Rich Gailey, candidate for County Council seat representing DeBary, Deltona & Enterprise, troubled by US-Taliban swap

County Council candidate Rich Gailey & family / Headline Surfer®Photo for Headline Surfer® /
Rich Gailey, candidate for County Council District 5 seat representing DeBary, Deltona and Enterprise, is shown here at the recent Memorial Day tribute at Memorial Gardens in Deltona, with his wife, Lisa; their son, Ricky, and daughter, Jackie. Among the fallen the Gailey family paid respect to were Gailey's father-in-law, Nate Feldman, who enlisted in the Army and served in Korea. He died two years ago.
 

DELTONA -- While there are many issues on the home front to be concerned about, Rich Gailey, candidate for the Volusia County Council district 5 seat representing DeBary, Deltona and Enterprise, is troubled by the recent swap of prisoners of war between the US and the Taliban.

What Gailey has trouble with in the swap of five high-level Taliban enemy combatants who were being held at Guantanamo Bay by the US for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan is the American intelligence information showing the American soldier was a deserter.

Such a deal sets a dangerous precedent, Gailey said.

Gailey said he thinks of his stepbrother, James "Hazer" Hayes, with the Navy Seals for 25 years, who has risked his own life and seen his own comrades killed in pursuit of these enemy combatants.

And now a swap of five for one seems too high a price, as far as Gailey's concerned. 

"Why would we do this for a deserter?" Gailey asked. "My stepbrother has spent a lot of time getting theses Taliban guys in custody and now we are releasing them onto the battlefield. He's lost a lot of friends in pursuit off these (enemy combatants) and now they are being released and they'll return to the battlefield and kill again. It doesn't make any sense."

Rich Gailey,  a DeBary resident and a candidate for the district 5 seat on the Volusia County Council in the upcoming elections representing DeBary, Deltona and DeBary, said he thinks of his stepbrother, James "Hazer" Hayes, with the Navy Seals for 25 years, who has risked his own life and seen his own comrades killed in pursuit of these enemy combatants. And now a swap of five for one seems too high a price, as far as Gailey's concerned. 

"Why would we do this for a deserter?" Gailey asked. "My stepbrother has spent a lot of time getting theses Taliban guys in custody and now we are releasing them onto the battlefield. He's lost a lot of friends in pursuit off these (enemy combatants) and now they are being released and they'll return to the battlefield and kill again. It doesn't make any sense."

Previous-Related Coverage:

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Why Bergdahl?
Posted Mon, 2014-06-09 01:25
 
Cory Thompson / Headline SurferCory Thompson
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Prisoner exchange with Taliban has to be last straw for Dems loyal to Obama
Posted Mon, 2014-06-09 04:23
 

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Rich Gailey Taliban story trending in Google for DeBary & Deltona, Florida / Headline Surfer®Headline Surfer® graphic /
The Gailey perspective on the Taliban swap was trending in the Google news directories, holding strong atop the DeBary, FL section within minutes of posting and continuing overnight; and among the top offerings in the Deltona news section overnight Wednesday.