SEAL Down. Who Sent Him?

Vox writes out the first thing that occurred to me on reading this story.

The US Navy confirmed on Friday that a member of the elite SEAL force was killed in eastern Ukraine, but said that Naval Special Warfare Operator Daniel Swift was in “active deserter status.” Swift died on January 18 from injuries sustained in combat with Russian forces, an unnamed US Navy official told reporters in a background briefing....--quoted at Vox

Apparently this dude 'has been AWOL' for a couple of years, which is about how long the US has been ramping up its (our) involvement.

Vox:

Do they seriously think no one has ever seen Mission Impossible or SEAL Team? We all know that the posthumous disavowing of a special forces operative or an intelligence agent doesn’t mean that the individual wasn’t on a government-sanctioned mission....

Putin knows full well that US troops are involved, whether in- or out-of-uniform.  Gotta hand it to him for discretion and prudence.

Maybe all those Ukie-flag-flyers here will become honest, suit up, and grab an M-4 on their way to Ukraine to help?

Nah.  They have your children to send instead.