SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper
May 2011 · Sold by St. Martin's Press
4.5star
277 reviews
Ebook
352
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About this ebook
The New York Times bestselling book that takes you inside SEAL Team Six – the covert squad that killed Osama Bin Laden
SEAL Team Six is a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency. In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world.
After graduating, Wasdin faced new challenges. First there was combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, with a curriculum that included practiced land warfare to unarmed combat. More than learning how to pick a lock, they learned how to blow the door off its hinges. Finally as a member of SEAL Team Six he graduated from the most storied and challenging sniper program in the country: The Marine's Scout Sniper School. Eventually, of the 18 snipers in SEAL Team Six, Wasdin became the best—which meant one of the best snipers on the planet.
Less than half a year after sniper school, he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell when his small band of soldiers found themselves fighting for their lives, cut off from help, and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades during a routine mission. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it become known, left 18 American soldiers dead and 73 wounded. Howard Wasdin had both of his legs nearly blown off while engaging the enemy. His dramatic combat tales combined with inside details of becoming one of the world's deadliest snipers make this one of the most explosive military memoirs in years.
SEAL Team Six is a secret unit tasked with counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and counterinsurgency. In this dramatic, behind-the-scenes chronicle, Howard Wasdin takes readers deep inside the world of Navy SEALS and Special Forces snipers, beginning with the grueling selection process of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S)—the toughest and longest military training in the world.
After graduating, Wasdin faced new challenges. First there was combat in Operation Desert Storm as a member of SEAL Team Two. Then the Green Course: the selection process to join the legendary SEAL Team Six, with a curriculum that included practiced land warfare to unarmed combat. More than learning how to pick a lock, they learned how to blow the door off its hinges. Finally as a member of SEAL Team Six he graduated from the most storied and challenging sniper program in the country: The Marine's Scout Sniper School. Eventually, of the 18 snipers in SEAL Team Six, Wasdin became the best—which meant one of the best snipers on the planet.
Less than half a year after sniper school, he was fighting for his life. The mission: capture or kill Somalian warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid. From rooftops, helicopters and alleys, Wasdin hunted Aidid and killed his men whenever possible. But everything went quickly to hell when his small band of soldiers found themselves fighting for their lives, cut off from help, and desperately trying to rescue downed comrades during a routine mission. The Battle of Mogadishu, as it become known, left 18 American soldiers dead and 73 wounded. Howard Wasdin had both of his legs nearly blown off while engaging the enemy. His dramatic combat tales combined with inside details of becoming one of the world's deadliest snipers make this one of the most explosive military memoirs in years.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
277 reviews
A Google user
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July 25, 2012
Ever in search of the definitive ewar novel, this was a Father’s Day gift from my girls to me. I found the book very easy to read, although the author relies, naturally, on a wealth of military acronyms that require readers to refer to the glossary frequently. The author, Wasdin, grows up in the poor south. He is frequently beaten by his step dad, but that apparently is Okay in the South, where children should be seen but never heard. Ironically, this abuse helps toughen Wasdin to better endure the mental and physical extremes he encounters in the military. After enlisting in the Navy, he seeks to enter its highest echelons: the elist SEALS, and does so.
As a huge fan of the movie Blackhawk Down, I was particularly intrigued by the author’s perspective of this battle. In the movie, Army rangers are caught in a visciou cross fire by militant Africans. The movie focuses on Lt. Colonel Danny McKnight. The L/C is forced to rely on directions from circling helicopgters. The delay in transmissions causes them to be boxed in, surrounded by swhack-job militants. Enter Wasdin, who is part of the convoy led by the Colonel. The POV is fascinating, the juxtaposition of what one knows from “Blackhawk Down” and the insights from the perspective of anotehr solder in the convoy who cannot possible be privy to just why the chaos is coming.
This book is a fast read and speaks from the heart. It represents the fighting elite of our country well. Unlike some similar texts, it does not contain many swar words or vulgarity, a pleasant switch. My students would like this book. ***+ = Three and one half stars.
A Google user
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November 15, 2012
It's a decent book, and provides good real-world experience from a first person point of view into the life of an elite Seal operator.
A Google user
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January 3, 2012
Was grateful for the insights into the teams and the dedication to their missions. Was not supprised to read of the lack of support and backing the government extends to our best troops, I guess some things never change. Our nation owes these gentlemen more than just our thanks. I thank Mr. Wasdin for sharing his story and having the intelligence and courage to do so.
About the author
DR. HOWARD E. WASDIN graduated with BUD/S Class 143. After the Battle of Mogadishu, where he was awarded the Silver Star, Wasdin medically retired from the Navy in November, 1995, after 12 years of service. He lives in Georgia.
STEPHEN TEMPLIN completed Hell Week, qualified as a pistol and rifle expert, and blew up things during Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training. He is now an associate professor at Meio University in Japan.
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