timothywell: Official: SEALs punished for role in developing ?Medal of Honor?

Friday, November 9, 2012

Official: SEALs punished for role in developing ?Medal of Honor?

Seven members of the Navy's SEAL Team Six have been disciplined for acting as paid consultants ?to the makers of a video game called "Medal of Honor." Today's Natalie Morales reports.

By Courtney Kube, NBC News

Seven members of SEAL Team Six have been punished for supporting development of a video game released last month, according to a U.S. military official.

The SEALs worked as paid consultants for Electronic Arts, the company that made "Medal of Honor Warfighter." They received letters of reprimand and forfeited half of their pay for two months. The SEALs do not face jail time.

The official did not say what, if any, information the SEALs revealed by participating in the video game's development. However, a written statement from Deputy Commander of Naval Special Warfare, Rear Admiral Garry Bonelli, indicates this is more about making an example of these sailors after a string of high-profile SEAL products.

"We do not tolerate deviations from the policies that govern who we are and what we do as Sailors in the United States Navy. The non-judicial punishment decisions made today send a clear message throughout our Force that we are and will be held to a high standard of accountability," Bonelli wrote.

The military official did not know how much the SEALs were paid.

The video game hit store shelves on October 23. In a press release, EA said "Medal of Honor Warfighter" was "written by actual U.S. Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas," and that it "features a dotted line to real world events and provides players a view into globally recognized threats and situations letting them experience the action as it might have unfolded."?

In September, "No Easy Day," a book written under the pseudonym Mark Owen, was released to the public. The book gives a firsthand account of the killing of Osama bin Laden.