For the last 12 years, seven Marines have been under threat not from terrorists and enemy soldiers, but the United States military itself. Back in 2007, the seven Marines were accused of massacring innocent civilians in the midst of an ambush. While the soldiers were cleared of wrong-doing by military courts just a year later, senior military officials did little to set the record straight.
On March 4, 2007, a six-vehicle convoy manned by U.S. Marines traveling through the Afghanistan village of Bati Koti was attacked by a suicide bomber driving a van stuffed with explosives. After the bombing, enemy fighters on both sides of the convoy emerged and opened fire. The Marines repelled the attack and escaped with only a minor injury. The convoy was commanded by Major Fred Galvin.
The Taliban, however, decided to spin the Marine’s counterattack as an attack on innocent villagers. Quickly, images of bullet-riddled vehicles and seemingly innocent but bloodied villagers being loaded onto ambulances emerged. In hindsight, it appears that the injured were Taliban fighters. Regardless, U.S. military officials took the bait and even leaked false information to news outlets. They didn’t realize the whole situation was a Taliban plot to damage the U.S. military, sow discord, and drum up sympathy.
Now, the military has finally cleared Gavin’s name, full stop. A report was approved by the Navy this past January, fully clearing Gavin’s name and acknowledging that he and his soldiers acted appropriately when defending themselves. Still, the damage had already been done.
Major Fred Galvin was forced to retire in 2014 after allegedly being denied a promotion. The denial of promotion cost Galvin hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary and pension payments. According to Galvin, he was slapped with “inequitable and unjust” performance appraisals, resulting in his denied promotion. He may now be eligible for a retroactive promotion.
Major Galvin was the only one of the seven Marines to pursue vindication. However, his vindication will also help clear the names of the other Marines who were also accused of the war crimes.
