In March of 1968, SEAL Team TWO Detachment Alpha had been operating in the area of My Tho, in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, since the previous year. The commander of 7th platoon, Pete Peterson, along with assistant platoon commander Ron Yeaw, led SEAL operations out of My Tho, targeting Viet Cong forces in the area. The platoon’s senior enlisted man was SEAL Senior Chief Robert T. Gallagher, who Peterson described recently — on the occasion of Gallagher’s passing away this month at the age of 83 — as SEAL Team TWO’s gold standard as far as how to be a warrior in those early days of the SEAL teams.
According to the citation that accompanied Gallagher’s award of the Navy Cross — the nation’s second-highest award for valor — on March 13th of that year, Gallagher distinguished himself while acting as the Assistant Patrol Leader for a night combat patrol of 7th platoon SEALs. The patrol infiltrated at least two miles into a Viet Cong battalion-sized base camp area and located a barracks building housing approximately 30 armed Viet Cong insurgents. Gallagher and two other SEALs, while attempting to infiltrate the barracks, were discovered by a sentry, and the whole patrol became engaged in a fierce running firefight with the superior force.
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During the battle, both SEAL officers Peterson and Yeaw were wounded, as was the platoon’s Vietnamese combat guide and interpreter, Minh. Gallagher took command of the entire force, and though suffering a number of his own wounds, including in both legs, managed to lead the patrol a half-mile through enemy territory, with wounded SEALs in tow, to an open area that would facilitate helicopter support. Gallagher then repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire while coordinating helicopter attack and evacuation assets.
Wounded yet again, Gallagher continued to lead the patrol, and through his actions, facilitated their safe extraction, including all of the wounded members, each of whom survived the operation.
Platoon Commander Peterson is one of those who survived that operation, and who also wrote the citation for Gallagher’s Navy Cross, and who is still with us today. He recently recounted how Gallagher was approached about the award many years later, and the possibility of it being upgraded to a Medal of Honor.
According to Peterson, Gallagher responded by saying that “if I was not deserving of a Medal of Honor then, nothing is different now.”
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Peterson went on to recount how Gallagher, after he felt he had recovered sufficiently from his wounds received that night in the Mekong Delta, snuck out of the Naval hospital in Yokosuka, stole a navy chaplain’s uniform, and hopped a flight back to My Tho to rejoin the platoon. Gallagher would serve five total combat tours in Vietnam, according to the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, and was also awarded the Silver Star, two Bronze Stars, and five Purple Hearts for his actions there.
Gallagher was also a part of one of the SEAL Teams’ first Mobile Training Teams, in 1962; an early manifestation of what would later come to be known as the Foreign Internal Defense (FID) mission. In that role, as a Chief Petty Officer, he helped train the Turkish navy’s very first frogmen, and according to multiple of Gallagher’s former teammates, the man remains revered within the Turkish SEAL community to this day. They call him the “Father of the Turkish UDT,” according to one former teammate.
Related: THE EPITOME OF THE NAVY SEAL BUD/S INSTRUCTOR: CLASS 234’S TERRY PATSTONE
Rick Woolard, a former ST-2 teammate of Gallagher, and later Commanding Officer of the team, described how Gallagher acquired his nickname, “The Eagle.” According to Woolard, Gallagher’s gaze was piercing, and behind his eyes was a fierce intensity. Gallagher himself told Woolard that it was because he had unusually sharp vision, both day and night, but Woolard was sure it was more than just that.
As the SEAL community continues to lose its last few remaining Vietnam-era heroes, it is worth paying special tribute to this icon of SEAL Team TWO, and the Teams writ large. Along with Rudy Boesch, few other men stand as one of the earliest legends of the then-new unit of SEAL Team Two “devils with green faces.” Fair winds and following seas, shipmate.
Thank you Mr. Liker.
Please, if he approves, send me Mr. Ekin’s email address.
Stay Safe, Keep your Powder Dry !
“Kill your enemy! Survivors will be shot again !”
Doc Rio
You can contact him from this adress: https://www.facebook.com/namikekin43
My tremendous respect and great thanks to the men of the navy special forces. It has been my good luck and fortune to have worked with and associated with former Seals and UDT guys. Team work, integrity and effort were always the hallmark characteristics displayed by these men. The most memorable phrase rendered by one of my Seal pilots with respect to penetrating some challenging weather one storm filled night was, “ Well you are going to fucking do it, or you ain’t going to fucking do it”. We fucking did it. Such inspiring rhetoric ! Direct and to the point.
Hello,
İ write from turkey and yes,gallagher is a legend for turkish SAT(turkish navy seals).You can read about namık ekin who was very close to him.
21 March 2022; From Pearland TX I write:
Doc Rio http://www.sealtwo.org
Robert E. “Eagle” Gallagher SEAL Team TWO
teammate I lived with him in the same hotel room
in MyTho, Vietnam for six months. We had a refrigerator
so we did not have to go to the Victoria Hotel’s Club.
The Eagle was a man of few words and spent much
of his awake hours reading. Everything that i find
on the internet about him is 99.99% factual. Gallagher
spent many years in an assisted living home in Vero
Beach, FL until his death. Lourdes Tolentino (my wife)
and I used to go to the Ft. Pierce SEAL Museum
Musters many times just to go visit Bob and see if
he needed anything. We bought him a new LapTop
and a new refrigerator. We always took him ice cream.
So much that they had to save it for him the home’s
refrigerator. I miss Bob. He is a warrior second to none.
May he rest in Eternal Peace.
Erasmo “DocRio” Riojas, I was born in 1931.
USN Retired at SEAL Team TWO in Nov. 1970
I already made some comments about meeting Bob Gallagher during the Cuban Blockade, but would like to offer a big THANK YOU on this Memorial Day to him and all the dedicated SEALs and “FROGS” who have served to make our country safe. Bob may not have realized it at the time, but he and his brother SEALs scouting the missile sites before the Cuban blockade made the Russians realize who they were up against and thanks to the SEALs and “frogs”, we knew exactly what they were doing. They finally packed up their stuff and went home before any hostilities broke out and we avoided another war.
Tex, I had the absolute honor of meeting Senior Chief Robert (Eagle) Gallagher and I asked him why it was that even though I had seen his name in MANY books about SEAL teams in Vietnam, that he had never written a book and he said, “I took an oath to never tell.” A personal friend of his told me, “Eagle coulda made millions but he turned down all offers for book deals.” Because of his modesty and lack of a large ego, we have to find out of his exploits from others. We will probably never know the full story of his bravery and sacrifices, but his fellow SEALs know…
TEX COMMENTED: “I met The “Eagle” Gallagher and I asked why he had not written a book? He said, I took an oath to never tell.”
In my opinion; Once Richard “Demo Dick” Marcinko wrote his book “ROGUE WARRIOR” he opened the door for all the narcistic frogmen to hire a Ghost Writer’s to tell their B/S war stories. I asked a couple of them if they made any money and their answers were: No, and probably not even the publishers.
I being a CPO shared a room with the Eagle in MyTho, Vietnam. Bob was a man of few words. He gave orders and chewed ass; other than that he kept to himself and was a consistently avid reader.
Erasmo “Doc” Riojas
http://www.sealtwo.org
Three of us lived at the Carter Hotel Room for six months in MyTho Vietnam 1967-1968. Robert T. Gallagher, Chuck Jessie and Erasmo “Doc” Riojas. Chief’s have Dibbs on bunks. The Eagle won. If only the walls in that room could talk? The best seastory would be when Chuck’s Monkey opened up all our lockers and dumped every thing on the floor. Our room was a disaster to say the least.
SO
Bob said: ” Rio, go get the jeep. He comes down with the Monkey, Jessie was not invited to the party, and tells me to drive to our weapons hooth down by the Mekong River at the
PBR Boat Base.
He went and got our grease gun with the silencer and told me to turn the monkey loose. The monkey “dee’d” up to the trees where his family lived.
Guess what Bob did next?
Doc Rio aka: Erasmo Riojas: Texican and bleeds Red White and BLue !
Were do I start Bob was a great man and a great friend we spent many days together and several night at the vet nam reunion ,my son loved Bob as much as I we love and I’ll always keep are picture in my war room when we took patches to Arlington, I cried my heart out when carol told me you passed well heaven will never need to be afraid of anything the Eagle will keep patrol
I and my wife were very close to bob snd Chief Jim Watson ! For many years. Bob was not only my best friend but a member of my family! Love and prayers to his family and everyone he has touched with his friendship and acceptance!
I am related and can’t find an obituary. Does anyone know of arrangements?
Thank you
CE- I looked for an obituary also, but can’t find one after looking throughout Florida and the Vero Beach area where Bob lived. Unfortunately, it will probably be in the “Fire in the Hole” magazine from the museum assoc , but by then it will be too late.
See message below
His ashes will be swam out to sea at a sunrise service behind the Seal Museum at Fort Pierce during the annual Muster in November. For the exact date you can go to the Navy SEAL Museum website. Jim Watson son of James “PATCHES” Watson. Plank Owner SEAL Team 2
I was in boot camp with Jim drum and bugle corps last met him at seal udt museum autographed his book for me
more info at- online@navysealmuseum.com
Mr. Gallagher was a good friend of mine and a fellow vet from era gone by. He was well know outside of his community. I’ll miss him.
My understanding from the workers at the SEAL Museum is that he wanted no fanfair and will go to sea at the next muster. Amen to the men that serve.
CW5 John H. Caro, USA Retired
Never was a Seal but served with a couple of them! Tex, you are an idiot and don’t know What you were talking about
Having seen Rudy Boesch participate on Survivor I wonder if the “youthful” competitors could even have known what a great man the Chief was.Even at his age I doubt they would have fared well against him in real life,not the stupid games they played.
Anchors away senior chief…
The bravest!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I knew Bob Gallagher. We hung out as kids either on or in the water on Lake Beseck in Middlefield, CT. He was from Naugatuck, and the toughest guy I ever met. Once when they had an across the lake swim contest, Bob was leading the pack by a long shot and swerved away from the beach landing area to the boat area next to the beach. When I got there, I asked why he went here, and Bob told me “if he accepted the money prize for winning, he would be considered a pro and couldn’t get into the olympics”. When we’d meet in the middle of the lake to BS, he would always leave shouting “turn the gears for beers!”. When I met him much later at the UDT/SEAL reunion, he forgot he said that, and told me he had a massive stroke that hurt his memory. When I was run over by a motorboat and survived, he was the first to come see me. When I met him in Guantanamo years later when I failed to be a “frog” because of my eyes, he told me “we were all over this island, and they never even knew we were here!” He’s still the toughest guy I ever knew- “turn the gears for beers, Bob!”
We love our Seals more than they will ever know and we love read and see, what they do, everything about them 🙏GOD WARRIORS🙏 CHOSEN BEFORE BIRTH BY GOD WHO ELSE COULD DO WHAT THEY DO. AMERICANS HONOR, RESPECT, LOVE CARE ALL FOR KEEPING US SAFE💧THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH SEALs ROCK ❤❤❤
Great article, Fru. Thank you for reminding us about these great heroes.
Thanx to ALL for Supporting our Fellow comrades !!🤫🌬
Hooyah Senior Chief RIP
HOOYAH Brian, i couldn’t have said it better myself.
God bless you Senior Chief, and ALL the “team guys” for keeping this great nation of ours safe.
Never served our wonderful country, but I’m so thankful for what our military is doing and has done to keep us all safe .. And a heartfelt shout out to the families of our service members
who await at home for their return… God Bless them and God Bless the USA…
The only easy day was yesterday, freedom is not free and provides some to have the freedom to be stupid. Thanks to these iron men! Hoo Yah from below!
Simply The Best of the Best. HOOYAH…
Bob like most of us at the time had but one true goal in his mind. Stuck in a crappy place with seemingly impossible odds, get the job done and bring everyone home alive if humanly possible with everything you as a team member could muster. He did that and then some. He will be missed.
A great American hero
Had the great pleasure of meeting Senior Chief Gallagher when I was a young Hospital Corpsman assigned to Naval Hospital, Portsmouth. He was a man unto himself. RIP Senior Chief.
Gallagher sounds like a remarkable man, but it’s nothing like probably the greatest Seal of all time Richard Marchenko, or Don Shipley. These have proven themselves through history since the rise of the Seal teams in the 1990’s in the 1990s
And we have to compare them because…?
Why discount one man’s valor with that of another? What does anyone gain from that? Marcinko certainly isn’t desperate for the recognition, and Gallagher doesn’t deserve the slight.
Sounds like you’ve read one too many Richard Marcinko books. Or maybe not, since you don’t even know how to spell his name.
My bet is that if you told Marcinko and Shipley over a beer that what Gallagher did was “probably nothing,” one of them would lay you out flat, and you’d deserve it.
Your so right .
AMEN. WELL SPOKEN AND NONCONFRONTATIONAL JUST FLAT OUT TRUE. WE HAVE AND HAVE HAD GREAT WARRIORS PROTECTING THIS COUNTRY BLESSED BY OUR LORD. THANK YOU ALL AND THANK YOU LORD.
HOOYAH Brian, i couldn’t have said it my self.
God bless you Senior Chief.
That’s right Brian, they were and are ALL great men. There is NO comparison.
HOOYAH
Amen
Amen to that
That was a crap thing to say, Senior Chief Gallagher was a legend among his own men, where others in those ranks were not afforded that title!!
HOOYAH SENIOR CHIEF!!!
? crap thing to say ? what did he write ?
Rise of seal team is 1962 broughe
TeX, You are an ass and a coward –
You’ve believed too much of Dick “Marcinko’s” stories –
Don’t forget he is NOT well loved in the NSW community and is a convicted felon for defrauding the federal government – SEALS that know him think he’s a bore –
You never served, sooooo You really wouldn’t know now, would You?
If You’re going to speak of someone, especially a team guy, get the spelling of their name right –
The Eagle did (5) Combat Tours in Vietnam. Shipley was never in Combat. You have no idea of what you speak. Silence you idiot…
Your comment wasn’t needed. It all about Senior Chief Gallagher. No one else period. You probably didn’t even read what was written about him and what a true hero he was.
Tex, I had the absolute honor of meeting Senior Chief Robert (Eagle) Gallagher and I asked him why it was that even though I had seen his name in MANY books about SEAL teams in Vietnam, that he had never written a book and he said, “I took an oath to never tell.” A personal friend of his told me, “Eagle coulda made millions but he turned down all offers for book deals.” Because of his modesty and lack of a large ego, we have to find out of his exploits from others. We will probably never know the full story of his bravery and sacrifices, but his fellow SEALs know…
The Eagle did (5) Combat Tours in Vietnam. Shipley was never in Combat. You have no idea of what you speak. Silence you idiot…
What an extraordinary man. Thank you for the article about this hero, Fru.
I agree a true hero who devoted his life to the SEAL community. He will never be forgotten .
HOOAH!!!
Very well written story.
And a real tribute to the Man.
I enjoyed it Sir.