Exonerated Major Fred Galvin | Mike Ritland Podcast Episode 116

About this video

Mike Ritland interviews retired Major Fred Galvin, a 27-year Marine Corps veteran who served as a reconnaissance and MARSOC operator. Galvin recounts his journey from enlisted Marine to Mustang officer, his time commanding Force Recon units, and his controversial war crimes trial following combat operations in Afghanistan. Galvin attributes the charges to Taliban information warfare and senior leadership failures, detailing his eventual acquittal and the broader implications for military justice and due process.

Key takeaways

• Galvin describes being charged with war crimes after a firefight in Afghanistan, where Taliban information operations and senior U.S. leaders allegedly censored facts and prosecuted operators based on enemy propaganda rather than evidence
• According to Galvin, his case and similar prosecutions (such as the ongoing MARSOC 3 case) represent systemic abuse of authority and violations of due process, including illegal classification of testimony, gag orders, and witness intimidation by Pentagon attorneys
• Galvin emphasizes that Force Recon training in the late 1990s and early 2000s was extremely challenging and formative, providing diverse combat training opportunities across Asia-Pacific with allied special operations forces

Episode details: published October 23, 2022 · 59.8K views · 3:01:29 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Stories told by Mike Ritland’s podcast guests are the guests’ own accounts, attributed to them — not independently verified. Commentary is Ritland’s, presented as his analysis.

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