274:, and expunge a letter of reprimand Golsteyn received. The Board ruled against Golsteyn in all requested actions. On Golsteyn's medal revocation, it noted that "The Department of Defense has directed that awards such as the DSC and should be revoked if subsequently determined facts would have prevented the original approval or presentation of the award," and also noted that this appeared in Army Regulations. The Board determined relief was not warranted because Golsteyn's pardon was "a sign of forgiveness" and "does not indicate innocence." Similarly, the Board noted that Golsteyn's Special Forces Tab was revoked pursuant to Army regulations, as the USASOC Commander determined that his actions were "inconsistent with the integrity, professionalism, and conduct of a Special Forces Soldier." They found that the revocation was not impacted by Golsteyn's pardon, noting that the Department of Justice advised Golsteyn that the pardon "does not equate to a finding of innocence." They found that the CID investigation contained ample evidence of "an unjustified killing" as well as "conspir . . . . to hide and destroy evidence of his misconduct," which was admitted both "to the CIA and to the media." The Board also noted that Golsteyn had been administratively eliminated (fired) from the Army as a result. Finally, the Board declined to remove the reprimand from Golsteyn's personnel file, ruling that the reprimand "addresses and condemns behavior beyond conduct proscribed by ," and the reprimand was not "in any way untrue or unjust." Further, it noted that the Department of Justice advised Golsteyn that the pardon would not expunge all records relating to the offense.
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case, but closed it with no charges in 2013. The Army instead dealt with the matter administratively, and issued
Golsteyn a memorandum of reprimand and revoked both his original Silver Star and the Distinguished Service Cross that had not yet been presented. The medal revocation was justified by the Secretary of the Army on the grounds that "facts subsequently determined" would have prevented the original award, which was permissible by both Army and DoD regulations. In June 2015, Golsteyn was referred to a board of inquiry to "show cause" for retention on active duty. The board found that he engaged in "conduct unbecoming an officer," and committed "misconduct, moral, or professional derelection" and recommended his elimination from the armed under a general characterization of service. In April 2016, the board reconvened to clarify that Golsteyn "failed in his duties to own all the circumstances of the incident in its entirety," specifying that "he shot an Afghan . . . and then took steps to cover it up," "omitted key facts in his reporting," "failed to report all the facts officially and for the record over an extended period of time," and "failed those he led by engaging in activities during the incident that sought to cover up the circumstance in question."
167:
213:. In February, a bomb killed two Marines who had been working under Golsteyn's command. Golsteyn and his team searched the nearby village for the bomb-maker, who they believed was a local named Rasoul. A tribal leader alleged that Rasoul was a member of the Taliban. According to the Army, once Rasoul was detained, the leader did not want him released and feared that if he was released, he would kill more people, to include U.S. Servicemembers. Golsteyn allegedly admitted to the killing as part of a
242:
329:
The accusations against the soldier, Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn, are the latest chapter in a winding story that began after he told the
Central Intelligence Agency — during a job interview in 2011 — that he had killed a suspected Afghan bomb maker a year earlier, during the battle for the city of Marja
221:
job interview in 2011. It was also allegedly reported that in the interview with the CIA, Golsteyn claimed that another soldier had later taken the alleged bomb-maker off base, and then shot and killed him, and
Golsteyn later helped burn the body. After this revelation, the Army investigated the
362:
With that tweet, Mr. Trump made another extraordinary intervention into the
American judicial system. A president who just last week threatened to stop a Justice Department effort to extradite a Chinese tech executive and who spends most days vilifying the special counsel had now stepped into a
189:. In 2011, then Captain Golsteyn was awarded a Silver Star, for actions in February 2010. In 2013 the Army reopened an investigation into Golsteyn resulting in the award being revoked in 2015 for a violation of rules of engagement for an incident dating back to 2010.
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It is unclear what the president meant when he posted the tweet. However, as
Commander in Chief of the US armed forces, any intervention by Mr Trump could count as unlawful command influence, and might mean the case against Maj Golsteyn is thrown
283:
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291:, former US Army first lieutenant convicted of second-degree murder for two 2012 battlefield killings in Afghanistan; sentenced to 20 years imprisonment; incarcerated at Fort Leavenworth; pardoned and released after six years.
519:
660:
357:
552:
623:
Dwight Mears, “Medals ‘Ridiculously Given’?: The
Authority to Award, Revoke, and Reinstate Military Decorations in Three Case Studies Involving Executive Clemency,” Military Law Review 229 (2021): 404
414:
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reinstated. The service then convened an administrative panel, the Board for
Correction of Military Records, to determine whether it should reinstate the Special Forces Tab and a
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The following month, Lieutenant
General Francis Beaudette, the commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, denied a request by Golsteyn to have his
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112:
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in 2002. He was commissioned into the army as a second lieutenant and later attended
Special Forces Selection. He served in the
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Sante Fe at
Trinity Prep… behind quarterback Matt Golsteyn… Jerry Golsteyn played in the NFL, son Matt is a three-year starter…
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77:
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if he had killed a suspected bomb-maker, Golsteyn responded "yes". Golsteyn's admission led to the Army reopening the case.
708:"Army general denies request by officer pardoned by Trump to have his Special Forces tab reinstated | The Spokesman-Review"
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complicated legal and ethical case that goes to the heart of the fraught politics of the military's rules of engagement.
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81:
578:
463:
186:
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415:"Trump said he'll review the case against an Army Green Beret charged with murder. This is what could happen"
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said that he would review Maj. Golsteyn's case. Golsteyn received a presidential pardon on 15 November 2019.
683:"Trump grants clemency to 2 Army officers accused of war crimes, restores rank to Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher"
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85:
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44:
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Mathew Golsteyn, No. AR20200000309, Army Bd. for Corr. of Mil. Records, 11 (June 26, 2020).
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Mathew Golsteyn, No. AR20200000309, Army Bd. for Corr. of Mil. Records, 7 (June 26, 2020).
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115:. He was charged with murder after the summary killing of an Afghan civilian detainee in
579:"Twist in Green Beret's Extraordinary Story: Trump's Intervention After Murder Charges"
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344:"Twist in Green Beret's Extraordinary Story: Trump's Intervention After Murder Charges"
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653:"Let military justice system decide if Major Matthew Golsteyn is a victim or murderer"
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32:
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62:
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List of people pardoned or granted clemency by the president of the United States
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510:"Army revokes Silver Star award for Green Beret officer, citing investigation"
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United States Army personnel of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
543:"CIA job interview leads to criminal investigation of Green Beret"
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311:"Army Charges Special Forces Soldier in 2010 Killing of Afghan"
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Cooper, Helene; Tackett, Michael; Shah, Taimoor (2018-12-16).
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Helene Cooper, Michael Tackett and Taimoor Shah (2018-12-16).
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151:
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of the football team, which was coached by his father, former
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Geoffrey S. Corn; Rachel E. VanLandingham (Dec 21, 2018).
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for Golsteyn; it resulted in the dropping of all charges.
379:"Trump 'to review' Mathew Golsteyn Afghan murder case"
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On November 15, 2019, President Donald Trump signed a
681:Melissa Leon, Lucas Tomlinson (November 15, 2019).
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58:
50:
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28:
21:
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256:announced that he would review Golsteyn's case.
245:Official pardon of Golsteyn on November 15, 2019
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8:
225:In November 2016, Golsteyn was a guest on a
770:Recipients of American presidential pardons
330:in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand Province.
123:. Golsteyn's case came to prominence after
119:, whom he claims was a bomb maker for the
18:
780:People charged with international crimes
614:Information Paper, SAMR-MP, 29 Sep 2014
301:
663:from the original on December 21, 2018
486:
555:from the original on February 8, 2015
522:from the original on February 4, 2015
201:, a campaign to liberate the town of
7:
572:
570:
193:Killing of alleged Afghan bomb-maker
309:Thomas Gibbons-Neff (2018-12-14).
14:
785:Trinity Preparatory School alumni
541:Lamothe, Dan (February 6, 2015).
508:Lamothe, Dan (February 4, 2015).
360:from the original on 2018-12-17.
327:from the original on 2018-12-17.
249:Golsteyn made national news when
790:Military personnel from Florida
597:from the original on 2018-12-19
391:from the original on 2018-12-16
183:United States Military Academy
78:National Defense Service Medal
1:
197:In 2010 Golsteyn was part of
439:"Lost Alumni - Trinity Prep"
181:Golsteyn graduated from the
755:United States Army officers
272:Distinguished Service Cross
806:
775:People charged with murder
493:: CS1 maint: url-status (
413:South, Todd (2018-12-18).
144:Trinity Preparatory School
111:officer who served in the
82:Afghanistan Campaign Medal
16:United States Army officer
464:"Apopka at Lake Brantley"
187:3rd Special Forces Group
33:United States of America
246:
178:
146:; as a student he was
244:
169:
51:Years of service
229:show. Asked by host
217:test taken during a
142:, where he attended
138:Golsteyn grew up in
548:The Washington Post
515:The Washington Post
443:www.trinityprep.org
237:Presidential pardon
199:Operation Moshtarak
86:Army Service Ribbon
583:The New York Times
349:The New York Times
316:The New York Times
268:Special Forces Tab
247:
179:
170:Golsteyn greeting
113:War in Afghanistan
109:United States Army
105:Mathew L. Golsteyn
95:Special Forces Tab
45:United States Army
101:
100:
97:(revoked in 2014)
75:(revoked in 2015)
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470:Orlando Sentinel
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207:Helmand Province
177:in December 2019
40:
23:Matthew Golsteyn
19:
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162:Military career
140:Central Florida
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93:
88:
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76:
24:
17:
12:
11:
5:
803:
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793:
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387:. 2018-12-16.
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356:. p. A1.
354:Washington, DC
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323:. p. A9.
321:Washington, DC
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251:U.S. President
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194:
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156:Jerry Golsteyn
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125:U.S. President
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66:
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56:
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42:
36:
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26:
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15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
802:
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760:Living people
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738:Ibid., 12-13.
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473:. 2021-07-31
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289:Clint Lorance
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687:. Retrieved
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665:. Retrieved
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599:. Retrieved
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557:. Retrieved
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524:. Retrieved
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475:. Retrieved
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446:. Retrieved
442:
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422:. Retrieved
418:
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393:. Retrieved
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361:
347:
337:
328:
314:
304:
265:
258:
254:Donald Trump
248:
224:
215:lie detector
196:
180:
175:Donald Trump
137:
128:Donald Trump
104:
102:
689:15 November
559:February 7,
526:February 7,
209:, from the
148:quarterback
73:Silver Star
749:Categories
729:Ibid., 12.
685:. Fox News
667:2018-12-21
601:2018-12-21
477:2024-06-07
448:2019-12-10
424:2018-12-21
419:Army Times
395:2018-12-17
296:References
231:Bret Baier
134:Early life
90:NATO Medal
29:Allegiance
657:USA TODAY
591:0362-4331
489:cite news
172:President
54:2002–2015
661:Archived
595:Archived
553:Archived
520:Archived
389:Archived
384:BBC News
358:Archived
325:Archived
278:See also
227:Fox News
92:for ISAF
39:Service/
211:Taliban
154:player
121:Taliban
589:
261:pardon
203:Marjah
117:Marjah
103:Major
69:Awards
41:branch
641:Ibid.
107:is a
63:Major
691:2019
587:ISSN
561:2015
528:2015
495:link
401:out.
59:Rank
219:CIA
152:NFL
751::
699:^
659:.
655:.
593:.
585:.
581:.
569:^
551:.
545:.
518:.
512:.
491:}}
487:{{
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467:.
441:.
417:.
398:.
381:.
370:^
352:.
346:.
319:.
313:.
205:,
158:.
710:.
693:.
670:.
604:.
563:.
530:.
497:)
451:.
427:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
