Later that day, Cote pulled dozens of his Marines into a tent and -- in what he called the "C-Y-A part" of the briefing -- ordered them to get their stories straight in case military investigators came asking questions about the "collateral damage" and the missing gear. According to one Marine present, who secretly recorded the briefing on his MP3 player, Cote was telling them it was OK to lie.
Listen to the briefing and watch Cpl. Matthew Kreisler, in the video above, minutes after a firefight on the river, obey orders to strip off his body armor, helmet, uniform and boots and dive in on an unsuccessful mission to retrieve the missing crypto gear. Minutes after he returned to the boat, the unit came under fire once again.
