Dear Mr. President,

I am a United States Navy Seal currently stationed at Naval Special Warfare Development Group in Virginia Beach, VA. I have been in the Navy for fifteen years and 9 months. I have served my country, your leadership, and the Navy honorably since joining. I love my country, my family, and most of all protecting the freedom of the American people. Not a day goes by that I do not enjoy serving in uniform and doing what most would consider impossible. To know that I can uphold the Navy values, and put an ease on your mind for having many brave men and women like myself put their life on the line, time away from their families, and to protect the freedoms that every American deserves. It always makes me stand proud when I look into the mirror.





Like my fellow seal teammate, acquitted by a jury of his peers, to which I had the pleasure of serving in combat with, I too have been falsely accused of a baseless accusation. The Navy is trying to prosecute me, give me a Dishonorable Discharge, take away my benefits and make me a felon for a ridiculous accusation that is not even a crime under the UCMJ. My name and family have been smeared and slandered across the media. As an active-duty Navy Seal at Naval Special Warfare Development Group, the command leaked my name to the media, which put my wife in fear of not only her safety but also our newborn twins. I returned from a successful combat deployment, awarded the Sailor of the Year, up for promotion to Chief Petty Officer, awarded the Bronze Star w/combat Valor, and serving my country proudly. I now spend my days as an active duty Navy Seal cleaning toilets, picking up trash, and painting parking lots awaiting a general court-martial.





In the military, you are guilty until proven innocent. Even after you prove your innocence, you are guilty. NCIS did an investigation, found nothing on my phone, and I passed the 2-polygraph test. My defense team has evidence from the alleged victims’ interviews, that they deleted all alleged “said” pictures from their phones, got new phones, and stated they never sent any pictures. Yet the command, not NCIS are pursuing this case anyway. NCIS even stated they did not want to pursue the case. It is my command.





Pursuant to the Constitutional guarantees of Equal Protection, Due Process, fair trial and impartial jury (5th, 6th and 14th Amendments); Military Due Process, Article 37, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), Rules for Courts-Martial (RCM) 905 & 907, Manual for Courts-Martial (MCM), and applicable case law, I, unfortunately, have not been awarded those rights. ) In my case, unlawful command influence, corruption, and false official documents exist both in actuality and in perception.





Once informed of the accusation of an unsupported farcical crime, that is not even a crime under the UCMJ, I immediately hired an outside civilian attorney after Naval Special Warfare Development Group denied me legal counsel free of charge (which required under UCMJ Law). My chain of command immediately stated, “I was guilty of getting a lawyer”, bereted me in such language as calling me an “explicit idiot.” My leadership spread fabricated lies and intimidated my fellow teammates into not giving me a character witness statement in the event I went to a Court Martial. My command presented a PowerPoint Presentation detailing the investigation and explaining to command members that I was guilty.





I found my Bronze Star w/Combat Valor award in the trashcan before it was awarded to me. I was not afforded a ceremony like my fellow teammates. My leadership took away my Chief Petty Officer promotion, illegally took my Navy Seal Special pays away which I am still currently qualified to retain such pays. The illegal action of taking my pays has effected supporting my wife and newborn twins. Prohibited me from entering the Naval Special Warfare Development Group compound even though still attached to the command, I was denied medical treatment for PTSD, TBI, anxiety, depression, and hearing loss. I had to seek on my own accord through other naval means to find treatment. The command submitted false official evaluations, which detailed me doing fabricated and inaccurate jobs that will forever hinder my career and promotion. The command sent me over to Naval Air Station Oceana without official orders to clean toilets, pick up trash, vacuum buildings, paint parking lots, mow grass, and other menial tasks. I am currently here working with people that have been found guilty at either court-martial, Non-Judicial Punishment or Administration Separation for incidents such as soliciting a minor for sex, rape, and drug use just to name a few. All this to me before a fair day in court.





Naval Special Warfare Development Group leadership during 2017-2019 has harbored, kept, and promoted other Seals who were under investigation for the murder of a Green Beret(one of which was found guilty) the other awaiting, multiple DUI’s, popping positive for cocaine and submitting false official documents. None of which resulted in the loss of promotion or discharged from the Navy, the only case is the Murder trial that is still pending for the final Seal. How is this fair in the eyes of my case?





Like my fellow seal teammate, finally assigned a military defense counsel after initially denied, the Defense Service Office Southeast (DSO SE), NETWARCOM, US Navy Office of the Judge Advocate General (OJAG) Headquarters Code 67, and the main trial prosecutor were emailing my military defense counsel requesting information to access his official Navy email account. The Navy was attempting to remotely search my military defense counsel’s computer files and emails looking for potentially classified information, all communications between defense and myself, and any other information about my case. Since my military defense counsel refused to turn over any case files, his computer, and emails pertaining to my case, Code 67 personnel, and supporting personnel both inside and outside the Navy JAG Community, initiated and executed QUARANTINES and WIPES remotely in the intention of deleting all my defense counsels case files, chats, and emails pertaining to my case. Subsequently, the Navy threatened to fine the DSO $5,000 and permanently block my military defense counsel from access to all Navy computer networks if he did not give them immediate access to his computer files.





My Defense Counsel submitted a UCI motion in favor of my case after the described event took place. The Navy Mid-Atlantic DSO Commanding Officer heard about the motion, he told my military defense counsel, “I need to think about this because if you file this, I’m going to have to answer some phone calls.” The Navy Mid-Atlantic DSO Commanding Officer was angry about the motion filed by my military defense counsel and told my counsel “He believes that he has the right to push back on motions filed by the defense because he is the head of the defense office.” The Navy Mid-Atlantic DSO Commanding Officer was extremely upset that my military defense counsel filed the UCI motion without his permission.

My military defense counsel was even hesitant at first to file the motion because of his previous conversation with The Navy Mid-Atlantic DSO Commanding Officer. He was concerned that if he filed the motion, he could face some blowback from The Navy Mid-Atlantic DSO Commanding Officer because he threatened his career, stated that he needs to “show restraint” when defending his clients in the Navy and military defense lawyers overreaching. To explain what overreaching means, The Navy Mid-Atlantic DSO Commanding Officer stated not to just my military defense counsel but the entire MIDLANT DSO verbatim, “One type of “defense overreach” involved motions practice. Just because filing a motion is “legal and ethical, does not mean it’s the right thing to do.” He stated, “We all need to consider where our line is as defense counsel.” He explained that in the Navy, defense counsel must "show restraint."





Due to the Conflict created by The Navy Mid-Atlantic DSO Commanding Officer, I had to release my military defense counsel because of the extreme pressure he was receiving from the DSO Commanding Officer. At this point, my now former military defense counsel is a key witness in this UCI motion. According to my military defense counsel’s state bar, he is prohibited from representing a client in a case in which he is a witness. Also, my former military defense counsel will now have to testify against his chain of command.





I am extremely concerned as you and I both have seen in the most recent event, that as long as the DSO leadership was trying to interfere and injecting themselves into my case which they are not a part of or with my permission I cannot receive a fair trial. Since the release of my military counsel. From 19 August 2019 to 26 September 2019, I was once again without a military counsel and was denied the services of the local Norfolk DSO and my counsel of choice.





Mr. President, I am unwilling to waive this conflict because it has been detrimental to my family, my career, and myself. I have given all exculpatory evidence to clear my name, yet I am still being pursued by a corrupt military justice system, corrupt command, and extremely unfair biased Obama era military justice system. Since they could not get a conviction out of my former teammate, I am the next shiny object and the prosecutor is only out to make herself look good on a piece of paper instead of pursuing fair justice. You alone Mr. President, more than anyone else understands the corruption of unfair justice and the things corrupt lawmakers, lawyers, and other court systems will do just to bring an innocent man down, even after exculpatory evidence has come to light.





I only ask Mr. President, that you please look into the unfair justice system of what is happening in your military justice system. How innocent men and women are being prosecuted for no other reason than to make the military especially the Navy say “Hey look we are at least doing something.” This is unethical and unfair justice. I ask that you please and respectfully look into my case and situation. I will not receive a fair trial and my entire flawless career has been turned upside down because of false accusations. Not even one of your military members should be treated as I am being treated. No military member should be denied medical treatment, have their valorous award thrown in the trash, emails spied on and attempted to be wiped, careers threatened, promotion taken away, military defense counsel denied, illegally have pays taken away, or put on toilet cleaning detail before a day in court.

The military justice system should be drained and reorganized to better serve justice and protect the rights of those who are accused of weather guilty or not. The military leaders are abusing the justice system and now is the time for it to stop! I am innocent and would love nothing more than to get back into uniform and do the work that I was trained to do, protect freedom.

Thank you for your time,

Respectfully,

SO1 (Navy Seal) Aaron Howard