A Green Beret charged with murdering a suspected Taliban bomb-maker but hailed a 'hero' by Donald Trump killed him at the end of four battle-scarred days and after vowing revenge for two fallen comrades, military documents reveal.
Matthew L. Golsteyn said he killed a Taliban bomb-maker in cold blood in a shallow grave, dug it up under cover of darkness and burned the corpse on a forward operating base manned by Marines and Green Berets, official documents have disclosed.
President Trump said on Sunday that he will be 'reviewing' the case of the special forces veteran, after the officer's family spoke out about the decision that he could face a court-martial for the killing.
'At the request of many, I will be reviewing the case of a ''U.S. Military hero,' Major Matt Golsteyn, who is charged with murder,' Trump tweeted. 'He could face the death penalty from our own government after he admitted to killing a Terrorist bomb maker while overseas.'
Deployed: Matt Golsteyn was a captain in the Green Berets when he was deployed to Afghanistan, where he both won a Silver Star, and - he confessed - killed a suspected Taliban bombmaker. He had trained local forces and even dressed in local garb (left)
Intervention: How Donald Trump reacted to the revelation that Golsteyn was facing a capital murder charge at court martial almost nine years after the killing
Family: Julie Golsteyn, with whom Matt has two young children, told Fox & Friends on Sunday that the family were being 'torn apart' by the murder charge
Golsteyn, 38, has admitted to the killing but until now had not faced military justice.
His first admission was in a polygraph test during a CIA job interview in 2011 and then again in an on-camera interview with Fox News in 2016 recounting his experience in battle.
Now Golsteyn is formally accused of fatally shooting 'a male of apparent Afghan descent known as Rasoul' on February 22, 2010, near Forward Operating Base McQuery in Marjah, Afghanistan.
The dead man's age has not been disclosed, nor has where he was from. Many Afghans use only one name although it is unclear if this is the case for Rasoul or whether his full identity has not been disclosed either.
The killing took place after two Marines died in an IED attack and Rasoul was brought in as the suspected bomb maker. In between those two events, Golsteyn defeated 50 Taliban in a four-hour battle which earned him a Silver Star.
But his CIA confession helped have him stripped of his medal and discharged from the Army with a finding of conduct unbecoming of an officer.
His 2016 admission prompted a new probe, and he was recalled to duty and charged with murder - a capital offense for soldiers - last Friday, prompting a public outcry.
On Sunday, Golsteyn's wife, Julie, told Fox & Friends that her husband was being 'ripped apart by his own government and the Army leadership.'
Golsteyn told NBC on Monday that he would never have been charged had he not talked to Fox in 2016 about military rules of engagement.
Here is how four days of intense fighting in Helmand province in February 2010 came to haunt Golsteyn - and could yet see him sentenced to death.
HOW THE 'ENERGIZER BUNNY' LED ALPHA-3121 AT THE SPEARHEAD OF THE BATTLE OF MARJAH - AND PROMISED REVENGE FOR HIS FALLEN MEN
Golsteyn was thrust into the crucible of the war with the Taliban when he was deployed to Helmand Province, at the head of Alpha-3121, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group.
February 2010 saw the biggest single operation against the Taliban ever: Operation Moshtarak - meaning Operation United in Dari, the local language - a 15,000-strong assault on the fundamentalists' stronghold of Marjah.
In scale and scope it was unprecedented: on the ground U.S. Marines and special forces, British and Canadian soldiers and the Afghan National Army would mount a full-frontal assault on strongly-held Taliban positions, with massive U.S. and allied airpower raining down air strikes from above.
Alpha-3121 was a tiny component but at the tip of the spearhead as the allies pounded their way into Marjah, and 'Energizer Bunny' Golsteyn was leading his 11 Green Berets alongside combat-hardened Marines.
It was on February 18, five days after D-Day, that Golsteyn's men started to pay the price of war.
ODA-3121 was fighting its way through a bazaar in a joint effort with Marine engineers and Afghan commandos, with the last Taliban-held crossroads as their objective.
Target Marjah: The town in Helmand province had become a Taliban redoubt and in February 2010, 15,000 allied troops with air support attacked to remove the enemy
Casualties: Marines Sergeant Jeremy McQueary (left) and Lance Corporal Larry Johnson (right) were killed by an IED as the unit fought it way through a bazaar
Reality of war: Marines - in this case form a different unit - and Green Berets found themselves in fierce combat through difficult terrain, huddling behind walls and making barriers from boulders as they fought their way into Marjah to depose the Taliban
Into battle: U.S. Marines with a different unit from Golsteyn's in action in Operation Moshtarak just days before his own men fought their way into enemy territory. A total of 15,000 men were deployed in the massive push through terrain criss-crossed by canals and ditches and covered in IEDs
As the joint unit went to clear a building, a booby-trap bomb exploded. It was hidden in the door of a shop being used to store Taliban explosives.
Two Marines from 3rd Platoon, Bravo Company, 2nd Assault Amphibious Batallion, - Lance Cpl Larry Johnson, 19, and Sgt Jeremy McQueary, 27, - and two Afghan soldiers were killed, while five more Marine engineers were injured. Five of the killed and wounded were from a single platoon of 30 Marines.
It was a devastating blow and Golsteyn was desperate, first, to save the lives of the injured.
A senior medic, who was with Golsteyn that day, said the commander was constantly running back and forth from the roof of the compound being used as a base to the ops center, coordinating air strikes and medical evacuation for the Marines killed in action and those injured.
'His tireless efforts and expert leadership saved several friendly lives that day and prevented further direct fire attacks on Thunderdome [the base],' he said.
But with the injured evacuated, Golsteyn contemplated the loss.
Bing West, a Vietnam veteran and acclaimed author of books on military operations, was accompanying Golsteyn's unit at the time. He wrote about the incident in 'The Wrong War: Grit, Strategy, and the Way Out of Afghanistan.'
'Matt brought out a bottle of Jack Daniel's. 'I kept this for a special occasion,' he said.
''A toast to our lost brothers.' Each took a swallow and passed the bottle to the next Marine or soldier.'
One sergeant later told Army investigators he believed Golsteyn felt 'responsible for the Marines who were killed and injured during combat operations'.
Another told investigators that Golsteyn was 'pacing' after the Marines were killed. Golsteyn told him he would 'capture whoever did it' and 'kill them'.
'I have one command, all of you,' Matt said to one of the Marine. 'You'll be with me when we get that bomb maker.'
Golsteyn 'beat himself up emotionally over the death of Sgt McQueary and Lt Cpl Johnson,' another comrade told investigators.
UNDER FIRE AGAIN - HOW GOLSTEYN EARNED THE SILVER STAR FOR FOUR HOURS OF COMBAT AGAINST A DEADLY ENEMY
The battle of Marjah was hardly over though - and two days later Golsteyn was in the thick of battle again.
Two days later, as he and his Alpha-3121 huddled at what was them known as Thunderdome but was quickly named Forward Operating Base McQueary for the fallen Marine.
It was a fortification improvised from local buildings on the outskirts of Marjah, with lookouts in the 'crow's nest' on the third story.
When they came under accurate sniper fire, it was clear that a deadly team of Taliban snipers was in operation and Golsteyn made it his mission to take them out.
He assembled a patrol of more than 80 men - his own Green Berets, Marines, and Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers - with five armored vehicles to track down the enemy fighting positions.
The troops headed out over sodden poppy fields with no cover, facing 700 yards of open ground to get to the snipers' lair.
Vulnerable base: This is FOB McQueary, an improvised fortification which came under Taliban sniper fire two days after the death of two Marines left then Captain Golsteyn devastated
Threat: Golsteyn moved his men beyond these walls to counter a Taliban sniper nest and ended up in a four-hour pitched battle, at times looking like he was fighting single-handed as his 80 men were pinned down by intense machine gun and AK-47 fire
Stuck and in danger: An MRAP - Mine Resistant Ambush Protected- vehicle like this became disabled in a canal as Golsteyn led his men forward. He got them away from it, then ran back and grabbed the Carl Gustav weapon on board which he used to deadly effect
Before even making it 100 yards towards the Taliban position, they came under heavy machine gunfire and 75 yards further forward, one of the heavy MRAP mine-roof vehicles became stuck in the mud.
Facing being pinned down, Golsteyn got the Afghan soldiers - whose units had become notorious for running away from the Taliban - to take cover in an irrigation canal, and got one platoon to provide covering fire as he moved the rest of his detachment towards enemy lines.
It was then an Afghan soldier was hit and sensing a victory, the Taliban increased fire.
Golsteyn ran 150 yards to the stranded MRAP and grabbed its most potent weapon - a Carl Gustav recoilless rifle - which to ordinary eyes looks like a rocket launcher.
As he ran he called in a medical evacuation for the wounded soldier and then started talking to the air controller in the crow's nest of the base.
From the base, the Marine officer could see that there were at least 30 Taliban, that 80 allied troops were pinned down - and that Golsteyn was running along through enemet fire.
'It looked like Captain Golsteyn was alone fighting 30 enemy fighters out in the poppy fields,' the citation for his military honor read.
When the medical evacuation team arrived to get the casualty to the base safely, Golsteyn stood up in plain view of the Taliban to fire his Carl Gustav at their positions.
'One of these Gustav rounds went through a doorway of a compound that was a source of heavy fire at a range of 400 meters [435 yards] stopping the enemy fire,' the citiation read.
'This action created a brief lull in all enemy activity, which enabled the detachment's medic to safely treat and transport the wounded ANA soldier back to the rear.'
Open terrain: Golsteyn led 80 men, almost all of them on foot, across this kind of landscape beside FOB McQueary, finally defeating more than 50 Taliban and earning the Silver Star. 'It looked like Captain Golsteyn was alone fighting 30 enemy fighters out in the poppy fields,' the citation for his military honor read.
Deadly weapon: A training exercise shows the size of the Carl Gustav which Golsteyn used - and how he had to stand to fire it. The recoilless rifle looks like a rocket launcher but fires a large round of huge destructive power. Golsteyn moved under Taliban fire holding it and his M-4 rifle, calling in airstrikes at the same time
Fire support: A Marine mortar unit fire on Taliban positions in Marjah. Similar tactics were deployed as Golsteyn called in support to defeat more than 50 Taliban fighters, earning him the Silver Star
His standard issue M-4 assault rifle in one hand and the Carl Gustav in the other, Golsteyn led the men on under intense machine gun and AK-47 fire.
With between 300 and 400 yards to go to reach the enemy position, they were pinned down again - and this time Golsteyn exposed himself to Taliban fire to get an accurate location for their position and call in waiting F/A-18 Hornets for airstrikes.
They unleashed two 500lb smartbombs, taking out one enemy position and killing at least five Taliban.
But the danger was not over - more enemy were massive at a nearby crossroads and unleashed machine gun fire on the U.S. and Afghan forces.
Golsteyn, still clutching his Carl Gustav, ran more than 200 yards to where he could fire it at the Taliban, at the same time talking to base controllers to call in more airstrikes and deploy mortar rounds.
He fired the Carl Gustav and the Marines followed up with more than 30 mortar rounds, and then a Preador drone fired a Hellfire missile, guided by Golsteyn, on the same position.
The devastating display of air power finally crushed the Taliban and the patrol headed back to base - confident that the sniper's nest they had set out to destroy was gone.
When he returned to the U.S. from deployment, he was awarded the interim silver star for his 'heroic behavior and valor in front of his 80-man patrol during the four grueling hours of heavy combat with a determined enemy force'.
'His razor sharp focus and emotionless decision-making under extreme duress kept the combined patrol a step ahead of a skilled and prepared enemy,' the citation rad.
'His decisions prevented the loss of aircraft and vehicles, saved the life of an ANA soldier, and avoided significant additional casualties.
'Despite a barrage of enemy fire from multiple locations, casualties, continuous contingency planning, known IED and sniper threats, and the opposition of over 50 enemy fighters, Captain Golsteyn led a mission that handed the enemy in Marjeh a devastating loss of fighting positions and personnel.'
His superiors recommended that it be upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross.
HOW A CLEAN-UP OPERATION TURNED TOXIC FOR ALPHA-3121'S LEADER
Two days after the four-hour battle Golsteyn effectively won single-handedly, his men were still in Marjah, going door-to-door to flush out the remnants of the Taliban.
One unit captured a man, named Rasoul, in the house where the IED had detonated and killed their Marines.
He was believed to own the components used to make the IED, a potentially deadly assembly task which required a lot of skill. He was brought back to FOB McQueary.
One Marine later said that it was rare to capture enemy personnel. 'I can only think of one time we picked up a couple of guys, we suspected them of being snipers and they got released a couple of days later,' he said.
The Marine said they didn't know their enemy's faces because the Taliban fighters mostly took pot shots at the base from 400-500 yards away.
But this time they thought they had confirmation: a 'walk-in', a new tribal leader who wanted to be on the Afghan government side had told Golsteyn that Rasoul was a bombmaker. The last tribal leader had been killed.
The tribal leader told Golsteyn that 'Rasoul' was 'known for fighting alongside the Taliban'.
The name of the tribal elder was not well-known but he had come for dinner once and 'Matt met with him on a regular basis', one soldier later said.
It also appeared that Golsteyn trusted the tribal elder as in the past he had provided intelligence which saved lives and prevented attacks.
One Marine detailed the brief detention of the suspected bomb-maker to investigators.
Making friends: The 'walk in' tribal leader who told Golsteyn that the captured Afghan was a Taliban bombmaker had previously shared a meal with the Green Beret officer. Golsteyn had made friends with other local tribal leaders, including this man
'I don't remember how long after the engagement it was, someone was picked up on patrol. I was told about him by someone, it could have been [Golsteyn], that the person was being guarded at the mosque,' the Marine said.
'When I went to meet the person I started out with basic biographical information but he didn't say a single word the entire time he was there.'
The Marine said that he wasn't the only one to interview the alleged bomb-maker and believed Golsteyn also interviewed the man.
Interviews with the 'bad guys' were standard procedure 'every other day'.
'I guess when his time was up, we couldn't keep him any longer I believe, Golsteyn told me to release him. I walked him out the gate and told him to walk down the road and not come back.
'It was never proven that he was an IED builder,' the Marine added.
The Marine said that when they were forced to release suspected Taliban fighters due to lack of evidence, they turned the men over to the Afghan Army 'who would I guess prosecute them the Afghan way. I know one guy was taken out of the city, I'm pretty sure by them.'
One soldier said he did not remember any names of any insurgents, but was aware Golsteyn had lists of contacts of interest in the area.
Another said he had also interviewed the suspected bomb-maker sometime after the firefight but was unable to obtain any information because the Afghan refused to speak.
Scene of crime? Army investigators returned to FOB McQueary, scene of the interrogation and the corpse burning described by Golsteyn, after it had fallen out of use. Golsteyn's comrades said he could not have left it to dig up the corpse at night without them knowing
Burn pit: This was the remains of one of the pits examined for evidence of a burned corpse by Army investigators. The search was fruitless and the medic who was at FOB McQueary when Golsteyn said he burned the suspected bombmaker's corpse said he never smelled flesh
But then something bad happened: before the tribal leader who provided the intelligence could leave the base, the suspected bomber recognized him.
The leader feared retribution on him and his family.
But with no legal reason to detain the suspect, Golsteyn took the man 'back to his residence' he would tell a CIA job interview - and kill him.
What he told the CIA is contested: their records say he used the word 'assassinated'; Golsteyn denies using that term.
The commander only took one person along with him to limit who would get into trouble, according to military documents.
Golsteyn and another soldier buried the man in a shallow grave and went back to the base.
When darkness fell, Golsteyn and two other Green Berets went back to the grave site and dug up the body. They brought the corpse back to the camp and burned it, according to military filings.
One Marine said that a burn pit on the base was used 'probably every day. There were 8 team guys [Green Berets] and thirty Marines.'
He added: 'It was smoldering most of the day every day' and that it was not be unusual to use the burn pit late at night.'
It was normally used to dispose of latrine waste and anything which could be used by the enemy and occupied a 4ft by 4ft hole dug two feet into the ground 60 feet from the main building of the base.
The Marine told investigators it would have been possible to kill someone and burn them on the base at night, because 'most of our missions were conducted during the day because the Afghans don't have night vision, so at night most of the guys are sleeping'.
Another Marine, a medic, questioned on the burn pit said he had never smelled burning flesh.
In a tragic footnote typical of life in Helmand, the tribal leader who had identified Rasoul was killed by the Taliban weeks later.
HOW GOLSTEYN'S CONFESSION THAT HE KILLED THE 'BOMB MAKER' CAME BACK TO HAUNT HIM
After returning to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Golsteyn - then a captain - interviewed for a position at the CIA in September 2011. The role has not been disclosed.
During a polygraph test, he admitted for the first time to the killing of Rasoul.
Golsteyn told the interviewers that he had 'no qualms' about it because 'he couldn't have lived with himself if [redacted] would have killed another Soldier or Marine'.
He said that 'countless times before he detained someone and sent that person to a detention facility only to see that same person shooting at his unit weeks later.'
The CIA notified the Department of Defense and the Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) launched an enquiry into Golsteyn in October 2011.
U.S. Army investigators extensively interviewed soldiers and attached personnel from Golsteyn's base but specifics on the alleged murder remained hazy.
The majority of those interviewed - whose names were all redacted in publicly released files - denied any knowledge of the killing and were skeptical to investigators that logistically, it could have even taken place.
Golsteyn would not give up the names of the soldiers or Marines that he had involved.
Golsteyn was a 'Type-A personality and could be very aggressive at times', according to one senior officer.
One Marine even denied that the unit ever conducted any missions that were geared toward capturing or killing enemy personnel. He said he had never observed any unprofessional behaviour from Golsteyn and was unaware if he had any mental health problems.
He also refuted the idea that it was common practice to embellish war stories in his unit - a question apparently asked in case Golsteyn would use that as a defense.
Another soldier stated that '[Golsteyn] was an outstanding leader and he would have been unable to conduct the actions of killing an insurgent and burning his body on the installation without the rest of the team being notified.'
He said he had not been asked to stay silent by anyone in his chain of command or unit.
The medic who operated the burn pit told investigators that he had 'never seen or heard of inappropriate or unethical decisions or actions of [Golsteyn] and related he was an exceptional leader'.
When asked of he knew about Golsteyn shooting an unarmed male, the medic replied: 'Absolutely not' and added: 'I have a hard time believing that such an incident ever occurred. I further find it hard to believe Matt Golsteyn would do that.
'The only reason I could possible conceive him doing something like that is if he felt his men's lives were at direct risk.'
Confession: This 2016 interview with the then honorably discharged Matthew Golsteyn led to a fresh investigation into his confession
He described Golsteyn as a 'good friend and comrade to this day'.
During the course of the investigation, forensic examinations of multiple burn pit locations around the base all tested negative for remnants of clothing or bones.
One soldier stated that if a murder occurred, that it would have probably been done by the Afghan National Army, but they had no information that anything occurred.
The investigators found it difficult to interview all members of the team, noting that some were hard to find in the U.S., others were unreachable on deployment and others were interviewed with attorneys.
But those who spoke said the night sentries on the base would have to have known, because driving out of the compound involved moving the gates and ANA vehciles stationed outside.
He added that 'shots fired within a few kilometers would have been heard, even with silencing equipment'.
'He could not recall anyone ever being brought back to the compound and had no information pertaining to the investigation.'
The soldier also told investigators that he was still in touch with Golsteyn and the previous week had asked him to go to the shooting range. Golsteyn had told him 'let's wait and let this thing pass over'.
One medic, who told Army investigators he had never heard of the assassination allegations, was asked who Golsteyn might ask to take part in the grim assassination. He replied: 'Myself and pretty much anyone on the team would walk through fire for him.'
Ordered back into uniform: The charge against Golsteyn - of murder - has meant he is now back in the military awaiting a decision on whether he will be court-martialed. He is not being held in military custody
Author Bing West, a Vietnam vet who writes about the U.S. military and had been in Afghanistan with Golsteyn, refused to speak to law enforcement unless subpoenaed, citing his First Amendment Rights.
He told investigators 'I loved those guys' and said he had never seen anything inappropriate take place and would testify for the defense at a trial.
In December 2011, a recommendation for his Silver Star to be upgraded to a Distinguished Service Cross - the second-highest award for valor - was suspended.
In the summer of 2012, investigators requested to re-interview Golsteyn who declined and said he would not assist the investigation. His wife also declined to talk to investigators 'to determine if conversations took place regarding confession'.
In November 2013, after two years of investigating, the Army decided not to bring charges due to lack of physical evidence.
At one stage his attorney had called his description of he killing a 'fantasy.'
Golsteyn was formally reprimanded and stripped of his Silver Star and his Special Forces patch in April 2014.
In a June 2015 administrative hearing, he was accused of 'violating the law of armed conflict' - war crimes - but a panel of Army officers determined this was unsubstantiated.
Instead it was recommended he separate from the military for conduct unbecoming an officer with a general discharge under honorable conditions - a compromise which prevented him serving again but which allowed him to keep his veteran's benefits.
But the case was not over at all; in 2016 Golsteyn gave an interview to Fox News in which he once again described the killings.
That set off a new investigation, and a result of the second probe, Golsteyn was recalled to the Army on Friday December 13 and charged with murder.
A military commander has 120 days to review the charges to decide whether they should proceed, first to what is known as an Article 32 hearing, where Golsteyn's defense can argue that a military judge should reject the charges, and if that fails, a full court-martial.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/21/battle-heroism-of-green-beret-accused-of-murdering-taliban-bombmaker-revealed/
Main photo article A Green Beret charged with murdering a suspected Taliban bomb-maker but hailed a ‘hero’ by Donald Trump killed him at the end of four battle-scarred days and after vowing revenge for two fallen comrades, military documents reveal.
Matthew L. Golsteyn said he killed a Taliban ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/20/19/7673038-6512679-In_operation_Green_Beret_Matt_Golsteyn_was_seen_wearing_local_ga-a-8_1545333497073.jpg
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