Racist memes shared by Navy SEALs prompt investigation, disciplinary actions
The two enlisted Team 4 members are being punished for developing racist memes targeting a Black sailor in their platoon and circulating them in a group chat with other team members, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of an ongoing investigation. The memes depicted the sailor as a slave, according to visuals viewed by The Associated Press.
According to the official, the sailor who was targeted reported the incidents this year, but they took place beginning in 2022 and the memes circulated for years. The sailor had been in one of the SEAL Team 4 platoons but had his qualifications and SEAL trident revoked last year. He alleged that his failure to remain a SEAL was due to the racist treatment.
Two officials said that as a result of the investigation, which was conducted by Naval Special Warfare Group 2, the sailor's SEAL qualifications are being reinstated and he will get back pay. The group oversees SEAL Team 4 and the platoons that make up the team, located at Joint Base Little Creek-Fort Story in Hampton Roads, Virginia
The probe found that the platoon and SEAL Team 4 leaders did not adequately address the sailor's concerns about racist behavior and that the decision to revoke his qualifications was flawed.
'This was a very shocking case of explicit and repeated racist memes directed at our client in a platoon-wide text thread,' said Timothy Parlatore, the sailor's lawyer, referring to the memes shared over a Signal chat. 'They modified his face in photos to look like a monkey and portrayed him as a chained slave on a slave ship, among others.'
The two enlisted sailors responsible for the memes face non-judicial punishment and punitive letters in their files. Both actions can be career ending, or can result in demotions or loss of pay. Other actions are still pending.
The platoon and team leaders are also facing administrative actions, including disciplinary letters in their files, that could determine if they continue as SEALs.
In a statement, Naval Special Warfare Command acknowledged the investigation into 'serious allegations of unprofessional conduct within one of our commands' and said 'accountability actions are ongoing.'
It added that 'we are dedicated to fostering a climate of dignity and respect, and after conducting a thorough and fair investigation, we will hold anyone found responsible of misconduct accountable.'
Parlatore praised Rear Adm. Jamie Sands, head of NSW, and his staff for taking swift action to 'investigate, reverse the negative repercussions that our client received, and move to hold people accountable.'
This is just the latest significant investigation into behavior issues and command failures at Naval Special Warfare Command. And it underscores racial concerns that are not new to the special warfare leaders.
Commando forces across the services — particularly the officers — tend to be far less diverse than the military as a whole. And leaders in recent years have tried to attract a wider array of recruits in order to develop a more diverse force.
Those efforts, however, could be threatened now, as the Trump administration and Defense Department leaders have made it a priority to end diversity and inclusion programs across the military and the government as a whole. That could exacerbate racist problems in the smaller, largely-white teams.
As of March 2021, a full 95% of all SEAL and combatant-craft crew officers were white and just 2% were Black, according to Naval Special Warfare statistics provided to the AP. The enlisted ranks were only slightly more diverse.
Those number are starkly different from the overall Navy population, where about 40% of the enlisted force and 24% of its officers are non-white.
According to the defense official, the sailor filed more than a dozen specific complaints about racist behavior and about half were substantiated.
And as Group 2 leaders began to look into the complaints, a second sailor — who is white — also complained about bullying by other platoon members. That amplified the broader concerns about the command climate and the later findings of leadership failures.
Other recent investigations also found training and command problems.
Last October a highly critical review found that two Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters.
And in 2023, an investigation into the death of a SEAL candidate a year earlier concluded that the training program was plagued by widespread failures in medical care, poor oversight and the use of performance-enhancing drugs that have increased the risk of injury and death to those seeking to become elite commandos.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
a few seconds ago
- CBS News
Massachusetts man recounts trying to fight off carjacking suspect later caught in Rhode Island
A carjacking suspect was arrested in Rhode Island Friday night after police said he stole a man's car from his driveway in Newburyport, Massachusetts earlier in the day. At around 3 p.m. on Friday, 77-year-old Michael Doyle said he was returning home and getting out of his car on High Street when a man, now identified by police as 46-year-old David Agneta, walked onto his driveway and started making demands. "He said, 'Give me those keys' and I said no," said Doyle. He claimed Agneta then grabbed his hand "and we were having kind of a tug of war, I guess, because I was still in shock. And the keys slipped out of my hand or his and I fell over backwards with my bad knee." Agneta then allegedly shoved Doyle to the ground, took his keys and drove off with his car. Doyle said he was unable to fight back because he recently had knee replacement surgery. "I was on my back and I couldn't get up if I wanted to," recalled Doyle. "My wife threw a bucket of water at him but of course that didn't help much." Police said Doyle was treated at the scene by paramedics. "Thank god he wasn't armed because I was hopeless," said Doyle. "He could have stabbed me 15 times. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect someone to come walking across my lawn with malice in his mind." Rhode Island State Police arrested Agneta more than 100 miles away from Newburyport in Exeter, Rhode Island Friday night and charged him with possession of a stolen motor vehicle. Newburyport Police have charged him with two counts of carjacking and assault and battery on an elderly or disabled person. Agneta is expected to be arraigned in court Monday morning in Rhode Island. He'll be brought back to Massachusetts at a later date to be arraigned on those charges.


CBS News
31 minutes ago
- CBS News
1 dead after crash involving sedan, semi-truck in Fort Worth, police say
One person has died after a crash involving a sedan and a semi-truck in Fort Worth on Sunday afternoon, police said. Just before 3 p.m., Fort Worth police were called to Trinity Boulevard and Post Oak for a crash, where responding officers saw the crash involved a semi-truck and a sedan. The driver of the sedan was pronounced dead on the scene. Fort Worth police said the investigation is ongoing. This is a developing story. We'll update as more information becomes available.


CNN
31 minutes ago
- CNN
Police searching for suspect in the killings of a couple found dead at an Arkansas park
Police are searching for an unknown suspect in the killings of Clinton David Brink, 43, and Cristen Amanda Brink, 41, according to a release from Arkansas State Police Sunday. The Brinks were hiking in the Devil's Den State Park with their daughters, ages 7 and 9, who were not injured in the attack. The girls are safe with family members, police said. The park is in a remote and rural area, where the terrain is 'rugged, vegetation is thick and there is no cellphone service,' police said. Police were notified of the suspected double homicide around 2:40 p.m. Saturday. The suspect is described as a White male of medium build. Investigators said they believed he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with sleeves rolled up, dark pants, a dark ballcap, sunglasses and fingerless gloves. He was carrying a black backpack and seen driving towards the park exit in a black four-door sedan that may have been a Mazda with its license plate covered by tape, police said. The vehicle may have been travelling on State Highway 170 or State Highway 220 near the park. The area has been cordoned off and police have asked visitors to the park to share any images they might have of the suspect from the park Saturday. Local residents have also been asked to check security and game camera footage. Police have increased law enforcement presence at state parks, said Shea Lewis, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism in the release. 'We are deeply saddened by the tragic events that occurred at Devil's Den State Park. Our hearts are with the victims' loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. The safety of our visitors and staff is our highest priority, and we are working closely with Arkansas State Police and various law enforcement officials as the investigation continues,' the statement read. The Brinks family had recently moved to Prairie Grove from another state, police added.