Navy prosecutors were awarded medals for their “superb results” and “expert litigation,” despite losing their trial against Special Warfare Chief Edward Gallagher, a Navy SEAL accused of war crimes.
The prosecutors were given Navy Achievement Medals during a ceremony at the Navy Region Legal Service Office in San Diego on July 10, according to Task & Purpose. The ceremony took place one week after Gallagher was found not guilty of murder in a trial that made national headlines.
The prosecutors were praised for “superior results,” despite losing the trial, and for “exceptional witness preparation,” despite the fact that one of the prosecution’s witnesses surprised the court by admitting that he, not Gallagher, was responsible for the death of an injured ISIS fighter in question.
Lt. Scott McDonald, who took over as lead prosecutor one month before the trial, was praised for his pretrial review of evidence over a two-week period in his citation. Lt. Brian John’s citation said he “took the lead in preparing the government’s most challenging witnesses.” Lt. George Hageman was cited for “exceptional pretrial litigation support.”
Gallagher’s defense team accused the prosecution of impropriety during the case’s proceedings. In May, it was discovered that the prosecution team had installed email tracking software in their correspondence with the defense. In response, Capt. Aaron Rugh, the judge overseeing the case, dismissed lead prosecutor, Cmdr. Chris Czaplak.
Established in 1961, the Navy Achievement Medal is awarded for “meritorious service or achievement in either combat or noncombat situations based on sustained performance or superlative nature” that does not qualify for a Commendation Medal, the next highest award, according to the Navy and Marine Corps awards manual.
Gallagher was charged with war crimes after members of his own team alleged that he had stabbed the injured ISIS fighter to death and fired at civilians while on deployment to Iraq in 2017. The case ultimately split the Navy SEAL community and caught the attention of President Trump, who was reportedly considering giving Gallagher a pardon.
Gallagher was ultimately found not guilty of all charges, except unlawfully taking a picture with the corpse of the fighter.
