Franz Gayl

At the height of the Iraqi insurgency, Marine Corp science advisor and former Marine, Franz Gayl, discovered that that bureaucratic delays were preventing troops in Iraq from receiving the equipment necessary to protect themselves against Improvised Explosive Devices. While preparing a report about the 19 month delay for the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Gayl’s superiors learned that his presentation would reveal gross mismanagement within their bureaucracy. They stopped him from presenting his observations and reprimanded him for speaking out. He was told to delete all of his drafts of the presentation and his job description was rewritten so as to diminish his primary responsibilities.

After returning from Iraq in 2007 and having attempted to bring about accountability internally, Gayl began working with Government Accountability Project to disclose his unclassified findings to Congress and the media. Gayl’s disclosures caused intense public scrutiny, with prominent lawmakers such as Senators Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden writing letters to Marine Corps Commandant James Conway on Gayl’s behalf. In retaliation, Gayl’s security clearance was revoked and the Marine Corps attempted to suspend him without pay. Government Accountability Project represented Gayl throughout his long and arduous battle for justice. Finally, four years after blowing the whistle publicly, Gayl’s security clearance was reinstated and he was able to resume his duties.