General denies request for pardoned Special Forces soldier to regain elite patch
The Army's top Special Forces commander has denied a request from a former soldier who was pardoned of war crimes charges by President Donald Trump to have his elite ribbon returned — and the case is now set to go before the service's highest personnel review board.
Lawyers for former Maj. Matt Golsteyn requested the Army reinstate his Special Forces Tab, which was revoked in 2014 after he was accused of premeditated murder of a civilian in Afghanistan.
The move could set up a new clash with Trump, who pardoned Golsteyn in November as he was facing a court martial — along with former Chief Petty Officer and Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who was convicted of posing with the corpse of a dead fighter in Iraq, and former Army Lt. Clint Lorance, who was convicted of two counts of second-degree murder in Afghanistan for ordering his soldiers to fire on three civilians.
Trump subsequently ordered the Navy to return Gallagher's coveted Trident pin over the objections of military leaders, including then-Navy Secretary Richard Spencer, who resigned over the decision and accused Trump of undermining the military justice system and encouraging lawlessness in the ranks.
The president also drew widespread criticism for politicizing the issue by later bringing Golsteyn and Lorance on stage at a GOP fundraiser and feting Gallagher at a dinner at his Florida estate.
Now, Golsteyn's case is front-and-center again after Lt. Gen. Francis Beaudette, the commander of the Army Special Operations Command, last month denied the request to return his Special Forces Tab.
The tab, a green and yellow embroidered patch worn on the upper-left sleeve of the uniform, is earned after a soldier completes the Special Forces Qualification Course. It also allows them to wear a highly coveted green beret for the duration of their career.
"On Dec. 3, 2019, following a thorough review, the Commander of the Army Special Operations Command denied Golsteyn’s request for reinstatement of the Special Forces Tab," an Army spokesperson said in a statement Thursday.
The development was first reported by The Washington Post.
The next step, the statement said, is for the Army Board for Correction of Military Records to "consider retired Maj. Matthew Golsteyn’s request for reinstatement of the Special Forces Tab and the approval of the Distinguished Service Cross."
Golsteyn was awarded but never received the Distinguished Service Cross, a medal for valor, for separate actions.
The oversight board, which is made up of Army civilians, will also consider Golsteyn’s request to expunge a letter of reprimand issued in 2014 from his personnel record, the Army spokesperson added.
An fact sheet on the Army Board for Correction of Military Records states that "if the ABCMR grants relief the applicant’s records will be corrected and finance personnel will review the case to see if the applicant is due any monetary benefits."
"If the ABCMR denies relief," it adds, "an applicant may apply for reconsideration or may file a suit in the civilian court system."
