Matt Crawford speaks with author Stephen R. Platt about his book, The Raider: The Untold Story of a Renegade Marine and the Birth of U.S Special Forces in World War II. 

In this compelling episode, historian Stephen R. Platt joins us to discuss his latest book, The Raider, a powerful chronicle of Evans Carlson—the controversial, visionary Marine officer who broke ranks with military convention during World War II to lead one of the first elite units in U.S. history. We explore Carlson’s radical leadership philosophy, his time with Mao Zedong in China, and how his story shaped the birth of what would become modern American Special Forces.

Platt shares how this little-known chapter of WWII history challenges our assumptions about heroism, leadership, and the cost of innovation in the military.