Code over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of Seal Team Six - Library Edition

by Matthew A. Cole

From an award-winning investigative journalist, a hard-hitting exposé of the unchecked crimes of SEAL Team 6, revealing how the Navy SEAL forces were developed and then sacrificed in the service of American empire. The Navy SEALs are, for most Americans, the ultimate heroes. Their 2011 killing of Osama Bin Laden was celebrated as a victory in the War on Terror. Former SEALs rake in thousands of dollars as leadership consultants for American corporations. And young men who want to join the military dream of serving in their elite ranks. But as recent revelations have shown, the SEALs have lost their bearings. In Code Over Country , investigative journalist Matthew A. Cole tells the story of the most celebrated SEAL unit, SEAL Team 6, revealing the dark, troubling pattern of war crimes and deep moral rot hidden behind the heroic narratives. From their origins during the World War II and their first test during the Vietnam War, the SEALs were trained to be specialized killers with short missions. But as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan turned into the endless War on Terror, their carefully-managed violence spiraled out of control. Drawing on years of reporting, Cole follows SEAL Team 6's history, the high-level decisions that unleashed their violence, and the coverups that prevented their crimes from coming to light. Code Over Country is a much-needed reckoning with the unchecked power of the military -- and the harms enacted by and upon soldiers in our name.

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction, History, Military History, War, Politics, Audiobook

Audio CD

First published February 22, 2022

Reviews

[Murtaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew is a friend and colleague who I have spent many evenings discussing SEAL Team Six with, and I can say that he likely knows as much about the subject as anyone not actual in the SEALs. This book is the distillation of several years of his work and reporting, putting it into a broader historical context of the evolution of the unit. It draws from much of his writing at The Intercept and offers a necessary, if shocking to some, overview of what members of this unit have been doing during the War on Terror years.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are some “truths” to his story, from the beginning I came across simple inaccuracies on the unit and training that as an investigative reporter and writer of his stature shouldn’t have made. His credibility is tainted from the onset. I’ve got a critical eye since I’m a retired SEAL and a former member of the command he writes about. I’ll say this…don’t believe everything you read. When an outsider writes about a Special Operations unit I maintain my skepticism about how well it will be. Consider this book myth and rumors.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, first, a bit of a quibble over the title as it's a bit more broadly based than just Team Six, AND I think the title alone will turn a lot of people away who actually would/should read this book.

If you hold admiration for the SEAL teams (as many of us do who read this genre) and you are actually interested in the health and well-being of our military, then this book is worth reading.

"There is no moment more solemn in the life of a SEAL than when he receives his Trident. [...] It is worn only by those who have demonstrated the capability to survive their training and operate at the highest level amid the most arduous conditions. Few designations are more coveted within the US military. And few, if any, command as much respect."

"But the Trident embodies a contradiction central to the SEALs: we ask these men to do terrible things and do so with the utmost honor."

When war with all of its horrors is normalized as it must be for those deployed over and again, year after year, when they see the very worse of humanity... how would there be any expectations that someone would come away without psychological trauma, that they wouldn't in a sense, lose their minds and do things that they would otherwise not even remotely consider? It doesn't justify but I suspect war brings out things in people we'd never think them capable of. Add youth, groupthink, peer pressure, and an adrenaline-charged atmosphere... and battlefield ethics take a backseat.

"The thee hundred SEAL operators at Team 6 were among the only Americans in on a secret: violence creates its own parallel universe."

The book doesn't diminish the heroism of the SEAL TEAMs as much as it humanizes them. Heroes are flawed, some because it's who they are and some because of what they have had to do. The problem becomes the lack of accountability and the secrecy that allows lines to be crossed into what then becomes criminal behavior.

The hazing and death of Logan Melgar is for me particularly disturbing; fortunately those responsible were held accountable. The question though "If America's best operators were capable of killing a fellow serviceman and covering it up, what were they capable of on the battlefield." is a concerning one.

Are these men being pushed too far outside reasonable bounds? After all, "No American serviceman have ever conducted as much war, in such a personal way, as those from SEAL Team 6 and the rest of the forces that make up special operations. There is no precedent in our history, and so we are collectively embarking on a journey where the destination is not clear."

It would seem there are many in the teams who still hold the beliefs defined by their ethos, but they aren't supported by leadership - who instead just move the bad pennies around ways that the Catholic Church might admire.

I don't know the answers here, but I also know you can't change/fix what isn't discussed. Definitely a book that gives you much to think about.

[Bruce Perry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing read. Why is it that someone that has zero experience or even first hand knowledge of special operations units, their training, skills, cultural or even mind set can take the word of few as gospel.
Unfortunately the author seems more motivated to discredit a whole community and obtain his own fame and fortune than live a life of service and sacrifice.
Good, hard patriots go to war and fight the hard battles to protect the weak, so they can hind behind their pen and write opinion pieces.

[Bonnie_Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s an inherent challenge that comes with writing a book about the Navy SEALs and, in particular, SEAL Team 6. It isn’t that SEALS aren’t unwilling to share stories. In fact, there’s an industry built around this. A cursory glance at the military section of your local bookstore will feature any number of bestsellers authored by the quiet professionals of the SEALs. But the stories these select SEALs are willing to share are too often embellished and fabricated for a purpose: to enhance the author’s profile and burnish the SEAL myth.

This book serves a different purpose. It focuses on the stories that the SEALs have not been willing to share - at least until now. Many of these stories testify to the bravery and the singular capabilities of these men, but also identify failings - and the consequences that follow from them. That is the project of this book; to investigate the history of the military’s most elite - and secretive fighting force. And to do so without fear or favor.

While Alpha: A Reckoning for the Navy SEALs, by David Philipps, is a very narrow look at one man - Eddie Gallagher - who led one platoon (Alpha) in one team (SEAL Team 7) and who was charged with war crimes, Code Over Country, by Matthew Cole, is a more broad look at the Navy SEALs, especially SEAL Team 6, aka DEVGRU. I have a bit of quibble with the book’s title - the subtitle is “The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six.” While this book does focus mainly on SEAL Team 6, Matthew Cole also writes about other Teams and Team members. The subtitle could be “The Tragedy, Corruption, and Disgrace of the SEAL Teams."

One of the most important people in this book is the evil genius, Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko. A descendant of blue collar Czech immigrants, Marcinko managed to join the Navy before he got his GED. Unbelievably street smart, he saw the need for a specialized team within the SEALs who would have the training and skills necessary to pull off incredibly difficult missions and enhance the SEAL brand. Through charisma, networking, and sheer force of will, he is responsible for what is considered the most elite of the elite fighting forces in the entire world. However, the way he “selected” members seemed to boil down if (1) they could hold their booze, (2) if they could act like criminal masterminds while working for the government (Marcinko wanted his own mafia within the Teams), and (3) if Marcinko liked you.

Corruption quickly flourished in the Teams. This heart of darkness seemed to have existed since the beginning of the Teams. What I read over and over again, in this book and in others, is that 90% - 95% of the Team guys are truly exceptional, hardworking men. However, there is that 5% - 10% of guys that managed to worm their way into the Teams and into leadership positions that wreck havoc inside and outside the Teams.

Then there is selling the brand. Books, toys, movies, video games, songs, podcasts, clothing, booze, consultants, public speakers - you name it, some former Navy SEAL probably slapped his name and Trident on it. Guys (and some gals) wanting to join the Navy SEALs is one of the biggest - if not the biggest - reasons people join the Navy. Only a select few actually become SEALs (getting qualified to join BUD/S is one thing, actually passing BUD/S is something else entirely). Most of the guys take the line from the SEAL Ethos - I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions - very fucking seriously. Those that do not are not viewed upon by the SEAL in-group without much respect or love lost - see what happened to popular Mr Ballen as an example. As for everyone else?

I feel like an integral part of the American culture DNA is this god-like veneration and blinding love for the military, and for Navy SEALs in particular. But when you have a few guys willing to exploit the brand and that love for all it’s worth, you get massive problems. They can keep pushing the limits of ethics and humanity to the breaking point and beyond. And if others around them (Team members, government officials, citizens) cannot or will not hold them accountable, they will run roughshod over everyone else.

Some of this corruption and moral decay is also due to the Forever Wars in the Middle East. Team guys were sent on deployment after deployment after deployment, some of them racking up deployment counts into the double digits. The stress, the chaos, the warfare - all this (and more) led the blurry lines of ethics and how to conduct themselves in combat. There is also this dangerous level of groupthink and compliance with orders. If you have a group of young SEALs being pushed and cajoled into committing horrific acts of war by people who should not be in a leadership position, there will be wreckage left behind in the form of mutilated bodies and broken minds. Matthew Cole makes the point that in each deployment, there were a group of guys in the Teams that went too far. But they were never pulled back. Each deployment, the lines moved further and further along until something horrific happened, like Britt Slabinski asking (either metaphorically or literally) for a head on a platter, and a young SEAL decided to comply with what he thought was a serious order.

Matthew Cole does say he held back on reporting more because “enough is enough.” I think he could have gone further. By all means, shatter the mythos that is the Navy SEALs into a fine ash. Shove these dudes back into the quiet shadows, where they belong. Granted, he is the writer (not me) and he was clear he wanted to avoid editorializing or suggesting there is an inherent evil within the Teams. He possesses a lot of sympathy for these guys, pointing out (correctly) that they are and will continue to suffer mentally, physically, and emotionally for a long time. This pain will transfer over at least one generation, because a lot of these guys have children who have to share some of this burden. Navy SEALs are trained on so many different technical aspects of combat, subterfuge, diving, skydiving, weapons handling, tactics, strategy, communications, intelligence, etcetera etcetera. But what they are not trained on is how to handle the emotional and mental toll of what warfare does to them.

I am a bit surprised other crimes did not come up. Look up Navy SEALs in a news search bar, and you will find crimes related to drug abuse, domestic violence and assault, murder (Andy Stumpf is somewhat fond of telling the story of the honor man of his class - Benjamin Sifrit - who, along with his wife, assaulted and murdered another married couple), and what sticks most in my mind is the brutal assault of a female sailor at an overseas July 4th party in 2019, right after Eddie Gallagher was found not guilty of most his crimes. The assault was exceptionally brutal because the sailor attacked was bitten, choked, and was left covered in bruises in what started out as consensual sex. The enlisted SEAL - Adel Enayat - was sentenced to 90 days in the brig but was not convicted of sexual assault. This was the crime that got the entire Foxtrot platoon (from SEAL Team 7) pulled from Iraq.

But if Matthew Cole had to document every single horrific crime committed by a Navy SEAL, this book would probably be thirty times as long.

If you have been keeping up with Navy SEAL news for the past few years, there may be nothing really new in this book. However, Matthew Cole’s sources provided with thorough information about the disgusting hazing and suicide of Ralph Penney, the maybe-accidental, maybe-purposeful death of Linda Norgrove (who was an MI6 operative that was accidentally killed by a Navy SEAL), and what happened on Roberts’ Ridge, just to name a few examples.

Overall, this is a very good book. I think the writing and flow were a bit choppy at times. There is also one big mistake in the book - Matthew Cole writes that people can try out for the Green Berets without having prior service in the military. This is incorrect, and he did correct himself on The Team House podcast. I wish there had been more pictures as well, of the people mentioned in the book and of the battlefields/places mentioned in the book. Matthew Cole makes the point that this book is not anti-military or anti-Navy SEAL. It is clear in his writing, articles from The Intercept, and in interviews that he greatly respects members of the military. You can respect and admire an institution while still demanding accountability and high standards from members of this institution.

[Ad_Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a hard read in the sense of the brutality, corruption, lies and cover-ups it exposed within the U.S Navy SEALS, Team 6. In certain parts I was completely shocked and appalled by not only the behaviour and actions leading to war crimes committed by SEALS on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, but then the deliberate cover-up and sometimes encouragement from their superior officers. The fact that this has also happened under consecutive presidential administrations with little to no change or even an enquiry has been very disappointing. The stories that stood out the most are of corse, the abandonment of Chapman and the Robert’s Ridge event, followed by how hard the SEALS fought to not have his medal upgraded to a medal of honour, despite the valor and commitment to country that he demonstrated in his final fight. Of course the circumstances surrounding the suicide of Ensign Penney were really tragic and the death of Green Beret Melgar and the lengths those SEALS went to in covering it up was disturbing. Finally the actions of Officer Gallagher in Iraq and the complete lack of consequences that followed was both shocking and appalling. While those serving on the front lines that return home with physical and mental scars need greater assistance and support, it also seems that those who see or know of wrongdoing also equally need the right support mechanisms in place to assist with the reporting and investigations that follow, while protecting them from potential retaliation from those supporters of officers that commit war crimes or wrongdoing. A five star-read that is well worth your time.

[CASPER HILEMAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matthew Cole takes his years of experience reporting little-known conflicts in the "War on Terror" and covers the most famous "Secret Military Unit in America" S.E.A.L. Team Six, or as it is officially known in Navy parlance DEVGRU. The Murder of Green Beret Staff Sargeant Logan Melgar in Mali by members of Seal Team Six as well as Marine Raiders clearly shows that when a military unit is seen to be untouchable and heroic no good thing can come of it. Many within the nation as well as the military community will say that this is not an example or the standard for our military but that is little comfort to the memory of Staff Sargeant Logan Melgar or his family.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A disturbing and unvarnished look at how the "Forever War" has lead to forever psychopathy, forever corruption and more among this Hollywood-vaunted military unit, as well as its manipulation for various ends and a broader military establishment's refusal, or so it seems, to engage in reforming it.

[Sudhagar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily one of the best books of 2022 and an essential read.

Matthew not only written an interesting book but also important one that punctures the aura of invincibility of the SEALs.

The revelations here are shocking to say the least and I believe these are merely the tip of the iceberg. There has been too much written about the SEALs (especially the ST6) and other Tier 1 teams such as Delta, SAS, SBS, etc and much of these are blatant lies or embellishment. Due to these books such units have achieved mythical status among the public. However, the truth about these units is much darker and many of them have committed or continue to commit war crimes, often covered by their team mates, leaders or the top brass. It is about time that these units are held accountable to their actions. As such, book such as this is important to expose these wrongdoings and set things right.

[Zare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author manages to give as-real-as-possible picture of SEAL Team Six by portraying their history from conception in 1980's, Marcinko and Red Cell days to waging almost constant war for two decades since 2001. Only people that got surprised by the not so legal actions T6 started getting involved with I think were politicians, lawyers and journalists.

Higher ranking officers and more experienced operators knew why things happened the way they happened. Because this is something that happens with troops of highly qualified and capable people through ages, given secrecy and carte-blanche of national security. Without supervision these types of troops are walking a thin line and can very fast get bent. Look at the Britain's SAS during Northern Ireland campaign (Black and Tan before that), Rhodesian SAS, Selous Scouts and South Africa security apparatus that degraded with Vlakplaas death squads in late 1980's and early 1990's (and US armed forces post Vietnam, but this is something that does not need any special mention). What is common with all of these situations? Very, very, long wars, chained together until they blur in the one big constant never-ending fire fight, politicians willing to look the other way as long as they get political points, military not willing to lose people, good at eliminating enemy under most difficult conditions, by disciplining them and (unfortunately this is something that is most devastating element) idea of great destiny, acting as chosen ones to defend their country against savages, spreading the democracy (replace it with any political view popular at times), dehumanization of the enemy to the crazy levels after which army starts to observe their enemy as anything but human being. Moment people get desensitized from effects of killing and mass destruction these people need a break or change of career. And unfortunately crack units are most susceptible to this and suffer the most (life at the tip of the spear is not easy one) and this is what exactly happened to T6. Without longer rotations and larger pool of replacements it is just matter of day when units like these get closer and closer to that invisible line leading to corruption - and then they cross it and find out they can do it with impunity.

If this was troubling in the past, today, with advent of social media, never satiated mass media always looking for more blood and gore and shock effect issue gets out of the proportions. Books, ability to say everything and anything knowing that nobody will correct them, work as PMCs or with arms industry (ever present dollar stamped everywhere) - all these elements encourage troubled operators to look at their service as training grounds, jump-board to lucrative after-service life. Seen by the outside world as heroes and protected by their peers troubled operators start with publicizing their view of the world - usually just simplified to "savages and us" - and just deepen the problem by attracting other troubled people to join the fight. And so circle closes, or better said, starts again.

Only way out of this in my opinion is limiting the wars, stopping with putting every brush to flames in name of the politicians who will be there for 4 years and will never look back once. Military needs to say something and stop just stoically accept that their people are generally unappreciated and just used to the breaking point and then discarded. They need to say that breaking point is near and something needs to be done before all is left are highly traumatized forces. Also process of looking at war as something that is acceptable needs to stop. Once war is no longer looked at through casualty rates politicians will always push for it - and lets be honest they are not the ones paying the price.

One can only hope military will start thinking about their people and stop acting just as a service to amorphic political body.

Most terrible thing is that action of the few stain the lives and careers of others in the teams and people working with them (martial arts instructor Dieter's contribution was truly great). This is the greatest tragedy in this entire story.

Very interesting book, highly recommended.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A strong nonfiction read that didn't have any glaring flaws to me. Cole limits the scope to what one needs to know about SEAL Team history and selects specific examples demonstrating lapses and moral failures. I think it's fair to say this is an immensely critical book, but I would hesitate to say that it's mean-spirited or one-sided, especially since it's somewhat of a corrective to largely positive mainstream media coverage and cultural cachet. While the book doesn't spend essentially any time on the unambiguously successful missions or heroism of these soldiers, Cole does mention that the book's antagonists and the organizational rot are not necessarily reflective of the bulk of the SEALs themselves, nor are these problems unique to the SEALs compared to other elite military units.

I thought Cole bookended the book nicely with some particularly wrenching incidents of betrayal, and I appreciated that the book didn't dwell unnecessarily on the Bin Laden raid or Eddie Gallagher's history.

Solid audiobook narration.

[Matt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am was intrigued to read this book, as I have read many books about the Navy SEALs and their community.
I am certain that some of what was written may have some factual basis, yet I am even more certain that any and all professions - including journalists- have bad characters.
These stories are written in a one sided manner as a journalist would write, only telling the side that fits the narrative the author wants.

I was gravely disappointed in the book as a whole, the author, wrote how disappointing and disgraceful it was for actual SEALs to profit off the work - Yet he did no work and sought to profit from them.

[book books · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor examples

If you put a magnifying glass on any large organization, you will find examples of bad behavior. Factor in that the organization's job is warfare for over the last 20 years, there will be things that the normal public will find shocking. His examples are only a few and many are unproven. His last example of Eddie Gallagher is not even a Seal team six member. The fact that the Navy put him on trial proves that they are not corrupt
as the author alleges.

[Zac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m sure there are many truths to this book. However, I suppose no one will ever know for sure. It’s everything I expected it to be. But it shouldn’t surprise anyone the things that are told in this book. With a community who was in a constant rotation of deployments. Eventually, it gets to you. #thecode

[Josh Imber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well researched, sourced and written book, with a bit of a misleading and polarizing title in today’s political climate.

Although this book does contain many instances of Seal team 6 members protecting the reputation and the tragedy of more than a few events in the past of the Seal Teams, it does have a much larger focus on inadequacy in leadership.

This book shows the significance of not only pointed nationalism and commendation of the Seal Teams, but more importantly the consequences of lack of leadership and accountability in one of if not the most praised special operations units in America and the world. These consequences have lasting repercussions, not only for the Special Operations community, but also the men and women who put their faith in military leaders such as those mentioned in this book.

This book is an eye opening and concerning read, while also not condemning the entirety of the Seal teams for the actions of a few rogue elements and poor leadership.

Well worth your time.

[Richard Muro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read….

[grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

"First much of the reporting in the book will be denied and denounced by the department of State and the US government. This is not because the facts in the book are not true but because the government is not required to acknowledge their truth."

Code Over Country is a book about the corruption of America's number one poster child for military efficiency and how a group that was originally made up of people who "would be in prison if they did not join the army" ended up, yup, you guessed it - committing a bunch of crimes.
"What the service never reckoned with is that the qualities that draw men to be SEALS are the same qualities that undermine their effectiveness"

The thing to understand, and that Cole drives home, is that from the beginning SEAL Team 6, or DEVGRU (which is the actual name for the unit, but it's as sexy as a hemroid so no one uses it) was doomed to be a flawed organization. Founded by Richard Marcinko, a man who based candidates off weather they could party hard, commit crimes, (something that breeds the harrowing line later in the book, "Seal team six skirted the line between being criminals for the state: and just old fashion criminals" ) and how much he liked them - there was to say, absolutely no ethical thought placed into what might happen if you teach a bunch of men to ruthlessly kill people.

Marcinko was the SEALs, his ideology is what founded the core of the organization, and gave way to so many of its problems. There is something dehumanizing to the SEALs that elevates them above acting with civility. Marcinko, who would eventually be court marshalled and labeled a felon, never to step on a naval base again, is heralded as a hero in the general public and started a sinister trend for ex-SEALS .... becoming a celebrity.

"Marcinko had been many things in his career: a hero in combat, a felon, a fable, and ultimately a celebrity.... probably should have been served as a cautionary tale for the generations of SEAL's to follow. Too many saw in Marcinko something else - a model to aspire to."

This is the main take away I got from Cole. That SEALs Team 6 is not about serving America, but serving oneself under the guise of American Nationalism. The reason that the SEALs get famous is because they leave in disgrace. There is irony in launching men who could not conduct themselves properly enough to maintain their service into the spotlight because of their military service. If they were good at military service, they would still be in the military.

"The SEALs represented an inherent contradiction, for all their specialized training and elite capabilities, many struggled with the foundational almost rudimentary ethical actions: to not steal, to obey authority, to tell the truth. They were ill equipped to confront failures and the accountability that came with them."

It was also heart wrenching to hear how much pain this small percentage of fucked up SEALs would cause for other service members. From Eddie Gallagher, who stabbed a man in the neck as a medic was working to stabilize him, and then took a photo with him as a prize, to Matthews leading a group of men to STRANGLE A GREEN BARET because he LEFT THEM AT A PARTY. I find it concerning that these are the men we are giving weapons to and trusting to go and make decisions about who gets to live and die in foreign conflicts. These men do not need an AR-15. These men need a therapist and the one ethical MMA fighter who was fired after teaching men how to critically and ethically make decisions. "Deloff and Matthews in particular refuse to take responsibility for their conduct. Somehow neither they're training nor their elite military experience provided them with the road map for doing the right thing." The one thing they don't teach the SEALs is how to be a good person.

There is something deeply ironic about the SEALs relying on secrecy and black box operations to be successful in their mission, and then spitting out veterans who bust down Penguin Publishing as soon as they get their discharge papers (and in one case even sooner). The SEAL code explicitly states that it is with great honor the SEAL's never receive credit for what they do, and yet the two commanding officers on the mission to kill Bin Laden were there because they wanted the bragging rights. And the kicker is that the only person who can unwrite the narrative by these two men has too much moral integrity and respect for the SEALs to ever speak out against them. Marcinko, even after leaving the SEALs was still influencing its members by being the first person to commit war crimes, jump ship, write a book, and get famous by selling the tale of heroism to men who desperately wanted to be SEALs.

Similarly, Chris Kyle, now famed from the movie American Sniper, was under investigation for shooting unarmed civilians by the SEALs, left to be portrayed by Bradley Cooper in a biopic, and made a bunch of money. "While shooting the unarmed spotter could be a justified shot, firing on unarmed civilians trying to render aid is a war crime. At least twice Kyle was accused of shooting unarmed civilians." It is harrowing to think that this is the norm. There is no justice. There is only fame. The public does not care about the criminality of it all because the spectacle outweighs their guilt. "Violence creates its own parallel universe"

There is something in the back of our brains that tells us it's okay to play Call of Duty violently and brutally because we know real soldiers aren't like that. And then we get passages where Cole describes the Red team of SEAL Team 6 who got custom hatchets to carry with them in order to scalp their enemies like this is a Black Ops map and you are fighting Hassan the fake terrorist. This is not a game, and these actions have real consequences on how America is seen.
"The hatchet says we don't care about the Geneva Conventions"
Cole's describes the problem that you can not enforce the rules of war when your soldiers do not think they are fighting against a human enemy. Coles describes the SEALs seeing the men in Iraq and Afghanistan as animals that needed to be slaughtered. How can you uphold car crimes in court when everyone in power doesn't think that the people dying count as human? It's genocidal tactics to dehumanize the enemy in order to make the killing easier.

This goes into the sympathetic point in the book which is how do we deal with SEALs, men who are waking up, getting their morning coffee, and then going and killing several people each day? How does the military hope to keep these men mentally stable and respectful of the ethical implications of death and war? "The military built a killing machine after 9/11 and the SEALS started to take pleasure in their role serving the country as the government's most lethal tool." Cole is sympathetic to this plight but he in no way excuses the crimes that rack up. From sexual assaults, to murder of other service members, to the abandonment of team mates - the SEALs are not even loyal to their own team members first, I would argue. They are loyal to the IDEA, to the BRAND, of the SEALs. It is more important that people think we are cool, then doing our job, then standing up for what is just, then protecting Americans even.

As Goodreads user Bonnie Rae put it, "I feel like an integral part of the American culture DNA is the near god-like respect and love for the military, and for Navy SEALs in particular."
The trials that are covered in this book have horribly unfulfilling endings, often times no justice is ever served because how can you put the backbone of American culture on trial and deem it guilty. No one wants to commit the SEALs because they are 'fighting for our freedom and if we take a closer look at what they are doing in the Middle East we might find that America is not built, in fact, on Freedom and Equality - but on mutilation and military occupation. Eddie Gallagher wasn't a war criminal because he was fighting for our interest. The other deserved it. The other isn't human.

Eddie Gallagher didn't give a shit about America. Eddie Gallagher just wanted to kill people.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10 ; Last piece of military contact for me for a while lol. I started this book during training last year as it picked up a lot of buzz among my friends and the community. Really happy I dove into it and got others to take a peek. Deeply insightful piece on leadership in high-performance communities, and what failure of said leadership can do for team culture and success. First heard of this toxic culture a year before this book was published when a team seven platoon was disbanded for drug use. Unsurprisingly this book reveals that DevGru was a lot worse.

The officer – enlisted relationship is a complicated one that I will never understand, having never been in the military. It does share some similarities, though, with daily leadership in business and medicine. Bosses seeking to gain the favor of their employees are often more lenient. In the quest for the respect of your subordinates, this leniency can cloud rules of engagement. In the NSW teams this lazy leadership leads to war crimes. The culture of secrecy then brushes everything under the rug and the crimes continue.

Leadership of high-performance teams is therefore a difficult balancing act between gaining the favor of those who follow you while also keeping strict with best practices. Takeaways: build favor with those below you by performing well at your individual tasks, rather than removing rules for their convenience; building small high-performance teams should be done with regular reminders of internal flaws and weaknesses; be honest and upfront at all steps as a leader, as your lying will only be followed by those below you.

[Ron Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have so many mixed emotions. When I served, the Budweiser Badge was the ultimate. I knew the movies were hyped up. I suspected that Marcus Luttrell’s story didn’t hold water, though I thought Michael Murphy’s did. I knew O’Neil was making too much bluster about shooting bin Laden, but I bought into Chris Kyle. Sigh. I wasn’t impressed w how many lives they took but their bravery and honor inspired me. I guess I was naive.

Decades ago Greg ‘Pappy’ Boyington (sp) once said: ‘Show me a hero and I’ll show you an S.O.B.’ I guess he wasn’t too far off the mark. ☹️

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read in the past year that describes the moral rot that is apparently present within the US Navy Seals. It does an excellent job of describing a unit that was apparently set up to lack an ethical compass; in the authors own words the Seal Teams have a mafia atmosphere. Definitely a book that every US taxpayer should read.

[Bryan Steinkopf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appears to be well researched take on the dark side of a lot of high profile missions. Some typos and errors but an engaging read.

[Nick Quenga · Rating 4 out of 5]

Multiple examples and narrative on some of the negative sides of Seal culture and brand. Good insight into halo effect and questioning your idols.

[Davey · Rating 4 out of 5]

(AB) (NF)Two sides to every story, disappointing (at least) aspect of groups that include many military heroes.

[Walter Ullon · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR: there's quite a few rotten apples in the highest echelon of the SEAL teams. All the way to the top.

The subject of service members using their time in the military and their exploits, for clout and profit, is a tricky one. There's the podcasts, the books, the videogames, the supplements, the talking circuits, the gear and merchandise, the training classes, etc. It's almost like some of them can't wait to get out to start cashing into an entire industry built around "tier one" units, and what they can sell.

In this book, you get to read how in some cases, they even fight over who will get to write the first account of this or that operation. Apparently, they also lie about the numbers of medals they received, how many kills they got, and more or less aggrandize themselves into a larger than life persona (see: Chris Kyle, Robert O'Neil, Marcus Luttrell, Mark Owen, Tu Lam, Jocko Willink, Mike Glover, among others).
SPOILER ALERT: the guy who really shot Osama Bin Laden first, is not out there writing books about it...

Some of this guys put their life in danger in the name of the flag, which is commendable, but turns out that they also did some pretty awful shit just cause the rules allowed them to operate with impunity (see: Chris Kyle, Eddie Gallagher). So this is where we stand, our modern day heroes, just like the ones of old, can be flawed, even a little sadistic. Some of that can be forgiven and almost expected given the job they are asked to perform, but when they habitually cross the line and do it with gusto, there's cause for some real concern.

In all honesty, these guys get a raw deal once they are out of the military: their highly specialized skills are not exactly transferable to the civilian world, and most of them carry both physical and psychologically debilitating injuries from their service. While we expect them to be the "quiet professionals", they're hardly taken care of after they retire. So what are they to do? Become greeters at Walmart? So, they sell their service for profit.

It is eye-opening just how rampant this problem has become and how ineffective their commands have been in reigning in the misconduct. This book is a thorough account of just how deep and how serious the problem is. The epilogue details how other countries with elite units have dealt with this issue to varying degrees of success, and presents a path to move forward in ensuring ourbest warriors don't become villains in the process of protecting what they hold most dear.

Highly recommended.

[Kristen Fowler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd be lying if I said this wasn't a hard read. When you throw names like Marcus Luttrell, Robert O'Neill, and Chris Kyle around in a book about lies, cover-ups, and corruptions in the SEAL Teams, you're asking for a fight. But, honestly, this book navigated those dangerous waters well, and it deserves a place on any military non-fiction reader's shelf as a case study in what if feels like to get a glimpse behind the curtain.

As a whole, the book explores how dangerous a business it is, asking men to preform exceptionally horrible things with honor. To not provide the support they need after, and to let a toxic culture of "protect the brand" overtake all else. Some sections were harder to read than others - drug abuse, sexual assault, profiteering, theft, murder, lying, corpse photography are all broached topics that paint a very bleak image of what the Teams have become (albeit by honest roots).

It's important to remember, though, that this book was only written because there are good SEALs, brave men who spoke to the author, who have seen injustices done and who had until this been silenced by higher ranking officials.

[Tom Brinkmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hard story to hear, in the it acknowledges the tarnish of a respected group, but the author treats the material fairly and shows he appreciates the good and that reform will enhance our special forces and especially Seal Team 6.

[Audiobook Showrunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

MONEYBALL MEETS ZERO DARK THIRTY

Excellent audiobook. Insightful, alarming, and at times entertaining. There is action, origin stories (identifying the demand for the elite unit’s inception), an honorable mention of a talented civilian who trained the Navy SEALS, lots of revelations, accompanying tragedies, controversial brand opportunities, plus a sign-off think-piece that will keep the conversation going.

This is a fantastic combination where author, Matthew A. Cole, and narrator, Braden Wright, are a perfect fit. I found Wright’s narration a pleasure. His delivery was very easy listening and engaging. It made me want to know more. He did a fine job at being both the storyteller recalling episodes with an almost first hand style while also never overplaying the material, so the listener could make their own judgement with some subjects that come to light. Well-researched and detailed, investigative journalist Matthew A. Cole brings multiple layers to the bigger story. It’s not all exposé. Many people will find this book interesting even if they are not too interested in the military. Yes, it covers some main events such as the Bin Laden Raid, however, it’s all the interconnected stories of these events that are fascinating (like the squad supervisors who argued about selling the film rights to the mission before it even happened).

Code Over Country is moving and powerfully human. Think Moneyball meets Zero Dark Thirty. Because there is a lot more to this elite squad, the war games and the SEALS’s brand than what you think you might know. As expected, it’s not all good, but it’s not all bad. Take this illuminating journey from the comfortable sidelines. They put their lives on the line for the lives of others. All you need to do is listen.

[Quratulain · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Operational brilliance did not come with ethical training.”
The political decision by the Bush administration to invade Iraq may represent the America’s single worst foreign policy decision in its history.” Tom Malinowski
Nearly every operator who served in these wars exits the military with varying levels of measurable disability.”
H. Wyman Howard III
The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstances, sets me apart from others. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond.”
I’m morally flexible but I can’t handle that.” Heath
The SEALs had been specifically asked to avoid shooting bin Laden in the face. O’ Neil’s Decision to canoe bin Laden made him unrecognizable.”
McRaven was wrestling with an organization that he would say had lost its moral compass. It wasn’t clear the Teama had a moral compass to begin with.”
Operation Pantera
Blue Squdron had collected ears and that mutilations had become common.
“Everyone I shot was evil. I had good cause on every shot. They all deserved to die.” Kyle
Quest: 4 missionaries killed by pirates. SEALs: 91 stab wounds on a pirate.
Forget about exit strategies: we are looking at a sustained engagement that carries no deadlines.” Rumsfeld.
For all their specialized training and elite capabilities, many struggles with foundational, rudimentary ethical actions: they were ill-equipped to confront failures and the accountability that came with them.”
They put unit and self before mission and country. Our first loyalty was to the Constitution.
The lines of authority and communication were a mess, the unfortunate result of a new war with senior officers who’d never commanded in a war zone.”
Always patrol to your destination from a safe distance to preserve the element of surprise.”
You ask me to go live with the life but I can’t go live with the pigs and then not get dirty.”
At 20 years and counting, the wars have rallied scores of tactical successes but delivered no strategic victories.”
SEALs were drinkers and killers; immoral men who had done distasteful things during the war in Vietnam.”
Think about the ego it takes to lie like that and to prop the rest of your life with those lies. The temerity is beyond comprehension.”
Red beard video
SERE training
Edward R. Gallagher
Team 6 community: protect the brand, ignore any dishonor, don’t look back, and move on.
The Navy isn’t simply seeking the strongest, most fit men physically capable of completing a brutal training course;it wants those who would rather die than give up on their assigned task.”
If you’re mentally weak, you break down immediately and anything will weed you out. If you are good mentally and physically…the easiest way to break someone down is sleep deprivation and cold.”
Drinking was an integral part of SEAL culture.”
Penney who was too intoxicated to consent , was sexually assaulted by a man, on his first professional trip in the Teams, arranged by his training chief.”
If it’s determined that Penney had a problem, the commands are relatively ruthless. Whatever chip in the armor you have, we’re going to exploit it—immediately.
The qualities that draw men to be SEALs are the same qualities that undermine their effectiveness.”
Neap Tide: during lunar cycle, moon and sun are 90deg from each other from the earth’s vantage point. Suns tidal pull inhibits lunar tide pull, leaving sea flat.”
He wanted men who were comfortable as part soldier, part criminal, but who served government. In the context of a military unit, they were to be engineers to tackle tactical problems on a battlefield.”
Even among their own, they recognized a list for killing that had developed after several years of fighting in Vietnam.”
CIA and SEALs : project PHOENIX which targeted shadow Vietcong government infrastructure throughout allied South Vietnam.”
Although there were only two other SEAL Teams at the time, the Naval Special Warfare veterans though 6 might confuse the Soviets into wondering about Seal Teams 3-5.
He sought men who in his estimation would otherwise be athletes or criminals in the civilian world.”
Marcinko liked to drink, and any SEAL who wanted to serve in his new, secret, elite team would have to be able to drink as well.”
SEAL Team 6 was by design the furthest thing from the Navy. Men who would have had a hard time staying out of legal trouble as civilians if they hadn’t been in the military.”
They’re there because they’re smart and aggressive and they have no morals. You have guys who have no morals, will do anything. That’s how you get a reputation for being really bad. The reason the amoral man doesn’t get away with more is that a lot of people watch him.“
Gormly’s second command to me was, Get rid of those godd*** Mercedes. They were such a bone of contention and were so toxic.”
Operation Urgent Fury- Grenada 1983
Red cell was shut down, a direct result of Marcinkos alcohol-fueled descent into excessive violence, boredom, lies, coverups, and corruption.”
In their culture, orders were sometimes given with just a glance or a facial expression.”
UDT: commando force that could do more than just lead amphibious landings: they were meant to reach lane and secretly search and destroy.
Few would enter Afghanistan with any experience fighting terrorists and insurgents.”
When Air Force intelligence reviewed the video footage with technology that didn’t exist in 2002, it became clear Chapman had survived.
When face with a mistake or transgression that brought dishonor to the team, and thus dishonor to the country, the best path was to disregard the truth and sell a myth of heroism.”
Some senior members of SEAL TEAM 6 believed the pattern of brutality was not only illegal but rose to the level of war crimes.
These kinds of training exercises also inevitably provided a window into the operator’s character.”
Objective Bill. Hyder mutliates civilian. Nickname Waingro
The rules of engagement allowed the ground force commander to shoot anyone he viewed as a threat, regardless of whether they were armed at the time of the shooting.”
SEALs simply didn’t report wrongdoing by their teammates
Objective Wolverine. Revenge Op for Takur Ghar
Sadism crept into the SEALs practices with no apparent consequences.”
Marcus Luttrell, Korengal Valley Mohammad Gullah Lone Survivor book
Capt. Kernan had responded to the needs of the new war by filling his assault teams with SEALs who had not completed Green Team, the new expansion meant SEALs were diluting the quality that had made Team 6 their premier unit.”
By granting greater authority to lower-ranking officers and less experienced enlisted SEALs , the command reduced its own internal oversight on battlefield conduct.”
The superior was impressed with both Bissonnette’s willingness to break the rules and his up-front justification.”
Iraq was a different kind of war. US special operation forces were called upon to kill at rates unseen in previous wars.”
Delta kept track internally of who within the unit desecrated the dead or otherwise violated the laws of armed conflict…once they pace of war slowed…the assaulted was quietly pushed out of Delta.”
Much of what JSOC was doing in both Iraq and Afghanistan resembled police work.”
Willinks young SEALs shot unarmed men, women, children the SEALs declares threats, according to two Team 6 leaders.”
Chris Kyle was shooting unarmed Iraqi civilians. They’re shooting kids as spotters. He was lying baking the number of his kills.”
Evidence emerged almost immediately that Luttrell’s account was not only exaggerated but in some places outright false
Each bad decision was justified, and any question or scrutiny of their command performance was made silent with the recognition of battlefield valor by those who were poorly led.
The canoeing photos provide dramatic documentary evidence of the extreme and unnecessary violence that the SEALs had embraced.” 2004-2007+
There is and was no military reason whatsoever to split someone’s skull open with a single round.”
Richard Smethers
Battle of Roberts Ridge
Operation Lightning Dawn: Maersk. Richard Philips. $30,000 stolen
No enlisted personnel in the military are given as much leeway and authority on tactical matters as Tier 1 operators because of their masterful performance and unqualified experience.”
Operation ANSTRUTHER. Seals killed Linda Norgrove
LtCdr took little responsibility for his men; he savaged the lowest ranking operator, stood up and defended his team leader and offered little apology for how he commanded his troops. Pass the Buck

[Katharine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the message is important, but this book was held back by unconvincing fact-checking and weak structure. A lot of the narrative was one-sided but presented as authoritative, mostly with an absence of the nuance of real life. It seemed like Cole tried to make his argument by presenting a series of cherry-picked vignettes, poorly intertwined with more sweeping statements about special forces and the US military complex. Unfortunately, he does both incompletely and fails to really prove his thesis.

[Dalton Chamberlain · Rating 4 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: Do yourself a favor and do NOT intentionally avoid this book based on reviews or the topic. There will be bias on everything but especially a topic against the norm for special forces. “Democracy and freedom are founded on an informed public.”

Incredibly interesting and difficult to listen to. As someone who reads a large majority of military memoirs and specifically navy seal books, this was challenging to get through. Although at times the hardest part of this book was not the information or material presented, but the fact that a reporter was speaking on topics about operators, who have gone through so much more than any of us can ever imagine. I’ll admit that at first, it did feel a little bit like an armchair quarterback, this does not take away from the gravity in this message, which I believe you naturally warm up to as a reader.

If looking at this book, you are turned away, because you respect our military, or look highly upon our seals, I would not recommend avoiding it. There are clearly thousands upon thousands of incredible servicemen who work in honor and dignity. Yet as we all know, and any group there are, those who fall below the standard. The fact that we as a country have refused to accept that this rule applies to Navy Seals as well, is on us.

These men go through more psychological warfare than physical warfare on a daily basis, and it is sad, but understandable that these extreme and horrific things can happen.
As stated in the book, “democracy and freedom are founded on an informed public.”

I would recommend this book for all so that you can be informed. And realize that imperfections are a part of life.

Lastly, try to read this without emotion or preconceived notions. Hearing specifically about issues with big name characters like Chris Kyle, or Marcus Luttrell, it’s important to realize that a lot of the things reported in this book are not intended to take away from the greatness that these men did do in their life and service. Yet more so to highlight their humanity, and realize that they can make a mistake too. Especially for the Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell, a lot of the initial claims made in this book he has come clean on, and addressed exaggerations. He is living proof that accountability is a possibility even for the world’s most skilled operators.

And maybe, just maybe, some of the blame lies on us. We expect a lot from these soldiers, and put them on the highest of pedestals. It is no surprise that when they come back to re-tell a story, they feel that there is a standard to live up to that we have created for them, regardless if the true story is as exciting or not.