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  • 6
    Sep
    2012
    3:26pm, EDT

    Navy SEAL charity turns down proceeds from bin Laden book

    Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

    Copies of a book by a former Navy SEAL, titled "No Easy Day," are displayed at a bookstore in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

    By Vignesh Ramachandran

    At least one nonprofit organization is saying they won't accept any donations from the proceeds generated by the new book about the deadly raid on Osama bin Laden.


    Follow @NBCNewsUS

    A controversy erupted when a former Navy SEAL, going by the pen name "Mark Owen," co-authored "No Easy Day," a book about the infamous event that killed the al-Qaida leader. Pentagon officials allege the book, which was released on Tuesday, contains sensitive and classified information.

    On its website, The Navy SEAL Foundation said it "will not be accepting any donations that are generated from the book or any related activities.


    "The Navy SEAL Foundation is committed to providing immediate and ongoing support and assistance to the Naval Special Warfare community and their families," the statement said.

    Owen asserts "No Easy Day" is about 9/11, not politics.

    Related: Navy SEALs reveal too many secrets, commander says
    Related: Former SEAL sought advice before publishing book, lawyer says

    It's still not clear whether the Justice Department will pursue criminal charges again Owen, according to Pentagon officials. However, it is possible the U.S. government could seize all money paid to the former SEAL and the publisher under a non-disclosure agreement.

    The book remains No. 1 in book sales on Amazon.com.

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    227 comments

    I hate saying this about a Navy Seal and American hero - he should face criminal charges. The man is a disgrace to the uniform he wore and to the country he served.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: charity, military, bin-laden, navy-seal, mark-owen, book-proceeds
  • 4
    Sep
    2012
    5:57pm, EDT

    Commander: Navy SEALs reveal too many secrets

    The Navy SEAL's controversial account of the Bin Laden raid goes on sale today. NBC's Danielle Leigh reports.

    By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News

    Jewel Samad / AFP - Getty Images

    Copies of a book by a former Navy SEAL titled "No Easy Day" are seen on display at a bookstore in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.

    Updated at 9:33 p.m. ET: On the same day that a book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden was officially released, the Commander of Naval Special Warfare Command sent a letter to all members of the Special Operations community warning them to stop releasing details about their secretive world.

    "We do NOT advertise the nature of our work, NOR do we seek recognition for our actions," wrote the commander, Rear Admiral Sean Pybus. “Today, we find former SEALs headlining positions in a Presidential campaign; hawking details about a mission against Enemy Number 1; and generally selling other aspects of NSW training and operations.  For an Elite Force that should be humble and disciplined for life, we are certainly not appearing to be so.”

    He was referring, in part, to “No Easy Day,” written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, which gives a firsthand account of the killing of the al-Qaida leader on May 2, 2011.


    Follow @NBCNewsUS


    Related: Ex-Navy SEAL sought advice before publishing book, lawyer says

    “No Easy Day” is not the only problem, a senior U.S. military official told NBC News. In fact, the official said, it was the “the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

    The official said that a recent movie starring actual Navy SEALs and even the growing number of "SEAL" workout videos have all added up to too much information about the community out in the public arena.

    Over the next few weeks, Pybus will speak to senior leaders about how to stop the trend of former SEALS profiting from their time in uniform.

    Also Tuesday, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said the book contains “sensitive and classified information,” although he refused to say what in the book is considered classified.

    The firsthand account of the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden has climbed to the top of the Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com best-seller lists. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

    Little said at this time the Pentagon would not attempt to halt the sale of the book on U.S. military installations. U.S. officials told NBC News the Pentagon appears powerless to stop the public distribution of the book.

    Little repeated the claim that by writing the book, the former Navy SEAL is in "material breach" of a non-disclosure agreement that requires him to submit the book or transcript to the U.S. military for prepublication review if it contains classified material. In a letter to the Pentagon's Chief Counsel, Jeh Johnson, the former SEAL's attorney claims his client was not required to put the book through the prepublication process.

    Related: Ex-Navy SEAL says book on bin Laden raid about 9/11, not politics

    A senior Pentagon official, however, claims Owen violated his obligations on three counts. He failed to submit the book for pre-publication review, published classified information and revealed sensitive information about the SEAL's "tactics and techniques" in taking down bin Laden.

    Officials at the Pentagon say it's not clear the Justice Department will pursue criminal charges against Owen, but suggest the U.S. government could seize all money paid to the former SEAL and the publisher, Dutton, under the non-disclosure agreement signed by Owen before he left the Navy.

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    583 comments

    1. Sell your honor and integrity for money. 2. Embarass the SEALs and give the SEALs a bad name. 3. Leak your nations secrets for the world to see. 4. ??? 5. Profit

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    Explore related topics: military, bin-laden, navy-seal, featured, mark-owen
  • 30
    Aug
    2012
    9:03pm, EDT

    Ex-Navy SEAL sought advice before publishing book about bin Laden raid, lawyer says

    A retired Navy SEAL could face legal action for his upcoming book about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. The Pentagon is threatening to file criminal charges against the man who wrote the book, "No Easy Day," under a pseudonym. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

    By Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube, NBC News

    Updated at 2 p.m. ET -- The lawyer for "Mark Owen" -- the pen name of the former Navy SEAL who wrote "No Easy Day," a book describing the Osama bin Laden raid -- on Friday said that Owen did, indeed, seek legal advice before publishing the book and he disputed other claims made by Pentagon.

    "Mr. Owen sought legal advice about his responsibilities before agreeing to publish his book and scrupulously reviewed the work to ensure that it did not disclose any material that would breach his agreements or put his former comrades at risk," Robert Luskin wrote in a letter addressed to Pentagon General Counsel Jeh Johnson. "He remains confident that he has faithfully fulfilled his duty."

    Furthermore, Luskin said a non-disclosure agreement Owen signed -- which the Pentagon claimed he was "in material breach" of -- doesn't require Owen to submit his book for review. "As you are well aware, the Classified Information Non-Disclosure Agreement, which you attached in your letter, invites, but by no means requires Mr. Owen to submit materials for pre-publication review," the letter said.


    A Pentagon spokesperson on Friday said it is unclear if the book actually contains damaging classified information. "I'm not going to say whether the book has classified information in it," spokesperson George Little told reporters.

    On Thursday, Johnson said in a letter that Owen is in violation of the non-disclosure agreement. 

    Related: Ex-Navy SEAL: Book about 9/11, not politics

    The letter, sent via the attorney at Penguin Putnam publishing, explained that Owen signed two separate non-disclosure agreements on Jan. 24, 2007, and that he has an obligation to "never divulge" classified information.

    "This commitment remains in force even after you left the active duty Navy," Johnson wrote.

    Pentagon's top lawyers reminded the ex-Navy SEAL who authored the tell-all on the bin Laden raid that they are considering legal action against him for publishing "classified" information. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

    He also signed a "Sensitive Compartmented Information Debriefing Memorandum" when he left the Navy around April 20, 2012, according to the letter.

    "The Department of Defense has obtained and reviewed an advanced copy of the book ... In the judgment of the Department of Defense, you are in material breach and violation of the non-disclosure agreements you signed," the letter said. "Further public dissemination of your book will aggravate your breach and violation of your agreements.

    "The Department is considering pursuing against you, and all those acting in concert with you, all remedies legally available to us in light of this situation."

    A senior Defense official on Thursday said, "There has to be consequences" for someone who violates the non-disclosure agreements prohibiting the release of classified information.

    The official also suggested that by revealing "tactics, techniques and procedures" employed by the Navy SEALs during the raid, "it could put other operators at risk and future operations in jeopardy."

    "No Easy Day," written by a former Navy SEAL who helped take down Osama bin Laden, claims the al-Qaida leader did not defend himself during the raid. The book will become available on Sept. 4, earlier than the anticipated Sept. 11 release date. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

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    1202 comments

    good.......

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    Explore related topics: military, bin-laden, navy-seal, mark-owen
  • 30
    Aug
    2012
    1:46pm, EDT

    Ex-Navy SEAL: Book on bin Laden raid about 9/11, not politics

    "No Easy Day," written by a former Navy SEAL who helped take down Osama bin Laden, claims the al-Qaida leader did not defend himself during the raid. The book will become available on Sept. 4, earlier than the anticipated Sept. 11 release date. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.

    By Jeff Black, Staff Writer, NBC News

    A Navy SEAL who took part in the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound and witnessed the killing of the 9/11 mastermind says a book he wrote about the mission is not a political statement.

    Responding to criticism that the book was intended to influence the presidential election, the former SEAL told CBS News that he wrote it to honor victims of the 9/11 terror attacks and the hundreds of people who made the raid a success.



    Follow @NBCNewsUS

    The book, entitled “No Easy Day,” had been scheduled for release on Sept. 11 to commemorate the attack on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon in 2001, but it instead will be made available on Sept. 4. The book is already No. 1 in sales on Amazon.com.

    Al-Qaida linked websites threaten ex-Navy SEAL turned author

    CBS News said Mark Owen — a fake name meant to hide his identity — was disguised for the "60 Minutes" interview as a security measure. His voice was also altered.

    "He has been professionally made up by a professional makeup artist to look completely different than his true self," Kevin Tedesco, executive director of communications of "60 Minutes," told NBC News on Thursday. "He was fully comfortable to go on camera without it, but we used makeup." 

    Some media outlets learned Owen’s real name and published it, sending him into hiding.

    “You know, if these crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them,” Owen told CBS. “This is a book about September 11th, and it needs to rest on September 11th. Not be brought into the political arena, because this — this has nothing to do with politics.

    An excerpt of Scott Pelley's interview for "60 Minutes" was posted on the CBS News website on Thursday.

    Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

    In the interview, Owen emphasizes that hundreds of Americans participated in the advance work that led to the raid on the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. That included collecting intelligence, detailed planning and even building a full-sized replica of the compound for training. 

    “We just took care of the last 40 minutes,” Owen said.

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    • SEAL book about bin Laden mission coming out early 
    • Navy SEAL's book will describe raid that killed bin Laden 

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    324 comments

    Good job, Seals! Yes, it is important for people who were actually there to give their account. Otherwise history becomes easily re-written.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: military, bin-laden, mark-owen

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