This piece was originally published in the San Diego Union-Tribune
In the early days of the farce of a war crimes case against my brother, Navy SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher, it was dark. The Navy had locked him up and threw away the key, leaving him to languish in a prison before trial. They denied access to his lawyers, medical care, even food. It was practically guaranteed, given the stacked deck against us, he’d be wrongfully imprisoned for life.
However, now that Eddie is vindicated — acquitted after a lengthy and costly trial — people seem to think it was predestined. They think that the facts spoke for themselves, and we would have prevailed no matter what.
You would be fooling yourself if you think that’s how our system works.
While the truth was always on our side, our experience under the thumb of a corruptible system decisively showed us that truth alone is not enough. It needs to be accompanied by faith, family, grit and strong allies.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Alpine, was one of those allies. His support for Eddie was immediate and unwavering because it was rooted in something few other members of Congress have — a knowledge of what it’s like in combat and an ingrained support for our warfighters and their families.
The rest of the original article can be read here.
The rest of the article explains how Rep. Hunter’s unwavering support of Eddie Gallagher meant the world to the SEAL and his family. It also reveals how fundamental due process is in our legal system, as the facts eventually arise and illuminate the proper judgment. The willingness of Rep. Hunter to stand by a man who has sacrificed so much for our country speaks volumes, regardless of whether one agrees with Hunter’s policies or not. Some things in life are simply more important than the petty day-to-day politics we’ve become accustomed to.
