NORFOLK, Va. — Some Virginia Beach-based Navy SEALs are in trouble after reportedly sharing what are being described as racist memes, including one allegedly depicting slavery.
Letters of reprimand are being put in the files of two members of SEAL Team four and both face “non-judicial punishment.” That’s according to CBS News, which claims to have talked with “two sources familiar with the situation.”
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CBS News also reported the memes were shared several years ago but are just now coming to light because the sailor they reportedly targeted came forward.
The sailor’s lawyer told the Associated Press "They modified his face in photos to look like a monkey and portrayed him as a chained slave on a slave ship, among others.”
Don Mann is a retired Navy SEAL who served on multiple SEAL teams. He said the incident is disturbing and took him by surprise. He said this is something that will not be taken lightly by leadership.
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“The leaders of that SEAL team will get together if not beyond that the commodore. They’ll say, ‘We have a serious problem here. What are we going to do to fix it?’" Mann explained. "They have a roundtable and they act decisively. They go out and fix it because there’s going to be another problem down the road. They have to fix it and go to work.”
According to the AP, disciplinary letters have also been put in the files of platoon and team leaders for failing to address the concerns raised by the sailor targeted.
