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Should Navy SEAL author Mark Owen face legal repercussions for publishing a first-hand account of helping kill Osama bin Laden?

 

 

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From the articles that were posted about the book, there was legal representation present that was there to prevent any misinformation from being displayed. The author also stated that he made sure that he did not post anything that would have been detrimental to the security of military forces engaged in the mission.

Submitted by andersf76 : Sep 6, 2012 2:48pm

If not held accountable legally he has been held accountable by every other member of his team that took part in this mission. There is a code of conduct that every Navy SEAL subscribes and adheres too. It's meant to not only protect your identity but also the identity of every other member of your team and their families. He has broken that code and has potentially exposed every member who took part in this mission. It's important to also remember that every after action report differs based on where you were standing during the action. His story may not be totally true as what he saw and what the others saw or did may be totally different.

Submitted by Navydoc72 : Sep 6, 2012 3:07pm

Navydoc72, so, what exactly was the administration Yes-ing or No-ing to? You can't/don't Yes or No a mission if you don't know what it's for or how it's to be executed.

What Commander/leader, let alone CIC would allow a subordinate command execute a mission without an explaination of what or how (to some degree) they intendeed to do it. Surely the Navy uses OPORDERS/OPLANs too. While I don't agree necessarily with the release of information, surely you know the CIC is briefed on high level events and approves based upon the intel and input from other staff...even that info was released.

Submitted by spencero : Sep 6, 2012 3:59pm

Spencero- See my reply below. You've pointed you question at the wrong person.

Submitted by Navydoc72 : Sep 6, 2012 7:27pm

It appears he has broken his relationship with his fellow Seals, but this is purely from an outsider looking in and I can only guess.

The real break in overall security came with the administration hot dogging and bragging about it like they were there and had a part in the planning.

I think it more likely that the administration's role was to simply proved a "YES" "NO" response - and then try to act like they did something special - other than simply approve.

Submitted by ClarkTE4 : Sep 6, 2012 3:26pm

This isn't about politics, it's about keeping and honoring your commitments. I have no idea if this book contains sensitive information but, if it does he violated his oath and the trust of his team. The truth will of course come out. The more troublesome part of this discussion is the people that seem to rationalize and excuse someone from their own personal oath. Living by our principles is what I thought set us veterans apart.

Submitted by Nuke gone south : Sep 6, 2012 4:28pm

I recently finished a book, Seal Target Geronimo, by Check Pfarrer, first edition published in November 2011. Pfarrer previously authored Warrior Soul: The Memoir of a Navy Seal. He is a former assault element commander of Seal Team Six and is acknowledged as a counter terrorism expert on several media venues. His recent book is a very complete history of Osama and Al Qaeda, including the September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers, Al Qaeda in Iraq and other historic material. The development of Neptune's Spear is covered in detail, culminating in the raid on Abbottabad. I only found two things in the book that were new to me: the use of chemical weapons as components of roadside bombs in Iraq, and the Ghost Hawk helo, not used in the Abbottabad raid. There was no flap about the book. It was probably submitted for Pentagon review. I recommend it. I got my copy at Books A Million in the discounted aisle.

Submitted by Jim Prior : Sep 6, 2012 4:43pm

Our current president is one big lie he has lead us down a path that is unsustainable. This seal is a man I respect and people die because of the lies Obama tells! One needs to read Andy Andrews "how to kill 11million people"to have an idea about what this man is all about. This country can needs to be rescued and we the people need to do this!

Submitted by 5hands : Sep 6, 2012 4:44pm

Many of the comments that I have read here today seem to be based on a disrespect and personal dislike for our Preident, CIC, and not on a possible betrayal of our military by Mr. Owens. In my opinion as a veteran, Mr. Owens is not the CIC and his actions cannot be compared to the CIC. If he wants to be the CIC then he should run for the office and let the American people give him that authority. We do not need self-appointed national leaders in our country, USA. We have fought against self-appointed leaders in the last century and are doing so in this century. Mr. Owens is starting down a path seen in the last century.

Submitted by slang007 : Sep 6, 2012 6:24pm

When the white house staff are brought to justice, then this Navy Seal can be looked at.

Submitted by baker1126 : Sep 6, 2012 6:36pm

I do not see how this can be justified under any circumstances. It can be turned into a partisan rant about Obama as some have done in their comments, but that's not the issue. It's a violation of a sacred code and a binding non-disclosure policy. It also denigrates the service of all the other guys in ST6 and the rest of the military that do their duty and honor confidentiality. Whether to make a buck or grab his 15 minutes of fame this guy sold out! He's no patriot!

Submitted by dfinpa : Sep 6, 2012 7:12pm

Spencero- I think you need to direct your "question/comment" to ClarkTE4. I have no idea how your response can be directed to my comment. Maybe you can clarify it for me. ATTENTION EVERYONE... IT'S SEAL...not Seal. It's an acronym, not an animal. In honor of all Navy SEALS, active and former, please spell it right. Once a SEAL always a SEAL, it's never ex SEAL, it's former SEAL no matter what you've done that compromises your Team members, like writing a book.

Submitted by Navydoc72 : Sep 6, 2012 7:15pm

Navydoc, you're exactly right...I apologize; obvious oversight on my part, likely due in part to scrolling...my comment is directed at ClarkTE4...maybe your tagname had me spellbound.

Submitted by spencero : Sep 6, 2012 8:01pm

Apology accepted and thank you for responding.

Submitted by Navydoc72 : Sep 7, 2012 10:01am

Navydoc, you're exactly right...I apologize; obvious oversight on my part, likely due in part to scrolling...my comment is directed at ClarkTE4...maybe your tagname had me spellbound.

Submitted by spencero : Sep 6, 2012 8:02pm

Navydoc72, I do respect and agree with your comments. You are spot on. I would, however, make one small suggestion....as regards the correct "punctuation, spelling, capitalization", etc..etc. You must remember, that not ALL of the people who are reading this are of your generation. Some, like my 89 year old father, are WWII Veterans, and some, while they know the "correct" terminology, have to now rely on old fingers, eyes, and sometimes speech recognition to be heard in these forums. So yes, while I agree, the correct terminology is "SEAL", not "Seal", Let's please put aside the nonsense and read for content. As I said, my 89 year old WWII Navy Veteran father, who could be called "Navydoc40through60" and beyond, meant no disrespect. I think it's amazing and awesome that he is still able to read and respond, and more aptly, CARE about these issues. Have a little respect for those who paved the way for you. And don't get all caught up in the "grammatical details". It really hurts those of us know that there is a WWII Veteran who feels he has to "apologize" for post. Because he termed it "Seal" instead of "SEAL". Someday, maybe you will be at the mercy of one handed, one fingered typing, or worse yet, speech typing. And still try to make your voice heard. Will you listen then, or will you focus on the spelling??? It is about the CONTENT. IMHO.

Submitted by docsdaughter : Sep 13, 2012 11:51pm

Gimme a break, Doc. Save your rants for something that matters.

Submitted by Master_Chief (not verified) : Apr 25, 2014 6:37pm

I had a secret clearance in Navy 1968-1972.We all signed disclosure agreements.Our flight operations were top secret. Not for disclosure ever. Watch plenty of my squadrons operations on military channel declassified I am sure.Government can do what they want to do, but for me forever is forever!Somebody is still out there doing what I did for a living and deserves nothing less than me keeping my mouth shut!

Submitted by texsalerno : Sep 6, 2012 10:06pm

Why is everyone getting their panties in a wad for? If you have really served in such actions you would know that the Public Relations that Obama put out is BS and this book is BS. There are always half-truths and misinformation in all stories. The Pentagon is playing this up for the propaganda show. The SEAL is playing this up for the bestseller. No one will ever know what happened except the ones that were there and they will not tell. But who am I? Just a thick skulled Jarhead who knows misinformation is the name of the game we called PSYOPs. In Recon school we learned a way to create confusion in the enemy is to kidnap a loyal Commie Cadre and hold him a day or two and return him publicly. Go out and kill a bunch of our communist friends and publicly dump them in the village and congratulate the Cadre on what a fine job he had done in protecting his village and then leave. You should know what happens next. Of course this action was for training purposes only and never happened. Everything is BS, but it is a deadly weapon.

Submitted by thoweth : Sep 7, 2012 1:39am

thoweth, you're correct but I can't say I have to point this all at our current president, Obama, of who I am not a supporter of. All politicians lie through their teeth, it's happened since our great country was founded. However, it has gotten worse I will agree too. Your analogy above of what the author is doing is spot on, he's making this a big media hype story and people will run out and spend their hard earned dollars on garbage. Not long ago I made the mistake of purchasing the book "Lone Survivor" another SEAL book about one mans experience (sorry it meant so little I can't remember his name). What I found was that non-Vets ate the story up hook, line and sinker and without any question. I have told many people that read "Lone Survivor" is was BS and could back my feelings based on fact, not fiction as "Lone Survivor" was. If you don't agree with someone writing a book about an issue they shouldn't, don't support them with your dollars and let everyone you talk to know not to waste their dollars. Anyone writing their own autobiography will never say bad about themselves, only praise their good works and strong feelings. We, as Veterans, need to sift through the BS and make sure the public is properly informed about what really goes on and that we are speaking from experience, not some half wit book written by an author who only wants to pad his wallet.

Submitted by Navydoc72 : Sep 7, 2012 10:17am