http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017...n-beret-in-mali.html


Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar.
Staff Sgt. Logan Melgar. (Photo released by Army Special Operations Command)

The U.S. military is reportedly investigating the possible involvement of two SEAL Team 6 commandos in the strangulation death of an Army Green Beret while on a secret assignment in Mali, The New York Times report.

Staff Sgt. Logan J. Melgar, 34, was found dead on June 4 at the embassy housing he shared with several other special operations forces working in West Africa on training and counterterrorism missions, the New York Times reported.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service confirmed the investigation into Melgar's death to Fox News on Sunday, but did not name suspects.

A military medical examiner reportedly ruled the cause of Melgar’s death to be “a homicide by asphyxiation,” or strangulation. An investigating officer was reportedly sent to Mali within 24 hours following the incident, suspecting foul play.

The cause of the death is listed as a homicide, according to the Washington Post. A military spokesman could not release additional information except that the incident is still under investigation.

There have been no charges, but the two members of the SEAL Team 6 – the famous counterterror unit that killed Usama Bin Laden in 2011 – were flown out of Mali and placed on administrative leave, The Times reported.

The commandoes were initially described as “witnesses” but later changed to “persons of interest” as the authorities continue to determine the exact degree of participating of the commandos in the homicide, the report said.

The possible involvement of the elite force members has sparked speculations among the Green Beret community about the possible motive for the death, some suggesting it was a personal dispute, while others wonder whether Melgar have uncovered some illegal activity the commandos were involved in, according to the Times who spoke with the troops and their families.

Melgar was the 34-year-old Afghanistan veteran who joined the army in 2012 and assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group – the same unit of soldiers that was attacked by Islamic militants in Niger on October 4 and resulted in the deaths of four soldiers.

The Green Beret soldier was in Mali on a mission to provide intelligence about the Islamic militants to the U.S. Ambassador Paul A. Folmsbee in the country and protect the staff against possible attacks, the Times reported.

Melgar is scheduled to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery on November 20.

Not sure we need to know all of this.
Let us (the public) when you have something ~ ongoing investigation and all of that.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Not sure we need to know all of this.

Because it’s a nasty incident involving possible misconduct by special operations people?

I find it interesting to compare this incident to the Las Vegas shooting. Then (and probably still) people were having hissy fits over the fact that the law enforcement people didn’t immediately determine and announce such vital ( ) facts as the nanoseconds of the timeline.

Waiting for further information (as in the LV case) is always a good idea, but I seem to recall reading about how trainees are choked out to the point if unconsciousness by some of these groups, so perhaps they’re accustomed to thinking it’s no big deal. The problem is that law enforcement officers are prohibited from using choke holds on violent arrestees because sometimes people die from the procedure. If the preliminary information is true, I can’t help but believe that that’s what happened this time. (The below comments in a similar vein were posted as I was adding this to mine.)

One of the Navy Seal biographies I read a few years ago (Marcus Luttrell's, perhaps?) describes how Seals would sneak up each other and choke each other out using chokeholds, as a form of hazing/horseplay.

Could have been similar horseplay taken a bit too far.

According to the report, the deceased was killed in Embassy housing. That most likely means that he was killed by a friendly. Since the deceased was also a special ops type, and was strangled, I find it pretty hard to believe that "just anyone" could accomplish such a killing unless the deceased was pass-out drunk, or otherwise chemically disabled.

Two SEALS, could however probably manage such a thing.

If we have two special operators killing a third special operator on a foreign station, and psychosis or accident wasn't involved, then we have a serious problem, and there should be sunlight on it.

I work with a former SEAL, now in the reserves. He is a senior chief, and pretty well tied in. I haven't talked to him about this, but I know from other conversations he is worried about the unit, and its seeming "I can do whatever I want" culture. He is tired of the SEALS high public profile, and concerned that the attitude, coupled with the public image is damaging unit discipline and cohesiveness.

I hope the Navy gets this sorted out.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
One of the Navy Seal biographies I read a few years ago (Marcus Luttrell's, perhaps?) describes how Seals would sneak up each other and choke each other out using chokeholds, as a form of hazing/horseplay.

Could have been similar horseplay taken a bit too far.

This was my first thought as well.

(And I think it was mentioned in Chris Kyle's book.)

We have seen multiple cases of military buddies killing each other in bar fights or messing with someone elses wife. It probably happened in the past but never made the news.

My experience is that they are no different than others and your upbringing influences your character the most when no one is watching.

There's a little more detail included in this account.

quote:

Originally posted by Snake207:

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
One of the Navy Seal biographies I read a few years ago (Marcus Luttrell's, perhaps?) describes how Seals would sneak up each other and choke each other out using chokeholds, as a form of hazing/horseplay.

Could have been similar horseplay taken a bit too far.

This was my first thought as well.

(And I think it was mentioned in Chris Kyle's book.)

Being put in a rear naked choke hold to make someone "go to sleep" and actually strangling someone to death are two entirely different things.

I've been "choked out" plenty of times, as well as done so to others while training Jiu Jitsu. Putting someone into unconsciousness compared to killing someone through strangulation are easy to differentiate.

SEALS and anyone else that is trained in Jiu Jitsu knows where that line is. You don't continue restricting blood flow to the brain after a person goes lights out.

quote:

Originally posted by RAMIUS:
Putting someone into unconsciousness compared to killing someone through strangulation are easy to differentiate.

SEALS and anyone else that is trained in Jiu Jitsu knows where that line is.

You don't continue restricting blood flow to the brain after a person goes lights out.

Unless you do, accidentally or otherwise.

But you're right that they should know where the line is, due to their training.

If this truly was an otherwise innocent horseplay chokehold/sleeper hold gone wrong, I imagine there are other aggravating factors, such as them being drunk, or the victim having a previously unidentified medical issue.

quote:

Originally posted by FiveFiveSixFan:
There's a little more detail included in this account.

From that article:

"The initial reports to Sergeant Melgar’s superiors in Germany said he had been injured while wrestling or grappling with the two Navy commandos...

According to one version of events, one of the SEALs put Sergeant Melgar in a chokehold. When the sergeant passed out, the commandos frantically tried to revive him. Failing that, they rushed him to an emergency clinic, where he was pronounced dead."

From the additional information, it sounds like involuntary manslaughter not murder.

quote:

I work with a former SEAL, now in the reserves. He is a senior chief, and pretty well tied in. I haven't talked to him about this, but I know from other conversations he is worried about the unit, and its seeming "I can do whatever I want" culture. He is tired of the SEALS high public profile, and concerned that the attitude, coupled with the public image is damaging unit discipline and cohesiveness.

I hope the Navy gets this sorted out.

That's what I see and hear on my end too. The old hands are shocked at what has gone on the last 15+ years.

The SEALS are a PITA to work with to the point I'm glad it's been awhile since I've had to. BIG but very FRAGILE egos and a community wide inability to plan effectively make them tied for dead last in terms of who we like to support. Plus they have a champaign taste on a Bud-light budget, usually. The juice isn't worth the squeeze anymore.

I have a neighbor that is a Seal and seemed like a nice guy at first and I was so happy to see a gun owner neighbor compared to the other two neighbors at that location that let their dogs run loose and stole stuff out of my orchard and trespassed.

He wanted to hunt on my land even though he had has own 10 acres. So I gave him permission and he walked over just about every day.

He was to shoot only does to reduce the damage the deer were doing to the environment and to give some of them to the Hunters for the Hungry. He puts up a tree stand where I recommended and shoots a buck that day with a crossbow. The buck is wounded and he does not have another bolt so he has to go home and get another one which takes about 10 minutes while the buck is still alive. It was too dangerous to slit its throat with a knife.

Next I find out his hunting buddies are also hunting on the property. Then he shoots a deer on the property line with houses in the background which did it for me. No more hunting on me.

So now he is pissed and starts mowing 15 feet over on me which allows the ground to dry out and my trees which are planted 25 feet from the property line start to get die back due to lack of moisture. I call the Sheriff and he does nothing since their schedules conflict. He has never had the property surveyed and is mowing about an acre of the neighbor on the other side. He tries to make a case of a boundary dispute.

Next year, he pulls up two surveyor sticks put in by the previous owner and puts his tree stand in one of the trees on my property. I call the Sheriff and the next week the tree stand is gone. I also placed pipe stakes along the boundary and twice he pulls them up and moves them ten feet inside the property line and pounds them into the ground so there is only about three inches of the three foot stake exposed. I had one hell of a time getting them pulled out.

Then Christmas week last year, I am cutting fire wood about 30 yards from my truck and while carrying wood in my arms, I decide to take my in the waist band holster and pistol off and place it in the passenger seat. When leaving, I see several deer and decide to take one of them but the pistol is not on the seat so I assume it had fallen down behind the seat. I get home and it can not be found anywhere. So I assume someone was watching me and saw me place the gun in the truck and when my back was turned and I was about 30 yards from the truck gathering and sawing, they slipped up and took the gun which could have been easily done since I was next to the woods which would have provided cover. I wonder in my mine if it could have been him.

These guys don't have enough going on without having to now worry about the guy whose supposed to be watching their back doing "something dumb" and injuring/killing them. Seams maybe they've had too much latitude for too long and somebody needs to reign them in.
I see a lawsuit coming from family of deceased, against both military and individuals involved.

Lots of rumors from unnamed sources, so who knows how accurate it is, but this article suggests that he was deliberately killed after discovering that the two Seals were stealing money from a fund used to pay informants:

http://amp.thedailybeast.com/g...h-then-he-was-killed

Just hit headlines.

I'm just gonna say not surprising that the initial story is inaccurate.

Report says the Seals stated that all of them were out drinking, but tox reports came back negative on the dean Green Beret. Looks like the two Seals thought they were above the law, and decided to kill the person who would report them. Common criminals, I hope they hang for this.