May 27, 2025
The parties who sent the communication face disciplinary action
A former Black Navy SEAL will be reinstated after two Navy SEALs who purportedly shared racist memes face disciplinary action.
According to The Associated Press, the unnamed men are enlisted in Team 4 and will be disciplined for distributing the racist memes in a group chat with other team members. A source also stated that several platoon and team leaders are being reprimanded for leadership failures. In the alleged memes, the Black sailor was depicted as a slave, based on images viewed by the media outlet.
The sailor reportedly informed officials about the images this year, but the incident started in 2022, and the memes circulated for years. He was in one of the SEAL Team 4 platoons, but his qualifications and SEAL trident were revoked last year. He claims it was done due to the racist treatment he received.
“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. “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 sailors accused of the distribution face non-judicial punishment and punitive letters in their files. Other actions are still pending. The platoon and team leaders may also receive administrative actions, including disciplinary letters, in their files.
Naval Special Warfare Command released a statement acknowledging the investigation into “serious allegations of unprofessional conduct within one of our commands” and said “accountability actions are ongoing.”
“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.”
Two officials have said that due to the Naval Special Warfare Group 2 investigation, the sailor who filed the complaint will have his SEAL qualifications reinstated, and he will get back pay.
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