Episode · Behind the Bastards · 2026-07-23
Books mentioned on Part Four: How The Navy SEALs Lost Their Mind
Robert takes us into the modern day history of SEAL malfeasance, from kinda robbing Captain Phillips to the comedy of errors that was the raid on Bin Laden. See omnystudio.
Robert Evans discussed Code Over Country by Matthew Cole, Alpha by David Philipps, and Devil's Guard by George Robert Elford.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Code Over Country
Code Over Country by Matthew Cole is an investigative non-fiction book that explores the cultural transformation, misconduct, and history of the United States Navy SEALs, particularly focusing on units like Red Cell and Team Six.
Discussed“And this is a description by Matthew Cole from the book Code Over Country, Um, and this is based on the actual evidence of what happened in that fight. Shaw grabbed his small force, as few as seven, but no more than 10, and quietly stalked up the ridge line in the early morning hours.”
Where to get it
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Alpha
Alpha by David Philipps is a detailed and critical examination of the Navy SEALs, focusing particularly on the case of alleged war criminal Eddie Gallagher.
Discussed“Here's how David Phillips describes Gallagher's early life in Alpha. One morning in 1999, without telling his family, he had walked into a Navy recruiting station in a strip mall in Fort Wayne, Indiana, determined to enlist. On the wall, there was a poster of a SEAL commando coming out of the water with night vision goggles and a glistening”
Where to get it
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Devil's Guard
The Devil's Guard by George Robert Elford is a piece of postwar military fiction that depicts the experiences of former SS soldiers fighting in Indochina while purporting to be a factual account.
Discussed“Guys like Slinsky, his former boss, and other high-ranked SEALs had started passing around a book to each other. This was published in 1971 and it's titled The Devil's Guard. You ever heard of this book, Andrew?”
Where to get it
