Eddie Gallagher and the Pipe Hitter Foundation
/By: Eddie Molina
Eddie Gallagher, retired Navy Seal, spent years on the battlefield fighting for American freedom. His journey began with a desire to serve his country- but his decision to pursue a career as an elite warfighter was fueled by 9-11.
“9-11 was the reason we all stayed in. We kept fighting for the past 20 years.” Eddie tells the Blue Magazine in an exclusive interview.
His Navy Seal career, full of accolades and heroism, nearly ended abruptly. But not by an enemy sniper rifle or a roadside bomb.
It nearly ended with him in behind bars for the rest of his life.
Fighting ISIS
In 2017, Eddie and his platoon were tasked with eliminating the ISIS stronghold in Mosul, Iraq. A role best suited for a world class fighting unit- Navy Seals. What made this particular unit so effective was their Master Chief, Eddie Gallagher.
Eddie brought with him the years of direct combat experience that was needed to overcome the ruthless, barbaric enemy known to the world as ISIS. Eddie’s unit retook the city and help set the stage for bringing back peace to the volatile region.
But his biggest fight came while he was home in San Diego. Bitter members of his unit who still held a grudge against Eddie because he was “too tough on them” accused him of illegally killing an ISIS fighter. He was subsequently arrested and imprisoned until his trial. The case was so nationally recognized and highly publicized that Donald Trump stepped in and released him from custody until the conclusion of the case.
After all was done, Eddie was found not guilty on all but one minor charge of taking a picture with an enemy corpse.
“Obviously, looking back, I wouldn't have taken that picture with a dead body. Even though that's been done a million times before like that's business as usual over there.” Eddie tells Blue.
The Pipe Hitter Foundation
Eddie Gallagher’s case was embroiled in a media firestorm that nearly cost him everything. When a case is as highly publicized as his was, prosecutors with political aspirations start watering at the mouth hoping to get a conviction. In fact, the lead prosecutor was relieved of duty during the case over email spying. [That story here: https://www.navytimes.com/news/2019/06/04/lead-navy-prosecutor-in-seal-war-crime-case-out-over-email-spying/]
Having lived through this ordeal has lit a fire in Eddie and his wife Andrea’s spirit to help others from becoming unfairly victimized by prosecutors with agendas. But not for military personnel. Instead, first responders, especially law enforcement officers. It’s known as the Pipe Hitter Foundation. www.pipehitterfoundation.org
“We support active-duty law enforcement and first responders if they are put in a situation where they're being unjustly accused, or unjustly treated by whatever system they're going through. We will advocate for them. Through our process [and] what we went through, we made a lot of good connections with some of the media out there, and some really good congressmen.” Eddie tells Blue.
The last two years have put the profession of law enforcement on the ropes and mainstream media keeps throwing punches. Eddie and Andrea are on a mission to change that.
“We also put out the facts. As you know, the media distorts the truth. They take out context, as you see in the Dages case [Dages Story here: https://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/ex-la-mesa-police-officer-matthew-dages-found-not-guilty-of-filing-false-report/]. I mean, they smeared the officer within 48 hours, taking out the context of what was really in the video. So we will use our social media platform and also the media to actually put out the facts of the case like, Hey, this is what's really going on.” Eddie continued, “That way people can get the facts and then critically think for themselves instead of being told what to think by certain media outlets.”
Although Eddie was in the military and not in law enforcement, he understands the current plight LEO’s are dealing with.
“I think officers have it 1000 times worse than we do. Because you guys are operating within the United States that are doing the job on a daily basis. Especially in today's environment, you can see they are turning the villains into heroes, and the heroes into villains. And you watch it on the media all the time. It's absurd.” Eddie said.
After all he has gone through, he still has delicate level of optimism when it comes to the future of law enforcement.
“They (the general public) need to go and get back to respecting that (law enforcement) job. Respecting what these men and women do for us on the streets every day.” Eddie continued, “But I'm hoping. It doesn't seem like it's getting any better. Right now, it seems like it's at this plateau. People don't know whether or not to hate the cops or love the cops. And I'll tell you what, we've seen it in cities across the country, the ones that are like defund the police, those cities turn to shit. It's because they don't have law enforcement. They're patrolling the streets protecting the people. You need that. So I'm hoping we do a shift here at some point in the future.”
Helping Out
Eddie tells Blue Magazine about how you can contribute to the Pipe Hitter Foundation and help any LEO’s that are scapegoats of political agendas.
“If you go to www.PipeHitterFoundation.org, we have a portal set up for donations, but we also have portal set up for each of the individuals that we're helping. You can donate to a specific individual, or you can just donate to the organization itself.”
There’s also a portal to apply for assistance if you believe you are caught up in unfounded charges related to an incident.
“I definitely don't think the injustices are going to stop anytime soon. So I know, there's a lot of people that are going to need our help. And for the people out there, the money that's donated is going right to somebody [LEO]that needs it.” Eddie told Blue.
Attend your next union meeting and ask for a donation to the Pipe Hitter Foundation. Anyone sitting in that room, including yourself, could be the next victim of a political agenda.
You can read about his incredible story and even purchase a signed copy of his best-selling book, Man in the Arena by going to www.EddieGallagherbook.com For more information on the Pipe Hitter Foundation, visit www.pipehitterfoundation.org
About the writer: Eddie Molina writes articles about law enforcement, first responder and military culture. He is also the author of A Beginner’s Guide to Leadership, available on Amazon and his website, www.eddiemolina.com.
For more about the writer, follow his IG account @edbluemagazine
