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Code over Country

The Tragedy and Corruption of SEAL Team Six

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Code over Country

By: Matthew Cole
Narrated by: Braden Wright
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About this listen

A hard-hitting exposé of SEAL Team 6, the US military’s best-known brand, that reveals how the Navy SEALs were formed, then sacrificed, in service of American empire.

The Navy SEALs are, in the eyes of many Americans, the ultimate heroes. When they killed Osama Bin Laden in 2011, it was celebrated as a massive victory. Former SEALs rake in cash as leadership consultants for corporations, and young military-bound men dream of serving in their ranks.

But the SEALs have lost their bearings. Investigative journalist Matthew Cole tells the story of the most lauded unit, SEAL Team 6, revealing a troubling pattern of war crimes and the deep moral rot beneath authorized narratives. From their origins in World War II, the SEALs have trained to be specialized killers with short missions. As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan became the endless War on Terror, their violence spiraled out of control.

Code Over Country details the high-level decisions that unleashed the SEALs’ carnage and the coverups that prevented their crimes from coming to light. It is a necessary and rigorous investigation of the unchecked power of the military—and the harms enacted by and upon soldiers in America’s name.

©2022 Matthew Cole (P)2022 Bold Type Books
Corruption & Misconduct Special & Elite Forces War & Crisis Military Solider Military History Nonfiction
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What listeners say about Code over Country

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Casualties of the forever wars.

Sad but fascinating at the same time. Lessons to be learnt. I hope the team members read this.

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Excellent book

Great book and very well researched. I've read a couple of books from the Walter Mitty type characters portrayed in this book and I for one am glad i now know the truth about these men.
I have served in the British Army and worked with Seals attached to the CIA in Basrah Southern Iraq. On one particular patrol we had to stop one of them from killing an unarmed civilian in his car making his way home.
I've seen how America carries out its wars and occupations first hand and can honestly say nothing in this book suprises me, all from a country that claims to be the righteous symbol of all that is right in the western world.
Thank you to the author for setting the record straight for those who still look upon the men who's discrepancies are memtioned in this book with rose tinted glasses instead of the mindless and government sanctioned killers they are.

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the truth of seal teams

awesome book and a must read great from start to finish ,couldn't stop listening to the book really powerful 👏

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Very thought provoking

This is a very thought provoking book. As a former airman who served in an SF unit, now working as a police officer. I found it deeply disturbing. I am from the era before the most recent campaigns but can clearly see how some of these acts occurred and how and why they weren’t challenged. We would all like to think that we would challenge the wrong doer’s but in my present occupation I have come to realise that most people won’t.
I would hope that in the future strong leaders with honesty and integrity come to positions of power so that they can help redress the failings highlighted in this book. It will be a challenge for all involved. One I hope they have the moral courage to meet.

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Great piece on the dark side of the Tier One unit.

I really enjoyed this title. It hilights the need for more control of these operators before a new era in of war begins.

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Well written but one sided

I enjoyed this book and it was well written. My issue with it is that it constantly quotes un-named operators who claim to have been there. These whistle blowers are always nameless and their quotes are always damning. Surely, unless these people are coming forward and giving their name little weight can be put to their account.

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A real eye opener

At first I did think that this was going to be 100% biased toward how bad the seals were. But it’s not actually that bad and although the book does talk about the issues the teams face. It still talks highly of the men who deserve to be. Great listen.

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Stories that are neither confirmed or denied.

I decided to give this a listen after hearing a interview with Matthew on former Navy SEALs Andy Stumpfs pod cast Cleared Hot.
Andy has interviewed a number of SEALs including Eddie Gallagher and Jocko among other notables in the operator community.
Matthew came across as a really nice guy, serious about his work and honest. Then I listened to the book.
Now, I was in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman and Fleet Marine Force for 6 years and yes, there are things that happened that never made it off the base. Things that the Navy made disappear.
As with any organisation that your survival may depend on the guy next to you, there are codes of conduct and yes one of those is “no snitching”.
The problem I have with Matthews book is that there is a lot of he said she said and against a few well known people. To me it came across as he heard a story from a guy.
He did hit the nail with the Roberts Ridge event however, everyone in the community knows what happened and what is BS.
Matthew’s narrative on Eddie Gallagher is all wrong. He was accused, at first, of taking the photo. Then the sharks smelled blood in the water. Despite what you see on TV, NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) isn’t full of the best and brightest. Most of them are there ticking boxes to get promoted or move on to greener pastures. That is what happened to Eddie. They saw him as big game and went hunting.
I would have to say that if someone like Jocko or Chris Kyle were complicit in war crimes, those stories would have been sold to the media along time ago.
That’s why I only gave it two stars since, without evidence, it is just a book on a conspiracy theory.

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A very pleasant read

This book is amazing. All kinds of insights other spec ops book will not give you. Very well paced and just plain refreshing to take a look in the kitchen without it being heavily edited.

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The Details That The US Navy Want The Public to Know About Their SEAL Community

Excellent journalist account of the criminality and human rights abuses by US Navy SEALS. The things the US military want to hide from public scrutiny.

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