Eddie Gallagher’s war crimes conviction was overturned by Donald Trump. (Photo courtesy of Andrea Gallagher)

Eddie Gallagher, the Navy Seal whom President Trump pardoned of war crimes, has a long history of “unhinged” conduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, leading up to charges he murdered a prisoner-of-war, then posed with the corpse.

During eight overseas deployments, Gallagher was involved in a sting of incidents that marred decorations for valor, including two Bronze Stars, and positive evaluations from superiors, according to his military records.

Gallagher enlisted in 1999 and was trained as a medic, a sniper, and as an explosives expert. He was attached to a U.S. Marine Corps unit until he enrolled in Basic Underwater Demolition Schools to become a Navy SEAL in 2005.

Gallagher goes by the nickname “Blade” with his fellow frogmen because of his obsession with knives.

Given his background, he was considered a poster boy for the Navy Seals and was able to skate through a number of controversies and investigations with few formal reprimands.

In 2010, in the first of several incidents, he was investigated for allegedly shooting a young girl in Afghanistan, but was cleared of wrongdoing.

Four years later, he was in trouble again for allegedly trying to run over a Navy police officer with his car because he was irritated at being detained at a traffic stop.

As a result of his run-ins, Gallagher gained a reputation as someone who frequently flouted rules.

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