Sunday, July 3, 2011

Book Review #38: Seal Team Six

Seal Team Six (2011)


I had high hopes for Seal Team Six as I really wanted to learn more about the Unit that went in and capped Osama Bin Laden once and for all. But as much as I wanted to like the book, Howard Wasdin, the author, came off very full of himself. At times, I really thought that I was reading another book by Jose Canseco. I get that Navy SEALs have to have a certain mind set in order to do the things they do, and I commend and respect the things he did to protect America and the less fortunate in other countries and that being one of the elite will obviously inflate ones ego. But here, after awhile, it really became a bit much to take.

Having said that, this book was just average at best. He is not a very good writer and a lot of what he has to say seems very off the cuff and not thought out very well. There is a lot of dead space throughout the book that just didn't hold my attention much. That's not to say the entire book is bad. When he gets into recounting certain OP Missions does it begin to pick up, the biggest one of course being the hunt for Mohamed Farrah Aidid, the warlord in Somalia. If you are unaware of who this is, just go rent Black Hawk Down.

The other interesting stuff to be found within the book obviously centers on training to become a SEAL and enduring Hell Week and what he and his teammates had to go through. Amid all the carnage of his sniper kills, I was surprised to find a few moments of levity when it came to humor, like when suffering from sleep deprivation, Wasdin while in the Mess Hall was ordered by his CO to go and kill the deer in the corner, only to find out he was about to attack and kill a tray rack. Dude definitely needs to get some sleep.

I really can't recommend this to anyone, unless you absolutely need to read everything there is to know about SEALs or military or whatever. Personally I will never read this book again.


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