Reply #29: According to the lawyer-father of his dead OIC, it wasn't his decision at all--he's a liar, too

[MADem]

I can't speak from the perspective of SEALS, not having been one, but all I can tell you is that the sorts of things I've seen commonly put to a vote in the military are more like "Maxwell House or Folgers?" for the coffee mess, not these sorts of life and death decisions.

His account makes his dead OIC (who cannot respond) look like an indecisive wuss--I frankly doubt the veracity of his tale.

I also think it is important to remind everyone that, although the Army and Marines have lowered their standards mightily, the Navy and Air Force have not--in fact, they've RAISED them, because, up to now, they've been downsized in order to provide additional end strength numbers to the other branches. Thus, I'd guess that the good, late LT was probably a 99th percentile fellah, a real "cream of the crop" specimen...

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-liseal0613,0,7551760.story?page=1&coll=ny-main-bigpix

THE FATHER / WHAT HE WAS TOLD

This is what Daniel Murphy, Michael's father, said Luttrell has told him about the incident in which the four SEALs decided to spare the lives of the herders, as told in a Newsday account of the incident:

Since a SEAL's strength is his ability to get in and out unseen, their cover was effectively blown and a decision had to be made.

What should they do about the goat herder? As the team leader, Murphy was forced to make a fateful decision.

If he were allowed to leave, the herder might tell insurgents in the area of their presence, putting their lives in jeopardy. Taking him prisoner would slow their movements and could bring others out to look for him. Aborting their mission would risk the lives of those who would have to come to extract them and possibly allow an important insurgent leader to go free.

Murphy made clear to the others that killing the shepherd, a noncombatant, to ensure his silence was not an option.

"You know what, we are not murderers," he told the three other SEALs. "We're not just going to kill someone."

They would spare the herder and take their chances.
Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.