海角大神

As retired Navy SEAL Mark Owens鈥檚 (a.k.a Matt Bissonnette) 鈥淣o Easy Day鈥� hits shelves today, a new e-book on Special Operations offers fresh insight into why Bissonnette broke his code of silence with his tell-all account of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

A group of Special Ops veterans released its own e-book Monday, 鈥淣o Easy Op: The Unclassified Analysis of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden,鈥� which suggests Bissonnette 鈥渨as willing to break the code of silence honored by many commandos because of 鈥榖ad blood鈥� with his former unit, the elite SEAL Team 6,鈥� writes The New York Times.

According to the NYT, the e-book claims Bissonnette was 鈥渆ffectively pushed out of SEAL Team 6 after he expressed interest last year in leaving the Navy and starting a business.鈥�

鈥淗ow was he repaid for his honesty and 14 years of service?鈥� the Special Ops writers ask in the e-book. 鈥淗e was ostracized from his unit with no notice and handed a plane ticket back to Virginia from a training operation.鈥� After that treatment, Bissonnette 鈥渇elt less compunction鈥� about writing 鈥淣o Easy Day.鈥�

聽鈥淣o Easy Day鈥� was published as scheduled Tuesday despite a storm of controversy about the firsthand account of the top-secret raid and threat of a government lawsuit. The Pentagon has threatened to sue Bissonnette for breaching his contract by not submitting the manuscript for review early enough in the publication processs.

The publication of 鈥淣o Easy Op鈥� further complicates the debate over Bissonnette鈥檚 account. The e-book was produced by sofrep.com, a website about the news, culture, and weaponry of the Special Ops produced by former commandos. Brandon Webb is a founder of the site and a former SEALs sniper, according to the NYT. In the NYT article, Webb says the e-book is based on 鈥渃onversations that he and his co-authors had with current members of SEAL Team 7, none of whom are identified.鈥�

(Incidentally, Webb also wrote his own account of his military experience, 鈥淭he Red Circle,鈥� which was also not submitted for review. But he was not penalized, he says, because the book came out years after missions it describes, and included details already made public.)

鈥淣o Easy Op鈥� is largely sympathetic to Bissonnette, according to media reviews. It describes the former Navy SEAL as 鈥渁n operator鈥檚 operator鈥� and says it is highly unlikely 鈥淣o Easy Day鈥� revealed any vital information about SEAL tactics and procedures. Nonetheless, the e-book does scold Bissonnette for not submitting the book for review, suggesting that move would have placated government officials and put to rest concerns about security breaches. And it emphasizes the point that Bissonnette was less likely to abide by protocol after having been slighted by his former unit.

Whatever Bissonnette鈥檚 motivation may be, the former Navy SEAL鈥檚 co-author in 鈥淣o Easy Day,鈥� Kevin Maurer, said in a statement that Bissonnette鈥檚 account has nothing but praise for other SEALs and military personnel. 鈥淎fter spending several very intense months working with Mark Owen on this book, I know that he wrote this book solely to share a story about the incredible men and women defending America all over the world,鈥� the statement reads. 鈥淎ny suggestion otherwise is as ill informed as it is inaccurate. What鈥檚 more, Mark has an unshakable respect for the U.S. military, in particular the men he served with. That鈥檚 why not one negative word was written about anyone he served with.鈥�

Still, the ongoing controversy over 鈥淣o Easy Day鈥� has the authors of 鈥淣o Special Op鈥� predicting Bissonnette鈥檚 book may be a game changer in the field. As Americans鈥� interest in commando culture swells and more retired Special Ops veterans consider sharing their accounts in books, movies, and more, the Pentagon will likely crack down on tell-all revelations like this 鈥� making firsthand accounts like these rarer, suggests the e-book. 鈥淣o Easy Day鈥� it writes, 鈥渨ill result in blowback that will drive policy change across the entire Special Operations community regarding operators鈥� ability to write books in the future. Hollywood and media access will be virtually impossible for the foreseeable future.鈥�

Husna Haq is a Monitor correspondent.