Insider

At least no more real than the concern of troops who wrote it. Kandahar, Afghanistan – In the latest setback to America's drone war over Pakistan, one of its MQ-9 Reapers was recently diagnosed with a severe case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
broken link

Ex-Navy SEAL's book could mean legal action by Pentagon

Considering FOX released the real name of the SEAL, endangering his life along with everyone else, saying the Pentagon taking action is a bad political move, they should be more concerned with what is the right thing to do. If the investigation shows the ex-SEAL released classified information, and Obama does not allow them to take action, then that would be against the best interests of the country and the men and women serving it.

US Army Veteran Reacts to Possibility of Legal Action by Pentagon Against Author of Bin Laden Raid Tell-All
by Fox News Insider

The Pentagon is threatening legal action against a previous one-time member of Navy SEALS Team 6 who was there the night that Osama bin Laden was killed. He’s also the author of a book on the raid in which the al Qaeda terrorist was taken out, which includes previously unknown details on the mission.

Pete Hegseth, the CEO of Concerned Veterans of America and a veteran of operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan, told Fox News Friday that while the Pentagon should follow procedure if classified details get released if and when the book hits shelves, pursuing such legal action may not be a wise move for the Obama administration.

According to Hegseth, politically, he doesn’t see how it’s a good idea to “pick a fight with SEALS” 70 days out from the general presidential election.
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Former SEAL could face criminal charges if secrets are in it

US Officials Checking SEAL Raid Book for Secrets

Aug 27, 2012
Associated Press
by Kimberly Dozier

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials said Monday that they are reviewing a copy of a soon-to-be-published account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, checking for leaks of classified information.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said Defense Department officials "received the manuscript and we are looking at it."

CIA spokesman Preston Golson would only say that "the CIA has a copy of the book."

The book, "No Easy Day," is scheduled for publication on Sept. 11.

The author, a former Navy SEAL who participated in the raid, did not submit the book for pre-publication review that is required by the military secrecy agreements officials say he signed.

Pentagon regulations stipulate that retired personnel, former employees and non-active duty members of the Reserves "shall use the DoD security review process to ensure that information they submit for public release does not compromise national security." Pentagon officials say that if they determine the manuscript reveals classified information about the raid, the Pentagon would "defer to the Department of Justice."

If there is classified information in the book, the former SEAL could face criminal charges.

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Special Operations Chief Adm. Bill McRaven says "Pipe Down"

Special ops chief to troops: Pipe down
Army Times
By Kimberly Dozier
AP Intelligence Writer Posted : Friday Aug 24, 2012

WASHINGTON — Special operations chief Adm. Bill McRaven warned his troops, current and former, that he would take legal action against anyone found to have exposed sensitive information that could cause fellow forces harm.

"We will pursue every option available to hold members accountable, including criminal prosecution where appropriate," the four-star commander wrote, in an open, unclassified letter emailed to the active-duty special operations community Thursday, and obtained by The Associated Press.

The warning came a day after a retired Navy commando revealed he is publishing a first-hand account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Pentagon officials say they have not been given a chance to review the book, but Pentagon spokesman George Little said Friday officials expect to receive a copy "very shortly."

Little said the Pentagon will decide whether to take any action against the author once officials review the book's contents to determine whether it includes classified information. He said the Department of Justice would have the lead role if any legal action were to be taken.
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FOX News identified Navy SEAL

FOX News identified Navy SEAL in Bin Laden raid

SEAL who wrote bin Laden raid book identified
By Kimberly Dozier
The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Aug 23, 2012

WASHINGTON — The Navy SEAL who wrote an account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden under a pseudonym was identified Thursday as (read it on Army Times because I won't print it) who retired from the Navy last summer.

("He") was first identified by Fox News. One current and one former U.S. military official confirmed the name, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss military personnel matters.

The book, “No Easy Day,” is scheduled to be released Sept. 11, with the author listed under the pseudonym of Mark Owen. Penguin Group (USA)’s Dutton imprint, the publisher, asked news organizations Thursday to withhold his identity.

“Sharing the true story of his personal experience in ‘No Easy Day’ is a courageous act in the face of obvious risks to his personal security,” said a statement by Christine Ball, Penguin Group spokeswoman. “That personal security is the sole reason the book is being published under a pseudonym.”

Special Operations Command spokesman Col. Tim Nye said the retired SEAL could be endangered by being identified, which could also expose those active-duty SEALs the author worked with in the killing of bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan last year.
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