Code Over Country: The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six
- Downloads：3831
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-21 06:52:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Matthew A. Cole
- ISBN：1568589050
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Sudhagar
，
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 ach 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。 。。。more
Davey
，
Two sides to every story， disappointing （at least） aspect of groups that include many military heroes。
Grant
，
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 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。 。。。more
Ron Willoughby
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 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 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。 ☹️ 。。。more
Sam
，
I’ve read a lot of military books。 Author certainly did a lot of work， but he only presented one side of certain stories。 He left out clearly plausible alternatives， or if he included them， he positioned them as absurd。 Not sure why， but it appears that he has an axe to grind。
Nick Quenga
，
Multiple examples and narrative on some of the negative sides of Seal culture and brand。 Good insight into halo effect and questioning your idols。
Glenda
，
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 onl 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。 。。。more
Dipra Lahiri
，
Uncomfortable reading， as it takes shots at the mighty Hollywood and Military marketing machine which has so far successfully sold us the story about the invincibility of the Seals， and moral high ground on which they perch。
Jack
，
I actually listened to this book， and I don't listen to books often so that may have tainted me。If you read any of his The Intercept articles then you know a lot about what he writes about here。It feels to me like Mr。 Cole definitely identified some issues and missteps by some individuals。 Which is probably a factor in any population。 Some of the stuff he reveals was， to me， very disturbing。 Like it ain't much of a "brotherhood" if there's truth in some of his initiation stories。And I guess the I actually listened to this book， and I don't listen to books often so that may have tainted me。If you read any of his The Intercept articles then you know a lot about what he writes about here。It feels to me like Mr。 Cole definitely identified some issues and missteps by some individuals。 Which is probably a factor in any population。 Some of the stuff he reveals was， to me， very disturbing。 Like it ain't much of a "brotherhood" if there's truth in some of his initiation stories。And I guess the SEALS who wrote books that exagerate their stories is disturbing。 The exposure on the UBL raid， or Red Wings for that matter， it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth。 And I have to wonder is this book the version of the truth that's real。 Or the other authors？ Or somewhere in between。I thought it was an ok book。 I can't imagine I'll listen/read it again。 。。。more
Bryan Steinkopf
，
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。
Bonnie_Rae
，
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 a 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） 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 with much respect。 As for everyone else？ 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。 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 three times as long and I would genuinely worry about the man’s sanity。 If you have been keeping up with Navy SEAL news for the past few years （I have）， 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 accidental 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。 。。。more
Steve
，
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 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。 。。。more
Liz
，
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。
CASPER HILEMAN
，
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 milita 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。 。。。more
Murtaza
，