Alpha:
a reckoning for the Navy SEALs

£16.99 GBP

Alpha:
a reckoning for the Navy SEALs

Overview

The shocking, true story of a soldier gone rogue, and the court martial case that divided America.

This is the full story of Eddie Gallagher, a US recruit who was inspired to serve his nation, who became addicted to combat, and whose need to prove himself among his fellow soldiers pushed him to extremes. His actions during a combat deployment to Mosul would divide his platoon, then the SEALs, the Navy, the armed forces, the government, and even the American public, when the President intervened in his trial.

Alpha is an examination of how culture within the military has evolved since 9/11. In an endless war without major victories, the media has instead celebrated achievements of SEAL missions — such as the killing of Osama Bin Laden, the rescuing of Captain Phillips, and the survival of Marcus Luttrell. But the SEALs’ popularity blinded the public to what was also happening within the armed forces. When Gallagher was accused of killing an unarmed enemy combatant, it created a scandal that reached the White House and millions around the world.

Details

Format
Paperback
Size
234mm x 153mm
Extent
480 pages
ISBN
9781913348526
RRP
GBP£16.99
Pub date
9 September 2021
Rights held
UK & C’wealth (ex. Can)
Other rights
Massie & McQuilkin Literary Agents

Praise

‘This is a book to make your blood boil. Expertly reported and written, Alpha details a truly shameful national episode, and stands as a powerful corrective for those who mistake cruelty for toughness and equate war with murder.’

Mark Bowden, New York Times bestselling author of Black Hawk Down and Hue 1968

‘This is one of the best books to come out of the Iraq war. It is also one of the saddest. There have been many books about Navy SEALs and snipers, but Alpha is by far the most important. I think it will be required reading for the Navy, as Black Hearts has become for the Army. Anyone who cares about the American military needs to read this.’

Thomas E. Ricks, bestselling author of Fiasco, First Principles, and The Generals
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About the Author

David Philipps is a Pulitzer Prize-winning national correspondent for The New York Times, where he writes about the military and veterans. He has also been a finalist for the Pulitzer twice, and has won a number of other national-level awards, including the Livingston Award and Ford Prize for military reporting.

more about the author